2014 Wakesetter VTX to 2017 G23 questions

[Koocanusa G23]

Hey everybody, I am brand new to this site, and only a year into the whole wakeboard/wakesurf scene. My wife, kids and I started out last year by buying a 2014 Wakesetter VTX. This was our first boat ever and needless to say it was a learning curve in all aspects. By the end of summer we had gotten used
to loading and unloading at our marina, and quite comfortable docking at our slip in our marina. However we found that the VTX was quite small as we
always had a lot of friends and family who wanted to come out with us. We sold the VTX at the end of the season and decided to look at a 2017 G23 “demo” from
Wizard Lake Marine in Calmar. We fell in love, put a deposit on it and will pick it up in the spring once we can water test it. I’m sure I will have many questions about the boat in general, but for now I only have a couple.
1. I realize the G23 is an immensely larger boat so it will not be nearly as nimble/maneuverable as the VTX ....however will it be a HUGE difference getting in and out of our slip. We switched to a 4’ longer slip in anticipation of the bigger boat
2. The boat we will be getting has the 550 HP XR7 motor...most of the boats our dealership orders in have the H6....is our engine overkill or is there something wrong with the supercharged motor? Just wondering why they wouldn’t order any 2018’s with the supercharged engine (aside from the price savings)

Sorry for the novel, I just wanted to give a little background to our situation before I started asking questions. We have a place and boat on Lake Koocanusa in Montana, so the lake is plenty big enough for a boat that size. And our marina is well laid out with decent sized slips. Thanks in advance for any feedback! We are happy to be a part of the Nautique community!

[NautiqueJeff]

The 550 is a great engine. I loved the one I had in 2013. The issues with that engine are the price and the amount of fuel it uses. It is a $9,393.00 upgrade cost over the H6 in USD, and will use about 20% - 25% more fuel than an H6. You can carry as much weight as you want with that engine though!

[Koocanusa G23]

Hey NautiqueJeff, thanks for the response. It’s nice to hear that it’s a great engine. We were told that the supercharged engine would likely use the same, if not less fuel than the H6 while under load surfing or waieboarding, but will use significantly more when just cruising around. Maybe this was just a sales tactic though. Lol. Either way, if we are spending that kind of money on a boat, we better not be overly concerned about fuel economy or we’ve stretched ourselves a little thin. Thanks for the feedback!!

[NautiqueJeff]

You're correct in that if the fuel costs are a concern, this might not be the right boat for you.

I can tell you after owning a 550, two of the older ZR450 engines, and two H6 engines that the H6 uses way less fuel than either of the others. I calculated a 20% fuel reduction between the ZR450 and the H6 after owning my first G23/H6 combo in 2016. The difference between the 550 and the H6 is even greater as far as fuel efficiency.

[nohlan_4]

Hey NautiqueJeff, thanks for the response. It’s nice to hear that it’s a great engine. We were told that the supercharged engine would likely use the same, if not less fuel than the H6 while under load surfing or waieboarding, but will use significantly more when just cruising around. Maybe this was just a sales tactic though. Lol. Either way, if we are spending that kind of money on a boat, we better not be overly concerned about fuel economy or we’ve stretched ourselves a little thin. Thanks for the feedback!!

Also premium fuel is a significant upcharge in BC where your from. Yes the price of fuel shouldn't be your top concern but it depends how much you ride. I put over 150hrs on per year and the price of fuel was a factor for me in not getting a boat with a 550 as number one more power equals burns more fuel and then the premium price for premium gas as the H^ you can run regular fuel in. when fuel bills eclipse $3k a year it makes a significant difference but that's just me. I would only ever look at the H6 imo. That's the reason wizard only orders H6's now.

[thejean]

I did the exact same as you. First year had a 2013 23 LSV and this year upgraded to a 2017 G23 from WLM in Calmar. You won’t be sorry. Can’t speak to the motor thing. Post a pic of your new toy!

[Koocanusa G23]

Wow, I’m not generally One to throw money away, so maybe the 550 isn’t the answer. Might have to see fin Wizard Lake has any 17’s with low hours on a 450 H6. Although the colour of the boat we have a deposit on is exactly what my wife and I want. I’ve talked to a couple technicians who said that you don’t even need to use premium in the 550 either...it just means it won’t operate at its full performance capabilities. Although I’m not sure I’d want to test that theory on my own boat!! Haha. The sales guy told me we should get close to 10 hours out of a full tank of fuel if we are doing a combination of surfing and cruising. I don’t know if that’s the case or not. We put 50 hours on our Malibu last summer, and I anticipate probably double that this summer with the new boat. That would put us at about 10 full tanks of premium throughout the summer, at roughly $300 per tank to fill down in the states in Canadian dollars. That’s $3000.00 for the summer! Saving 25% on that would be a big deal, regardless of how much we spend on a boat.

[Koocanusa G23]

Hey Thejean, I live in Lethbridge and the guys at Calmar have been great to deal with. We are super stoked to get into a G23...the Malibu was nice, but definitely not on the same
level as the Nautique. I’ll take to figure out how to post some pics on here...me and technology don’t often get along very well, so I’ll have to figure that out.

[Bevostein]

One thing to consider is can you get premium at your marina or will you have to pull and trailer to fill with premium

[Koocanusa G23]

Our marina only has one pump and it is premium. However, it is a dollar a gallon cheaper in town which is a five minute drive, so we typically fill up there when we take
the boat out to wipe it down before we go home for the weekend.

[MT Jack]

Don't worry about the gas. Enjoy your boat for the great machine it is.
The colours look great! Kind of familiar.
Ps. We are sure your wife will do just fine docking the boat. We have never seen you in the cabin chairs. Congrats


Sent from my iPad using PLT Nautique

[Koocanusa G23]

Haha, MT Jack, this has to be Austin!! The wife doesn’t like when I dock the boat, she says I “come in hot” and make
her nervous.....she also isn’t a fan of jumping out of the boat onto the dock when it’s moving. Lol. If this is Austin, do you know off hand if the marina fuel is premium, and if so what octane? We didn’t have to worry about it with our Wakesetter.

[MT Jack]

Busted! The marina is premium. Which is also ethanol free. IMO opinion running ethanol free gas is worth the increased cost over regular gas.


Sent from my iPad using PLT Nautique

[Koocanusa G23]

Haha. We may have to get you guys to show us the ins and outs of the Nautique next summer!!

[Tallredrider]

You can prop up the supercharged motor and it will burn way less gas. There is a thread on here about it somewhere. If you increase the pitch of the prop, the boat has plenty of torque to spin it, but can then operate at a lower RPM. I would not hesitate to get the 550 if the price was right.

It is true that the G23 is not a nimble boat compared to the VTX, but it isn't exactly like you are driving the boat through the WalMart parking lot at Christmas. Most lakes have plenty of space and you will be just fine. You mentioned the slip is nicely laid out so it won't be a problem.

You will wonder how you survived with that little VTX after a few trips in the beast.