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I recently purchased a new 2019 GS24. There has been limited information and feedback on Planet Nautique on the GS24, so I thought I would share some of my families experiences thus far. First a bit of background. I am an experienced coastal boater using various center consoles with an outboard. I had virtually no v-drive experience, much less wake boat experience. In my search for the best boat for our family of 5 (kids aged 12, 10, & 9), we did several water tests on both a G23 and GS24. We were interested in water testing a G25, but could not find one in our area. The lack of available boats, had some influence on our final decision. I didn’t want another summer to go by without having a lake boat, so that may have been the strongest driving factor of all.
My wife and I both skied in our younger years, so that was a factor not a driver. Regarding skiing, due to healing an injury my wife hasn’t been able to ski yet, but visually the ski wake looks very good, especially when taking into account the size of the boat. She is not yet comfortable driving the boat, so I have not been able to ski or surf. We will report back more on the ski experience later. None of my family had ever wake boarded or surfed. As a family 5 and the fact we like to entertain and invite friends, we prioritized boat size. We particularly like to take families out that otherwise may not get to experience water sports activities. In fact, one boy we took out had never been on a boat before. His smiles alone almost made the investment worth it. Adding in the fun and memories we are making with our own family, has reinforced we made a good family investment. We’ve had as many as 11 on the boat and we do not feel cramped or crowded, but 11 is a lot when kids are waiting their turn.
I’ve read most every forum post on Planet Nautique that in anyway discussed the G and GS series boats. A very big thank you to the knowledgeable people who have shared their Nautique boating experiences and knowledge. It helped our decision making. We ultimately chose the GS24 because 1) we thought our family would enjoy cruising around, skiing, wakeboarding, wake surfing, and yes tubing (the kids just enjoy it); 2) the cabin area is large, 3) the bow seating, while not as large as the G is good; 4) the freeboard while not as deep as a G is deep enough; 5) the thought that the GS would produce good enough wake surfing and wake boarding wakes (more on these below); and 6) during our water tests, the GS was more enjoyable to drive. Lastly, for most people, price is somewhat a factor. The GS we purchased ended up being $54,000 less than the best new G23 deal we could find and thar was a factor for us since we are new to water sports. I’m not afraid to negotiate, but the overall lack of availability influenced pricing. I realize comparing a 2019 to a 2020 and a GS to G are not apples-to-apples, but given this was our first v-drive boat, we felt the GS24 and what it offers was the right call for us. After a few summers of use, we may have a different opinion. Someone on this forum described (and I paraphrase) the GS is not a replacement for the G (there isn’t one), but is a great do it all pretty well boat for families that are new to water sports that need to figure out what they enjoy doing and then they may go to a more task specific boat. That comment resonated with us. Most of us won’t have world class wakeboarders or wake surfers, but as others have said, kids learn very quickly (greggmck I appreciate your words of wisdom on wake surfing and helping people learn how to do it. We have shared your guidance with our surfers and it’s helped). We’ve had some kids get up on the first try, go rope less the third time, and others that are still struggling to get up.
Our boat:
What we like about the boat (in no particular order):
What could be better (in no particular order):
There have been many questions on this forum about the wakeboard and wake surf wave on the GS24. We have yet to Wakeboard, though that is next. We have surfed a fair amount and below are some pictures of the port side surf wave. I realize pictures are not the best to convey wave shape, size form, push, etc. but it’s what I have right now. I have yet to surf as my wife is not yet comfortable driving the boat, but she’s almost there. The wave in the pictures below was at NSS 0 and NCRS 5, full ballast (3,200lbs), and probably another 1,900lbs in people, fuel, gear, etc. I think there was 350+/- lbs of people in the bow. The boat is 5,100lbs dry. I have yet to have anyone surf my wave that has any prior surfing experience, so I can’t lean on them for input on determining if the wave needs any adjustments. Or to give me any tips on things to try that may improve or make the wave better. I know that will come time. I have noticed the goofy side appears to be the same size as regular, but is not quite as clean. My understanding from this forum is that is due to prop rotation. I have adjusted the NCRS down from 5 to 4 and 3, but candidly don’t see/notice a meaningful difference in the wave from the boat. Overall the wave appears awesome and clean. I can’t tell how much push it has and the feedback from beginners is incomplete, though my oldest is very smart and is rapidly progressing. What I have been able to pull from the forum is the GS boats like a little weight in the bow, and then as much in the rear lockers as you can put. Do you guys have other suggestions on what specific changes I should experiment with over the next several weeks to work toward dialing in the best GS24 wave possible? That said, I’m not sure it even needs any adjustment, but as we experiment, I would like any GS24 specific guidance you all may have. Here are some surf wave pics.
Again, thank you to everyone who answered questions that others have asked, that I was able to read. It was very helpful in making our decision. It is my hope that the summary above may help someone else as they evaluate if a GS24 is the right boat for them. If you have any specific questions let me know and I’ll do my best to answer. I am still learning the boat and the various water sports it offers, so keep that in mind.
Mark
My wife and I both skied in our younger years, so that was a factor not a driver. Regarding skiing, due to healing an injury my wife hasn’t been able to ski yet, but visually the ski wake looks very good, especially when taking into account the size of the boat. She is not yet comfortable driving the boat, so I have not been able to ski or surf. We will report back more on the ski experience later. None of my family had ever wake boarded or surfed. As a family 5 and the fact we like to entertain and invite friends, we prioritized boat size. We particularly like to take families out that otherwise may not get to experience water sports activities. In fact, one boy we took out had never been on a boat before. His smiles alone almost made the investment worth it. Adding in the fun and memories we are making with our own family, has reinforced we made a good family investment. We’ve had as many as 11 on the boat and we do not feel cramped or crowded, but 11 is a lot when kids are waiting their turn.
I’ve read most every forum post on Planet Nautique that in anyway discussed the G and GS series boats. A very big thank you to the knowledgeable people who have shared their Nautique boating experiences and knowledge. It helped our decision making. We ultimately chose the GS24 because 1) we thought our family would enjoy cruising around, skiing, wakeboarding, wake surfing, and yes tubing (the kids just enjoy it); 2) the cabin area is large, 3) the bow seating, while not as large as the G is good; 4) the freeboard while not as deep as a G is deep enough; 5) the thought that the GS would produce good enough wake surfing and wake boarding wakes (more on these below); and 6) during our water tests, the GS was more enjoyable to drive. Lastly, for most people, price is somewhat a factor. The GS we purchased ended up being $54,000 less than the best new G23 deal we could find and thar was a factor for us since we are new to water sports. I’m not afraid to negotiate, but the overall lack of availability influenced pricing. I realize comparing a 2019 to a 2020 and a GS to G are not apples-to-apples, but given this was our first v-drive boat, we felt the GS24 and what it offers was the right call for us. After a few summers of use, we may have a different opinion. Someone on this forum described (and I paraphrase) the GS is not a replacement for the G (there isn’t one), but is a great do it all pretty well boat for families that are new to water sports that need to figure out what they enjoy doing and then they may go to a more task specific boat. That comment resonated with us. Most of us won’t have world class wakeboarders or wake surfers, but as others have said, kids learn very quickly (greggmck I appreciate your words of wisdom on wake surfing and helping people learn how to do it. We have shared your guidance with our surfers and it’s helped). We’ve had some kids get up on the first try, go rope less the third time, and others that are still struggling to get up.
Our boat:
- Engine ZR4 – it has performed very well even fully loaded (see below), but it is thirsty. We are experiencing a humming/whistling sound at just above idle that is annoying. It goes away once we throttle up a bit. The dealer has evaluated and PCM has acknowledged they have received other complaints and are working on a solution.
- Stereo – upgraded package with bow speakers and 1 pair of 8.8 tower speakers. The tower is pre-wired for another pair, but due to tower height noted below would not be practical to add. We are very satisfied with the sound of the system.
- Main Options – coastal edition, Pro Wake/Surf (700lbs), bimini with surf pockets, strapless board racks, towable cover, heater, awareness cam, courtesy lights, underwater lights, surf select, retractable ski pylon, bow filler cushion (kids use this every time out), platform ladder (used every time out)
What we like about the boat (in no particular order):
- The room and the cabin layout. We thought we might miss not having a moveable stern bench seat like on the G, but we think it would be in the way and would require people climbing over it or on the upholstery to get around it if we had one, so we don’t think we would use it if we had it.
- The transom layout. The walk-through transom is great, with one exception. The step down from the transom to the bench step (with cushion removed) is a big step. My wife does not like that and wants to leave the cushion in to reduce the height of the step.
- The stereo. Very clear and sounds great.
- It handles great. It’s really smooth cruising around the lake and for us that is part of the lake experience. Driving a V-drive at slow speeds takes some getting used to. I’m learning. For those that are also learning, the best pieces of advice I’ve been given are: go slow, don’t go any faster than you want to hit something, approach docks head on and at about 25+/- feet away start to turn portside and dock on the starboard side. Due to the prop rotation, the boat always wants to go right (forward or reverse), so docking to the starboard side plays to the boats natural characteristics. I’ve gotten pretty good at docking. We trailer and I need to improve on loading and to some degree unloading. When unloading, it naturally does not want to go straight in reverse, so use reverse in very short bursts to just keep the boat moving. If I keep it in reverse it inevitably will turn and hit the dock or even worse another boat. Go slow and take your time.
- Due to my limited lake/wake boating experience, I really like the fact that it’s really a push button experience to ski, surf, or wakeboard. I understand that adding more weight/ballast can make surfing and wakeboarding even better. More on that below.
- Storage is very good. Not as good as the G, but very good. My wife is a planner/organizer, and she did spend time on both the G23 and GS24. Her comment about the GS24 was I wouldn’t want any less, but it’s enough. To be clear her comment is specific to the cabin area storage and does not include the rear lockers. The rear lockers will hold a lot even with the Pro Ballast system, but note the one issue below. We don’t live on a lake, so storage is important. If you lived on a lake and had access to a boat house, it would be a non-issue.
- The bimini is large and provides good coverage, but it would be great if they offered with a shade extension toward the stern for when you are just hanging out.
- Dedicated cooler locations. Not as convenient as the cooler in the floor with the G, but what we’ve found is it’s just not that big of deal to access the cooler when we are at a transitioning point.
- Dedicated trash can. Same comment as the coolers.
- The lack of bow rise is outstanding. On our last outing, we had the ballast (3,200lbs) full, and probably 1,900lbs of human ballast, gear, and fuel on board. There is very little bow rise. We did have probably 350lbs of kids in the bow seating. See surf wave pics below.
- The drivers seat is very comfortable.
- Adequate phone chargers (none are wireless).
- We have not seen any GS boats on our lake. We have had several strangers comment that they really like the styling of the boat.
What could be better (in no particular order):
- The rear lockers are large, but they will not fit a 5’ 4” surfboard.
- The tower could be taller. They raised it on the 2020, so I missed that. I’m 6’5”, but have not hit my head on the speakers yet, so it works. On a positive, with the tower being a little lower than on the 2020/2021, it does provide better shade.
- The cupholders pull out when you take your beverage out. It’s annoying.
- There are two dedicated cooler locations, but the coolers are on the small side, and it looks as if they could design them to be larger. Based on our storage preferences, the only place we’ve found to bring a third even smaller cooler and store it in the seat bench behind the driver seat. On days we take a large group and need a little more cooler capacity than the two that are provided, there’s not an ideal location to store it. The two existing coolers cap out at supplying enough storage (food and beverage) for about 10 people (4 adults and 6 kids), which for most would be adequate.
- Overall we find opening the storage under the seats is a bit difficult due to the tight fit of the upholstery. They may loosen up over time.
There have been many questions on this forum about the wakeboard and wake surf wave on the GS24. We have yet to Wakeboard, though that is next. We have surfed a fair amount and below are some pictures of the port side surf wave. I realize pictures are not the best to convey wave shape, size form, push, etc. but it’s what I have right now. I have yet to surf as my wife is not yet comfortable driving the boat, but she’s almost there. The wave in the pictures below was at NSS 0 and NCRS 5, full ballast (3,200lbs), and probably another 1,900lbs in people, fuel, gear, etc. I think there was 350+/- lbs of people in the bow. The boat is 5,100lbs dry. I have yet to have anyone surf my wave that has any prior surfing experience, so I can’t lean on them for input on determining if the wave needs any adjustments. Or to give me any tips on things to try that may improve or make the wave better. I know that will come time. I have noticed the goofy side appears to be the same size as regular, but is not quite as clean. My understanding from this forum is that is due to prop rotation. I have adjusted the NCRS down from 5 to 4 and 3, but candidly don’t see/notice a meaningful difference in the wave from the boat. Overall the wave appears awesome and clean. I can’t tell how much push it has and the feedback from beginners is incomplete, though my oldest is very smart and is rapidly progressing. What I have been able to pull from the forum is the GS boats like a little weight in the bow, and then as much in the rear lockers as you can put. Do you guys have other suggestions on what specific changes I should experiment with over the next several weeks to work toward dialing in the best GS24 wave possible? That said, I’m not sure it even needs any adjustment, but as we experiment, I would like any GS24 specific guidance you all may have. Here are some surf wave pics.
Again, thank you to everyone who answered questions that others have asked, that I was able to read. It was very helpful in making our decision. It is my hope that the summary above may help someone else as they evaluate if a GS24 is the right boat for them. If you have any specific questions let me know and I’ll do my best to answer. I am still learning the boat and the various water sports it offers, so keep that in mind.
Mark
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