2013 G23 verus 2014 G23?

[st68]

I am looking to buy a G23... found a leftover 2013 G23... I am told the primary differences are 2014 has better Transmission (2 to 1, better fuel efficiency), no standard surf pipe and no bluetooth... are there other differences? And how extra $ would you pay for a 2014 verus a 2013?

I know... these are real problems to wrestle with!!

Trying to weigh the pros and cons... and put a value on the difference. Thanks!

[vision]

The surf pipe is $800, swapping out head unit around the same and both can be added. So the tranny is the only difference not easy to change, although not impossible. The tranny definitely has better hole shot. But I have not seen any numbers on fuel efficiency. I would say a 2014 is worth about 5k more if the have identical motors.

[NautiqueJeff]

Which engine is in the 2013? If it is the 550, no worries. If it is the 450 or 409, know that the older V-drive (that's where the gear ratio changed) will make it very slow out of the hole, and will make it not plane at all with full ballast and a very full load of people. Changing the prop will help somewhat. You can always change out the v-drive, but that's $$$.

The 2014 G with the 450 or the 409 is MUCH improved.

I had a 550 in 2013, and I have a 450 now. I have NO complaints with the 2014 450.

[st68]

Which engine is in the 2013? If it is the 550, no worries. If it is the 450 or 409, know that the older V-drive (that's where the gear ratio changed) will make it very slow out of the hole, and will make it not plane at all with full ballast and a very full load of people. Changing the prop will help somewhat. You can always change out the v-drive, but that's $$$.

The 2014 G with the 450 or the 409 is MUCH improved.

I had a 550 in 2013, and I have a 450 now. I have NO complaints with the 2014 450.

The 2013 has the 450.... the 2014 I am looking at has the 409... so how long does the ballast take to fill and how long to drain? 2850 lb ballast is in the boat. If I end up with the 2013 what prop do you suggest I use? Thanks!

$5,000 is what I was thinking too... but wanted to check myself with you guys

[ironj32]

The 2013 has the 450.... the 2014 I am looking at has the 409... so how long does the ballast take to fill and how long to drain? 2850 lb ballast is in the boat. If I end up with the 2013 what prop do you suggest I use? Thanks!

$5,000 is what I was thinking too... but wanted to check myself with you guys

You're looking at about 10 minutes to fill up or drain the stock ballast. If you go the 2013 route and plan to do full stock ballast and up to 1000 pounds extra (people and/or ballast), the factory prop will be fine. If you plan to run more than that I'd suggest getting the Acme 2315.

[bradw]

Which engine is in the 2013? If it is the 550, no worries. If it is the 450 or 409, know that the older V-drive (that's where the gear ratio changed) will make it very slow out of the hole, and will make it not plane at all with full ballast and a very full load of people. Changing the prop will help somewhat. You can always change out the v-drive, but that's $$$.

The 2014 G with the 450 or the 409 is MUCH improved.

I had a 550 in 2013, and I have a 450 now. I have NO complaints with the 2014 450.

Jeff, how does your fuel consumption compare between the 13 and 14 boats?

[wakeslasher69]

Since you asked for opinions....I'd think long and hard about the 409 engine in any of these boats, they are VERY heavy "dry" and when you add ppl, ballast, gas, etc they are crazy heavy so power could be an issue. I don't have the 409 (I have a 2013 550) so I'll leave that to others to give pros/cons on. What I will say is that your $5k "difference" right now will likely be eaten up in resale down the road with the 409. Most that buy these boats will want at least 450's so just be careful when talking about differences today vs. down the road. Btw, great boat all around just make sure you have the hole shot you want whether thats the engine, reproping, or less boat meat. Enjoy!

Btw, I added the factory surf pipe (a must have) and I haven't seen the need for bluetooth IMO so I haven't swapped that out. I run XM or just a little longer aux wire to my ipod. Lastly, if you are worried about gas "mileage" get another boat! LOL! The 550 drinks the stuff like there is no tomorrow but hey I knew that going in.

[vision]

You're looking at about 10 minutes to fill up or drain the stock ballast. If you go the 2013 route and plan to do full stock ballast and up to 1000 pounds extra (people and/or ballast), the factory prop will be fine. If you plan to run more than that I'd suggest getting the Acme 2315.

I agree. My 2013 with 450 has no issues with full ballast and 6 to 7 people. I rarely run that much ballast and with 80% ballasted boarding, 5% surfing, and 15% empty cruising I have been using 6.05 gph over the last 200 hours. Therefore, the 450 is working fine with the original prop for our needs. I would take the 2013 450 over the 2014 409, even with the newer transmission.

[NautiqueJeff]

Honestly, the 450 and the 409 have very similar torque curves. You aren't going to see much difference between the two until the very top RPM range.

I have seen a significant reduction in fuel usage with the 450 compared to the 550 I had last year.

[wakeslasher69]

Honestly, the 450 and the 409 have very similar torque curves. You aren't going to see much difference between the two until the very top RPM range.

I have seen a significant reduction in fuel usage with the 450 compared to the 550 I had last year.

Jeff, you have sold a lot of boats obviously, do you see any difference in ANY of the motors sizes when reselling or trading in?

[ffmedic74]

I think the 2013 has more details in gel coat etc.

[st68]

This is very helpful to get your opinions... I appreciate you guys taking the time to post on here.

[NautiqueJeff]

I think the 2013 has more details in gel coat etc.

The 2014 gelcoat pattern did change slightly, but I like the 2014 design better.

In 2013, the front stripe ran all the way to the back of the boat in a small strip at the bottom of the main stripe. In 2014, the botton accent stripe runs up to the front, under the front stripe. I like the '14 design much better. In '14, you also have the option of the original side decals or the G-Flare graphic.

[brudererscr]

I have a 2014 with 409. Spent the entire weekend on lake cumberland with a minimum of 8-10 in the boat. We surfed pretty much the entire weekend with full ballast. I had no problems surfing. I will admit that heading back to the dock with full ballast and full boat took a little bit to plane out. However, fuel consumption was amazing. I would take that over the time to plane out. Just my two cents.


Scott

[chrisschweda]

I was looking at a 2013 with the 409 yet not sure how different the performance would be as well as fuel consumption between the 2