New Boat time - down to x star, x24, or G23

[lashburn1]

Yes, I am going with the G. I lee coming back to it for some reason. Don’t rant to wait to order a 2931 and don’t like the colors on the available star or the x24 they have in stock. Also don’t like no port side lean back on the star or the rear lounge seats on the star. The x24 would of been a good fit I think as I like all those things better than the star...but the interior colors are hideous in on the one available here. Unless dealers can do swaps with each other????? Bring in other stock from out of state?


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I would be much easier to buy new if we could pick stock from any dealer and work directly.
Many boats left on the table each year with this restriction....
Dealers will never have enough stock to please all customers locally

[TheLivinIsEasy]

Yes, I am going with the G. I lee coming back to it for some reason. Don’t rant to wait to order a 2931 and don’t like the colors on the available star or the x24 they have in stock. Also don’t like no port side lean back on the star or the rear lounge seats on the star. The x24 would of been a good fit I think as I like all those things better than the star...but the interior colors are hideous in on the one available here. Unless dealers can do swaps with each other????? Bring in other stock from out of state?


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I know there is a risk that you lose out on 2020s if you wait, but you are less than a month from the details of the 2021s being released. You never know, there might be a killer new feature coming (and the Gs are (over)due for a refresh). I personally like the looks of the Star over the X22/24 and G's. It is a mean looking boat. From the Nautique forum it didn't sound like you were in love with the colors of the G, but that they were just good enough. It is your money, so you should spend it how you like, but if I were spending that kind of cash, I would want to love everything about the boat, and color scheme would be very important to me. Waves on all the boats you mentioned will be more than is necessary for 98% of users. Four Forty, who posted above has owned a G23, XStar and X24, so he is you best bet for honest information. I remember he did a write-up comparing the Star to the G a while back, but I don't remember the specific thread it was in.

I think MC should offer transom seats on the Star (and all other models as well, since most brands have nicer rear seats on all models than the flip seating), but I would never use those anyway. It's too easy to go back to the dock and lounge on the beach. I feel like the rear loungers are best for people without homes on a lake who chill in coves and whatnot.

[TheLivinIsEasy]

I would be much easier to buy new if we could pick stock from any dealer and work directly.

Many boats left on the table each year with this restriction....

Dealers will never have enough stock to please all customers locally

What is interesting to me is how ugly some of the boats are that dealers order. Maybe some are left after someone custom orders and backs out of a deal, but if I were a dealer, I would be ultra conservative in my ordering. I would think a majority of sales are custom orders anyway, which is probably the main reason for the geographic restrictions.

[gtsum2]

thanks all...lots of good points and I realize the 2021's are close by......but momma likes the G better and likes the colors (Nebraska Huskers colors!), and I do like it also (white and Victory Red). Dont want to wait another 1 1/2 months, so moving forward with the G.

And I agree...some of the units dealers order make me wonder on their color combo...

[FourFourty]

What convinced you to upgrade your XT22 to X22?

On my test drives I felt like the Xstar had a bigger interior than the X22. Maybe it's just an illusion because the additional storage in the transom lockers.

Main lounge area in the X22 and XStar is the same. XStar has a bigger bow.

May have been colors or something giving you that illusion


The lounge debate always makes me laugh. I might be one of the few that hates it, and having the X24 for a year really reminded me. I like the sunpad a lot better. Keep my vests in the back storage, all easy to get from the platform, and have plenty of room to set a board when peeps are coming back in from the water. I'd hate if they did a rear lounge on the Star.....

But that's just me, and I don't spend much time at the sandbar......

[FourFourty]

thanks all...lots of good points and I realize the 2021's are close by......but momma likes the G better and likes the colors (Nebraska Huskers colors!), and I do like it also (white and Victory Red). Dont want to wait another 1 1/2 months, so moving forward with the G.

And I agree...some of the units dealers order make me wonder on their color combo...

If you don't like waiting, you bought the wrong boat!! XStar fills ballast 4 times faster than a G!!!!

In all seriousness though, congratulations! G's are awesome machines. Youll love it.

[lashburn1]

But that's just me, and I don't spend much time at the sandbar......

you have a 300 for the Sandbar anyway.

[MCOR]

What convinced you to upgrade your XT22 to X22?

On my test drives I felt like the Xstar had a bigger interior than the X22. Maybe it's just an illusion because the additional storage in the transom lockers.

We initially bought the XT22 because my wife's side of the family skied and wakeboarded and since we spend summers with them, we thought it was the perfect boat. However, this last season, everyone was wakesurfing, and I was curious what kind of wave the X series was capable of. Once I surfed behind the X22, I was convinced.

We did like the X24 room, but the local river weight restrictions and the need to upgrade to a bigger tow vehicle put the damper on that. Plus my wife felt uncomfortable driving a noticeably bigger boat. One thing I observed was how far a reach it was to get boards out of the bimini sleeve on the X24 vs the X22 or XT22.

Maybe the X22 having less freeboard makes it seem more open and larger? My wife was the deciding factor and she preferred the X22. Happy wife, happy life...

[eecyclone]

Main lounge area in the X22 and XStar is the same. XStar has a bigger bow.

May have been colors or something giving you that illusion

Interesting. I also compared the XT22 and X22 side by side and found out the interior of the bow and main lounge area are both larger in the XT22. I think the fiberglass is about 4" longer on the bow and the rear deck with the lounge seats is a little longer on the X22 as well, so that's interior space given up.

[MCOR]

Interesting. I also compared the XT22 and X22 side by side and found out the interior of the bow and main lounge area are both larger in the XT22. I think the fiberglass is about 4" longer on the bow and the rear deck with the lounge seats is a little longer on the X22 as well, so that's interior space given up.

My daughter noticed that the bow in the XT22 is indeed bigger than the X22 when we visited the dealer. The cockpit in the X22 looks to be more forward than the XT22. The wave is what convinced us to go with X22.

[Scent of a mule]

Sounds like you already made the decision so congrats! Ill still weigh in as it may help someone elase down the road. I owned a 2016 G23 for three years and switched to and New XStar 11 months ago. Have 285 hours on it in 11 months so have put it through the paces. Initial impression, the XStar is worth waiting 1.5 months for. The G is a great boat, but the XStar is head and shoulders better as a surf boat and equally good as a wakeboard boat (all depends on the shape of the wake you like). I have a son who competes wakeboarding and entire family that surfs. I posted this after I bought the XStar and will provide some update.

Surfing Performance
Hands down the X series over the G. The wave really is that much better. Not that the G23 is bad, but MC has the surf wave dialed in on these boats. The waves are long, big with tons of push all the way back. The G23 is much shorter and steeper with a much smaller sweet spot. My son competitively rides (wakeboard) and is out daily with both pros and soon to be pros and all have said that the XStar is the best wave they have surfed and feel it is the closest wave to an ocean wave. The ability to carve lateral to the wave is exceptional. Tons of push all the way back to into the curl. Extremely customization for kids to adults. The G is not customizable at all.

Wakeboard Performance
I don’t wakeboard but through my son and his friends I would give the edge to the G23. All of the riders say it’s has a a very long transition and takes some time to get used to. Off the dealer the lot, the G23 is ready to go and is more consistent in wave shape to other competition wakes like Supra etc. only a slight edge to Nautique. For a pro, it may make a difference, for the weekend rider, likley will not make a difference. The wake is clean at 16 mph for teaching kids to wakeboard.

Tubing
Both are top of the line at pulling tubes. I call this one a tie!

Fit and Finish
I like the lines of the XStar. Runner up is the G23, followed by the The X22/24. This is all personal preference so take it with a grain of salt.

There is nothing in the interior of the G23 that I disliked. Nautique does everything right inside. However, MC choices of vinyl are significantly better than Nautique. They hold up better, are more resistant to staining and are more comfortable. Seating is much more comfortable in the XStar. Nautique is very upright.

Here are the things I personally think MC needs to improve on.

Audio Volume Control with a turn dial. I miss this from the G23. The ease of adjusting audio volume is awesome on the G. Malibu has this as well. These are floating juke boxes and audio control is important. The auto volume control with throttle needs improving by MC. It is not smooth or accurate. I hate having to tap the volume button constantly.

Klipsh audio is just inferior compared to JL. Nothing more to add here.

Both towers are solid. I dislike the paint on the tower of the G. Scratches easily taking boards on and off. The Bimini on the G looks cooler but is a pain to store. If you have the cover over tower which I recommend, the Xstar tower is superior to stow.

Just my opinions. However, going back to performance which is the most important factor in my opinion, the X Series surf waves are far superior and the wakeboard wave is excellent.

Good luck with your purchase

[gtsum2]

Sounds like you already made the decision so congrats! Ill still weigh in as it may help someone elase down the road. I owned a 2016 G23 for three years and switched to and New XStar 11 months ago. Have 285 hours on it in 11 months so have put it through the paces. Initial impression, the XStar is worth waiting 1.5 months for. The G is a great boat, but the XStar is head and shoulders better as a surf boat and equally good as a wakeboard boat (all depends on the shape of the wake you like). I have a son who competes wakeboarding and entire family that surfs. I posted this after I bought the XStar and will provide some update.



Surfing Performance

Hands down the X series over the G. The wave really is that much better. Not that the G23 is bad, but MC has the surf wave dialed in on these boats. The waves are long, big with tons of push all the way back. The G23 is much shorter and steeper with a much smaller sweet spot. My son competitively rides (wakeboard) and is out daily with both pros and soon to be pros and all have said that the XStar is the best wave they have surfed and feel it is the closest wave to an ocean wave. The ability to carve lateral to the wave is exceptional. Tons of push all the way back to into the curl. Extremely customization for kids to adults. The G is not customizable at all.



Wakeboard Performance

I don’t wakeboard but through my son and his friends I would give the edge to the G23. All of the riders say it’s has a a very long transition and takes some time to get used to. Off the dealer the lot, the G23 is ready to go and is more consistent in wave shape to other competition wakes like Supra etc. only a slight edge to Nautique. For a pro, it may make a difference, for the weekend rider, likley will not make a difference. The wake is clean at 16 mph for teaching kids to wakeboard.



Tubing

Both are top of the line at pulling tubes. I call this one a tie!



Fit and Finish

I like the lines of the XStar. Runner up is the G23, followed by the The X22/24. This is all personal preference so take it with a grain of salt.



There is nothing in the interior of the G23 that I disliked. Nautique does everything right inside. However, MC choices of vinyl are significantly better than Nautique. They hold up better, are more resistant to staining and are more comfortable. Seating is much more comfortable in the XStar. Nautique is very upright.



Here are the things I personally think MC needs to improve on.



Audio Volume Control with a turn dial. I miss this from the G23. The ease of adjusting audio volume is awesome on the G. Malibu has this as well. These are floating juke boxes and audio control is important. The auto volume control with throttle needs improving by MC. It is not smooth or accurate. I hate having to tap the volume button constantly.



Klipsh audio is just inferior compared to JL. Nothing more to add here.



Both towers are solid. I dislike the paint on the tower of the G. Scratches easily taking boards on and off. The Bimini on the G looks cooler but is a pain to store. If you have the cover over tower which I recommend, the Xstar tower is superior to stow.



Just my opinions. However, going back to performance which is the most important factor in my opinion, the X Series surf waves are far superior and the wakeboard wave is excellent.



Good luck with your purchase

Wow, great write up. Yes, I picked up the g and so far am really happy with it. Keep in mind we are all beginners as I don’t think my wakeboarding 20 years ago likely counts for much!

I agree with you on most points...the cool touch vinyl on the mc is nice. Sharp looking with the darker colors too. I felt the fit and finish on the nautique was maybe a bit better, but both are certainly head and shoulders above centurion or moomba for example.

No comparison on stereo systems..studio elite in the g with dual 12’a and all JL is far superior to the klipsch system in the Mc imo. I didn’t like the rear seats on the x star..looked like an afterthought imo. Much better on the x24

I did like the lines of the MC boats...x24 and x star are beautiful for sure. The G is definitely a chubbier, more blocky styling.

The biggies for me were klipsch (not a fan at all) and the tower on the Mc. I don’t like the looks of any Mc tower..the zf4 is better than the ones on the nxt and xt lines, but they just don’t do it for me. Also, the tower sits a lot lower on the Mc. I had to duck going under the speakers...I’m only 6’1” and I didn’t want to deal with knocking myself out.

My 12 year old got up and was surfing yesterday so that’s cool...we will see how it goes and learn together.


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[LostDriver669]

Wow, great write up. Yes, I picked up the g and so far am really happy with it. Keep in mind we are all beginners as I don’t think my wakeboarding 20 years ago likely counts for much!

I agree with you on most points...the cool touch vinyl on the mc is nice. Sharp looking with the darker colors too. I felt the fit and finish on the nautique was maybe a bit better, but both are certainly head and shoulders above centurion or moomba for example.

No comparison on stereo systems..studio elite in the g with dual 12’a and all JL is far superior to the klipsch system in the Mc imo. I didn’t like the rear seats on the x star..looked like an afterthought imo. Much better on the x24

I did like the lines of the MC boats...x24 and x star are beautiful for sure. The G is definitely a chubbier, more blocky styling.

The biggies for me were klipsch (not a fan at all) and the tower on the Mc. I don’t like the looks of any Mc tower..the zf4 is better than the ones on the nxt and xt lines, but they just don’t do it for me. Also, the tower sits a lot lower on the Mc. I had to duck going under the speakers...I’m only 6’1” and I didn’t want to deal with knocking myself out.

My 12 year old got up and was surfing yesterday so that’s cool...we will see how it goes and learn together.


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Did the MC you look at had quad speakers on the tower? Also over 6’ and have no issue walking under the tower. Seems the G is what you wanted from the start, so glad you got the boat you wanted.

[lashburn1]

Seams to be a consistent lackluster review in MC stereos in the newer boats.
People want premium and unrestricted Audio quality when being charged $8-12k for various upgrades.
Of all the changes MC made , the Klipsch audio move looks to be the regrettable one.

[gtsum2]

Did the MC you look at had quad speakers on the tower? Also over 6’ and have no issue walking under the tower. Seems the G is what you wanted from the start, so glad you got the boat you wanted.

Yes, it has quad speakers on it. I was surprised they were so low to be honest with you. A good 6" lower than the JL can speakers on the G23