G23 transmission history lesson

[wakeboarder3780]

I know at some point the G23's went through a transmission gearing that gave them more power at the prop. I do not recall when this happened. Can someone remind me when the G's went through this change?

Also, I remember there being debate before the transmission went through the power change on whether or not to go 450 vs 550. I have only been in a 550 and the only thing I can say is "holy power batman". I was wondering if anyone has been in both the 450 and 550 POST transmission change and could let me know where the 450 stops being a viable option (additional ballast X).

Finally, if anyone runs a bit extra ballast on stock and uses their G mainly for wakeboarding, what are you typically seeing for gas cost per 20 min set? Which engine do you have? Is that post transmission change?

I don't think we'll be fortunate enough to buy new so we will really have to get some intel on the 450 vs 550 before jumping in. Most boats on the market for sale seem to be 450's.

[nyryan2001]

3780- i'll take a stab at this

2013 is old trannys

2014 is new trannys. 2014 450s perform nearly as good as a 550, only 1 second slower to 23mph with OEM ballast, 7&8 seconds IIRC.

Ok. Deals price wise are on the 2013 450s. Throw a 2315 prop on and they are capable of 85% of what a 2014 can do going way above stock ballast.

understand a G with stock 2850 ballast throws an amazing wake. Better and cleaner than anything in the Malibu lineup. The NCrS is a more effective wave shaper than wedge. Steep or mellow, you choose. G23 throws a great wake with NO ballast! Just this weekend crusing the lake at 23.5, 3100rpms.... Perfect crisp wake. They are sensitive to left/right balance IMO.

2013 G23 on a 2315 with 1-2000 extra ballast over OEM (if distributed well to maintain a good shaft angle) will be at its limit, roughly 4500 RPMs. Expect 15+gph going that hard for a pretty massive wake. Not sure your riding level or if that's necessary. OEM ballast will suffice for 95% of folks. 2013 450 will pull that up plus gear and 6 men just fine.

550 can bring around 3000+ 2850 up to 23mph working to the max... Think 35ft 25,000lb 3 story Hatteras level sized wake. Insane. Also think 18-20+gph maxing out the 550 for the permanent double up level wake.

surfing most of the time for me is OEM + 1000ish. 2013 450 I'd burn 9-12gph 3500 RPMs. 2014 550 I burn 12-15gph, 33-3400rpms with maybe a little more like 1500 above 2850 OEM. Only boat I've seen be able to compete surf wise is my old 247. Surfing and driving a slammed NSS G is soooo much more enjoyable.

I think my figures are in the ballpark , can get much more specific WRT surfing. Gs are thirsty, estimate 2-3x what you see on a 350 motor. Good luck!

[thedude]

The NCRS is key to getting on plane quickly with any motor. With the correct NCRS settings, and "auto NCRS" enabled, the 2013 G23 with 450 fully loaded gets on plane as quick or quicker than any other ballasted wake boat I've ridden (Bu 247 with 450, Bu 21' with 350, 210 with 343 is what I'm comparing to). By the time I'm out of the water and pull shorts down the wake it formed and ready to go. With stock ballast, I burn between 7-10 GPH 70% wakeboarding/30% surfing depending on the # of people in the boat. This is with the stock prop. RPM's are around 3600 at 22.5 MPH, with full ballast. I'm at 1500' above sea level.

I'm not sure why folks dog the 2013 with the 450 motor, I've never once had an issue getting on plane or had the feeling that it was underpowered. I'd say they should check their NCRS settings, without NCRS I could see the boat taking too long to plane out. The 550 is awesome I'm sure, but unless you are pulling coal barges across the lake, live at high elevation or load your boat up with huge amounts of ballast above factory the 450 is a solid power plant capable of running on 87 octane.

[vision]

Agreed. 450 in my 2013 G23 has no issues with stock ballast and a few people. Average almost 6gph on the nose. But we rarely surf and run minimal ballast about 30% of the time.

[swankster]

The only reason I'm upgrading from the 2013 to the 2014 G23 is because of the deal I'm getting. IMO the 2013's wake and power covers 90% to 95% of riders with just stock ballast. I went to one college wake board meet with the G and have a proam rider that rides with me and no one says they need more wake. At the college event most riders were impressed with the stock wake.
Most of the time I'm 60% surfing and 40% boarding and burn 6 to 7 GPH.

[wakeboarder3780]

Don't get me wrong. I've ridden the stock wake. My questions purely come from "future proofing". My riding is always getting better and I keep boats for a very long time (10-15 years). From that regard I need to make sure I'm getting the right engine, because you don't just swap those out. Not necessary for my current level at all - other than when i do raileys, you WANT the biggest thing you can get when learning those...

What I'm hearing is the 2014 450 can handle up to a couple thousand extra ballast on top of stock. Is that right? Or can it do even more. Right now I run 1100s in the back so 2200 is my "extra". So this is sounding pretty promising - and really good news because i have not seen a 550 used hit the market ever.