G23 vs New Xstar vs M235

[nohlan_4]

Biggest thing I noticed comparing all those boats this year at the shows. M235 is lacking in QC, numerous gel issues and hinges mis aligned etc etc. I was only in that boat for 10 minutes and noticed that. G23 and Xstar are for sure the two top dogs, the only thing I would take the xstar over the g would be the vinyl. It feels so much more plush than nautique vinyl remains to be seen how durable but the feel is much better imo.

[thejean]

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.

They probably put a bit more effort into the M235 QC than the rest of the lineup and rightly so. But I think most agree on all forums that Malibu quality has been going steadily downhill. They need to stop putting out new hulls and fix the little things and then work on new hulls in between once they’ve ironed out the fit and finish issues. Putting out ground up redesigns nearly annually doesn’t allow much time for build and QA/QC.

[Infinity]

Our local Supra dealers had picked up Malibu last year....they have been around quite a while, are well known, good at what they do, have excellent customer service and and they sell a lot of Supra boats (may be wrong but think they may be highest selling dealer for Supra for a few years)...course they have Moomba too.
This Spring, they dropped the Malibu brand because they say (this came to me from a good friend that works there) that there are simply to many QC and warranty issues and every boat comes back for multiple issues (especially electronic and screen issues)..... Obviously customers get mad at dealer when their are multiple issues and many don't realize that dealer (usually) is just fixing factory issues.

[lucky7t]

Anyone mentioned price ?

Curious if we’re comparing apples to apples


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[Roscoef16]

Greetings all-figured I would chime in as I spent time on several Gs, 1 XStar and 1 M235 over the past 2-3 months. I previously owned a 16 X23 and just became way too frustrated with the inconsistent wave, as well as some known actuator issues that seem to plague the X23 primarily. I ultimately decided on a G, after my last outing on the M, which was the day after my last on the XStar. We primarily surf, and with 400s in the coffin on the G, I think it tops the M, but I’ll give my quick look below...
M - undoubtedly the best out of the box wave. No extra ballast on top of factory and several settings available for mellow/steep/etc. Sloppy ride, however, in a sloppy lake and doesn’t handle as well as the G. Fit and finish nowhere near G level, and priced ~20k more. Just not worth it to me. If it were cheaper, maybe.
XStar - with extra ballast in rear lockers (similar to how Parks is weighting his), the surf wave is very large and very forgiving. I believe Wayward made a good distinction in the difference. Fit and finish still not up to G level, but better than my X23, for sure. I would rate it a close second to the G in surf, however, the XStar does have (and was designed as such) a very nice wakeboard wake. Incidentally-our last day-after dumping the ballast and setting a home profile, we encountered a stuck tab which dang near sent us all flying. We were able to retract it manually.
G - I really thought long and hard about selling my X23. In fact, I probably spent too much time comparing (I even looked at the 24MXZ which I later concluded I’d end up trading within a year). After comparing all the likes, needs (ballast?), storage, and what one gets for the money...I really don’t think you can beat a G23. I’ve heard and seen some posters who claim much about Supras, and admittedly, they weren’t on my list for a variety of reasons with the primary being access to a dealer.

[fearocks]

The M235 I don’t feel is in the same class as the G or the Star . It’s also not been so well received since its debut.

As far as the Star vs G. The new Star finally lives up to its potential there is no doubt about that. The cramped cockpit ,one trick pony aspect has finally been washed away and it’s back on par with the G wake wise and surf wise. Quite honestly it comes down to asthetics and features of each. The only way to know which one is best for you is to drive them both and make the decision.

Up until this new Star I definitely say it was Nautique's game all day long. Not even close. However the new Star is definitely on par performance wise.

Why don't you consider the M235 in the same class as the G or X? I literally was getting ready to pull the trigger on the G until I read Wayward comment, among others, on other sites, so I decided to checkout the X-Star and ended up really diggin the X-24. Since I went that far, I decided to also checkout the M235 and really liked that one, as well. When I was picking between a Mystic and Midnight Express, it was easy.... you want speed, go Mystic, you want entertainment, go ME... there are a lot of other CC's out there, but mostly for fishing; this is a lot harder because the boats are so close in comparison. Am I missing something about the M235 that everyone else sees? This has been my thoughts so far from riding, until I test drive them all later this week:

X-24: Pros: nice wave, roomy interior, rear lounge seats, unique exterior, stern steps
Cons: fragile looking bimini, upholstery seems not on par with M235 or G23, weakest sound system

G23: Pros: best fit & finish, best sound
Cons: no rear lounge seats, short surf pocket, extruding bimini

M235: DON'T KNOW THE WAVE YET, DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE NEW 2020 ENGINE
Pros: middle fit & finish between the X & G, middle sound between the two, rear lounge seats
Cons: horrible fuel burn

[fearocks]

Interesting enough, I was looking at a home for my mother, right after I posted this, and it just so happened that a lender I spoke with had purchased a Malibu, not the M235, from the exact same dealer. Although he said the dealer was great, he had so many issues with the Malibu that he ended up returning the boat for a full refund from Malibu; lucky enough the dealer went to bat for him to help make that happen!

[surfnjosh]

Well I think exactly like the first reply that all 3 will give the vast majority of the population a more than enough size surf or wakeboard wake.
To add to that in my opinion the interior looks and feel of the G23 are hands down nicer/classier than the Bu or the Star, I don't think any other manufacturer even comes close to the interiors luxury with the exception of the new Tiges they have a **** nice interior too.
The Star is just plain UGLY on top of that. The Bu is a Bu and its just a cheaper boat all around, but im pretty sure the Bu can be had a lower cost than the other 2 mind you I have no clue as I have never had an interest in knowing.

The G has little to no bow rise, and on top of that the dash is designed in a simple clean look that has absolutely zero vision impairment. This is one thing that cannot be said for either the Star or the Bu. the giant screens are not to my liking....

[fearocks]

Well I think exactly like the first reply that all 3 will give the vast majority of the population a more than enough size surf or wakeboard wake.
To add to that in my opinion the interior looks and feel of the G23 are hands down nicer/classier than the Bu or the Star, I don't think any other manufacturer even comes close to the interiors luxury with the exception of the new Tiges they have a **** nice interior too.
The Star is just plain UGLY on top of that. The Bu is a Bu and its just a cheaper boat all around, but im pretty sure the Bu can be had a lower cost than the other 2 mind you I have no clue as I have never had an interest in knowing.

The G has little to no bow rise, and on top of that the dash is designed in a simple clean look that has absolutely zero vision impairment. This is one thing that cannot be said for either the Star or the Bu. the giant screens are not to my liking....

I'm testing the G23 tomorrow morning, followed by the M235 next week and the X24 the week after. As for the MSRP, it's the following order:

M235 = most expensive
G23 = middle
X24 = most cost effective

However, right off the bat, before any negotiations, the Malibu dealer did offer the M235 at the same price of the G23, so those two are tied with the X-24 coming in about $15k cheaper... again, this is without any negotiations, for decked out options on each vessel.

The Nautique dealer also sells Tige, which also looked nice, however sitting next to the G, I was drawn to it.

[Samu]

However, right off the bat, before any negotiations, the Malibu dealer did offer the M235 at the same price of the G23, so those two are tied with the X-24 coming in about $15k cheaper... again, this is without any negotiations, for decked out options on each vessel.

The Nautique dealer also sells Tige, which also looked nice, however sitting next to the G, I was drawn to it.

Isn't the M235 already fully loaded at that price?
Maybe you also would like to have an eye on a Centurion, especially if you mainly want to go for surfing?

[nyryan2001]

Are we talking $185k range for the M235?

[greggmck]

The dealer invoice costs of these boats are generally available on the internet. The G23 MSRP is marked up about 42%. The M235 about 47% at least for the base models in both cases. My experience is that the same mark up percentage is also applied to options. It looks like the M235 may not be available soon as it is not shown in the 2019 model year. It has not exactly been an overwhelming success.

See: https://seedealercost.com/marine/browse/manufacturer

[greggmck]

Are we talking $185k range for the M235?

In my opinion one would have been taken to the cleaners to pay $185K for a M235...

[greggmck]

We surfed the 2019 X24 last week in preparation for the Northwest Wake Surf Open competition. This particular boat was a demo boat with 1200 lbs of lead. It had a solid wave but it was a bit steep for competition surfing (due to the extra weight) we had to run the ballast partially full to compensate. But I'm sure people wanting to carve and do airs would find it very fun with this much weight and full ballast.

My observations were that the boat looks very nice. We previously surfed a stock X24. It produced a solid wave good for surfing but probably best for skim because it lacks a lip that can help substantially with airs. It does not have the rear locker storage of the G23, which is a deal killer for me as we keep 4 to 6 boards on our boat at all times and I don't want them laying around or baking in the sun on the bimini. I noticed that the Sea Deck looked unevenly installed in some cases, and we had a few times where the surf system would not engage, and required a left / right switch of the surf system to reset the surf wave. Finally, a boat at this price should have a purpose built tower. To me the X24 tower looks like the product of a high school shop project, not the tower that belongs on a $170K surf boat.

In my opinion the M235 is a white elephant. They sit on dealer lots for many months. If the Malibu dealers can't sell them how will you during a resale?

Here is a video of the X24 wave. https://youtu.be/NmMo7g0ZQXI

[fearocks]

Isn't the M235 already fully loaded at that price?
Maybe you also would like to have an eye on a Centurion, especially if you mainly want to go for surfing?

Yes, the M235 is fully loaded at that price. Also, I haven't checked any Centurion boats, since the dealer's about an hour and a half away, but now that you mention it, I'll make sure to swing by since I won't be too far from them on Wednesday