G23 / Ri 237 / Malibu LSV / M235

We currently own a 2015 23 LSV, and we've demoed a few new boats this year to see if anything could lure us away from my favorite boat I have owned ever (I previously owned a 2012 VLX and a 2013 LSV.) Our boat now has all the options we want and (after we got through initial hiccups) "just works."


Malibu 23 LSV

My biggest issue was just with the stock stereo HU, I had noise issues and BT problems... I ended up bypassing it for an aftermarket EQ and BT setup and I have been happy ever since. I also wasn't a huge fan of running a bow bag when we wanted to run full PnP sacs and didn't have enough body ballast in the bow. But those were pretty small complaints. So:

Pros:

- Cushy big interior

- Awesome dash

- Drives great, looks great

- Wave is good but not great, 7/10

Cons:

- Wave is pretty big, but shape is not great

- Have to run bow weight

- Not stoked on stock stereo


Malibu M235

We demoed one of these, in general I agree with everything that has been said already. They seem to me to be the boat for the guy who wants the most bling wakeboat on the lake. I tried the wave stock, it had a better shape than the LSV, close to G23 but not quite as good IMO.

Pros:

- Looks great

- Still has awesome dash

- Fit and finish is probably deserving of the price tag

- Wave is very nice stock, 8/10

Cons:

- EXPENSIVE

- No cooler in the floor like the G

- Blingy but not always functional



Centurion Ri237

This is a great boat, and I think everyone who rides it agrees that it has the best wave available. The interior upgrades Centurion has made with the Ri series is at least as good as Malibu and getting close to Nautique (with the exception of the dash.) I haven't tried the 25, but if I could stomach the size of the thing I think it could be in our future. It has all the features we want (like trash can and cooler in floor) and (from what I can see) an amazing wakesurf wave. Perhaps the next generation of these boats will be for me.

Pros:

- Wave is best of any boat I have ridden, 10/10

- Interior looks great and fit and finish on par with Malibu (except dash)

- Stereo sounds good, works, and has an awesome fader / volume knob

Cons:

- Dash not on par with Malibu / Nautique

- Missing trash can / cooler like the G

- Exterior styling is good but not quite as sleek as the others



Nautique G23

Ever since the release of the G I have lusted over this boat. At first I dismissed it because of the price, then later I decided it didn't have a surf system like Malibu, but since then all boats have gotten more expensive and have been equipped with surf systems. The G is still a premium over the LSV but I feel like you can see where the extra money goes. When you sit in a G you just feel like the fit and finish and design are just more dialed. My wife and I joke about it but features like the trash can placement and cooler in the floor are good reason to upgrade, if you use your boat as much as we do you may think the same. They were also the first to introduce SeaDek interiors which is lightyears better than carpet, and since then all the other manufactures and fallen in line.

The boat is BIG on the outside but somewhat cramped on the inside compared to my LSV, this I think is my biggest complaint. It doesn't handle sporty like my LSV either, but usually we are loaded and surfing so I am not sure it really matters.

Pros:

- Stock wave shape was awesome, nice push and length, 9/10

- Fit and finish are perfect

- Functional features like cooler in the floor, trash can door

- Looks amazing iMO

Cons:

- Don't like tower as much as Malibu

- Interior a bit cramped when compared to 23 LSV

- Expensive



Conclusion

We have tested the boats in the order listed above. Until we tried the G we were content to stick with our 15 LSV until something better came along. After testing the G we just felt like it was too hard to resist it, especially after years of lusting over it. It could be that I change my mind down the line. If Malibu builds a boat that puts out a wave like Centurion, or Centurion's interior features and design come up to the level of Nautique... then I could see switching again. For now the G is the boat that checks the most boxes for us.

Phil.... is that you? Did not know you were on here. Congrats man and that new boat will be sexy. All are great boats to choose from though. Great problem to have!

Surf a 2013 g23 regularly, dead on, the only thing I need to do when that boat is empty of people but stock full is to move my front foot forward, that's it. Love this wave backside goofy and regular as well as toes regular and goofy, transfer are stupid easy with NSS, we hit switch at point of surfer pointing, and wave snd ramp are adjusted and fully formed in less than 4 seconds with rider on other side surfing already, taught the owner of the G transfers yesterday and he does not even surf backside well, we only use a counter steer into wave formation to spoil surfer snd beat the 4 seconds . Recovering usually only involves a foot shuffle and lean and rarely any pumping. Insulate your coolers with hard cell spray foam

The way he yanks that Bimini and tower forward into bow with a quick pull and you'll fall in love with the tower too. Congrats
And having your storage and all seating areas with no sacs is the best.

Boat has 1287 hours without a drop of oil consumption and only wear and tear and admittedly some sac connection leaks and that's it everything works burns zero oil, never breaks except alternator and boy his stereo and hours work that.

Originally Posted by tyler97217

Phil.... is that you? Did not know you were on here. Congrats man and that new boat will be sexy. All are great boats to choose from though. Great problem to have!

haha thanks man

If i had the budget sure i'll have a G23.. for my experience Nautique is the best of the best but really expensive. You have quality but you pay the price to have the headturning flashy feeling too. The use you make with your boat is a huge consideration for choosing. I am not a big fan of surpeme, not cause they are bad boats but around here almost no dealer.. i had the chance when i was surfing for ronix to try almost all wake boat on the market so i've done lot of comparaison with years and experience. my neighbor have a lsv 2015 and really the boat is awesome. Nothing to say about it but every boat have their positive and negative.

For the malibu's all gadget are nice, but for me surf gate aint the best system for surf! Yeah it push a big wave but the transition and the shape is not the best one! For wakeboard instead its the best boat for that.

G23 is like the little stair up. Near but still higher! Really expensevie and sometimes its only for flashy things.. (more sound quality, more design). surf system work perfect. Really good wave shape with the big kit of ballast. Wake and surf are really good.

But i have to admit i was not a fan of Tige. But if you want to primary surf its the best one. In your budget the rzx is one of a boat man. I drove a lot my neighbors lsv and after testing the rzx for 2weeks i'll never choose malibu haha.. now they have the full 5years warranty, the style, the quality of construction and leather is way more higher. But its my personal choice! I surf 90% of my time and im always max 4 on my boat. Cause tige are more sensitive to weight due to the hull but this hull make the best surf wave on the market no doubt about it. its a big fuel saver too. Cause of the hull you'll need half the pound of ballast then any other boat to have the best wave shape and transition.

If i were you i would consider a tige or a G23 if you are not satisfied of your lsv

Don't forget about Supra's they have come along way and are in the Top 3.

https://www.supraboats.com/models/supra-sg

Supra SG 23'7
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VswP8uMjDPc

Supra SE 24'7
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu54v52KJBk

I personally went with a 16 G23 and now would never decide otherwise...I LOVE my boat! However I have to agree with Dave above, the Supra's are very nice as well. The SG was actually a close 2nd to the G when I was looking.

You're not going to regret that G23, well at least until you see the Ri257. Even then you have an amazing boat with a killer wave. The 257 wake is completely insane and trumps the 237 significantly. I've talked to guys that have ridden it and they are claiming that it's easily the best in the industry. This is not surprising as Centurion always seems to be at the top of the surf game.

All I can say is that we are multiple years away from the Centurion having the resale you will expect to get out of a 100k boat. If you are planning on keeping these new Centurions a while then no problem. If you want to upgrade in 2-3 years your in for quite a surprise.

Originally Posted by DatTexasBoy

All I can say is that we are multiple years away from the Centurion having the resale you will expect to get out of a 100k boat. If you are planning on keeping these new Centurions a while then no problem. If you want to upgrade in 2-3 years your in for quite a surprise.

You should probably qualify that statement. In my area they depreciate at roughly the same rate as other wake boats.

On your LSV, what do you use for an aftermarket EQ?

I have the Wetsounds EQ and the unprocessed output from an iPhone isn't as clean as I'd like it to be. I'm planning to get a head unit as an input but an aftermarket EQ may do the same.

Originally Posted by Shakarocks

You should probably qualify that statement. In my area they depreciate at roughly the same rate as other wake boats.

You must be in California or Oregon

Originally Posted by DatTexasBoy

You must be in California or Oregon

Nope Utah but I keep a close eye on the western boat markets.

Same here, values are decent. Most of this is subject to the dealer pricing at purchase. In my market Malibu is bad for resale because the dealer is not competitive on price at original purchase. Used market, the market sets the price, not the dealer.