Reliability of 2016-2018 G21 or G23. How many hours are too many hours?

[JasonL]

I am looking at used G21s and G23s in the 2016-2018 ranges. I see some with over 1000 hours on them. What should I be concerned with? Certain engines more reliable? Are transmissions likely to go out around 1000 hours? Any help is appreciated.

[hal2814]

The worst thing you can do to a boat is use it and the second worst thing you can do to a boat is not use it. There’s nothing magical about 1000 hours. There’s not an X hours where you’ll have to replace an engine or transmission. But every hour you use it makes some failures slightly more likely and every hour it sits it makes other failures slightly more likely. Even when those failures happen they’re rarely catastrophic. That’s being said getting to 1000 hours on a 2018 is a lot. That’s 200 hours per year. I don’t even do that. When I look at hours I’m looking for something that has ideally been used anywhere from 50 to 150 hours per year. That means they’ve run it enough to shake out non-use issues while not running it so much that use-based issues are more likely than normal.

[BasaltRMK]

+1 for hal2814's response above - spot on. We use our boat ~150 hours per year, which seems like the high end based on what I read in this and other forums. But we religiously change the oil each 50 hours, impeller annually, and have all PCM recommended services completed (e.g., 300-hour, etc.). Plus we wipe the boat down after each use, wax it, take care of the skins, etc. I'd much rather buy a boat with our use/maintenance than one that sits around getting 5 - 10 hours of use a year. 1,000 hours on a 2018 may seem like a lot, but if the boat is in great shape, was obviously taken care of, and has maintenance records, I don't see an issue. Just my $0.02.

- bob

[JasonL]

Thanks for the replies. Are there any issues with the supercharged engines? How about direct injection?

[BasaltRMK]

I have no experience with the supercharged engines. My 2020 ZZ-6 (DI) has been rock solid. I had some gremlins with my 2018 H6, which is pretty much the same engine, but no major issues.

- bob

[bturner]

A 1000 hours on a 2018 is a lot. On a boat with a power adder like a supercharger it's a lot more. Hal is spot on and I would concur with his statement but given the choice of the cheaper high hour boat or a more expensive low hour boat I'll take the low hour boat every time. While the engine and drivetrain are certainly the big ticket items in the equation they are just 2 of many. Not only does the powertrain have a 1000 hours, so does the rest of the boat and with these newer surf ships that's saying a lot. Think of it like buying a fully loaded luxury car with 100K on the clock. With today's powertrains that's really not that many miles as most cars will easily surpass that mark with minimal issues. The issues tend to come with the other toys in the vehicle that will nickel and dime (or on something like a Jag, will $1000 and $5000) you to death.

Depending on how boat savvy you are you may be able to handle most any low to medium difficulty issues on your own but if you're not and need to lean on the dealer for everything well, good luck. As a similar example, I recently got into the classic car hobby (apparently I didn't have enough to keep me busy with boat ownership). It didn't take long to figure out that something is always broke or on the way out on an old car and I wouldn't be in the hobby long if I didn't start turning a wrench and fixing it myself. For me that's fine, it pushes me to keep learning and trying new things. If this isn't you and you have no interest in fixing/maintaining a high hour boat, a newer, or lower hour boat may be a better choice.

As they say.... the cheapest boat I've purchased, cost me the most.

[SilentSeven]

Slightly off topic to the first question...but it would seem to me that the 'hours use profile' of surfing is quite a bit different than traditional skiing or even wakeboarding. The former is characterized by longer runs...whereas the latter tends to be shorter sprints. No data here...this is just from my observations of what I see and my own personal experience.

This makes me think that surf rigs will tend to run up the hours faster than a ski type boat. I'm really not surprised to hear of 200 hour a year boats. If you assume a six month season (can be generous) that's 26 weeks and just about 7.5 hours week of usage. Not really that much if you have a posse of regular riders with easy lake access.

None of that gets to the question of drivetrain wear of course. Here too however you have to wonder a bit. A surf rig just seems work harder. Pump in 1500+ lbs of water....and shove that massive hole down the lake is quite bit of work. It's not like the engine is putt putting. When I've surfed (admittedly not a huge amount), I've always seen the engines working at 3k RPMs and seemingly quite loaded. On ski runs, my engine turns at that RPM but never feels like it's straining.

Personally, I wouldn't be afraid of a well maintained 1k hour boat but I would set my expectations to be ready to replace some wear items. My 97' ski had 1600 hours when I sold it. The GT40 engine itself was tight and ran perfectly...but the boat definitely had evidence of use. Cutless bearing was a bit worn. Shaft thru hull had worn a bit on the prop shaft. I had to replace a leaking tranny seal. Rudder shaft was showing a bit of play.

If you're buying a higher hour boat...just be ready for this. And if you plan to sell in the near future, expect that it will be harder to sell...and will sell at a discount.