Looking to finally buy a new boat - need Recomendations

[Klipper]

Long time member but have not posted in a while. I currently have a 2018 Outback DD and finally think it's time for a new boat. Hoping that the owners on this forum can help me make the right decision.

When I bought my DD, I was mainly skiing but my needs have dramatically changed. I am surfing 90%, skiing 10% now. Most of my time surfing is behind a Nautique 230 and G23. (friends)

I'm looking at buying a new boat and am considering the Craz but want to know how well this boat can surf with plug and play ballast. (upgraded of course) I dont want to to be filling up bags and putting them on the seats anymore... How does it compare to the Nautiques mentioned above?

Also, can you resonably ski a Craz?

I am also looking at the following boats:

Tige R21
Mastercraft XT21
Nautique GS22 (pricey I know but crossover seems good)

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

As always, thanks for all the input.

[Shoebox]

When I was looking to buy, I looked at the Craz and R21 as well. I thought the R21 was a better boat for the money, but the dealer is literally a 1-man show, and the Moomba dealer is one of the biggest boat dealers in my area, so I made an offer on the Craz.

[Klipper]

How well does the Craz surf? And how easy is it to get it to surf well?

[shockthis]

Why not throw the supra SA in the mix, it skis not bad and will blow the doors off the gs22.

[Klipper]

Agree. Supra SA is now in the mix. Also, I think the SAN 230 is better than the GS22 for my needs. There have not been very good reviews of the GS22 surf wave.

Revised list:

SAN 230
Supra SA (expensive where i live...)
Craz

I know these are all at different price points but would still like opinions on these boats and specifically the Craz in comparison to them.

[KnoxMojo]

You have a nice list, but you would be remiss if you didn't also include the 18' Mojo Pro and Max to the list as well as the Supra SL.

[wario]

Long time member but have not posted in a while. I currently have a 2018 Outback DD and finally think it's time for a new boat. Hoping that the owners on this forum can help me make the right decision.

When I bought my DD, I was mainly skiing but my needs have dramatically changed. I am surfing 90%, skiing 10% now. Most of my time surfing is behind a Nautique 230 and G23. (friends)

I'm looking at buying a new boat and am considering the Craz but want to know how well this boat can surf with plug and play ballast. (upgraded of course) I dont want to to be filling up bags and putting them on the seats anymore... How does it compare to the Nautiques mentioned above?

Also, can you resonably ski a Craz?

I am also looking at the following boats:

Tige R21
Mastercraft XT21
Nautique GS22 (pricey I know but crossover seems good)

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

As always, thanks for all the input.

I see your revised list and thank goodness! The three you had listed all had the worst surf waves when we went to demo.

The SA and the 230 will be comparable although very different waves, both surf just “okay” out of the box however with additional weight both really come to life. I went with Supra as I like the transition better, a super clean wave face is most important to us.

For me the only two points I give the Nautique above the Supra would be the walk through transom and the current screen set up, Supra won on everything else.

[shockthis]

I was about 10-12 k (cad) for a SA over a 230, I had a 210 before and I loved it, I really wanted a G23 but it was way to much. I am glad that I choose the supra( i went with the SL instead) over the 230.
I had some of the same concerns about them discontinuing it. I am sure it will be around for a couple of years. The SA with auto wake is pretty sick, you get a power tower, a surf locker, height adjustable power seat( my wife loves that feature) , tower down cover for towing and 5 min ballast fill times. It took 12 min on my 210 and by the time you put more sacs in a 230 you will be close to 15 min fill times.
The nautique is a bit quieter and they where very good with any warranty issues that came up, NSS is pretty simple to use and you can change from skim to surf style with a push of a button.

I think either way you go you will be happy.

[Prospersigman]

In my opinion the SAN 230 and Supra are on a different level than the Craz. Supra and SAN 230 are much more than the Craz or Mojo and Max. The interior features, standard options, bells/whistles are also on a different level than the Craz, Max or Mojo. Having said that I own a 2017 Supra SA and have owned a 2017 Mojo. The surf wave is batter on my SA (with additional weight) than it was on my Mojo (it had the same amount of additional weight). The wakeboard wave is far superior on my SA over the Mojo if you are into wake boarding.

Having said all of that I just spent 4 days on Broken Bow in my buddy's new G21 (its a 2017) a few things I like about the Nautique and a few things I did not.

All sub floor ballast is incredible because it opens up everything to have storage galore!!
The PCM engine and the ability to pull up to the marina and get gas is great...most marinas around me do not have a 89 or higher octane fuel option. It is much quieter under load than the 6.2 in my Supra.
The interior fit and finish and design layout of the dash, seats, trash can, everything in my opinion is better than the Supra or certainly Moomba.
The drivers seat with the ability to swing your left leg around and be seated and watch what is going on is outstanding.
The transom walk though does keep people and kids from stepping on upholstery when getting in and out of the boat.


Things I did not like:
The bow rise was terrible when loaded down and trying to get on plane. Once on plane the bow consistently bounces up and down when the water gets a little rough when loaded down and up over 24-25 mph.
No cup holders at all on the back of the boat. When you are grabbing the rope or helping a kid put his board on you have to turn and hand someone your beer because there is no cup holders any where on the back of the boat.
Bimini top is too low to walk under when going in and out of the bow. I am 6' and have to duck to get under the Bimini when walking through the windshield.
The board racks did not fit my Soulcraft surf board. They are not wide enough to fit a custom board without forcing it in there and leaving black marks all over the board.
Stock surf wave was very small and did not clean up well and all. Needs additional weight but don't they all.

[shockthis]

In my opinion the SAN 230 and Supra are on a different level than the Craz. Supra and SAN 230 are much more than the Craz or Mojo and Max. The interior features, standard options, bells/whistles are also on a different level than the Craz, Max or Mojo. Having said that I own a 2017 Supra SA and have owned a 2017 Mojo. The surf wave is batter on my SA (with additional weight) than it was on my Mojo (it had the same amount of additional weight). The wakeboard wave is far superior on my SA over the Mojo if you are into wake boarding.

Having said all of that I just spent 4 days on Broken Bow in my buddy's new G21 (its a 2017) a few things I like about the Nautique and a few things I did not.

All sub floor ballast is incredible because it opens up everything to have storage galore!!
The PCM engine and the ability to pull up to the marina and get gas is great...most marinas around me do not have a 89 or higher octane fuel option. It is much quieter under load than the 6.2 in my Supra.
The interior fit and finish and design layout of the dash, seats, trash can, everything in my opinion is better than the Supra or certainly Moomba.
The drivers seat with the ability to swing your left leg around and be seated and watch what is going on is outstanding.
The transom walk though does keep people and kids from stepping on upholstery when getting in and out of the boat.




Things I did not like:
The bow rise was terrible when loaded down and trying to get on plane. Once on plane the bow consistently bounces up and down when the water gets a little rough when loaded down and up over 24-25 mph.
No cup holders at all on the back of the boat. When you are grabbing the rope or helping a kid put his board on you have to turn and hand someone your beer because there is no cup holders any where on the back of the boat.
Bimini top is too low to walk under when going in and out of the bow. I am 6' and have to duck to get under the Bimini when walking through the windshield.
The board racks did not fit my Soulcraft surf board. They are not wide enough to fit a custom board without forcing it in there and leaving black marks all over the board.
Stock surf wave was very small and did not clean up well and all. Needs additional weight but don't they all.

The head room on Nautuques is a problem , I think all of our kids learned there curse words from people hitting there heads on the speakers.

I have to say the interior on the 2018 is almost on par with a g23, but is superior to a 230. The interior on the 230 is different than the g series. You would get the rear flip around seat on a SA and this is not a option on the 230.

[Prospersigman]

You would get the rear flip around seat on a SA and this is not a option on the 230.

I had this on my Mojo and obviously it is on my Supra and we almost never use the flip up seat. Maybe I am in the minority, but I could certainly live with out it because there is no way to get over it without busting your head on the speakers and tower. I would rather my Supra have a insert with Sea-Deck on it to step down off of the transom.

[pedel]

A couple of comments from a new SL owner:

- The speakers on the new tower are high enough that I haven't had much head bumping problem
- We use the flip back seats about half the time we're out (same with the port side flip up seat) and love it. Also, the ability to flip it into a table is awesome.
- The low speakers on the G23 were a pain, but my buddy just upgraded from the '16 to the '18 and the tower speakers are now raised on that as well. I'm not sure about the 230.

I don't have experience with the 230, but I've spent a bunch of time surfing the G23, and it is a great boat. I ended up going with the SL because it was considerably less expensive and overall really comparable. There are things that I like better about the G23 (the pocket door for the walkthrough is so smart) and things I like better about the SL (I'm a believer in auto wake) but they are both fantastic boats, and really the only 2 boats on the market that create an awesome surf wake without any bags in the locker which I am convinced is the future. That said, the other boat that were definitely in my mix were the Centurion Ri237 and Fi23. I surfed the new '18 Ri237 for 3 days and its fantastic. I prefer the SL interior by a bit but I'd be thrilled with that boat as well. I haven't surfed the fi but the wave is supposed to be comparable.