GS22 vs G21

[mattf002]

Hi all-

First post here. I have a SAN210 2014 with pro ballast. We love to wakesurf in Michigan and take the boat up north on big lakes 1 week per year at least. We solely use it for wakesurf. I slalom ski off my dad's Nautique 196 ~ 2010MY, when I can. He lives about an hour away on a private lake with a slalom course. I also have limited opportunities to ski behind a drirect drive 2004 Mastercraft that is more of a crossover boat. I love to slalom but my group I take out tube and wakesurf.

If I upgrade I am thinking of either GS22 or I heard rumors they are bringing back the G21 soon enough. Looking for a lot more storage also and increased seating over my 2014 210 SAN. If my goal is to kick as much *** as possible on the lake, do you have a reccomendation about GS22 vs G21? I'm torn.

[Startemyoung]

I’m biased as a G21 owner. Demo both and decide from there. I know a demo on a g21 might be hard to come by right now. You mention storage and surf. G21 all the way for both of those. Although the gs is 6” longer there is waaaay less storage in that boat.


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[JSnipes]

I’m taking delivery of a 2020 G-21 tomorrow. (YAY!) I demo’d both the 2020 GS-22 and 2020 GS-21. Going in, I honestly thought the GS22 was going to be the one for me. BUT ... I chose the G-21 for two main reasons ... storage and rough water ride.

I do not live on the lake and so when I go I’m out on the lake most of the day with family/friends. The pro ballast system is a must on the G-22 to get a decent surf wake and that pretty much wipes out all of the storage in the back except for some soft goods. The batteries wipe out another large section of storage as does the cooler, though the cooler is critical storage. Most of the bow will be filled with anchor and other safety equipment/vest. That pretty much leaves just the passenger console area and a little space behind beside the cooler and behind the batteries. It is not very deep storage either. It simply was not going to work for us. If I lived on the lake where most everything can stay on the dock or in the house then the GS-22 may have been my choice. It’s actually quite shocking how little storage there is ... my 2008 MC X-2 had WAY more storage and was 2’ shorter.

It would have been nice to have the option to open water slalom ski but no one in my group is into it seriously enough for it to be a decision maker. I’m sure some people run a course with a GS-22 but its not really meant for that in my opinion. A novice open water slalom skier would say the wake is flat but anyone that has spent significant time behind a real ski boat would not agree. It’s good for multipurpose boat but not exactly “flat”. The rough water handling was quite good in the GS-22 but not as good as the G21. It would have been nice to have the additional tow point for tubing that the GS22 offers ... we will have kids both young and old that will want to tube ... but the dealership told me the tower or the tow point on the transom can be used for that. I think the tow point on the transom will be problematic but we’ll see. Either way ... I know I can drag a tube around one way or another.

In contrast, the storage in the G-21 is plentiful. The heavier and deeper hull on the G21 made rough water handling superior to the GS22. The greater freeboard makes for a drier ride in rough water as well, though the GS22 was not bad at all in my opinion. It’s just a way deeper hull that affords more storage.

The whole group I’m with are novice surfers/boarders. The wake on both were good enough and was not a decision maker for me ... the storage space eaten up by the pro-ballast in the GS22 was part of the decision maker though. With all the ballast under the floor in the G21 its a big plus for me. The G21 wake was as good as I thought it would be and the GS22 was better than I thought it would be. More advanced surfers or boarders may have been more adamant about the G21 wake as a decision maker.

Another big difference to me was the convertible rear seat ... G21 has it, GS22 does not. It’s just really nice to have. Another perk is the upgraded interior features .... the GS22 is super nice ... the G21 is next level.

I was really torn on whether to wait for the 2021 G21 (assuming the rumors are true) or get this 2020 ... in the end it came down to a couple things ... 1) the 2020 hull design is very well proven ... the 2021 (assuming it comes out) may be even better or may require tweaking over a few years time to get the 21’ version perfect, 2) the base price will be higher for 2021 for sure, 3) It’s not exactly a buyers market but I got a reasonable deal on a beautiful boat. If I had not found a boat that I loved the colors, etc then I would have waited for a 2021.

In summary for me ... if I had a lake house then I very well may have chosen the GS22. But I don’t, so storage was important enough for me to bump up to the G21. Hope this helps! Good luck on your decision!

JS

[kylant]

^^this
I have a GS22. storage is definitely taken up with pro ballast. battery compartment takes all of a possible storage area. We live 10 minutes from the lake, and can leave gear on the dock. storage is pretty lacking.

if you do not ski, i would not get a GS

[mcosub]

I’m taking delivery of a 2020 G-21 tomorrow. (YAY!) I demo’d both the 2020 GS-22 and 2020 GS-21. Going in, I honestly thought the GS22 was going to be the one for me. BUT ... I chose the G-21 for two main reasons ... storage and rough water ride.

I do not live on the lake and so when I go I’m out on the lake most of the day with family/friends. The pro ballast system is a must on the G-22 to get a decent surf wake and that pretty much wipes out all of the storage in the back except for some soft goods. The batteries wipe out another large section of storage as does the cooler, though the cooler is critical storage. Most of the bow will be filled with anchor and other safety equipment/vest. That pretty much leaves just the passenger console area and a little space behind beside the cooler and behind the batteries. It is not very deep storage either. It simply was not going to work for us. If I lived on the lake where most everything can stay on the dock or in the house then the GS-22 may have been my choice. It’s actually quite shocking how little storage there is ... my 2008 MC X-2 had WAY more storage and was 2’ shorter.

It would have been nice to have the option to open water slalom ski but no one in my group is into it seriously enough for it to be a decision maker. I’m sure some people run a course with a GS-22 but its not really meant for that in my opinion. A novice open water slalom skier would say the wake is flat but anyone that has spent significant time behind a real ski boat would not agree. It’s good for multipurpose boat but not exactly “flat”. The rough water handling was quite good in the GS-22 but not as good as the G21. It would have been nice to have the additional tow point for tubing that the GS22 offers ... we will have kids both young and old that will want to tube ... but the dealership told me the tower or the tow point on the transom can be used for that. I think the tow point on the transom will be problematic but we’ll see. Either way ... I know I can drag a tube around one way or another.

In contrast, the storage in the G-21 is plentiful. The heavier and deeper hull on the G21 made rough water handling superior to the GS22. The greater freeboard makes for a drier ride in rough water as well, though the GS22 was not bad at all in my opinion. It’s just a way deeper hull that affords more storage.

The whole group I’m with are novice surfers/boarders. The wake on both were good enough and was not a decision maker for me ... the storage space eaten up by the pro-ballast in the GS22 was part of the decision maker though. With all the ballast under the floor in the G21 its a big plus for me. The G21 wake was as good as I thought it would be and the GS22 was better than I thought it would be. More advanced surfers or boarders may have been more adamant about the G21 wake as a decision maker.

Another big difference to me was the convertible rear seat ... G21 has it, GS22 does not. It’s just really nice to have. Another perk is the upgraded interior features .... the GS22 is super nice ... the G21 is next level.

I was really torn on whether to wait for the 2021 G21 (assuming the rumors are true) or get this 2020 ... in the end it came down to a couple things ... 1) the 2020 hull design is very well proven ... the 2021 (assuming it comes out) may be even better or may require tweaking over a few years time to get the 21’ version perfect, 2) the base price will be higher for 2021 for sure, 3) It’s not exactly a buyers market but I got a reasonable deal on a beautiful boat. If I had not found a boat that I loved the colors, etc then I would have waited for a 2021.

In summary for me ... if I had a lake house then I very well may have chosen the GS22. But I don’t, so storage was important enough for me to bump up to the G21. Hope this helps! Good luck on your decision!

JS

I would agree with this synopsis. With that being said, we chose the GS22 as we live on the lake and we just drop our boat down from the lift and head right out. Storage is not an issue for us because we can just circle back to the dock and grab anything we might need or have forgotten.

We are all novice to semi skilled at surfing, wake boarding, and skiing and we find the boat fits our needs perfectly. Our daughter also likes to tube from time to time as well.

Our lake is a little on the shallower side so the G21 was not a great choice for us. If your lake is deep and you need storage.............G21 is the boat. If you like to ski from time to time and storage is not so important...........then you will save some bucks and get a bigger boat in the GS22.

Good luck!

[gonefishin5555]

Everything fits in our GS22 and I like the lower freeboard on the boat. I dont have a wife so maybe thats why there is so much room. I have a box anchor and a spike and some snorkel gear up in the bow. I keep towels and dry food in the main storage compartment. The two things I can't store is the shade ez-up which gets unloaded right away on a beach and extra ice chest doesnt fit anywhere. I've never ridden the g21 so maybe I don't know what I'm missing.

[Steelernationfan58]

These posts have been helpful as I find myself in a similar situation trying to choose a boat, but, I am now believing I am way overthinking this. Let me provide some background, I currently have a 2005 Sea Ray IO Sundeck 220. We are primarily on the lake and will spend the day and it is great with storage of skiis, tubes, cooler, towels and everything we use for the day. We usually don't have more than 2-4 friends with us. We like the 22-23 boat length. The youngest kidos are now 8 and starting to get into skiiing and not yet wakeboarding or surfing, but do love to tube. My wife does a little skiing and I slalom (not on a course), wakeboard and have recently started surfing on friends boats (Nautique NXT22) and realize as I am getting older surfing is less wear and tear on me. I realize we will be in for a treat with any of these new boats that will allow us to grow into those activities

W have done a lot of research across all brands and have focused on Nautique as the boat maker. I had thought the GS22 was going to be our choice, but, when I recently went to a different dealer who sold lots of different brands vs the local small dealer and saw a 20 G21 side by side with a 21 GS22 I saw some of the pros/cons mentioned between the two boats. Hard not to appreciate unless you see in person. I love the extra storage with the G21, deeper hull for a choppy lake, boat sitting a little higher in the water, reverse seating, and just the feel.

In todays strange COVID time, we want to make the move and never really had the G21 in our sites due to cost. I was thinking that I am buying "old technology" with a 20 and look for a 2021 if I am going to make the leap. I was disappointed to see that the 2021 G21 is not out yet. But, I think it was mentioned it is hard to know what will happen with the first year of a new design.

My question to the group is whether the 2020 G21 would give us a great start from where we are and something we could grow into over next 5 - 7 years and I should take the reduced cost and start with this one? How good is the boat? I would love to get new technology with the GS22 but when I saw the G21 it felt like it met our needs better. Even if I wanted a 2021 GS22 I am being told not before August 2021 if not into calendar year 2022. And now seeing the benefit of the G series, do I crazily look to the G23 as it is now taking advantage of a lot of new technology albeit in its first year and a lot more coin than the 20 G21. However, I am hoping not to have to sell one of the children to be able to afford.

Any input to get me to resolution via recommendations or further points for me to consider is appreciated!

[tmb]

Was in a similar situation as you. Have an ‘18 210 and got a 02 196 at the beginning of the summer for skiing so it’s time to upgrade the 210 for surfing. I would have loved to look at a G21 but dealer didn’t have any and the ‘21 isn’t out yet. We demo’d a ‘21 230 and ‘21 gs22 over the weekend. I took the 750 sacs I have in my 210 and we installed them in the 230 but just did pro ballast in the gs22. We only had driver and spotter in the gs22 and 3 people total when we did the 230. I was shocked by how much more push the gs22 had than the 230. I really wanted to go with the 230 due to cost but in my opinion, there wasn’t a comparison based on how the boats were set up. I’m sure the 230 could get better with more people, etc but a lot of the time it’s just my wife and 2 young daughters. Storage is less in the gs but we live on the lake so it’s not a big deal.

230 set up for port surf
speed 10.5-10.9
factory ballast full
port 750 sac full
starboard 750 50% full to offset prop
adjusted wave from 0-10 to try everything

gs22 set up for port surf
Speed 11.2
port pro ballast 100%
starboard pro ballast 70%
front ballast 100%
adjusted wave 0-10. I preferred 2
we also surfed with front ballast down to 30% by accident. This wave had even more push but the bow rise sucked.

I’ve also spoken with multiple dealers around the country regarding the gs22 as I was shocked by how well it surfed compared to the 230. They all agreed the ‘21 (which some claimed has been tweeted ever so slightly over the ‘20) is hands down better than the 230 for surfing. I know your question was I regards to the G21 but thought I would at least share my experience with the gs22.

[JACOB11379]

I have a GS20 im trading in for a P23 in a few days. My biggest issue is how easy it takes on water over the bow....

[JSnipes]

You probably saw my lengthy post above.

I’m still loving the 2020 G21 that we bought a couple months back. It’s everything that I thought it would be. It’s awesome. You will appreciate the next level of finish, the storage room, and the drier ride.

If you want to ski, it’s not the boat for you, though. The G23 will not be either though I didn’t test drive one of those. The G’s don’t even have a ski pylon installed. You can open water ski, of course, using the transom tow point but the wake is significant even at ski speeds so you’re not going to be able to do much of any hard pulling through it.

There was too much uncertainty (except the price increase!) on a 2021 G21 so once I found a 2020 that I liked at an acceptable price I went ahead and pulled the trigger. Can always upgrade in a few years once the “new” G21 is actually released and more is known about its performance. I would think if there are any 2020’s left you would have better luck negotiating now that we’re near year end versus back in the summer.

I don’t think the 2021 GS22 is going to give you any “new technology” that the 2020 G21 doesn’t have. I may be wrong. Different story of course on the 2021 G’s.

I really like the GS22 ... it just simply didn’t have enough storage space for us and I was concerned a little bit (but not too much) about the shallower hull/lower free board and how it would handle rough water / spray in the boat / water over the bow, etc.

Good luck in your decision making! They are all great boats ... just have to choose which one is THE BEST for you and your family.



JS

My question to the group is whether the 2020 G21 would give us a great start from where we are and something we could grow into over next 5 - 7 years and I should take the reduced cost and start with this one? How good is the boat? I would love to get new technology with the GS22 but when I saw the G21 it felt like it met our needs better. Even if I wanted a 2021 GS22 I am being told not before August 2021 if not into calendar year 2022. And now seeing the benefit of the G series, do I crazily look to the G23 as it is now taking advantage of a lot of new technology albeit in its first year and a lot more coin than the 20 G21. However, I am hoping not to have to sell one of the children to be able to afford.

Any input to get me to resolution via recommendations or further points for me to consider is appreciated!

[Steelernationfan58]

That is one nice boat!! One question for you as I have delved into the G21. I see mentions of a steep surf wave and small pocket that will make it hard for novice surfers. Knowing I would be teaching 8 year olds on it, will it take a lot of the fun out it vs a GS22?

For the skiing I understand your point. But, skiing off my Sea Ray IO I am probably improving my experience.

[Startemyoung]

If you list the boat to the surf side and only fill the ballast about 2/3 you can flatten the wave and lengthen it way out. This is my 9 year old waaaay back there.


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[JSnipes]

That’s awesome!
If you have details on your settings I’d be interested in them.
Thanks!
JS

If you list the boat to the surf side and only fill the ballast about 2/3 you can flatten the wave and lengthen it way out. This is my 9 year old waaaay back there.


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[JSnipes]

Thanks! We are loving it!

No worries on the surf wave ... it’s pretty adjustable and the comparisons are relative. I don’t think you’ll dislike the surf wave at all, especially as you learn to tune it ... I’m still learning to do that but it’s pretty awesome with the presets that come preprogrammed.

I’ve only got 200 lbs lead added to port side to counter the engine torque effects ... other than that I’m stock.

JS

That is one nice boat!! One question for you as I have delved into the G21. I see mentions of a steep surf wave and small pocket that will make it hard for novice surfers. Knowing I would be teaching 8 year olds on it, will it take a lot of the fun out it vs a GS22?

For the skiing I understand your point. But, skiing off my Sea Ray IO I am probably improving my experience.

[Startemyoung]

That’s awesome!
If you have details on your settings I’d be interested in them.
Thanks!
JS

65% port ballast
50% stbd ballast
65% belly
200 lbs led on port side locker
Settings 0,0 speed 11.5

My wife and daughter love this setting as it’s longer than our old Malibu but mellow shape like they are used to. Everybody else like the wave cranked up big


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