Demoing a GS22 in the morning.

[josh22]

I've narrowed my search for a new boat to the GS22 or a 22 LSV. Both sales people tell me that their boat skis and surfs great so we'll see which my family likes best. I prefer the styling and fit/finish of the Nautique but the storage and electronics on the Malibu. At the end of the day, function will determine which one we buy and since we spend much more time surfing than skiing, the surf wake is going to be a major factor.

The Malibu salesman assures me that the LSV will slalom very well and that bow rise is not a problem with proper settings. Looks like they will be pretty close pricewise, but the GS will likely be a couple grand more (although the LSV has a few more upgrades). Will demo the LSV next week.

Anything else I should consider?

[charlesml3]

Yes. You should ask around and get a good feel for the quality and knowledge of the service department. Statements like "Factory trained and certified" mean jack-squat. Talk to other owners and listen to their experiences. Unfortunately they are not all created equal and one really good service tech or service manager can make a huge difference.

I'd pay more for a boat I liked a little less for outstanding service...

-Charles

[idahosan]

We went from a ‘15 23lsv to a ‘19 gs22 and I won’t even look at a Malibu again. Our experience was lots of QC issues and relying on the dealer to fix the factory F ups. We did look at 22lsv, 20vtx and 23lsv but all the ‘19 boats we demoed had factory issues. ALL OF THEM! I’d make sure the bu dealer shows you that great lsv slalom wake. My gs blows my lsv away and the new lsv’s are deeper and heavier. Good luck

[Davidpsalt]

Ditto!! I have the GS22 and absolutely love it. Bought mine new in 2018 - no mechanical issues at all. Only complaint is that the rear trunk hold downs is a compression fitting of a post into a rubber plug - over time, the rubber wears down and the trunks pop up. The wear was on one side on each - so I removed them, spun them 180 degrees and work perfect again. However, I should probably buy 2,4 or 6 of them to have them on hand to replace them down the road. Not worth taking to the dealer ...

[Evening Shade]

I've narrowed my search for a new boat to the GS22 or a 22 LSV. Both sales people tell me that their boat skis and surfs great so we'll see which my family likes best. I prefer the styling and fit/finish of the Nautique but the storage and electronics on the Malibu. At the end of the day, function will determine which one we buy and since we spend much more time surfing than skiing, the surf wake is going to be a major factor.

The Malibu salesman assures me that the LSV will slalom very well and that bow rise is not a problem with proper settings. Looks like they will be pretty close pricewise, but the GS will likely be a couple grand more (although the LSV has a few more upgrades). Will demo the LSV next week.

Anything else I should consider?

How did the demo go?

[josh22]

It went ok. I really like everything about the boat...except the surf wave. It was ok but I'm really struggling with spending that kind of money on an ok surf wave since we spend so much time doing that. Worried that I will regret it. The sale of our boat fell through a few weeks ago but then sold a couple of days ago so we are back in the hunt. I haven't demo'd any other boats yet but have looked at several in the showroom. I am really struggling. I wanted to love the GS because I really like the styling and fit/finish of the Nautiques. I may just end up sacrificing a decent slalom wake and getting a more dedicated surf boat.

[hal2814]

If you’re looking at sacrificing slalom wake anyway, I’d encourage you to check out the 230.

[josh22]

I would definitely consider a 230. There is only 1 that we can find within reasonable distance of us and we hate the colors on it. But it might be worth the demo to see whether we otherwise like the boat in general. The threads on here about how to set it up for surfing made me a little gun shy because I don't want to have to put lead and extra ballast in whatever we end up with. From what I gather online (which is a little dangerous), an Fi 23 may also be a good option. I much prefer Nautique's styling and quality, but I do believe the Fi may be the best surf wave out of the box and supposedly isn't a horrible slalom wake.

Our location is very rural so this will be a time consuming process no doubt.

[sbaird4000]

Definitely check out a 230! When weighted properly the wave is amazing.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[hal2814]

Stock ballast on the 230 produces a good surf wave. A piggyback ballast is really easy to add (took me about an hour) and produces a great wave. The lead and a lot of the other stuff on the 230 thread is just fine tuning. Set up right the 230 surf wave rivals the G23. Set up sub-optimally it’s still really good.

[josh22]

Good to know, Hal. It's on our list!

[mcosub]

How is the Port wave on the '19 GS22? I have a '20 GS22 and it looks really good but have heard from others that they dont like it on the earlier years GS22

[viking]

Let us know if you demo an Fi23 as I'm in the exact same situation as you in that I'm looking for a good slalom wave but don't want to sacrifice the surf wake. I was eyeing the GS22 but concerned about surf. I know the sports are basically at both ends of the spectrum and the GS will do decent in all excersises but I am willing to sacrifice slalom for a GREAT surf wave and reading Fi23 might be the one or the even new Vi22? My current Supreme surf wave is great but slalom is not on par with other 22footers out there.

[josh22]

I actually ended up buying an Fi23. The surf wave is great without the need for any lead or extra bags. I haven't actually slalomed behind it yet, but the wake looked very skiable even at 30mph. There is plenty of storage and I ended up paying at least $10k less for more options than the GS22 that we were looking at. There is no question to me that the Nautique looks better and is nicer, but Centurion still makes a nice boat that performed significantly better for my family's needs. I never seriously considered the Vi after looking through one on the showroom floor. The under seat storage was a joke. The hieght of the storage was like 4-5". Couldn't even fit a ski under the seat.

[viking]

Perfect thanks for the feeback