Considering a G21

[DocPhil]

Hi guys. Experienced tow boat owner but new member to this forum. I currently have a MC that I am in the process of selling. I have no brand loyalty. I just like quality boats and I like to surf with my family about 75% of the time and wakeboard about 25%. I have owned a few Bus and a MC.

I am always open to new boats so last year I was considering trading my MC in for a nautique. I demoed a G21 (2014) and a G23 (2015). I must admit that I thought the G21 wave was superior. Admittedly, this was with stock ballast. I felt like the G23 had a potential to have the better wave but would need some serious weight in the rear. The trade didn't work out so I kept the MC and tucked it away for winter. Early this year, I listed my boat on OIB and had immediate interest so I started looking again.

Anyways, for a variety of reasons, I am more considering the G21 and I have found a leftover that I can probably get a smoking deal on. Probably about 40% off MSRP and it is brand new. A few concerns and questions

1)I really liked the stock G21 wave. Do most of you guys with a G21 run stock ballast? Or is additional weight necessary? lead? Also, if you added bags how did you do it? NY Ryan style Y valves?

2)It comes with the old 3 year warranty and 5 year parts warranty. Is this an issue?

3)Would you consider nearly 40% off MSRP on 2 year old leftover boat a good deal? It is new but it will nearly 3 years old soon. It is pretty well loaded aside from the motor is the 409.

4)Is it possible to retrofit with the wrist band to switch sides surfing?

5)any options that are essential or add ons that are essential that I should be asking for?

6)overall, what are the thoughts on the wakeboard and surf capability of this boat with stock ballast?


THANKS!!!!

[NautiqueJeff]

1)I really liked the stock G21 wave. Do most of you guys with a G21 run stock ballast? Or is additional weight necessary? lead? Also, if you added bags how did you do it? NY Ryan style Y valves?

Extra ballast is not necessary with NSS. If you do add extra, don't add so much that the NSS is completely underwater allowing water to flow over the top of the plate. This will ruin the wave. I do run some extra in my boat, but I pull a number of contests every year and the advanced riders like a bit more weight than stock.

2)It comes with the old 3 year warranty and 5 year parts warranty. Is this an issue?

Warranty should be 5 years on most things, three years on the drivetrain and some other parts. The parts-only warranty only applies to the second owner (plus a few items after three years). See Page W1 of this manual for more info.

3)Would you consider nearly 40% off MSRP on 2 year old leftover boat a good deal? It is new but it will nearly 3 years old soon. It is pretty well loaded aside from the motor is the 409.

Yes, that would be a good deal, and the 409 will be plenty of motor for a G21, especially if you are surfing mostly. I know plenty of people who have run the 409 in the G23 and had no issues.

4)Is it possible to retrofit with the wrist band to switch sides surfing?

No, this is not possible. You would need LINC 3 to do that, and that boat will have LINC 2.

5)any options that are essential or add ons that are essential that I should be asking for?

6)overall, what are the thoughts on the wakeboard and surf capability of this boat with stock ballast?

Wave and wake will be outstanding. The G21 has a slightly more vert wake than the G23/25 (more like an old-school 210). The wave is great.

See my thoughts above. Hard to beat a G21!

[DocPhil]

Jeff,

Thanks for your thoughts. I am used to what I would consider near or at a pro level wake on my other boats so that is what I would like to achieve.

What is the general consensus on the optimal setup or what do you run in your G21? Also, how did you plumb in the extra ballast? Just Y valves on top of hard tanks?

Are you sure about the warranty if this is a 2014 boat? Didn't it change in 2015?

Thanks!

phil

[NautiqueJeff]

I have a G23, but the ballast should be somewhat similar.

I run 1,000 pounds of lead in mine, spread evenly front-to-back.

The warranty doesn't appear to have changed much between '14 and '15, but the link to the manual I posted above will be the definitive source for information. Check that out for all of the details on the warranty. The warranty DID change in 2016 though.

[KTM525]

I only use stock ballast in my G21 (Model: 2014 - 409 Engine), the wave is great and i use the storage for my surfboards ;-). I'm happy with the engine too, no problem at my elevation with full ballast and 9 adults in the boat.

here are some picture what my dealer offers for more ballast-> http://www.nautic-sport.ch/news/n57.html

[Andrew@OrlandoNautiques]

I have a 2014 G21 with the 409. I did install a full extra ballast system but I hardly ever use it. The stock wave is great and more than enough to handle air tricks, spins, and transfers.
Typically while surfing, I have 400lbs of lead, a few people, and full stock ballast.
Here is a link to the ballast system install we did if you are curious:
http://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/fo...allast-install

[DocPhil]

Andrew. Great write up. Looks like probably more than I would want to tackle at this point. haven't some folks just wyed off the existing plumbing in the rear. This would be a simple semi permanent change to see if I need extra bags. Where do you put the lead?

[JoeA]

Doc--

I would suggest valves plumbed in if you want extra ballast. Putting a set of valves in will allow you to have total control over the ballast. Mine was more of a plug and play install so I have no control to just fill factory ballast or just my bags alone. Currently it flows through the bags, then in to the tanks. I never asked the dealer how they were going to do it so we tried it for a year. Not really a huge deal but I would prefer more control over this. I plan to switch this in the Spring when the boat comes out of storage.

[DocPhil]

Joe can you explain valves? Is this like the NyRyan setup?

[cedarcreek216]

The typical plug and play ballast add on in a Nautique is to simply install a sac inline between the pump and the tank or the tank and overflow depending on the boat. Either way, they work the same. Hit the button to fill the stock tank, once it's full water overflows into the sac. When the sac is full it overflows out of the through hull. Drain is reverse process. Hit the drain button and the sac empties then the tank empties. This install is normally a DIY but I had my dealer do it for free when I bought the bought, I just provided the sacs.


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[DocPhil]

Seems simple enough. But there is no overflow for the sac right? If you are not paying attention what happens?

also, how is board storage on the G21? I know my custom surf board won't fit in the racks. What are the solutions for this?

[KTM525]

depends how long your board is and if you use sacks in the rear locker. I have my boards (3) in the rear locker, the longest one is a 5.3.

[DocPhil]

Hmmmm....this is a hard decision. Wondering if I can find a smoking deal on a leftover G23.

Anyone know of any?

[OxDoc]

One thing that I've noticed is that there seems to be a lot more G21's than G23's that are left over. I think you would lose less money on the G23 in a few years if you want to get in a newer or different boat. This may or may not matter to you, just my 2 cents.

[OxDoc]

Also the hull was changed in 2016 on the G23 to make it surf better. I ordered a 2016, but It was way too cold for me to jump in the water when I demoed, so I can't verify if it really makes a difference or not.