G23 Prop Fell Off .....

[SoCal G-Man]

What about going with a splined shaft like MC uses? This would eliminate the key/keyway. MC switched to splined shafts in 2006 or 2007

Unfortunately all the old keyway props couldn't be kept as spares.

Broaching is more expensive than a simple CNC cut.

[GMLIII]

How many pages can a thread have on PN? Are we going to run out of pages on this thread? LOL

[swc5150]

I've heard this is not a widespread issue, so I'm sure there won't be many, if any, more pages to this thread.

[GMLIII]

I've heard this is not a widespread issue, so I'm sure there won't be many, if any, more pages to this thread.

We are at 38 pages now and growing each week

[swc5150]

Lol, nothing to see here

[SoCal G-Man]

It would be interesting to know by a company insider on the total breakage count by model and year

VERY few G owners I meet in my travels are here on the PN forum. I would also like to know that data...

[Evening Shade]

Broaching is more expensive than a simple CNC cut.

The current shafts that keep breaking seem more expensive than broaching. A product that never fails is far cheaper than an inexpensive product that fails.

[NautiqueJeff]

Greg Meloon gave me a call today to discuss the shafts. It sounds like they are still putting significant resources into the issue, and they are indeed using a new manufacturer as of a few months ago. Like some have said in earlier posts, the original shaft manufacturer's quality had slipped, and that caused some bad shafts to get into production. A few months ago, they changed manufacturers because of the issues with the original manufacturer's shafts. Since then, the failure rate has been extremely low. I wouldn't expect it to ever reach zero because of other contributing factors (engines out of alignment, improper prop installation, etc.), but it sounds like the new manufacturer's shafts have held up very well so far. Greg made it clear that Nautique's intention is to provide an exceptional experience for their owners, and they are working hard to be sure they are addressing this issue to provide that experience.

During our conversation, we talked about the number of G-series boats out there versus the number that have experienced this issue. It sounds like the number of boats that have had a shaft break, while not insignificant, is not a large percentage of all G-series boats. In my personal experience, I have owned seven G-series boats, and I have had zero shaft failures. I run my boats quite a bit, including pulling tournaments and pulling numerous high-level riders. I know that my 2016 G23 did end up breaking a shaft while the second owner had it. Other than that I know of one on my lake that has broken, and that was a camp boat that had many hundreds of hours put on it during the year. I am not even sure how long ago that happened. It was quite some time back. There may be others around here that have broken, but those are the only ones that I am aware of. My point is that while the issue is not something that should be taken lightly (and Nautique isn't), it also isn't happening to a large percentage of the G-series boats. It sounds like Nautique has got a good supplier who so far has been consistent in supplying quality shafts with what appear to be strong results in the field, at least so far. Nautique has been supporting anyone who experiences the issue, and I would expect that to continue for a reasonable amount of time.

[heel5man]

Greg Meloon gave me a call today to discuss the shafts. It sounds like they are still putting significant resources into the issue, and they are indeed using a new manufacturer as of a few months ago. Like some have said in earlier posts, the original shaft manufacturer's quality had slipped, and that caused some bad shafts to get into production. A few months ago, they changed manufacturers because of the issues with the original manufacturer's shafts. Since then, the failure rate has been extremely low. I wouldn't expect it to ever reach zero because of other contributing factors (engines out of alignment, improper prop installation, etc.), but it sounds like the new manufacturer's shafts have held up very well so far. Greg made it clear that Nautique's intention is to provide an exceptional experience for their owners, and they are working hard to be sure they are addressing this issue to provide that experience.

During our conversation, we talked about the number of G-series boats out there versus the number that have experienced this issue. It sounds like the number of boats that have had a shaft break, while not insignificant, is not a large percentage of all G-series boats. In my personal experience, I have owned seven G-series boats, and I have had zero shaft failures. I run my boats quite a bit, including pulling tournaments and pulling numerous high-level riders. I know that my 2016 G23 did end up breaking a shaft while the second owner had it. Other than that I know of one on my lake that has broken, and that was a camp boat that had many hundreds of hours put on it during the year. I am not even sure how long ago that happened. It was quite some time back. There may be others around here that have broken, but those are the only ones that I am aware of. My point is that while the issue is not something that should be taken lightly (and Nautique isn't), it also isn't happening to a large percentage of the G-series boats. It sounds like Nautique has got a good supplier who so far has been consistent in supplying quality shafts with what appear to be strong results in the field, at least so far. Nautique has been supporting anyone who experiences the issue, and I would expect that to continue for a reasonable amount of time.

Thanks for sharing the conversation. I personally have had a broken shaft on both our 2017 G23 and then our 2018 G23 as well. The GM at my dealer described a very high failure rate on 2018 G23s they were delivering; more than 50%.

Was there any discussion of a “recall” on this part where a proactive replacement would be done.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[Wayward]

Good info, Jeff.

That said...... I definitely think Greg played that down a bit more than what is the reality of it....

This forum consists of a small portion of owners, and there is a ton of broken shafts in this thread, for such a small group.
There are guys here that have had multiple breaks on one boat, or breaks on multiple boats.
Also, Nautique was suggesting that dealers stock driveshafts (starting over three years ago).

Its happening quite a lot...... even if it happens to only be 5% (we know it’s more than that), that is WAY too much for this sort of failure to go on for this many years.

ill be honest..... it’s sort of annoying that he played it down like that.

[Kenv]

Yeah Jeff....I've been on here awhile and respect everything that you've said and done as a Nautique ambassador......BUT...that post had a little Too much sugar poured on it. Small percentage my butt....and who cares if you run your boat "hard" or "soft".....I would consider it VERY rare for your prop shaft to just break....for no reason. While I thank you for the post....If just doesn't give me confidence in the Gs. Let's look back on this post a year from now and see where we stand. Hopefully in a much better place.

[SoCal G-Man]

Good info, Jeff.

That said...... I definitely think Greg played that down a bit more than what is the reality of it....

This forum consists of a small portion of owners, and there is a ton of broken shafts in this thread, for such a small group.
There are guys here that have had multiple breaks on one boat, or breaks on multiple boats.
Also, Nautique was suggesting that dealers stock driveshafts (starting over three years ago).

Its happening quite a lot...... even if it happens to only be 5% (we know it’s more than that), that is WAY too much for this sort of failure to go on for this many years.

ill be honest..... it’s sort of annoying that he played it down like that.

I have to agree with you Wayward, but the manufacturer should play it down. Meloon’s job is to protect the brand. Especially a high end brand like Nautique. Conversely, a problem like this should never go on this long. If it was one or two years, that is not bad. However, this is not a simple shaft issue, it is a long-term QC issue, and THAT is keeping people from buying new boats.

[Kenv]

OK SoCal....your last sentence brings up a very good question that I don't thing has been asked or answered on this thread yet. Family comes into the dealer to move up to a G23. Know nothing of PN or any of what's been going on. Do you...as a salesman, tell them...Congratulations on your purchase...and oh...by the way...there is a Strong chance your shaft may break and will leave you stranded...but we'll cover all expenses to fix and get you back on the water. Serious question. Do you tell them?? The moral compass at play here could go either way. You can "play dumb"....or....potentially loose the sale with one sentence.

[WakingAround]

If you’re going to spend $175k on a purchase without first doing a significant amount of research on your own and rely solely on what a dealer tells you then I have a Timeshare in Malibu that you can use for free. I’m currently in the peace corps in Nigeria so just wire me a $1000 deposit and it’s all yours.

That doesn’t negate the significance of the issue but I’m just saying you shouldn’t just take the dealers word for it either. I know people get close with their dealers and forget that in the end this is still business.

[wakerider107]

OK SoCal....your last sentence brings up a very good question that I don't thing has been asked or answered on this thread yet. Family comes into the dealer to move up to a G23. Know nothing of PN or any of what's been going on. Do you...as a salesman, tell them...Congratulations on your purchase...and oh...by the way...there is a Strong chance your shaft may break and will leave you stranded...but we'll cover all expenses to fix and get you back on the water. Serious question. Do you tell them?? The moral compass at play here could go either way. You can "play dumb"....or....potentially loose the sale with one sentence.

Doesn't matter what type of sales you are in, it's a pretty basic rule to never place doubt in someones mind. Even accidentally saying the word "crossover boat" to the wrong person can lose a sale on a particular model, even though that boat can exceed their surfing expectations.
So no - no sales person will bring that up. I don't think it is a "moral compass" issue either. But, this can turn into a deep conversation because it really depends on the salespersons intentions and if they flat out lie or be manipulative - which is a terrible way to sell in this industry because dealerships rely on referrals and repeat customers unlike your typical used car dealership.