Drivability- 230 vs G23 (or G21)

[Brien]

Trying to decide which boat to buy. Loved my 230 but people on here seem to be all about the G23. Only reason not just getting another 230 is resale. When I was selling mine all I ever heard was "Is it a G?"

Drove a couple of G21's and man, they drive like a bathtub. Probably fine if it's all you know but my 230 drove like a sports car. Oh, and the wave on my 230 had more push from farther back than this G21. Still, I will be driving this way more than I will be surfing or wakeboarding so I need to enjoy the drive. Seems lately all the talk is only on what is happening behind the boat.

G21 drive like a pig to me. How is the G23? Better with more length or just a bigger pig? I know it has bigger Wake and wave, and that's cool but any of the three would be fine for me. My semi pro friends can pull all the tricks they want even behind an I/O so not so worried about that.

Cruising across the chop on big lake in G21 was a rough ride. And we got so wet it was like taking a shower. The old 230 would cut through a lot of that chop with its sharp V. So tell me about the G23 please.

Also, in the end if I decide to get another 230 am I just kidding myself before they discontinue it and I have no resale value at all? Thanks in advance for all your help and feedback.

[doug69]

Haha. Yeah. A lot of G23 love here. Here is my two cents as well as some thoughts you will find elsewhere here. I have a 230 and buddy has a G23.

-230 definitely easier to drive.
-Sacked out 230 similar surf way to g23. I think the G23 has the edge on the regular surf side. People will argue the G23 is better but I’ve ridden both and as goofy rider I cant say one is better than the other.
-230 needs weight which means most storage is taken up. G23 definitely has a ton more storage. You can store all your boards inside G23 lockers with ballast but none in a fully loaded sacked out 230.
-G23 has some more comfort features. Cooler location is better. Swing door. Cup holder lights. Etc....
-g23 has better wakeboard wake. I don’t wakeboard much so can’t give details.
-As for 230 going away, this is up for debate and has been since Gs came out. My dealer said the 230 still sells very well and many of us in the 230 budget can’t afford the extra for g23 so would likely switch brands if they took away the 230. There is also no other choice for a traditional bow and I don’t love the pickle forks. . And let’s face it the 230 is cash cow for nautique. That being said...who knows??


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[charlesml3]

Doug's assessment is spot-on. I have a 230. My neighbor has a G23. On any given weekend, we take my boat one day, his the next. It splits up the gas, driving and hours nicely. I drive and ride behind his boat, he drives and rides behind mine.

We ALL agree the 230 handles much, much better. It isn't even debatable. The G surfs taller. The 230 surfs longer. The G is unquestionably the better wakeboard boat. It also has more storage. The 230 has the traditional "pointy" bow. The 230 is nearly $50K less expensive.

-Charles

[GMLIII]

I have a G23 and love it but it does drive like a pig at slow speeds

[Austin179]

Here is a example of purchase price vs cost of ownership in Houston. I am sure this is different depending on location and of coarse there are other variables (options, colors, hours, ect). Both of these boats had around 100 hours.
I have seen a 2017 G23 sell for $155,000 new and then list and sell for $139,995 used. ($15,005 or 9.68% loss)
Also seen a 2017 230 sell for $109,995 new and list and sell for $96,000 used. ($13,995 or 12.72% loss)
The G23 sold faster, has more storage, more standard options, and arguably better wave and wake.
230 still gets the job done nicely tho!

Not much to talk about when it comes to drivability - 230 wins.

As for the 230 being discontinued, I did hear this it true, but I wasn't told when.
The G and GS boats are built completely different than the 210 and 230, and I was told that Nautique is going to continue going in that direction.

[srock]

I hope they don't kill the 210 and 230 but continue to upgrade the boat. I would sadly miss the sports car handling, I don't want to drive a pig, I don't want the freeboard of an old Searay, I don't need 6 people in the bow blocking my vision and I bet the vast majority of stuff hauled in these huge boats is never used. Marketing says I am wrong and its all about surfing but maybe someday there will be a resurgence of the nimble craft's I grew to love.

[Tallredrider]

Trying to decide which boat to buy. Loved my 230 but people on here seem to be all about the G23. Only reason not just getting another 230 is resale. When I was selling mine all I ever heard was "Is it a G?"

Drove a couple of G21's and man, they drive like a bathtub. Probably fine if it's all you know but my 230 drove like a sports car. Oh, and the wave on my 230 had more push from farther back than this G21. Still, I will be driving this way more than I will be surfing or wakeboarding so I need to enjoy the drive. Seems lately all the talk is only on what is happening behind the boat.

G21 drive like a pig to me. How is the G23? Better with more length or just a bigger pig? I know it has bigger Wake and wave, and that's cool but any of the three would be fine for me. My semi pro friends can pull all the tricks they want even behind an I/O so not so worried about that.

Cruising across the chop on big lake in G21 was a rough ride. And we got so wet it was like taking a shower. The old 230 would cut through a lot of that chop with its sharp V. So tell me about the G23 please.

Also, in the end if I decide to get another 230 am I just kidding myself before they discontinue it and I have no resale value at all? Thanks in advance for all your help and feedback.

If driving is what you do most, then you're looking at the wrong kind of boat altogether. Please clarify what you need and why you just wouldn't get a 25 foot Cobalt and be happy with it.

[thejean]

I haven’t driven doug69’s 230 much but he has driven my G23 plenty so his assessment is spot on. I will say that once I got used to the G, I have absolutely no issues turning it on a dime. You just have to anticipate and cut the throttle at the right time. If you try to power turn it then expect a fairly large turning radius.

[neirbot]

If resale is the only reason (as you said) you're hesitating on another 230, I wouldn't worry about it.

It's still one of the best boats made and I don't think discontinuation will take away from its appeal, especially given the 230/G23 price differential that will likely carry into the used market.

More importantly though, if it's the boat you love, buy one and don't look back.


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[GMLIII]

If driving is what you do most, then you're looking at the wrong kind of boat altogether. Please clarify what you need and why you just wouldn't get a 25 foot Cobalt and be happy with it.

Very good point to add to this thread.

[nohlan_4]

I haven’t driven doug69’s 230 much but he has driven my G23 plenty so his assessment is spot on. I will say that once I got used to the G, I have absolutely no issues turning it on a dime. You just have to anticipate and cut the throttle at the right time. If you try to power turn it then expect a fairly large turning radius.

I would say this, after 3 seasons of driving my G I can drive it perfectly well at slow speeds. Just need to adapt to the way you drive is all. No different than a smaller boat. Only thing you can't get away from is in high crosswinds that high freeboard acts like a sail! But need to compensate for that.

[markj]

I can't ever see the 210/230 being discontinued. It's their "budget" line. Nautique would be shooting themselves in the foot and lose a ton of sales. People will switch brands before paying the extra $50K for a G. I know I would and I've had pretty thick owner's goggles for 20 years now. It's just an economic reality. Also, they just retooled and reworked the dash for the 210/230. You don't do that to a boat(s) you plan to get rid of. The year over year price increase was only 3% compared to 6% on the G's. Also, NO ONE is bragging about how great their surf wake is on any GS boat.

[srock]

210/230 budget line???....maybe they can drop old style gauges into the boat to save some more money. The boat I want at a better price.

[markj]

Yeah I can’t believe I said a $100K boat is a budget boat. Crazy...

[kylant]

how does the 230 handle the rough water?
how does it compare to a GS or G in the rough?