G vs. xstar

[Clibka]

I posted this over on wakeworld, some of the responses were good comparisons from people that have been on/behind both. Some ... not so much. Anyone over here want to weigh in?

"I know this has been argued before, but I did some searches and realized there wasn't an official battleground thread. The arguments seem to spin out of other threads. So bring the big guns out:

Who wins? G23/25 or xstar?

(This stemmed from a recent trip to a mc dealer where I realized all I have is anecdotal evidence making me want a g) not that I'm going to get any better opinions from here but its worth a shot."

Here's the link to the post over there if u want to read the responses:

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=798932

[Nautiquehunter]

One of my issues with MC and Malibu is they both require large amounts of additional weight to get a good wake . Not only does it take more fuel to operate but it also takes up valuable storage . The G is the top wakeboat for 2013,2014 and most likely years in the future . The Star is all about bling and not so much about intended use . Not to mention price.

[AirTool]

This is another one of those viruses in the form of an internet hoax.

[Clibka]

This is another one of those viruses in the form of an internet hoax.

Huh?

[perry386]

I posted this exact thread a little while back. Check out the thread 'G23 Versus Xstar' and there is like 5-7 pages of comparison.

[Neverenough]

Look IMO they are both great boats or should I say boat builders. You can go on for days arguing about this or that. For me it's more about the people. Ill start with the company that builds the boat. I choose to support a company that is not afraid to state that they are a Christian based company. For me and my family we think that's really cool. I don't know much about Penske and the Mastercraft people mostly because Nautique has not disappointed me. If they did I'd probably know about MC or BU or Centurion since we mostly surf. Next it's the dealer. We are fortunate to have one of the best Nautique dealers in the country here in DFW. I drive by a MC dealer which is much closer to me to get to Buxton. Last but not least the PCM folks are alright too. The one issue I had I told them about and they sent me the parts no charge. To sum up......It's summertime lets hit the water

[sodbuster88]

?..I choose to support a company that is not afraid to state that they are a Christian based company. For me and my family we think that's really cool...To sum up......It's summertime lets hit the water

Amen, bro..! I had MC for years and made the switch to CC first and foremost because of CC's belief system and how that translates into their business model...plus, they just make the better boat these days IMO. Only regret is that I didn't start with CC in the first place.

[jbach]

Go check them both out a dealer. The X-Star doesn't hold a candle to the G in the fit and finish department. I don't have experience riding behind either. My digging through both at a couple of boat shows, I wouldn't consider the X star unless the wake behind a G is crap, which it obviously is not according to, well, everybody. If I recall, the price wasn't much different. Way more boat for the money with a G. I'll have one in about 10 years when I can pay cash.

[Clibka]

Go check them both out a dealer. The X-Star doesn't hold a candle to the G in the fit and finish department. I don't have experience riding behind either. My digging through both at a couple of boat shows, I wouldn't consider the X star unless the wake behind a G is crap, which it obviously is not according to, well, everybody. If I recall, the price wasn't much different. Way more boat for the money with a G. I'll have one in about 10 years when I can pay cash.

In 10 years its going to be the p23. Wake will be 4ft high and 12 year olds will be throwing quads w2w.

Might as well enjoy it now while $ is cheap!!!

I have to somewhat disagree with you though. While my experience in the new star is minimal it looks cool enough, is real comphy, and it is put together fairly well (based on one example visited last week.) the big head scratcher to me is how they got such a small interior and minimal usable space out of a foot longer boat!?!? THAT is the deal breaker in my opinion. I'm still gonna get a g in the next 1-3 years!! Anyone want a cherry 2012 sante?

Ps, p23 sounds badazz.

[biggator]

I came from a malibu.. I demoed and looked at both with a blank slate as I'd never owned MC or Nautique previously. There was nothing about the G that I didn't like (my wife agreed) and the more I looked, the more I was impressed. The new X-star turned me off with a number of things immediately. The fit/finish is top notch and the design is beautiful.. but the interior layout is just weird, the fact that I needed to lose all my storage with plug/play ballast to get a decent wake, the motorized pop-up dash, the shaky tower, the fact that it's got a horrible surf wake.. to ME, it wasn't close. I called the Nautique dealer on the way home from the MC demo and told him to work me up a quote. It wasn't close at all.

As for Nautique being a 'christian' company.. I don't care if the owners sacrifice chickens to the ancient Mayan sun gods - I'm buying a boat, not a bible. There are lots of crappy and shady companies that still profess their 'faith'.

[rrmiller32]

I own a G23 and have ridden behind the new X-star. Both throw out top of the line wakes that I doubt any other boat can rival. The wakes are slightly different. I felt the G had a little better peak, was firmer and thicker. The X-star felt a little softer at the top. The G's wake is also wider so you can go a little bigger and still be wake to wake. Here's the big difference, The X-star I rode behind had 4,500 lbs of ballast and 6 people in the boat. I ride behind my G with stock weight and 4-5 people in the boat. I don't know first hand but I've heard the surf wake on the x-star sucks. I'm not a huge fan of surfing but it is fun to do mid day on camping trips when the water is chopped up. As far as the inside is concerned it's not even comparable. The x-star is a mess inside. Horrible layout with an awful use of space. It's a 24' boat with the usable space of a 21' boat.

Biggator I hear you on "buying a boat not a bible" This a boating forum not a bible thumping forum. Leave that stuff at home.

[Indy Rob]

I came from owning 2 xstars (2004 and 2008.) Demoed the 2013 Xstar and was totally bummed out. Since the fat sacs took up as much storage as my current 2008 xstar I basically would have no more storage. If you wanna surf at all you had to really work to get the wave right. (I wakeboard more then surf but still enjoy surfing when tired or rough water). If you wanted to surf Starboard on the xstar it was all on the driver to drive a perfect half moon at the exact mph........With the G23, endless storage, NSS,, better bow scheme, clean wake at various speads etc.......there isn't a comparision. Another big thing is having a good dealership in town regardless of the brand you go with. In Indianapolis we are lucky to have N3 boatworks at our service for us Nautique owners.

[nyryan2001]

Xstar surf wave is a joke. Not even a consideration.

G23 arguably has a top 3 surf wave.

[V8 Killer]

Neverenough wasn't Bible thumping, get off his ***. He stated a reason that, to him, was an important factor in choosing a company. You don't have to agree with his reason but that's not a justification to jump on him like that.

I previously owned a 2006 and then a 2010 X-Star. Combined 1,100 engine hours on them. I'm not an MC fanboy, but I will admit that when I started my research to determine my next boat, my emotions wanted to find that MC made the better product. I told myself if it was 50/50 or maybe even 45/55 I'd go MC. Well, it was more like 30/70 so I went to the G23. And after even more use and more time behind and driving both my G23 and my friend's 2013 X-Star, its more like 10/90.

2013 X-Star advantages:
Real wakeboard racks. Sorry but I don't enjoy spending 6 figures on a boat and holding my wakeboards on with a **** bungee cord. Not to mention they knock together unless placed just perfectly. MC clamp racks are far, far superior to Air Nautique's rubber band. PLUS, I can't spin my G23 racks in without removing the top board (hits the WetSounds). So docking involves having to remove 2 of my 4 boards and hold / store them.
Superior bow air dam door. This $1,100 "pocket door" upgrade on the G23 is a joke. Its plastic and already has a crack all the way down it. I'm sure I'll get that warrantied but I shouldn't have to. Nor should I have to pay $1,100 for a plastic sliding door when a beautiful billet door is factory on the X-Star.
3 screens - Yes one is motorized which is either cool or not, but 3 screens > 1. Constant flipping around is annoying on my G23, but I'm getting better at figuring out what I really have to flip between. Still, I'd prefer 3, or AT LEAST to have the stereo in its own separate control.
Wooden teak option - I hate having to be so careful trying to keep my painted transom in perfect condition. Its going to get messed up, its just a matter of time. With 40 hours on my G23 I'm surprised it isn't yet messed up more.
OEM in-boat speakers don't suck. JL marine speakers are awesome, been jamming to them for 6 years on my X-Stars (just needed a lot more amp to wake them up). Polk component speakers suck and are sitting in boxes, replaced by WetSound XS-650s.
Bow and sunpad areas are longer. To me, this matters. I spend a lot of time in the bow if I'm not driving or boarding. I can watch the action while chilling in my own private area with my woman, daughter, buddy, whatever. Sunpad area I used to enjoy laying around on sometimes, and girls certainly do. The G23 is short/cramped in both these areas, especially for taller people.
Bimini isn't too low for tall people *while* allowing for more speakers. G23 + taller bimini option = no speakers up top. If you care about this kind of thing, and I do, this sucks. My X-Stars had 2 x WetSound 485 + 4 x Pro80. Now I can't fit more than 4 individual speakers or 2 x Rev410, and they must be hanging on the bottom. I can R&D a fix but honestly I don't have that kind of time to R&D it + make it look good / like it semi-belongs.

G23 advantages:
SO many...and most importantly so many of the most important things to consider when buying a wakeboard boat.
The wakeboard wake! Biggest, most firm wake ever (with stock ballasts). My buddy with the 2013 X-Star (who is a HUGE MC fanboy FWIW) even remarked its the largest stock wake he's ever ridden behind and he's been wakeboarding since 1992 and owned ~dozen boats.
The surf wake! 100 times superior to the 2013 X-Star. Even my buddy with the 2013 X-Star says so.
NSS! SO amazing. Especially if you have the need to swap sides for different riders (and most of us do). No leaning the boat to one side. No moving everyone. No waiting for sacks to fill/drain (unless you're adding even more weight obviously). I realize MC will likely have something NSS-like soon, but even their new X46 "Surf specialty" boat they just released video on was NOT impressive.
Interior layout + more interior room (but partially at the sacrifice of short bow seating and short sunpad seating). X-Star's pass-thru to the bow is very awkward with that one seat next to the driver. Plus if you're sitting in that seat you're like bumping into the driver (at least if you're both taller people).
Storage for miles.
Seadek - Never gets hot. I don't like the fact I can't get things quite as clean as with removing carpet, sweeping, etc. But overall I give the nod to the seadek and if you don't like it, order carpet.
No extra ballast needed. Of course this has something to do with the fact that G23 + fuel + half a dozen people + OEM ballast + gear/stereo = 11,000 pounds!!
Great wake at MANY speeds. The X-Star makes a great wake at one very small area of speed. The G23 makes a very nice wake from ~17 to 23+.
Reversible stern seat is easier to deploy and retract. This is a small thing but several of the X-Star advantages I mentioned were pretty picky/small as well.
Dealer - at least if you're in DFW. TXMC has some good people there and I'm not going to sound off on them publicly. Suffice it to say that Phil, Michelle, and Buxton Marine in general is leaps and bounds above TXMC though.

Prices: Not sure what everyone is talking about here. The price difference is VERY minor. I was getting significant discounts from both dealerships and either boat was going to cost pretty much the same. Unless y'all are talking about a couple grand...the prices are the same. When you're spending over $100k I don't consider a ~$2,000 difference to be a difference.

Oh - and about the X-Star tower: It is very flimsy / shaky out of water. In water it firms up and is solid as a rock, even with my buddy having 6 WetSounds hanging.

Good luck with your decision clibka.

Cheers,

Dusty

[dh0125]

^^^ great writeup