2017 G23 or G25 advice needed.

[Longhorn1186]

Hey all, new here and new to Nautique.

We are getting ready to custom order a G23 or G25 in a week. Still going back and forth on the 2017 G25 vs G23. We live in Austin Texas and will be trailering in the boat so lots of options for lakes around the state. I have read older threads with regards to the two but wanted to get an updated opinion. We would normally carry around 6-10 people and I cant see us really going over 12-14 max so the G23 makes more sense there not to mention from what I have read the wake and surf are both better on the 23. Weighs less, same ballast and motor means more power/trq to weight ratio so the better wake would make more sense. Insurance is about the same on both as well so the only real benefit the G25 has is a little more room and more gas. So, with that said, the boat will be lake only, no gulf. Mostly smaller lakes and some larger. Lake Travis would be about the biggest we would be on. I have a very flexible schedule with my job so Lake Austin and Travis on the weekdays and Inks, Canyon Lake or Lake Georgetown on the weekends to avoid big crowds. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We are coming from owning a Malibu and happy to be joining the Nautique family.

Thank y'all in advance.

[SierraWave]

They are both great. Are you thinking the 550?

[Longhorn1186]

No, was going to stay with the 450 H6DI for both. For the 23 I think that would be more than enough for what we do but the 25 I could see it being a nice upgrade. I am 6'4 and 255 and my buddies 15 G23 pulls me no problem with the standard motor and that is with about 8 others in the boat.

[NautiqueJeff]

H6 in a G23 is a great choice. I really think that is about the perfect engine for that boat.

Sounds like you'll be better off in a G23. Less expensive, easier to trailer, easier to store, and has plenty of room for the people you'll have aboard. And like you said, the wake and wave are better on the G23 than the G25.

[Longhorn1186]

Thanks Jeff. I have been a lurker here for a long time...finally in a position to buy. We have been really excited about this. We love Austin and Texas in general. Great lakes, lots of options. I work for an airline and my schedule is very flexible so when the lakes are busy on the weekend a trip to a smaller lake like Inks or Georgetown is easy enough. We are looking forward to a road trip to Lake Powell and up to East TN which is home for me so its always a great excuse to see family. I appreciate the advice and very nice PN Red and Black boat you ordered.

[Bevostein]

If you have to trailer in and around Austin I would stick with a G23. Hook'em

[Longhorn1186]

Its more around Texas than Austin. We live in Georgetown so on the weekend Lake Georgetown or Ink Buchanan etc would be a good choice. We have family in East Texas, East TN and Frisco where you are so towing around Texas or nearby states is something we will do a lot. I LOVE the size of the 25 but for 10-12 people max the G23 seems like a better deal for us and as previously mentioned it looks like the 450 engine will plenty although I would love to hear the 550...I am sure its a beast.

Hook'em!

[Beg4wake]

Where in East TN?! There are a lot of great lakes around Knoxville area! I wish I could move there myself! My family is from around South Holston Lake which is about as far east TN as you can get, it actually borders TN/VA.

And as stated before...go with the 23! You wont be disappointed with the 23/H6 combo! I've fully weighted my '16 G23 and with 8 people on the boat it still had no trouble getting on plane! You'll love it! But I will say, whichever you order, go ahead and also order yourself about 250# of Leadwake ballast bags. Just throw them in the bottom of the passenger side cabin compartment and forget about them. 200-250# works great to offset the prop torque rotation.

[greggmck]

I own a 2016 G23 but while my boat was in for service I was able to use a G25 loaner for two weeks. The G25 has a less surf-able wake. It's still good but not nearly as nice as the G23. I had to work to stay on the G25 wake especially when surfing in a head-wind. Both boats have the same ballast but the G25 has much more hull area so it does not penetrate the water as deeply, so the wake is smaller. The G25 requires about 800-1000lbs of additional ballast to compare to the G23.

[Austintx]

I have a 2015 G25 on Lake Travis and have the 550 supercharged engine. We spend 99% of our time surfing and it is an amazing boat. We tested the G23 and I'll tell you I'm glad for the extra room the G25 offers. Even with 8 people you have to factor in everyone's bags, drinks, and everyone likes the extra elbow room. The 550 engine is a **** beast and sounds amazing. I'd compare it to a Mercedes AMG engine...just so much fun. Hope that helps.


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[Austintx]

This was with just 1 person on boat driving and 2850 lbs factor ballast.


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[Austintx]

Not sure if uploading video from
Yesterday surf session will work but here goes. Just 1 person on boat driving, 2850 lbs factory ballast, 550 engine, '15 G25.

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[Austintx]

Oh and I'll give my 2 cents on surf wave. The waves on G23-25 are very close and I've surfed both. In fact if i was surfing behind either I wouldn't be able to tell difference between the 2. What makes big difference on surfing is 1) correct board matched to your weight/skill, 2) foot placement on board, 3) conditions of water, or chop vs smooth and wind, and 4) surfing sweet spot of wave and learning to pump to pick up speed and not drift off back (especially for heavier riders).

So get the boat you're happy with, they're both amazing and I'd easily make the same purchase over again. We smile everytime we are out and have zero regrets.


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[Longhorn1186]

Thanks for the info. We ended up getting the G23 instead of the G25. We would carry maybe 8-10 at most. We also live in Austin by the way and are working with the folks up at Sail & Ski. Great group of people. As for the engine, the 550 sounds amazing. I have been on a 23 with the 550 and yes, its a beast. The new H6Di is more than enough for us though and will work great. If I was getting a 25 I would opt for the 23 for sure. We live in Georgetown and when we had our Malibu we were at Lake Travis and Austin a lot but on the weekends would end up at Canyon Lake or Inks since we are on the north side of town. Inks is small but an amazing lake. We were going to custom order our boat but I stopped there a few days ago to sit down and go over the final order specs and they got two boats in that we liked. One in Grey and White which was close to our original choice but missing a few things and the other all Reef Blue Metal Flake with Grey stripe and design package....full loaded of course. The Reef Blue is being held and we are picking it up in about 10 days when I am back in town from work. On a side note, how is Lake Austin right now? It has to be getting colder. We were at Travis a few days ago and it was still warm but I know the lakes cool as they go downstream. One I get the boat picked up ill send you a PM and hopefully we can meet up one day at the lake.

[Austintx]

Yeah Sail and Ski guys are great and congrats you found one you like in stock.

That's interesting to know about Inks and Canyon lake...we're thinking of going camping at Inks in a few weeks when it cools more and I've always wondered if that lake would be big enough to take boat. Or maybe we go camp/boat at Canyon. We have ours in a slip on Travis so usually don't hassle towing it anywhere.

In my experience Lake Travis runs about 5 degrees warmer than Lake Austin on average. I think Travis was 81 degrees when we were out on Friday. LCRA or UT posts water temps on both lakes I think.


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