GS20 &GS22 feedback

[tmb]

I currently have a 2012 210 and almost pulled the trigger on a gs20 last year but decided to hold off because I wasn't happy with the price and I don't like buying the first year of a new model. I haven't been hearing much feedback regarding either of these boats. Has anyone heard any issues with things like getting sprayed in the boat, under-powered, windshield too low, etc...

i drove and road in a gs20 twice last year and plan on getting back out in one but looking for feedback from those that drive one on a regular basis.

[whitecaps]

Absolutely love the GS22!! It handles like a dream. ZR4 is amazing. NCRS set at 5 in auto mode most of the time. This gives great planing and adjusts to bow up attitude for nice ride. Have had it loaded with people and ballast and never fails to amaze how efficently it gets on plane. Corners great as NCRS knows youre in a turn and adjust to lower bow and keep everything on plane and tighten turn. Interior layout is just as efficient. Love the visibility from the helm, windshield is not too low. I never use the booster seat. Ones height I'm sure plays a role but for me at 6'1" it is not a problem. Wakeboard wake seems perfect! Cant believe there is not more raving about this boat out there. I'm guessing its just still too new. I know the G23 accounts for approximately 70% of all Nautiques made so the numbers of owners of GS's are very low comparatively. I cant imagine what a g23 does that this boat doesnt do very close to if not just as well. I'm sure it does some things better such as handeling, trailering, cost, fuel efficiency. Spray was an issue early on until I realized no need for much belly ballast and NCRS is best around 5. Surfs great. No rope within seconds, admittedly we are not huge surfers but we are surfing more and more. Wakeboarding behind the GS is awesome. Great shape to wake and very adjustable. Havent seen much need for using the belly ballast as port and starboard provide enough for surfing and wakeboarding. Love the linc panoray. Takes rough water like a dream.

Only things I am not over the top thrilled about are 1. the lack of clamping board racks(had them on our Mastercraft X-Star), 2. wish we had a folding ready at all times windscreen rather than the inserted windscreen that must be stowed away when not in use 3.wish front seats were on hinges rather than lift out(I'm being picky). I plan on getting the PTM clamping board racks but just cant seem to pull the trigger on spending over 3k for the clamping racks when I love this boat and am so satisfied with everything else.

Also, boat looks so much better on the water and especially in person. I didnt buy the boat for its looks but it is way cooler in person than in pictures on a computer. Its a must see kinda thing. Trailer (Boatmate) is wonderful as well. Bimini is well thought out and does a great job- love it. I could go on and on.....

This is our third Nautique and we've owned 5 Mastercrafts.

[tmb]

whitecaps
Thanks for the feedback. I'm surprised you don't use the belly sacs for surfing as they will typically lengthen the wave. Did you experience spray at wakeboard speeds or surfing speeds. I see you have a 196 so I'm guessing you don't slalom behind the GS? I love to slalom (which my 210 has a surprisingly good wake) so I'm curious how the 22 stacks up to the 20.

Any pics of your surf wave?

[whitecaps]

whitecaps
Thanks for the feedback. I'm surprised you don't use the belly sacs for surfing as they will typically lengthen the wave. Did you experience spray at wakeboard speeds or surfing speeds. I see you have a 196 so I'm guessing you don't slalom behind the GS? I love to slalom (which my 210 has a surprisingly good wake) so I'm curious how the 22 stacks up to the 20.

Any pics of your surf wave?

TMB,
The spray was only an issue at speeds above surf speed and with NCRS at lower numbers (1,2,maybe 3, which are bow down settings). True that maybe belly weight would lengthen wake surf wave but honestly we haven't had the mindset to improve it as it seems to be more than adequate. Haven't slalomed behind the GS yet. I am a spoiled as far as slalom wakes since the 196 is there ready and waiting. I will give it a go though. I've been told the GS20 wake surf is very very good as well. Our sales rep rode behind the GS20 and he is an experienced wake surfer and he really liked it. He has a G21 and he said reluctantly that he preferred the wake surf wake of the GS20 over the G21.
See my other posts. I've posted pics and videos of surf wake. They were with only 50% ballast port and starboard and 0% belly, but we did have about 11 people on board.

[tmb]

TMB,
The spray was only an issue at speeds above surf speed and with NCRS at lower numbers (1,2,maybe 3, which are bow down settings). True that maybe belly weight would lengthen wake surf wave but honestly we haven't had the mindset to improve it as it seems to be more than adequate. Haven't slalomed behind the GS yet. I am a spoiled as far as slalom wakes since the 196 is there ready and waiting. I will give it a go though. I've been told the GS20 wake surf is very very good as well. Our sales rep rode behind the GS20 and he is an experienced wake surfer and he really liked it. He has a G21 and he said reluctantly that he preferred the wake surf wake of the GS20 over the G21.
See my other posts. I've posted pics and videos of surf wake. They were with only 50% ballast port and starboard and 0% belly, but we did have about 11 people on board.

I surfed and slalomed behind the gs20 twice last year. The conditions weren't ideal so it was hard to make a judgement. I've surfed the g21 once and I would be hard pressed to say the gs20 is better but that would be great.

[blueroom]

We demo'd a GS22 a couple of times. The wakeboard wake was good, and the ski wake was actually fairly impressive. This is an all-around boat that does everything well, and that is what you get. My opinion after being out on it a few times is that if you are REALLY into surfing, a G23 might be a better option. If you want a great all-around family boat, or want to cater to young/new surfers, it is an awesome looking and handling craft.

I actually really like the GS boats, but definitely spend some time in any boat you are looking at before you buy, so you can be sure it is a good fit.

[whitecaps]

I surfed and slalomed behind the gs20 twice last year. The conditions weren't ideal so it was hard to make a judgement. I've surfed the g21 once and I would be hard pressed to say the gs20 is better but that would be great.

Daniel Uline at Russell Marine in Alexander City, Alabama (Smith Lake) could give you some insight for surf wakes behind these two boats (G21 and Gs20). My take on surf wakes is 1. Good surfers can surf well behind any respectable wake 2. Poor surfers struggle behind less than HUGE wakes 3. Good surfers look for far more than wake size to determine whether they like or dislike the wake 4. We don't know if experienced or inexperienced surfers voice most of the opinions we read about.

[TBoomer]

We have put around 15hrs on our new GS20 this year and we are very impressed. Our previous boat was a wake setter VTX and I can honestly say we do not miss it... The GS20 does everything much better! The surf wake is great, and the slalom is very respectable for a V-Drive boat. I would recommend this boat to anyone who wants a boat with multi-sport capabilities. If I was not a slalom skier I would defiantly be in the market for a G23, but after surfing the G23 (which is unreal by the way) I am still very content with the wake off the GS20, it holds similar shape and is just scaled down a bit. But considering I can run the course at 15 off and surf a decent wave 5 minutes later.. id say they hit a home run.
Another thing that people haven't given Nautique enough credit for is the layout of this boat. It still feels much larger than our old VTX, is very comfortable, and has great storage. The new Line screen is also great, super easy to use and basically allows you to customize any aspect of the system to the way you like it. We upgraded our engine to the new 6.2L. The standard 5.7 is no slouch... but the 6.2 makes it a blast to drive and rips skiers out of the water with absolute ease.

[whitecaps]

We have put around 15hrs on our new GS20 this year and we are very impressed. Our previous boat was a wake setter VTX and I can honestly say we do not miss it... The GS20 does everything much better! The surf wake is great, and the slalom is very respectable for a V-Drive boat. I would recommend this boat to anyone who wants a boat with multi-sport capabilities. If I was not a slalom skier I would defiantly be in the market for a G23, but after surfing the G23 (which is unreal by the way) I am still very content with the wake off the GS20, it holds similar shape and is just scaled down a bit. But considering I can run the course at 15 off and surf a decent wave 5 minutes later.. id say they hit a home run.
Another thing that people haven't given Nautique enough credit for is the layout of this boat. It still feels much larger than our old VTX, is very comfortable, and has great storage. The new Line screen is also great, super easy to use and basically allows you to customize any aspect of the system to the way you like it. We upgraded our engine to the new 6.2L. The standard 5.7 is no slouch... but the 6.2 makes it a blast to drive and rips skiers out of the water with absolute ease.

What he ^^^ said is so true!

[MikeC]

I have around 40 hours on my GS22 so far. I'll second pretty much everything that's been said - it does everything much better than I had expected. However, unlike others I do get a lot of spray when surfing - usually it has to do with the way the wind is blowing and if we are surfing in choppy water. Also if there's anyone in the bow when we're surfing I have to be very careful to not take water over the bow, even when turning around in choppy water it has happened.
Overall I love this boat - I store it in my garage, it skis well, surfs and wakeboards great, it really is an excellent boat.

[T-Rex]

I have 20 hours on my GS20 and still figuring some things out, but overall we are very happy with it. Keep in mind it is designed as a do-everything boat. You can find another boat that surfs better, or that is better for slalom, but you won't find a boat that surfs, wakeboards, and skis as well as this one. If you want to do all three sports and only own one boat, this is the one for you.

[whitecaps]

I have 20 hours on my GS20 and still figuring some things out, but overall we are very happy with it. Keep in mind it is designed as a do-everything boat. You can find another boat that surfs better, or that is better for slalom, but you won't find a boat that surfs, wakeboards, and skis as well as this one. If you want to do all three sports and only own one boat, this is the one for you.

I would add that you won't find one that handles,drives, trailers, and does all the above as well as the GS. I'd also say it possibly throws as good a wakeboard wake as you'd ever want. I just didn't want to give up manageability for a bigger surf wake by going the G route. Love the surf wake of the GS. Not to mention saving a considerable amount of money over a G.

[Evening Shade]

I would add that you won't find one that handles,drives, trailers, and does all the above as well as the GS. I'd also say it possibly throws as good a wakeboard wake as you'd ever want. I just didn't want to give up manageability for a bigger surf wake by going the G route. Love the surf wake of the GS. Not to mention saving a considerable amount of money over a G.

I agree with all of the above and I will add that I trailer my boat a lot and this GS20/Boatmate trailer combo is a pleasure to tow even with my 1/2 ton gas truck. Maybe its just the new trailer, but it seems easier to tow and smoother than my 2011 210 with Boatmate trailer.

I love how manageable a smaller boat is. It gives me more options of where to store the boat and I don't need a 8000# boat lift either. And yes the wakeboard wake is really good!

[nautirook]

We have put around 15hrs on our new GS20 this year and we are very impressed. Our previous boat was a wake setter VTX and I can honestly say we do not miss it... The GS20 does everything much better! The surf wake is great, and the slalom is very respectable for a V-Drive boat. I would recommend this boat to anyone who wants a boat with multi-sport capabilities. If I was not a slalom skier I would defiantly be in the market for a G23, but after surfing the G23 (which is unreal by the way) I am still very content with the wake off the GS20, it holds similar shape and is just scaled down a bit. But considering I can run the course at 15 off and surf a decent wave 5 minutes later.. id say they hit a home run.
Another thing that people haven't given Nautique enough credit for is the layout of this boat. It still feels much larger than our old VTX, is very comfortable, and has great storage. The new Line screen is also great, super easy to use and basically allows you to customize any aspect of the system to the way you like it. We upgraded our engine to the new 6.2L. The standard 5.7 is no slouch... but the 6.2 makes it a blast to drive and rips skiers out of the water with absolute ease.

Curious if you considered/demo'd the GS22. I'm in VTX now. Wanted to get into GS at first round of boat shows but the dealer wanted extra $40K+ after I traded in my '16 VTX. Yikes! Not that desperate yet. He let me walk though, knowing I've bought 2 boats from him before. Would prefer the extra room but if there is any difference in the slalom wake would go with smaller boat. Can't seem to find a consensus on this. I will eventually try to demo but live hours from nearest dealers. I really wish I could just convince my wife to let me get a direct drive.

[Kinloch]

Has anyone done a direct comparison of the current vtx vs the gs20?