G23 vs New Xstar vs M235

[nyryan2001]

Who has better build quality and QAQC between Nautique and MC

[bandit628]

Just throwing this out there, I believe the G has more rear facing seats than the xstar.

[Wayward]

^ It does. The Port flip up in the G adds one more rear facing seat than the XStar has.

[bandit628]

That's what I thought. ...in my 210 this is by far my favorite seat when I'm not driving. Too bad the xstar does not have.

[OzarkSurferKC]

I've owned both a 2015 G23 and 2017 M235 (still own) and my opinion is that the wake board wakes are both good but just different (M is steeper and more abrupt). I personally like the M's surf wave better as its just a push a button and go wave (with the ability to switch between skim and surf style waves with another touch of a button) where as the G needed some constant adjustments to get right. The M's wave seems as if it has more push too. I LOVED my G as much as I love my M and it is truly a personal preference.

One more thing, anyone who tells you that the M is WAY more expensive than the G doesnt know the whole story. The M's MSRP is quite a bit higher, but in 2017 when i was pricing a G and an M for a replacement to my '15 G, they ended up around the same price once the dealership gave me their best price. Not sure the strategy behind it, but i think Malibu priced the MSRP way too high and the actual price paid is quite a bit lower.

[Kmayotte]

One more thing, anyone who tells you that the M is WAY more expensive than the G doesnt know the whole story. The M's MSRP is quite a bit higher, but in 2017 when i was pricing a G and an M for a replacement to my '15 G, they ended up around the same price once the dealership gave me their best price. Not sure the strategy behind it, but i think Malibu priced the MSRP way too high and the actual price paid is quite a bit lower.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you can only buy the M235 one way: loaded. Correct?

The G you can pick and choose your higher end options. I'd imagine a loaded G and the standard (loaded) M235 have comparable MSRP's?

[Wayward]

Out of the few M235s that sold to members on TMC, the cheapest any of them claimed to pay was 168k, and that was a leftover, and after lots of the dealer orders had been sitting around a while (which was actually very few total boats). The M has not been popular at all.

Also, with that said, Nautique and Malibu run within 1.5% of each other on dealer margins, and Malibu runs the exact same percentage margin on the M. Because the margin is based on a percentage, yes, the dollar discount will be higher.

So, even though you might have got the M for about the same price as the G offer, that doesn’t mean both dealers were dropping their margins the same. On average, the G is definitely substantially cheaper than the M. If you took a loaded M and a loaded G, and compared the dealer costs, there is a 30k differential between them. Yes, there is a couple options the M has, that the G doesn’t offer. But it’s about 5k worth, not 30k. Sorry Ozark, but I actually do know the whole story.....

[thejean]

My two cents for what it’s worth....

Own a 2017 G23 (although haven’t ridden it much yet) and had a 2013 LSV previously and saw an M and an X at the boat show.

The M feels like an overpriced LSV. Wave will not be a huge amount better I don’t think but it does have a bit of extra freeboard and weight. But regardless, inside felt like an LSV with some extra bling. I could never justify buying one when you can get an LSV for 60% of the M price.

Just love the G’s. Bought one after riding a couple others and loved the wave. Haven’t used mine yet but the storage and beastly looks have me hooked, especially the squares off bow (cross between traditional and pickle). Also love the cooler, the new panoray display and the tower / Bimini. Will see how the family likes it this summer though. Should be more tuneable than my old LSV for sure, which is another thing that would steer me away from an M.

Now the X... LOVE the Xstar’s looks!!! It’s an absolutely gorgeous boat. It’s sleek and beastly all at the same time. I’m not a huge fan of pickle forks in general but on this boat it looks good. Better than an X23 even. The new dash is sweet (although a single screen would be better) and MC has nice vinyl. Also love the tower. From the videos I saw it looks to throw out comparable if not better wakes and waves than the G. However, in my area the MC dealer wasn’t nearly as good to work with as the Nautique dealer. I got a brand new 2017 G for around $45k less than a 2018 Xstar would have cost me so it was a no-brainer for me. In general MC waves seem to be a bit more mellower than the G’s but will see. I also like the lack of bow rise in a G vs MC which was pretty severe in my buddy’s X23 (not sure if the Xstar will be similar).

All-in-all I would take either but I’m still a SAN fanboy I think. The Xstar is a **** sweet boat though and I wouldn’t kick it out of bed. Lol

The M I would pass on for the reasons mentioned above.

[GMLIII]

Jean if I remember, you bought one of those "HOT" boats which gain global attention on the Planet Nautique forum. I just had to throw that in on this thread, LOL., Hope you enjoy it this summer as warm weather is finally knocking on our door

[scttp]

I rode behind the 2018 X Star at the GA Wake Series on Saturday. Even in 16-20mph winds, it was by far the best Mastercraft Wake I've ever ridden. It seems like it's now right on par with G, Supra, and Malibu....finally! I also judged the Open class, and the boat rode and seemed to drive nice. The steering wheel was VERY hard to turn though. And for the record, water flooded over the back just like a G when you stop, unless you tap the throttle a little of course.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[Wayward]

The steering wheel turns hard because that boat was optioned with hydraulic steering. It’s nice because it has no steering tug, but it definitely turns harder than cable steering.

[core-rider]

The steering wheel turns hard because that boat was optioned with hydraulic steering. It’s nice because it has no steering tug, but it definitely turns harder than cable steering.

I would have thought hydraulic would have been just as easy if not easier to steer than cable. Is it hydraulic assist, or just hydraulic steering?

[Wayward]

I would have thought hydraulic would have been just as easy if not easier to steer than cable. Is it hydraulic assist, or just hydraulic steering?

It’s unassisted hydraulic. I’ve had 4 boats with it, and they have all been significantly harder to turn. But I love be that there is no feedback, and that you can let go of the wheel at any time.

i actually added the SeaStar assist unit on this years boat. It’s as easy as cable now, and still retains the benefits of hydraulic.

[OzarkSurferKC]

Correct me if I'm wrong but you can only buy the M235 one way: loaded. Correct?

The G you can pick and choose your higher end options. I'd imagine a loaded G and the standard (loaded) M235 have comparable MSRP's?

The first year of production you had to take it as it came...fully loaded. Every year since, Malibu has added a few items you could add/subtract. In 2017, i could have gone with the 555 engine or the 450. Of course i went 555. There were a few other items you could add/subtract too, just nothing major.

When i priced them both, i loaded the G up as much as possible to get a comparable boat. Most items were the same (different sound system in them was the main difference) and after a few weeks of negotiation with both dealerships, they were within a thousand bucks of each other.

[OzarkSurferKC]

Out of the few M235s that sold to members on TMC, the cheapest any of them claimed to pay was 168k, and that was a leftover, and after lots of the dealer orders had been sitting around a while (which was actually very few total boats). The M has not been popular at all.

Also, with that said, Nautique and Malibu run within 1.5% of each other on dealer margins, and Malibu runs the exact same percentage margin on the M. Because the margin is based on a percentage, yes, the dollar discount will be higher.

So, even though you might have got the M for about the same price as the G offer, that doesn’t mean both dealers were dropping their margins the same. On average, the G is definitely substantially cheaper than the M. If you took a loaded M and a loaded G, and compared the dealer costs, there is a 30k differential between them. Yes, there is a couple options the M has, that the G doesn’t offer. But it’s about 5k worth, not 30k. Sorry Ozark, but I actually do know the whole story.....

I understand the point you are trying to make here, but all i am basing my info on was the price the dealerships were quoting me. Sure, i guess the Nautique dealer could have potentially made more profit if i had purchased their boat. I do know it took a couple weeks for Nautique to get down to the final price they quoted me and i am fairly certain they weren't going to go any further. I also recognize that the Malibu dealership could have taken a bath on the boat in order to move a unit, but again, this isnt really any concern of mine. My only concern was how large the check was that i was going to write.

on a related topic, it amazes me what people will say and do to support the brand they bought. I have owned two malibus, two nautiques, and one mastercraft and they are all amazing boats. I've never really understood brand loyalty as life is too short to have one experience. The quality of the product now a days has come along way, just in the last 10 years. All three brands i have owned have all been about the same. I have had trouble with all of them within the first 50 hours (None more than any other, theyve all been about the same) only to have the trouble stop once the bugs get worked out (I assume thats a product of the rough environment these boats are put in every day and the fact that they are hand made). Just my two cents.