2013 SANTE 230 409 vs 2014 SANTE 230 409

[livnpruf]

I am buying a new 230 after selling my 08 SANTE 230 ZR6.
I liked many features like storage space, rear compartments, and hard cooler of the 2013 and older 230 over the new design.
I have an opportunity to buy a new 2013 230 or order a 2014 230.
Both have the NSS.
Does the 14 230 outperform the 13 230 significantly for surf wake, etc, to offset my preference for the 13's storage, hard cooler etc?
Also, new to new, 13 vs 14, how much cheaper should the 13 sell for (compared to the 14)?
Basically I need help to decide whether to buy a 13 or 14 230.
Is the 2014 230 better and why? I loved many things of the 2013 and prior 230 design...
What is the better boat and short/long term decision?
Thanks!

[Laptom]

I don't know if the 14 is a better performing boat, but I'm with you that the 13 has better features like the rear compartments and the movable rear bench. It is a pity CC removed those.

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[Miljack]

We have an '08 230 and love it! My riding buddy got a '12 230 and he didn't like the wake as much as mine, and also complained that his '12 was more sensitive side to side than my '08 model. The '14 models have changed the rear tank locations, and to our "eyeball engineering" view, looks like CC responded to attempt to take the side-side sensitivity out of the stock setups.
Can you get a demo ride in the '14 prior to ordering?

I agree with you re: functionality, 08-13 models have better seating options. Looks like the '14 gives up the center rear facing seat (one of our family's favorite options) but gains a little deeper seating and some other upgrades. I think the new '13 towers are an improvement over the FCT 3,4,5 versions.

[theduke]

I bought new a 2008 230 with the 390 engine and loved it. I recently ordered a 2014 230 with the 409. I expect delivery before Christmas. You are right that the storage is better in the old design. I saw the new 2014 in action at the Nautique Regata in Parker two months ago and was very impressed. The hull changes and the incresed stock ballast to 2100 pounds really make the surf wave impressive. In my oppinion the surf wave is as good as the G. The handleing of the boat was impressive. I have six kids and we always are loaded. Even loaded and heavy it perfomed well.
Another factor is resale. With the redesign do you really want to buy the last year of the old design? The new changes are significant from a performance perspective. If you can steal the 2013 I would consider it, if not go with the 1014. Good luck with the decision.

[wakerider107]

I own a '12 and have spent some time in the '13/'14s so I'll give you what input I can.

13's:
-Hard cooler is nice. But switching to the soft sided ones in the '14 wont be too big of a deal. Either way, someone has to move to get at the cooler.
-Removeable rear facing seat. This has really only been useful a couple times. Theres no room to store it on the boat (I use rear storage for ballast). Its rather inconvenient to have to step over, so most of the time I didn't even have it in the boat. It was nice the couple times that it was used, but I rarely have 6+ people in the boat while wakeboarding. If this seat was like the '13 210 where the rear seat flips over so you can face backwards, then I would be sad that it's gone in '14.
-Very sensitive side to side. I bought lead bags (pop-products.com) to offset the driver weight as well as have 3 40lb bags in the cabin area to drag around to even wakes out on the fly. I recommend this for any boat. Nothing is more frustrating than an uneven wake.
-Rear storage and ballast. I'm impartial to hard tanks, but either way you need more than stock ballast. I have the wakemakers overflow kit in my boat, works fantastic. This also takes up the majority of storage leaving me just enough room for a lifejacket or 2 and a rope.

'14s:
-Rear storage/ballast. Putting the hard tanks on their side and having an optional overflow kit is awesome. This allows for deeper storage while still having a good amount of ballast in the rear. The drop-in plastic storage bins that go on top are very nice. Enough room for jackets/ropes/other watersport accessories with easy access.
-Hinged seats. These make getting to storage easier. They also stay open by themselves for easy cleaning/drying.
-Hull. Hull has been tweaked slightly to work better with NSS. Wakeboard wake is near identical if weight properly. No matter which 230 you go with, I highly recommend the bow overflow bag from FlyHigh. It fits underneath the cushions and adds another 600lbs. 230s love bow weight!
-New tower paint. This paint is more heavy duty, "3x as strong as previous tower paints". Less prone to chips.

I personnaly like the gel lines of the '13 over '14. But one issue is that the '14s are built a little cheaper/simpler (no rear facing seat/hard cooler, etc) so while a '13 will hold it's value, the price of a brand new '14 won't be much more than a used '13, in my opinion. It's still too early to tell how exactly it's going to play out.

Just a couple things to think about. Nothing beats spending some time in each boat and driving and riding behind it.