2015 G25 - Feedback after 6 months ownership and warranty items

[Austintx]

Hey all just thought I'd post my feedback having owned my 2015 G25 for 6 months now. First off the boat has been absolutely fantastic and a dream to drive and surf. I couldn't be happier with the boat and more importantly the people and company that stand behind their product. Everything about the boat is top notch....incredible performance, massive amount of people and storage space, awesome quality of the build, upgraded stereo, surf system and size/strength of wave, led and tower lighting system....the list goes on and on.

We've had a few warranty items (including a blown engine) that have all been handled professionally and very quickly by both our dealer here in Austin (Sail and Ski), Nautique and PCM.

-The 2015 digital throttle is awesome however we had a slight issue that it had about 2mm too much play and you had to wiggle it to get the engine to start. Nautique replaced it and works perfect.

-We have upgraded Level III stereo which is fantastic. There was a very slight buzz/hum in the speakers which the dealer tried troubleshooting and couldn't diagnose. Nautique replaced entire system and that fixed it.

-Last month we had a catastrophic engine failure after a day on the lake just as we were returning to the slip. We have the XR550 engine which normally sounds absolutely beautiful...and all of a sudden it sounded like metal on metal like a truck diesel engine. Long story short, there appears to be some sort of internal failure in the engine. It took PCM and dealer less than 72 hrs to have a tech take a look and for PCM to approve brand new replacement engine. In fact they pulled a new one off the production line and had it shipped immediately. The old engine had ~60 hrs on it and the dealer said we may never hear back from PCM what actually happened....its just one of those extremely rare things. (We had done all the service, check oil regularly, etc, etc.) They are dropping boat back in lake today so we'll start the break-in process on new engine this weekend.

-We also had a very small crack that developed in the rear cooler in the fiberglass. Just a manufacturing defect and dealer had someone out to fix within the week and looks perfect. I guess this occasionally happens as part of the manufacturing process where the fiberglass is thinner than its supposed to be in the corners. Probably a drink can sloshing around in cooler was enough to crack it like an egg shell.

The 2850 lbs of factory ballast is more than enough. Occasionally we have used 1 additional 750 sack which isn't necessary but does make bigger, stronger wave. With just factory ballast we've actually had 2 grown men (200 lbs each) surfing at same time behind boat on 2 different boards. While I'm sure this wasn't "safe" it was pretty **** fun

Bottom line is boat is awesome, warranty items have all been 100% handled, and I can't think of a single upgrade or change I'd make to the boat if I did it again.

2015 Nautique G25
XR550 HP engine
Design package
NSS
LED lights, underwater, and tower
Level III stereo with zone control and additional amps
Battery maintenance with integrated charger
Bow armrests and filler cushion
Transom remote control
Camera ready tow point

[JamesHawk101]

I can't mention things wrong with the boats I have owned but everything has been fixed and has been 100% taken care of. Nautiques customer service really is the best. I have a question about the hum though. How loud was it? because when my system isn't playing music there is a pop and whistle sometimes. I have the Level III package as well.

[swc5150]

Glad to hear you're satisfied with the boat, even after experiencing numerous and rare issues. I think you've just been extremely unlucky, and CC and Sail and Ski are lucky to you as a customer, with your apparent calm and understanding nature Many customers would've focused more on the issues at hand versus how they were dealt with. Kudos!

[Austintx]

James, the hum was un-noticable when the music was playing. Only when there was silence or the volume was really low could you hear it. I thought it might be engine noise or a bluetooth issue, loose connector, or perhaps even a bad amp but we eliminated all those issues. I think they just replaced the head unit which seems to of fixed it.

SWC, yeah I have been truly impressed with Nautique, PWC, and the dealer. I also realize that an engine issue like this has got to be extremely rare. I remember shortly after I took ownership of the boat I received one of those customer service emails wanting to know how my experience was. I usually never fill those out since I figure nobody reads them anyway. Well I filled out the Nautique one and mentioned some very minor issues that dealer was already in process of taking care of. Literally within 30 minutes I got a phone call from my sales guy saying that the president of Nautique had called the owner of sail and ski and told them to do whatever was necessary to fix things asap. I was blown away.

All parties involved have been amazing handling issues and they have a customer for life with me. I thought it was important to post this message here because there are so few companies that truly stand behind their products and do what it takes to make sure things are done right when there is an issue. You get what you pay for and that includes the people and company behind the product.

[a0128]

. . . the president of Nautique had called the owner of sail and ski and told them to do whatever was necessary to fix things asap.

That is IMPRESSIVE and so very rare these days!

[Shockthis]

That is funny on the survey. I was honest on my survey and got a call from my dealer and they yelled at me for not giving them top marks . I thought I was just supposed to be honest.

[ffmedic74]

I have a humm in my stereo as well... Were they able to isolate the issue to a bad head unit then?

[scottb7]

If I had all those problems I would not be impressed. Give me a few million dollars a year and I will call owners and vendors and tell them to make it right. I personally think it would be much more impressive if you had 0 problems in first 6 months.

[Kenv]

Austin....I also use Sail and Ski for my boats. Awesome dealer. Above when you said you "think" they replaced the head unit..do you know for sure? Sounds like a few that have already chimed in to this post have noise coming from the speakers that shouldn't. Curious to know for sure if you had a bad unit or did they do something else to fix the noise with yours. I've got a G21 with the level 3 system on order and just want to know what the sounds are that others are starting to mention. Thanks. Have a good one.

[Whitetail15]

kenv, I just got my 2015 g21. It has level one stereo. I also have the faint buzz with volume down low. It does it with radio, Aux, and bluetooth modes. It only goes away when music overtakes it as you turn volume up.

My 2012 was the same way. Had it checked by two different dealers- said it was normal and could not be fixed in that boat.

[KTM525]

If I had all those problems I would not be impressed. Give me a few million dollars a year and I will call owners and vendors and tell them to make it right. I personally think it would be much more impressive if you had 0 problems in first 6 months.

Well, yes.. but you can always get some problems, there is no 100% defect free production. So, if you get some problems, its good to know they where fixed as fast as possible and without any annoying discussion with the customer/warranty department or dealer. And it is nice to hear that your problems are taking serious by a company.

[Tryathlete]

CC builds about 5 boats per day working 2 shifts. Each boat is completely custom. Building custom products creates a myriad of opportunities for continuous improvement but is constantly battling discoveries as to how better to assemble, configure, and integrate multiple systems with each other. I used to sell complex electronics to the RV diesel pusher market. It's almost the identical situation there as well. Some RV makers have free campgrounds attached to their factories to allow owners to come in and have their vehicles troubleshot and repaired.

It's a testament to a good custom product builder, particularly a complex product to work with after sale customers to insure their satisfaction and improve the product for the next customer.


If it ain't broke, sell it.

[Austintx]

Ffmedic yes it was head unit that was replaced. And totally agree that boats are custom hand built so it's not surprising there may be issues sometimes. I probably experienced something extremely rare but not a big deal since it was taken care of so fast.

On a positive note, we surfed new engine yesterday and it is perfect and awesome. Sounds and feels even better than old engine. Water was 58 degrees so I'm still cold lol!

[Hogwild]

Interesting thread since I'm picking up almost the exact same boat friday with the exception of the 450 motor. I'm going to be sure and check the Level III stereo before I leave the dealer. Thanks for all the great info Austin.

[Kenv]

Whitetail...congrats on the G21!!! Post some pics if you get a chance. Mine should be here early April. Funny though....how you said two different dealers said the noise was normal and couldn't be fixed....but AustinTX said Sail and Ski replaced the head unit and it fixed the noise?? Soooooo....do you use the great forum we have here and get it right or do you just live with a little noise? I'm the kind of person where if my radio is buzzing and a new G21 pulls up next to me and his is not....I want the NOT.....LOL