2014-15 Super air 230 Hull depth vs a G21?

[Noahsark]

I went to a semi local boat show last week in Chantilly VA, and finally got to see a Super Air 230 in person. When the wife and I got inside it, she wasn't too happy on how "short" it felt in hull depth when we first got in it. She thought the bow area (her favorite sitting place) seemed kinda of dangerous as it looked like you would sit pretty much high up with not much side wall protecting you?

After she went up and sat down in the bow her opinion started to change as it did for both of us as we sat down in the main area of the boat. I thought at first my knees would be in my chest by first glance sitting on the seats, but they are actually much better than I thought once you sit down.


Take in mind that we are two previous people coming from an I/O, so I already knew the wakeboarding boats weren't as deep as most I/O''s, but with my research I knew that 2014 up 230's were deeper than previous models, so I guess I was assuming it would be close to an I/O.

Either way I only came away More Impressed by Nautique's boats and haven't changed my mind on purchasing one, I just now wonder should I try to find a G21 and see how much deeper it feels? I've read where quite a few of you say the G series is a 'larger feeling"boat? So I don't want to rule it out.

How does the interior "size" of a G21 compare with the overall size of a 230? I read where a G21 feels much larger than a normal 21 foot boat.

I was showing my wife how all of the seats either had hinges or struts on them so that none of the seats would be loose like they were on our last I/O, but I forgot to check the seats in the bow. Is there storage under the seats in the bow on a 230? I know the G21 bow area has storage under the seats, but cant find any info on a 230.

I'm still leaning toward a 230 as being the best boat price wise, garage friendly, fuel efficient, and overall fit for my needs, but I don't want to rule out a G21 yet.

Thanks for any and all info

[justhavinfun]

Best word of advice would be test both on the water. We were leaning in the direction of the 230. We had the opportunity to do the VIP Tour a few weeks ago (great experience thanks Nautique). We tested the 230 first and then the G21. If you are coming from an I/O your wife will like the G better. We currently have an 07 Malibu VLX and had 2 Sea Ray's prior. We felt the 230 was a very good boat, a big step up from our VLX, but you still get significant spray over bow if you go over a roller, the wakeboard wake was good, surf wake was good, but felt like boat needed more ballast for surfing, storage was just ok. Once you got in the G it was a whole new level. I could fit in each rear locker and I'm not a small guy. The storage was amazing, ability to slide rear seat was great, the bow area felt mammoth, the boat did not feel 2ft shorter than the 230. Now for the best part: the wakeboard wake is hands down one of the best stock wakes I've ridden, the surf wake felt like it had a little more push for me(could have had cleaner lip, portside prop wash), the boat handled very well and took rollers on like nothing. We will now try to demo the G23 and G21 to compare, but have decided it is worth waiting to save up money to get a G Series instead.

[Noahsark]

Thanks for the info "justhavinfun" ! That does surprise me though, as I was told the older 230 at times had spray, but the newer hull design on the 2014 and up didn't have this issue much? The dealer that I talked to at the boat show just called me and he said there is storage under the seats in the bow area.

He told me in his opinion the 230 has as good of a ride as any of the Nautique models,as he owns one personally. Told me he has g's too if i'm interested.

He wants me to comeup to his dealership and take a test drive on the 230 I was looking at in the show. It's a 3 hour trip each way, but I think I'm going to make plans to do that next week.

Thanks

[JoeA]

Test both boats and bring the wife. It's a big decision so don't do it alone.

[Noahsark]

I will definetely take the wife !! Lol She keeps telling me it's my decision but after 30+ years of marriage I know better than that !

It's really for me what is the best "overall" boat. Which means price, ride, fuel usage, storage, etc. I wish I lived on a lake and would get to use a boat multiple times each week or every weekend, but I don't.

We really only go to Kerr Lake about 4 times a year. 2 times full a full week each time, and then a couple more times doing a 4 day weekend. Then I might make it to L:ake Anna a few times for a day. both of these lakes are in VA, which is where I'm located.

Now when I buy this boat, we are planning on making a few more trips to Kerr, but still it will be mild usage compared to some of you lucky guys!


Either way this is a Great board and I appreciate all of you putting up with my questions, and Nautique's are Awesome boats so I'm sure i'll get to where I want to be soon.

Thanks

[dttheel]

Noahsark, from my experience, you are going to like any of these when you make your final choice. I just noticed, your "3 hours each way" comment. Depending on where you are in Va, there may be a closer dealer. We have had a great experience with Webster Marine on Smith Mountain Lake. We are about a 2 hour drive (towing the boat) from them and use Lake Anna almost exclusively. But, if Moneta and Smith Mountain are closer, I would recommend them. I know they have a G21 and G23 on the lot at the moment.

And, if you are headed out to Lake Anna and see a black and yellow 210, say "hello." Good luck.

[Noahsark]

dttheel, I found out about Webster Marine a while back and plan to check them out also. I'm in Winchester VA. Winchester is about 2-2.5 hrs from Smith Mountain Lake, and I'm only about an hour from Lake Anna.

The Nautique dealer I'm talking about that was at the boat show is in MD.


I'm spoiled by going to Kerr Lake, since That is where my parents took us camping when I was little and my brothers and I have taken are own families continusly there our entire lives, even though it's 4+ hours from Winchester. You could put Smith Mountain Lake and Lake Anna together and they still are not as big as Kerr lake.

That's why I'm spoiled. Lake Anna and Smith Mountain can get quite bust at times, but Kerr is so big it's never busy. They sometimes will have a fishing tournament going on and there will be over a hundred bass boat trailers in the public launch, but get out on the lake and you would hardly even notice they are there.

On the downside of Kerr though, is that it is so big that when the wind gets up it can get pretty rough, and being a government owned lake it doesn't have any restaurants and things on it that you can go to. The closest thing to that is to drive 20 plus miles over to a small town called Clarksville, where you can dock and then walk up to the town to a restuarant or some shopping.

But when I get this new boat I will definetely this year make a few more visits to lake Anna and i'll gladly be looking for you to say "Hi". Maybe we can hook up and ride over to Tim's Place and have lunch!

How do you like youe 210? I haven't ruled that out completely either.

Thanks

[dttheel]

We love the 210. Our usage is mostly midweek evenings or we rent a house for a week and make multiple runs through the day. It can do everything we want to do and adjust quickly whether we want to surf, wakeboard or ski. And, since we are all novice to intermediate on all of those, the wakes and boat are more than sufficient for our needs/wants. I will say that if we were going to be out all day on a Saturday or something, it might get a little small. It weights considerably less which makes towing easier when needed. But, that lighter weight can make it a little bouncier when the water is rough.

We use Lake Anna because of proximity. We can be on the water in an hour from our house, making Tues-Thur. evenings really easy to do. And, the lake is so much more usable during mid week. But, I really understand going where you grew up. We grew up going to Claytor Lake (even smaller lake in Western VA.). And, although it is small, there is nothing like being there and seeing it through my children's eyes.

Good luck with your decision/purchase. Happy to provide what little knowledge I picked up last spring when going through this myself.

[xrichard]

re: 230 v G21...how is the boat going to be used? I've heard multiple times that the 230 puts out a better surf wake than the G series. But it has a reputation for a finicky wakeboard wake that requires higher speeds for a clean wake as compared to the G21/23.

If you have an 8' door, the G21 will be at least as garage friendly as a 230 if you work with your trailer supplier to make sure they meet your vertical limit (not hard to do...CTW does it standard on the G21 and some others will do it special order. I have my G23 in an 8' garage...it can be done more easily with the G21.)

I also agree with dttheel--the 210 is a great boat. However, if buying new, I'd be inclined to spend the extra for a G21 especially if you're using it on a lake that can get rough quickly as the freeboard on a G21 is significantly higher.

If you're willing to spring for a G21 but like the additional length of the 230, then there's always the question of moving to the G23. I initially expected to buy a G21 but ended up liking the 23 quite a bit more. The cost of ownership over 5-10 years didn't look to be significantly different. And, as my wife told me at the time, if I'm spending that much money then I'm better off to spend a bit more and get the one I like the most.

[Noahsark]

I appreciate all of the input from all of you, as i try to make my decision. This might better explain my intended usuage.

This will be the first ever V-drive wakeboarding boat that any of my family has ever owned. I have 3 brothers and all of us but one have always had I/O's, except my one brother who is an avid fisherman and he has a bass boat. My oldest brother just bought a new boat a couple of years ago and he bought another I/O a monterey brand.

My brother who has the bass boat has kids/young adults, that like to tube and wakeboard, plus I have my son who wakeboards, and my cousins kids who enjoy tubing and wakeboarding and skiing.

Now, I'm the crazy uncle/cousin who has always pulled all of these people whether it's tubing, skiing, or wakeboarding. I had a v-8 powered I/O that I put a Monster Tower on and had installed perfect pass, and a hugh stereo. They all knew I would take them out anytime they wanted and we would load the boat up and go out. Now I also have a couple of real young grandkids 3 and 7 that will soon be doing watersports also.

We have never surfed, and to be honest until about a year ago I thought it was a stupid fad that would soon go out of style. Boy was I wrong !!! it's just gaining and gaining in popularity. This is my main reason for deciding on a true wakeboard boat. None of the people I pull are any kind of pros, and to be honest my old I/O put out a pretty decent wakeboarding wake once i got the perfect pass and tweaked my trim just right. As good as a dedicated wakeboarding boat? I'm sure not, but good enough for what we were doing and minor tricks, it worked fine.

One thing I really like about the 210/230 is the full walkthrough that they have. Just remove the back seat part and you can enter exit the boat all day without stepping on vinyl. My I/O had a big sundeck they had to crawl over and then step right down on the back seat and this created a lot of wear and tear on the seat and I had to have it redone a couple of times. I have noticed the G series have the walkway but then you actually step on the back seat unless you fold it up into it's "looking back" style but then you will have to step on the side seats to go to the bow area or to front of cockpit area. I'm sure the rearward seating is neat at times, but the overall arena seating seems to work better for me as everyone would be cycling in and out of the boat?

Also I'm sure to still be doing a lot of tubing and I worry will the "normal" G series boats be too much wake for tubing? Also I hope I can explain this right and not offend anyone as i'm not bragging in anyway or anything just trying to better expalin where Im at, but I'm kinda old school and this is a big purchase for me that Im buying straight out with no financing. I don't have to have the lastest, greatest, creation, that I spend extra money that never really benefits me that much? I just want a good hopefully "all around boat"?? If there is such a thing?

I know this Nautique will not "beach as easy as our I/O's do", and I know they might not have quite the ride in a little chop that the I/O's do, but the I/O's won't surf which I think will start being a big part of our watersports, and they wont do overall watersports as well as these wakeboarding boats. I know the I/O's are now trying to come out with new drives and platforms that supposively makes them surfable, but I honestly think it will be years and years before they will have anything comparable and then I doubt it will ever be as good? Also where will the wakebaording boats be by then? further ahead I'm sure.

So sorry for the long rant, but I hope this better explains my situation. I'm not against spending more for a Gseries if it is really going to be a way better fit for me, I just right now feel pricewise the 230 better fits me?, but the ride in chop is a big thing to me as we do as much cruising the lake on nice boat rides as we do watersports. My wife and I and sometimes we take another couple, love to just spend a day taking a long leisurely boat ride exploring the lake, and listening to music! So cruising is just as important as watersports.

Thanks

[a0128]

You are coming close to paralysis from analysis. Assuming you can afford to drop 100 large on a boat (or carry an $800 monthly payment) you can't go wrong with either. Both are light years ahead of any I/O out there and Nautique is the best brand going at the present time. I'd look at a G23 over a G21 as you get a built-in cooler and slightly more bow space with the G23.

Hopefully you have also evaluated your towing platform as a G23 will be close to 9000 lbs with trailer, fuel and gear.

[Noahsark]

a0128, there is my dilemma. I can get a 210/230 a good $20-$25K cheaper than a G series. For my use is it really worth the extra money? that's my dilemma? I have heard that the ride and handeling of a 230 is as good as any of the boats? Wakeboarding magazine video's state that you won't find a much more comfortable ride than a 230?

Pulling won't be an issue for me as I have a Ford f250 Diesel that will be pulling whatever I purchase. Thanks

[Tallredrider]

Don't forget that your resale will be 20-25K more also. So you only lose the opportunity to spend that money on something else plus interest. I have to think that just looking at the hulls, there is no way the 230 would ride as good as a G series boat. But the 230 is going to be great as far as wakeboats go.

Definitely some decision paralysis going on here. I am just glad that you will have a chance to see them side by side and hopefully test drive them both. Then just go with your heart and don't look back on if you spent too much or your current boat has shortcoming X or Y and just enjoy the times with family. I was torn between my G23 and another brand boat...It boiled down to 'I like the G better'. There was some logic to it, but when I thought of buying the other boat, my heart just was not as warm and fuzzy. I am sure I would have been able to make do, and would have loved it. But simply 'feeling better' about one boat or another is probably as good of a reason as any. None of us do this for a living, it is for the fun. I think it is clear that G series is better, but don't intellectualize it quite this much.


Forgive the rambling...but being on a big lake where summer storms can be ferocious, a G series really is going to be nicer for those 'oh $hi+' moments when the wind blows and the waves get large.

[Noahsark]

Tallredrider, I know what you mean about a storm coming up and the lake getting rough ! Kerr lake will do that quite often, but we do head back or simply don't go out when it has whitecaps. Congrats on your new boat, It's a beauty, nice selection of colors !

One of my worries of the Gseries is that they are so heavy I've been told they are really hard on gas. Gas is pretty reasonable now, but when it starts climbing back up that will add quite a bit of cost of ownership also. It is a hard decision,...about the time I think maybe a Gsereis would do me better in the long run, and then think no this 230 will be just enough for my usage.

Nautique should have just done away with one or the other, then it would be an easier decision !!!! Lol

[Tryathlete]

Think about those crazy Mastercraft X-80 owners with two 409's screaming away! I wonder what they consume! Gas is expensive but boating is joyful. Anyone who can afford to boat can justify the gas easily. I call it FPG. Fun per gallon. It's immeasurable.


If it ain't broke, sell it.