New here, Need input on buying new boat

[CBray4]

Hey guys,

I'm new on the site but I have been snooping around for a while now. My family currently owns a 2001 Malibu Wakesetter. We will be in the market for a new boat here in the next year or two. We have become very interested in Nautiques, they look great imo, I have heard they perform great, so why not consider it when buying a new boat.

We do love Malibu's but we are trying not to be narrow minded. So what we are wondering is, why should we come to Nautique and leave Malibu. I'm not looking for a brand war, just honest opinions and experiences. I have not spent any time on a Nautique so I have no idea what they offer besides what the website has told me.

I know the first thing someone is going to say is go test one myself, I am planning on it!

Stock Stereo? We are a very musically inclined family, brothers were in a touring band that traveled all over the world, so stereo is pretty important
Size and comfort? A family of four boys, all grown and continuing to grow the family and usually have friends with us, so we need a bigger boat than our 21 footer
Stock Surf wave? We love our surf wave on the Malibu but would be interested in how it compares to Nautique, I would say we surf 80% of the time
Dash/ease of use? wondering how it compares to Malibu, dad is 65 years old so he has a tough time figuring stuff out, nothing us kids can't help with

Any other info you can give on your personal opinions and experiences would be great.
I'm sure I'll get a somewhat biased opinion seeing as how I am on the Nautique forum.

Thanks for the input!

[wakemaker]

what are looking to spend ?? 50000 or 150000 ? the new boats with the JL system are nice was playing with that today , see if i wanted to go that way or not , i am going Jl
i know where theres a **** of a deal on a 2016 g21 has 4 years or so on WR

[charlesml3]

I would say we surf 80% of the time
Dash/ease of use? wondering how it compares to Malibu, dad is 65 years old so he has a tough time figuring stuff out, nothing us kids can't help with

Any other info you can give on your personal opinions and experiences would be great.
I'm sure I'll get a somewhat biased opinion seeing as how I am on the Nautique forum.

Thanks for the input!

Well as someone else asked, we need to know your budget. If you're wakeboarding and surfing and need more than a 21-foot boat, the G23 is probably a good fit but we need more info. Will you be towing? Can your existing tow rig handle a double-axle trailer and ~8000 pounds? Where are you going to store it? In a garage?

There are a lot of factors here.

-Charles

[Evening Shade]

Charles is right here. We need to know the answers to the above questions. It might make for an obvious answer like it did for me. Sure I would love to have a G23, but it's price tag and size ruled it out for me. I couldn't justify the cost of a G23, plus I tow my boat every time we go out and garage storage was also a big consideration for me so I have a GS20 on order. It fits my needs much better than a G boat.

I can easily tow the GS20 with my 1/2 ton truck, it will fit through a 7ft tall garage door on the trailer, and if I ever can find the right lake property if will fit in/on a wider range of boat slips/lifts than a big G will. I haven't yet mentioned that it costs $30-40K less than a new G23.

Am I making sacrifices or compromises? Of course, I am, but a G series would require me to make sacrifices/compromises in other parts of my life.

[NMNautique]

If it is in your price budget the G23 is a great boat. I had 2014 G25 and loved the room but bought the 2016 G23. The surf wave with the new hull on the G23 is incredible. I am a big guy and used to have to go full ballast plus a 750lb fat sac to get the push I needed on the G25. Half balast on the G23 is all that is needed. The stereo system is also amazing. In my opinion price is the biggest factor to consider because these boats are not cheap.

[CBray4]

Price isn't a huge issue thanks to rising oil prices. Just about any way you look at it I'm gonna be spending over 100K for a new boat. I'm not opposed to a slightly used boat either, we are just ready to upgrade from our 2001 to new technology and push button surfing!!! Towing isn't an issue, we won't tow it much, maybe twice a year to the lake from storage and vice versa. We keep it on a lift all season, and off season in a barn/shop so storage isn't an issue either.

I have been looking at the G23 and really like it, well the looks at least, I don't know how it performs but man are those things pretty. I love the brown interiors which Malibu doesn't offer, at least not on the website, may have to custom order. I haven't started the process of really getting to the nitty gritty yet because I am not totally sold on the Malibu's, yes I like them but I'm willing to explore other brands.

Once again, thanks for all the input!

[RTS DC]

We just migrated from Chaparral. I had the boat of my dreams, a 2015 Sunesta 264. Then we found surfing. I put a wake shaper on it. Then I saw people surfing behind wake boats and new we had to move on over. Our Chap dealer also sold Supra's so we thought it natural to go that route. Drove the SA and SE. When the bow got dunked 3 times in 30 minutes the admiral said no to Supra. We went to Malibu and drove the 24MXZ, the dealer even let us take it out for ourselves for the day. Liked it, didn't love it. Went to Master Craft and drove the X23. This dealer kept saying how much better his boat was then the others and how much better it was compared to his closest competiton. The MC was very loud and the exhaust circulated in the boat while surfing. When we got back to his office I asked who his competition was and he pointed to the dealer across the street with a scowl.
That dealer was a Nautique dealer. I knew nothing about Nautique since I put most of my effort into the Supra and Malibu. Why we fell in LOVE with the G23.
#1 the freeboard gave us the feeling we were back on our Chap
#2 My 4 kids have "their spot" to sit in the bow, and they fit without complaint
#3 The storage is twice any other boat of its type and the hinges are smooth and strong as you would expect for the price tag.
#4 Stereo is phenomenal, but we dont blast it when we are near housing.
#5 love the location of the ice chest
#6 love the walk through for access off the back and the location of the sea dek to keep dirty dock feet off the vinyl.

We are beginner level surf and cant wait to get many hours behind this boat. The way we can shape the wave is great

[99bison]

If price, towing and storage isn't of concern, go test drive a g23 and if you like it and the dealer is ok, buy one... You'll just save yourself a bunch of time comparing. Unless you want to go comparison shopping for one reason or another - then by all means go ahead.

Disclosure: I do not have a g23, nor any Nautique, but if I didn't have concerns about dealer, price, towing nor storage and liked the way it looked I wouldn't hesitate.

[Evening Shade]

I think the obvious answer for you would be a G23. If you buy used stick with a 2016. The hull changes in 2016 were nice improvement. That is unless you have a really big crew out often. If you have 10+ people pretty often I would consider the G25.