GS 20 demo and video

[seveet]

First, I want to thank Gary at Premier Motorsports for taking my son and I out yesterday. I will include some impressions and some video below. A couple of disclaimers: 1 the conditions were suboptimal 2) my upper body was trashed from the climbing gym the day before 3) my 9 yo did most of the filming.

on to impressions:

1) Boat overall. Feels big for a 20 ft boat. Could easily accommodate 6 or 7 adults. Bow was much larger and deeper than my 230. Cabin was smaller, but still good space. I really noticed the decreased freeboard vs the 230, but still more than adequate. The boat rode and handled chop remarkably given the size. Little to no spray. Engine was the ZR 4, seemed more than adequate (the old ZR 6 without closed cooling). Drives as expected for a Nautique. Great forward visability. The 12 inch screen is nice, but I would need to spend some time with it to get use to its function. I currently prefer my setup. It just seems more intuitive. Rear view camera is nice, but probably unnecessary with the lower freeboard. New surf racks are almost too big and the bungees need to be tighter to hold the boards more snugly in place. Rear seats seemed pointless. Storage space was great for a 20 ft boat. I would prefer if the seats hinged more like the 230. Battery location sucks. I would prefer if people didn't need to stand up to get at the trash can. Overall, I think nautique did a great job of putting together a 20 ft all around boat.

2) Ski wake. We skied it in 4-6 ft of water at 34 mph 15 and 28 off. I couldn't tell much of a difference. The wake wasn't intimidating to cross. Definitely the best v-drive wake I have skied. The guys who went out before me were hardcore slalom skiers. They felt 28 off was better. They said it is not as good as a DD, but definitely great for recreational slalom skiing.

https://vimeo.com/180520638

https://vimeo.com/180520668

3) Surf wake. I was amazed by the wake for the size of the boat and in that we were only running stock ballast. Settings ncrs 0 NSS 5 speed 11.0 mph. The wave had great push. It wasn't as tall as my slammed 230 wave, but it was nearly as long and had a much more defined lip. The boat seemed to be a little less affected by the chop compared to my 230. Overall, it was a ton of fun and I would love to try it out at different settings and with additional ballast just to see what it can do. The transition is a little short and my son felt it was a little steep, but he is used to NSS at 0.

https://vimeo.com/180520701

https://vimeo.com/180567956

4) Overall, I think nautique created a great all around boat that does everything pretty well without too many compromises.😀 This is just my opinion based on an 1.5 demo. If I were going to buy one, I definitely would want to spend more time behind it and under better conditions.

[SkiBee]

Excellent post. Thank you! Love the skiing videos as it does a good job of showing the wake size.

[Neverenough]

Great Job!!! SO the real question now???????????????/ Would you trade the 230?

[seveet]

It is very intriguing. I love that it is a lot more skiable and that its wakes are more manageable for things like teaching people to ski, wake board, etc. I went out on our boat later that evening and there were things I prefer in our surf wake, but there were also things I really liked with the GS 20. If by adding ballast, I could get a little more height out of the GS 20 wake and a little more length for me it would be a home run. The GS 20 does seem to produce a slight better regular wake than the 230 which is better on the goofy side. I am sure you can see that the GS 20 has a much more pronounced lip to the wake. That was much easier to pop off when compared to the 230 wave. It also has amazing push. I was amazed at how much speed I could generate without even pumping. The space is obviously a little better in the 230 and the extra freeboard is nice. All that said, I did ask him to work up a quote on a potential trade. I really need to see the numbers. If they look good. I will want to spend a lot more time with it under better conditions before making a move. I also would need to gets approval from the board of directors😬.

[sfjakey]

It is very intriguing. I love that it is a lot more skiable and that its wakes are more manageable for things like teaching people to ski, wake board, etc. I went out on our boat later that evening and there were things I prefer in our surf wake, but there were also things I really liked with the GS 20. If by adding ballast, I could get a little more height out of the GS 20 wake and a little more length for me it would be a home run. The GS 20 does seem to produce a slight better regular wake than the 230 which is better on the goofy side. I am sure you can see that the GS 20 has a much more pronounced lip to the wake. That was much easier to pop off when compared to the 230 wave. It also has amazing push. I was amazed at how much speed I could generate without even pumping. The space is obviously a little better in the 230 and the extra freeboard is nice. All that said, I did ask him to work up a quote on a potential trade. I really need to see the numbers. If they look good. I will want to spend a lot more time with it under better conditions before making a move. I also would need to gets approval from the board of directors😬.

Maybe I just cheap, but the hit you will take on your 230, plus the additional cost plus sales tax, registration etc on a new gs20 would buy an awfully nice 196 to ski behind, and you could bank the rest. The 230 is still better at everything else.

[seveet]

Maybe I just cheap, but the hit you will take on your 230, plus the additional cost plus sales tax, registration etc on a new gs20 would buy an awfully nice 196 to ski behind, and you could bank the rest. The 230 is still better at everything else.

I agree with your financial argument that is why I want to see the numbers. Fortunately, in Michigan you only pay sales tax on the difference if you trade the boat in. I discussed the idea of a dedicated slalom boat with the board of directors and it was a very short conversation "No". In regards to being better at everything else, I am not sure I agree. The surf wave was pretty darn good on the GS 20 with 1500 pounds less ballast than I typically run in my 230. Wakeboard wake looked pretty nice and less side to side weight sensitive. That is just a surface level impression and I definitely need more time with it, but that I why I think it is intriguing. I can see similar elements in the post 2016 G23 surf wake when I watch video. It is definitely different when compared to the 230.