Drivability- 230 vs G23 (or G21)

[GMLIII]

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

Yes hard to believe but you are correct. As far as drivabilty I would give the 230 a D+ and a G a D-. They are both terrible. Tallredrider in post #7 above is right on target.

[srock]

The reality is that none of these boats are truly great in the rough and in respect to handling I always have my direct drives screwing up my opinion. Unless you want to barefoot, trick or salomon, I would focus on what you want from your budget, exterior size and interior amenities.

[cptotr]

It seems like they'd be doing Malibu a favor if they dropped the 230. I would think it would be a strong competitor to the 23 lsv. Seems for them to just completely drop from the lineup would be a mistake and one I would hate to see. I don't see the GS line competing against the lsv at all and I'm not sure that's their intention either. I think it stays around for quite a while yet.


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[charlesml3]

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

The 230 is a bit better in the rough. Now that said, these are SKI boats. The hulls aren't really designed to handle rough water but of the two, the 230 is better. The hull shape in the bow does cut through the chop somewhat.

-Charles

[shag]

I would like to see an option to be able to order a boat with gauges... I am not a fan of the new displays that do everything - but I guess I am just 'old school'... lol

[Tallredrider]

I would be curious to see how long the GS series sticks around. When I roam around other sites, the people who compared the GS to the other brand seem to be unimpressed.

And I would keep the 210 and 230.

[nautiques4life]

I think as more and more people become wakesurfers rather than wakeboarders the resale value of the 230's will actually increase. I agree that the G will destroy the wakeboarding wake of the 230, but on a properly weighted 230 wakesurfing wake differences are minor, to the point it's a personal preference sometimes. As less and less people care about the consistency of the wake at wakeboarding speeds, the fact that cost savings is so significant i ihink the 230 has a strong place in the market, especially the used market. For someone trying to get into a nice used 23' great wakesurfing boat on a budget a 2012 230 with 1100's and NSS vs a 2013 g23... Handling favoring the 230, and storage the G... That price gap is large, and if I only cared about wakesurfing, I know I'd be happy with the cash in my pocket and smaller truck req'd to tow it.

[nautiques4life]

One more thing, I agree that the 230 resale was struggling for a bit when the G's first came out, but wakesurfing wasn't nearly as popular. When everyone wanted the best wakeboarding boat, no one wanted a 230... Only the G. Fast forward to today, far more ppl wakesurfing than wakeboarding, and the shortcomings of the wakeboarding wake are far less significant to all of those buyers.

[neirbot]

^^ great points, well said

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[sbaird4000]

I would be curious to see how long the GS series sticks around. When I roam around other sites, the people who compared the GS to the other brand seem to be unimpressed.

And I would keep the 210 and 230.

Not to take anything away from the GS.....but when I was shopping for a new boat earlier this year we demoed a GS22 and a 230. In my opinion, I much preferred the wave behind the 230. Fast forward a few months and I now prefer it over my buddies 2017 LSV. The 230 throws a long, I mean long, wave with a huge amount of push far back. I love it!

[srock]

These boats a getting so darn big and tall. Perhaps I am too self centered and unpopular but how many people and how much stuff do you want in a towboat that pulls 1 person.

[72Miles]

If you're not surfing or wakeboarding 80% of the time you're on the water, I would take seriously the recommendation of a Cobalt (or Regal) surf edition.

[Blamey]

These boats a getting so darn big and tall. Perhaps I am too self centered and unpopular but how many people and how much stuff do you want in a towboat that pulls 1 person.

For me I like to have the following on the boat.
A pair of combo skis (they almost never get used so may start leaving them off unless someone specifically asks)
3 wake boards - Mine (with 10 - 11 size boots), and then a small and large boat with generic boot size.
3 Surfboards - a beginner board (Liquid force Rocket), then my surfboard and my wife's board.
1 Wakeskate

Several life jackets. Several sizes for adults both Men's and Women's Jackets and then a bunch of kids sizes.

With the 230 I can get most of this out the way until I start filling the ballast. then things get less comfortable. and I need to try make room.

I keep my boat at a Marina either at the dock or on a trailer if I don't plan to use it for more than a few days. I live 45 minutes from the Marina. With 3 kids, there isn't much room left in the truck to cart this stuff back and forth and I hate not having something I need at the boat. Next year I am planing on getting a storage unit near the marina so if I need something it'll take me 15 minutes to get it without having o pack everything all the time just in case.

[thejean]

I absolutely love the ability to have all my boards and gear on the boat at all times (G23). Not to mention the ability to get peoples bags and towels stored out of sight. Makes the boat seem way less crowded and my wife’s clutter OCD stress levels go way down.

[blueroom]

I actually am impressed with how the G23 handles for being such a big heavy boat. We somewhat often drive a G23 as a chase boat when filming. At higher speeds I am surprised at what we can make it do and how tight we can get it to turn - recently having to do power turns at speed in a canyon while closely following a wakeboarder. Never really had an issue with slow speed maneuverability either. The bigger issue is side wind on a 23' boat when driving slow. Not sure how a G and a 230 would differ there.