I just went with an M boat over a G boat. I recall years ago sticking with a 230 because I felt the G wave was too steep and only good for popping air. My 230 had a similar wave to a Malibu/Axis but I felt a good in between because it had more vert than the Malibu but not quite the G level of wall like wave. So Nautique has discontinued the 230 and it is time for a new boat. I tried a GS24 and was unimpressed with the wave's cleanliness and push. I kind of resigned myself to getting a G boat and just learning to switch my style to the steep wave. I tried an Axis and same as before I felt it was too flat with lots of surface area but not great push. Then I tried an M boat and holy cow it was the best wave I have ridden. Plus the adjustments with the wedge yielded a noticeable and useful difference. I would say the MSRP is on par to higher than the G boats. But with negotiation they are between the price of a G and a 23 LSV. So you get a better wave than the G, and some better luxury than the LSV but not quite the G level of luxury. Being that I like to surf, the idea of just buying a boat for luxury made me unhappy. WIsh Nautique would make a more water sports enthusiast focused boat that surfs better than the G with less cost going towards luxury features. Ditch the S and GS, bring back a new and improved 230.
Great video, thanks for taking the time to put this series together! I've owned both brands and they have plusses and minuses. Maybe I missed it, but I think a pretty unique Malibu feature that you didn't mention is the flip down swim step. Also, Lift mode on the Malibu wedge is a game changer for low speed kids watersports activities where you want to mellow out the wave as much as possible and get the boat on plane at a low speed (e.g., kids learning to ski).
Could you expand on (27:58) what you say about the extra ballast washing out the surf wave on a Nautique due to the way the surf system is designed? I've always thought more ballast the better for surfing?
Great question! More ballast is essentially always better on a lot of boats (Supra, Centurion, Supreme, Mastercraft, etc.), however, on both Nautique and Malibu, they create a wave by deflecting or crabbing the boat to one side. The more ballast a boat has, the less the surf system will deflect the boat to the side, meaning that at a certain point, the deflection is not strong enough and the wave will wash out. For Nautique this amount is right about full ballast and a full crew - any additional weight and the wave can no longer form properly.
@@mitchmann2564 I think an easy way to think of it is that when we used to use suction gates prior to auto-surf systems, the optimal placement was the plate's top edge was right at the water line when the boat was fully loaded. If placed too deep under the water line they did not do as effective a job at crabbing the boat. So with the NSS tabs or the Malibu surf gate, if it is too far under the water you get the same problem. Thus overdoing the ballast negates the ability of the surf plate systems to do their job and crab the boat because it buries them too deep in the water.
@@JRM1247 They did expand the nautique surf plate after 2021 to be large enough to stick out above the water line even with additional ballast. So hopefully no need to lean the boat.
You should be sharing your screen and actually looking at boat images of what you are comparing. Great info. No visual references for those of us not familiar with all the boats. So I stopped watching.
Actually think this video is actually quite biased… in my opinion. You obviously can tell that you like Nautique in every aspect… But I have to completely disagree. I think the fit and finish of the Malibu is absolutely nuts on, and for sure the wave is way better than the G And much easier to stay in the pocket and ride the wave. It has much more push than the G Due to the surf gates, the plates cannot make any way in comparison to the surf gate capability
I just went with an M boat over a G boat. I recall years ago sticking with a 230 because I felt the G wave was too steep and only good for popping air. My 230 had a similar wave to a Malibu/Axis but I felt a good in between because it had more vert than the Malibu but not quite the G level of wall like wave. So Nautique has discontinued the 230 and it is time for a new boat. I tried a GS24 and was unimpressed with the wave's cleanliness and push. I kind of resigned myself to getting a G boat and just learning to switch my style to the steep wave. I tried an Axis and same as before I felt it was too flat with lots of surface area but not great push. Then I tried an M boat and holy cow it was the best wave I have ridden. Plus the adjustments with the wedge yielded a noticeable and useful difference. I would say the MSRP is on par to higher than the G boats. But with negotiation they are between the price of a G and a 23 LSV. So you get a better wave than the G, and some better luxury than the LSV but not quite the G level of luxury. Being that I like to surf, the idea of just buying a boat for luxury made me unhappy. WIsh Nautique would make a more water sports enthusiast focused boat that surfs better than the G with less cost going towards luxury features. Ditch the S and GS, bring back a new and improved 230.
What do you think about the new Tige ZX?
Great video, thanks for taking the time to put this series together! I've owned both brands and they have plusses and minuses. Maybe I missed it, but I think a pretty unique Malibu feature that you didn't mention is the flip down swim step. Also, Lift mode on the Malibu wedge is a game changer for low speed kids watersports activities where you want to mellow out the wave as much as possible and get the boat on plane at a low speed (e.g., kids learning to ski).
Can you do one on Supra boats? Vs Cent or nautique
Could you expand on (27:58) what you say about the extra ballast washing out the surf wave on a Nautique due to the way the surf system is designed? I've always thought more ballast the better for surfing?
Great question! More ballast is essentially always better on a lot of boats (Supra, Centurion, Supreme, Mastercraft, etc.), however, on both Nautique and Malibu, they create a wave by deflecting or crabbing the boat to one side. The more ballast a boat has, the less the surf system will deflect the boat to the side, meaning that at a certain point, the deflection is not strong enough and the wave will wash out. For Nautique this amount is right about full ballast and a full crew - any additional weight and the wave can no longer form properly.
@@mitchmann2564 very interesting! I’m enjoying the content 👍
@@mitchmann2564 I think an easy way to think of it is that when we used to use suction gates prior to auto-surf systems, the optimal placement was the plate's top edge was right at the water line when the boat was fully loaded. If placed too deep under the water line they did not do as effective a job at crabbing the boat. So with the NSS tabs or the Malibu surf gate, if it is too far under the water you get the same problem. Thus overdoing the ballast negates the ability of the surf plate systems to do their job and crab the boat because it buries them too deep in the water.
@@mikeg7944thats why you gotta lean the boat. Puts more weight on surf side plus will allow gates not to be so deep in water.
@@JRM1247 They did expand the nautique surf plate after 2021 to be large enough to stick out above the water line even with additional ballast. So hopefully no need to lean the boat.
Supra vs. Tige’ next?
Please do Supra vs Malibu… trying to make a decision this week 😂
Sadly not this week. If the decision has to be made this week - Mitch says buy a Supra, no debate.
Go Malibu and never look back! Best looking boats on the water.
I love these videos but the audio needs some love
Supra vs Tige vs Centurion vs Nautique
Great idea! You might enjoy this video th-cam.com/video/y-3zJ9NH3a8/w-d-xo.html that discusses the 2024 changes for each brand!
You should be sharing your screen and actually looking at boat images of what you are comparing. Great info. No visual references for those of us not familiar with all the boats. So I stopped watching.
Actually think this video is actually quite biased… in my opinion. You obviously can tell that you like Nautique in every aspect… But I have to completely disagree. I think the fit and finish of the Malibu is absolutely nuts on, and for sure the wave is way better than the G And much easier to stay in the pocket and ride the wave. It has much more push than the G Due to the surf gates, the plates cannot make any way in comparison to the surf gate capability
lol is this a joke?