G23 / G25 Must Do Mods?

[tomsyckn]

Barring a bad compression test I'll be picking up a "new to me" 2016 G25 later this week. Before the boat gets dropped in the lake for the year, any suggestions on things to add, tweak, or modify?

Older boats I've had to overhaul audio systems, ballast, etc etc but this boat seems pretty well sorted for those items. It has the studio elite package with 4x tower speakers, which is plenty for my needs. Ballast is sorted as the previous owner added extra ballast already (2x bow bags, 2x bags that run from the stern storage hatch up under the port/starboard seats).


Anything else folks have added to this vintage of G21/G23/G25 that has been a huge improvement to the boat that I should consider?

Thanks!
Nick

[GMLIII]

Ballast sensors are a known problem on these boats. I have replaced mine twice on my 2017 G23. Make sure your ballast tanks are filling and emptying properly, if not your ballast sensors are probably bad and need to be replaced.

[NautiqueMax]

Not a mod, but you should have extra impellers for both the engine and ballast pumps.

[Scooter G]

Congrats on the new to you G tomsyckn! Throws some pics out when it lands in your driveway.
You've found a great resource for information on PN when you need it...
Ditto on the thoughts from GMLIII & NautiqueMax

[tomsyckn]

Good call on the ballast sensors.
I usually try and keep a "break in emergency" kit of spares at the house which usually has common fasteners, impellers, fuel / oil filters, hose clamps, fittings barbs, etc etc.

Hoping to pick up at the end of the week, but my wife's car (our tow vehicle) is still in break in period so I'm scrabbling to get some miles on it so I can drag this thing home.

[Kenv]

Congrats on the new ride. Second sentence did crack me up a bit...."but my wife's car (our tow vehicle)".....I pictured this....LOL. Just kidding of course. Have a great summer

[tomsyckn]

That car is much more on par with my daily driver (Tesla Model S), my old boss actually bought me a "wind up" handle to stick to the roof..

Her 2022 Grand Wagoneer was recently replaced from FCA with a 2023 which we finally got last week. I miss the 6.4L vs the new twin turbo inline six they’re using. Despite more power and better fuel economy the turbo lag is pretty noticeable. Curious to see how it handles 8,000lbs behind it.

[jellydonut]

these are heavy boats. Maybe someone can chime in too, but i estimated my 2018 G25 loaded for the lake to be over the tow rating of your Wagoneer. Please do report back how it tows.

I bet you end up trading the tesla for a diesel..oh and congrats on the boat

[Waveslayer]

That's a bummer on the new twin turbo. I thought it had more torque as well...

My old 3.5 HO ecoboost had zero lag.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[tomsyckn]

these are heavy boats. Maybe someone can chime in too, but i estimated my 2018 G25 loaded for the lake to be over the tow rating of your Wagoneer. Please do report back how it tows.

I bet you end up trading the tesla for a diesel..oh and congrats on the boat

I don't think we will exceed the rating. My napkin math says:
G25 Dry weight = 6400 lbs
Half tank of gas = 300 lbs
No gear or equipment in the boat
Tandem trailer = 1500 lbs
Total: 8,200 lbs
Grand Wagoneer is rated for 9,850 ... so about 83% of total capacity, I'm think we'll be golden.

Once I get it home I'll do a total of like 6 miles a year of trailering since the boat sits on a lift during the summer.
Boat launch to my house = .5 miles, my house to storage 2 miles.... repeat in the spring.

That's a bummer on the new twin turbo. I thought it had more torque as well...

It does, and you can feel it when you get into it a bit but power doesn't really come on until like 3000-3200 rpm vs the v8 which felt like it was closer to 2000 rpm. I'm sure it will just take some getting used to.

[charlesml3]

Rope Storage Mod:

[MN Ryan]

That rope storage mod is money. I've did it on my 211 after seeing those pics.

[tomsyckn]

Was able to drag the new (to me) boat home yesterday! Excited for some warm weather

[Sailfun]

I would get your boat on a scale the first chance you get. I think you will be shocked at how much higher the number turns out to be. Most G23’s hit 9000 lbs. Your tow rating might also be substantially less than you think. Manufacturers tend to quote the max towing weight with a weight distributing hitch. Generally you won’t find that on a boat trailer. Towing capacity with a regular hitch is ⅔ to ¾ of the listed weights. It’s easy to check your truck manual. Read the footnotes carefully. Your might be pulling 10,000 lbs with a 7000 lb rating.

[tomsyckn]

I'm not too sacred about towing it (anymore), now that its home.
I've got access to my brother's fleet of 3/4 and 1-ton trucks... and worst case our Grand Wagoneer would have to tow it the whopping .25 from launch to our house or 2.5 miles to the storage building.

....I was a little nervous for the 5 hours drive from the dealer to the house though, but the GW handled it like a champ. Its rated at 9,750 for the GW (10,000 lbs for the regular 2wd Wagoneer) because of the weight savings.