2016 G25 - Used purchase quesetions

[tomsyckn]

Hey everyone,
New to the forum, previous Nautique owner with a few questions about 2016 G25s before I pull the trigger. I’ve done my best to search the forums for answer but had a few unanswered questions.

I’ve owned a number of inboards from a 1989 Ski Eliminator to a 1994 Hydrodyne Legacy, to a 1995 Super Sport Nautique, to a 2004 Wakesetter LSV …. But have been boatless for the last 5 years with moving constantly for work. Finally settled down and wanted to get a boat again. Set out out to find something 24’ +/- 1’ that can accommodate a fair amount of people, surf well, and wakeboard alright (I’m the only one who wakeboards still). Looking at everything from A24, Makai, Ri245 / Ri230, ATX Type S 24, used G25, and used Supra SE.

The G25 I am looking at is a 2016 with the XR7 + triple axle trailer with ~350 hours. Service records look good, nothing too wonky during its life, and annual work completed by the selling dealer.


The Engine:
I would never spec the XR7 for my usage and the lock of premium gas on-water, but it seems like this is a pretty standard selected option on the G25. Is this the right engine for this boat? Other than it being a thirsty option, it looks like all indications point to reliability being solid. Seeing as it is out of warranty, and I traditionally have always done most maintenance myself, how is the XR7 for “at home” maintenance on the basic things? Plugs / wires, oil changes, I assume there is still a fresh water pump/impeller for the HX, winterization, etc?


Surfing and Wake performance -
I can’t imagine the stock ballast of 2800 lbs is sufficient for this boat, especially for surfing … so what’s the best option, lead or plug and play? My concern with lead is I have an 8k Floe VSD lift, that is already probably close to its limit with the boat + fuel + gear + 2 people. I’m sure it has a factor of safety, but would rather not test it. In real world use with 1,000 lbs of people weight in the boat, how much additional should I expect to need to run?


Linq Screen:
Is the new screen they added better enough to write of 2016s? I would prefer analog gauges and switches, but since that isn’t really an option, the 2016 screen looks easier to swap if it were ever to die. Any feedback on that is apprecaited

…. Any other notes, callouts, or items of concern folks would have with a 2016 G25?

Thanks for any insight!
Appreciate it!

[Scooter G]

Welcome to the forum!

I'll give you a little of what I know as of January 2022 and one season into a G23.
Impressive domination of water in handling and cornering. Understanding that by hull design these boats are plow boats when moving through the water vs a v-hull in minimizing the wake for skiing. We are running factory ballast @ 2800 lbs and have only added another 500 lbs of lead for balancing. I honestly have not noticed a night and day wave change with a few people or loaded on a weekend, the wave is just impressive. The G25 may be a little harder to sink but I think you will be super impressed with the wave as is. We are 50/50 surf and wakeboard. I have a Buddy that was on the Pro Wakeboard Circuit, and his favorite boat to ride behind is the G, hands down.
The Link screen is our 1st touch screen, and it was a little over whelming at 1st, coming from a boat with gauges, knobs and switches. I would not go back at this point, love it. I can pretty much run everything from the armrest with the knob and clicks in my sleep.
Winterizing is a breeze, almost too easy, wait what did I forget, this can't be that easy.
You will be able to self maintain all the normal maintenance items i.e. impeller, ballast pump impellers, tune up, belt replacement, oil change, etc., especially with help from the PN site.
I would pre-purchase a ballast bag sensor or 2, they will go out. Not a show stopper, you will get false readings on your bag fills, and have to run it manually instead of letting the system do the work. With the hours on the rig you are looking at, you are just getting broken in. Most of the major demons would of already presented themselves by now.

What I wish I had, and will be a must on the next round:
A thruster. These monsters can be a little tricky with wind and dock vs. trailer.
A power tower. We have to tuck our tower on every trip, need 3 more inches on the shop door, grr. It is super easy to do manually and we have it down to a science, but I would rather press a button.
Finally, a triple axle trailer. Just because they look that cool, and I want to spend another $500 when replacing tires, lol.

Best of luck in your journey!

[greggmck]

I had a 2016 G25 for several months. Its a solid boat. Here are my observations.

Coming from a 2016 G23 to the G25 I found the stock ballast wake to be quite weak. Skim riders may like it but surf style riders will want a bigger, more powerful wave. We typically run with a small crew, (my wife and two kids). I added 1200 lbs to the boat and the wave went from mild to fantastic (better than the G23). The larger hull needs more weight to sink it to produce its best wave. With an 8,000 lb capacity lift additional plug and play ballast be ideal. But under NO circumstance add the plug and play ballast into the rear lockers. This will sink the NSS plates too low and wash out the surf wave. This will work for wakeboarding (which is why so many think this is the way to go) but as I said it ruins the surf wave. The ballast needs to be added at the mid section and forward in the boat. Subfloor ballast (in front of the current bags, would be ideal). Even with additional subfloor ballast you may want 200lbs in the bow too. Also try to surf with a full gas tank. The gas tank is in the forward section of the boat and I have noticed with light ballast and low gas (less than 1/3 tank) the wave will wash out because there is insufficient center to forward weight.

I had the 450 HP H6Di (ZZ6) engine in my G25. It was adequate for surf but I would think it would be sluggish for wakeboarding with extra weight and/or a large crew. I have not used the XR7 but suspect it will be optimal for wakeboarding. The XR7 is heavier than the Di2 so you may need even more forward weight to compensate. I would guess perhaps even 1500 lbs center to forward.

I never had a problem with the LINC screen in any of my boats (2014 G23, 2016 G23, 2016 G25, 2018 G23, 2019 G23, 2020 G23, 2021 P23, 2023 P23). They are pretty reliable.

Keep in mind the G25 is a big boat and will keep you on your toes when operating in a marina. Just keep it slow (slower is better than fast) using neutral to taps in gear when maneuvering. Stay ahead of the boat and plan your path with wind in mind, letting the wind work in your favor by maneuvering slowly and you will be fine.

[tomsyckn]

Appreciate the feedback!!!

I would have never guessed rear weight was a bad thing. I did find one plug and play kit that makes that statement make a lot of sense though, it was bags that went sub-floor in the mid-ship to mimic the new P23/P25 ballast setup. Sounds like that + bow bag is the sweet spot, which is great because keeping rear lockers open for storage is a nice perk.

As far as maneuvering, I’m not too worried. I was raised on inboards and understand their steering/movement dynamics well, and we have a lake house with 350’ of frontage, so if I miss the lift, I got a loooong ways before I’m in someone else stuff. Also for better or worse the position of our lift means we go SE to enter and the wind is 99% of the time out of the NW, so blows from stern to bow, makes it easy.

I’m not sure I would every drop our tower, so manual is fine for me… boat lift with maxis canopy means it can stay up, no bridges on the lake, and my storage building has a 14’ door.

Good to know the screen is pretty robust, that’s one of my biggest fears after a lifetime of analog boats, going digital is scary.

Thanks again,
Hoping zero in a boat by next week and get some money down on something sooner than later.