Moving to ZX25/ZX23 from a Nautique G23 Paragon?

[renegrub]

As many of you have said over the years - at least half of buying a boat is buying the dealer. The dealer on my lake that sells Nautique is not good. I have been spoiled by the responsiveness of my other boat's dealer. I have a 2020 Nautique G23 Paragon I bought used and while the boat is really quite good, it has had a few issues. Trying to get the dealer to get them fixed is too frustrating.

So I am considering selling the G23 Paragon and buying either a ZX25 or ZX23 Tige because that is the brand my other dealer sells for surf boats. I've been reading these forums and trying to get a sense for the quality of the boat, wave, etc.

Has anyone else made the switch from Nautique or am I comparing apples and oranges? Am I going to be disappointed? My local Tige dealer has a ZX25 coming in soon and I plan to test out the wave, stern thruster, interface, etc. Like I said - no boat is perfect - but the G23 is pretty well laid out. But filling the gas tanks is super annoying (I think there is a fix if my dealer would ever try), the tower rattles at higher speeds and we've have a few other minor issues. The surfing has been great though, love the storage, love the low profile transom walkthrough and the seadeck floor in all the right places.

Am I crazy to make the switch if I can afford to buy another G23 Paragon? I just know that for my family - in order to make having a lake house work - I need a dealer who is responsive and will address issues ASAP. As an example, I have a Sea Ray SLX400 that had some minor fiberglass damage. I emailed my service guy, he had the boat picked up the next day, made it good as new and returned it back to my slip, up on my lift. I absolutely paid for pickup/return which is fine - but they made servicing that boat as easy as possible. I need that for my Nautique. You would think that a dealer selling Nautiques would cater to that given the price point. I could probably have my Sea Ray dealer handle basic servicing of the Nautique but they couldn't do warranty work, etc.

So frustrating when a manufacturer only has one dealer per lake! You are stuck with a crappy dealer.

I am finding the amount of information on the Tige ZX25/23 really limited on their website. Feels more like just fluff. I couldn't find owners manuals. There are not that many reviews online. Can't find much showing the ZX25 wave or showing me how the thruster is controlled/works/etc. Or how long it takes to fill the ballasts..

Lastly - my dealer could easily get me a new ZX25/23 by Dec/Jan (and has several coming in) whereas ordering a new G23 Paragon might not be until next summer...Does that indicate/suggest which boat is better/more popular?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[akdoc]

Interesting move for sure. We have a 2021 25ZX and also had a 2020 25ZX, love the fit and finish. The user interface is absolutely the easiest of any wake boat in my opinion. The GO system has a wave setting of 1-5, mellow to steep. It noticeably changes the wave. One thing to note the surf wave is very different, Tige is going to be harder, harder lip and less huge build up of the wave at the back end. At least the G23P that we rode had a longer transition area of the wave up closer to the boat and then built up very tall in the back end. Hope that makes sense. The raptor engines are fairly noisy, doesn't distract from anything but just so you know.

The wetsounds stereo is very good and plenty loud for my crew. The fit and finish of Tige's are very nice in my opinion and the gelcoat scheme is hard to be with endless color options/flake etc.... The tower is very solid no wobbles or creaks when underway.

Don't know if you are on instagram if you are look up @reecesherdan and @cadensurf and you can see the 25ZX wave.

We don't have the stern thruster so can't comment on how that works.

The smartwheel on Tige's is amazing and makes controlling everything very simple.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

[renegrub]

Thank you!

[bsreid]

Have a 25ZX and spent a lot of time on the new Nautique, mostly the G23/25 but very similar of course.
The Gs are a bit quitter than the tige which is nice but definitely not a deal breaker.
Tige will have a little bit of a firmer wave with a slightly more aggressive lip compared to the Nautique. Some prefer this, others don’t.
Nautique auto thruster is really nice but personally I find it a little annoying. I prefer just clicking the button when I need it.

I’ve spent time on nearly every top name model this summer and put well over 600 hours on a couple boats. Not one specific boat is perfect and every one has something I like better.

Go out and demo it, see how it is. Some will love it others will prefer something else.

[renegrub]

Have a 25ZX and spent a lot of time on the new Nautique, mostly the G23/25 but very similar of course.
The Gs are a bit quitter than the tige which is nice but definitely not a deal breaker.
Tige will have a little bit of a firmer wave with a slightly more aggressive lip compared to the Nautique. Some prefer this, others don’t.
Nautique auto thruster is really nice but personally I find it a little annoying. I prefer just clicking the button when I need it.

I’ve spent time on nearly every top name model this summer and put well over 600 hours on a couple boats. Not one specific boat is perfect and every one has something I like better.

Go out and demo it, see how it is. Some will love it others will prefer something else.

sounds good. Thanks. Planning to test one out in a week or so.

[maxrider]

The foam on the seats isn’t firm enough is my biggest complaint with Tige. You sit there for 5 mins and you are sitting on the hard plastic. Other than that my boat has been a good one.

[talltigeguy]

I had a similar situation with my Nautique dealer and finally put my money where my mouth was. The nearest other brand dealer was a Malibu dealer 110 miles away, so I went with that. My dealer experience was way better, but not perfect. And I thought the G23 was a terrific boat. It is a long list, but I have owned many brands over the years and every boat has its quirks, so there isn't one perfect boat I have found yet. My neighbor 3 doors down has a 25 ZX and is loving it. I have been on the boat, and it was very nice. It seemed like the smallest 25 foot boat interior I had experienced, but still plenty big for as many people as I want to be near for a day at the lake. Tige has just opened a shop in town, so some day I could come back to Tige again. Buying the dealership is keen thinking in my mind. Unless you are a pro at whatever you do, most of these modern wakeboats have more potential than you do.

[renegrub]

I had a similar situation with my Nautique dealer and finally put my money where my mouth was. The nearest other brand dealer was a Malibu dealer 110 miles away, so I went with that. My dealer experience was way better, but not perfect. And I thought the G23 was a terrific boat. It is a long list, but I have owned many brands over the years and every boat has its quirks, so there isn't one perfect boat I have found yet. My neighbor 3 doors down has a 25 ZX and is loving it. I have been on the boat, and it was very nice. It seemed like the smallest 25 foot boat interior I had experienced, but still plenty big for as many people as I want to be near for a day at the lake. Tige has just opened a shop in town, so some day I could come back to Tige again. Buying the dealership is keen thinking in my mind. Unless you are a pro at whatever you do, most of these modern wakeboats have more potential than you do.

Thank you. So sounds like you are saying if I go the Tige route, go 25, not 23 based on your experience inside? As I only use this surf boat in the early AM for surfing I for some reason liked having the smaller G23, but not sure how much difference two feet will make given they have the same beam.

[bsreid]

The foam on the seats isn’t firm enough is my biggest complaint with Tige. You sit there for 5 mins and you are sitting on the hard plastic. Other than that my boat has been a good one.

What year have you been on? They changed the foam recently and it’s super firm.

[renegrub]

Have a 25ZX and spent a lot of time on the new Nautique, mostly the G23/25 but very similar of course.
The Gs are a bit quitter than the tige which is nice but definitely not a deal breaker.
Tige will have a little bit of a firmer wave with a slightly more aggressive lip compared to the Nautique. Some prefer this, others don’t.
Nautique auto thruster is really nice but personally I find it a little annoying. I prefer just clicking the button when I need it.

I’ve spent time on nearly every top name model this summer and put well over 600 hours on a couple boats. Not one specific boat is perfect and every one has something I like better.

Go out and demo it, see how it is. Some will love it others will prefer something else.

Approximately how long does it take the fill and/or drain the ballasts? And would you say that I should expect to fill all of the ballasts including those supplemental ones in the back?

On the engine - my G23 has the 575HP engine. It is a heavier boat- but both are heavy once the ballasts are full - is the base engine sufficient? Will I definitely notice the extra power going for the largest or just a waste?

[Bowzer]

I have never owned a G but good friends of mine have an 18 G23 and I’ve been on it a few times. I think it surfs well but I’m no pro. I think it feels roomier than my rzx3. Going to a zx5 may negate that. It’s quieter. I think it’s fairly noticeable. I also think it drives nicer/easier to steer while surfing. I have not driven it in the chop so I can’t comment but I’m always somewhat disappointed in my bow spray. I hear the g’s are bad for it that too so maybe a wash. IMHO the fit and finish of the g’s is a fair bit better. Theirs doesn’t have the supercharger and mine does. I didn’t notice a big difference surfing but they also have the 2:1.

my rear ballast take about 11 mins to fill and fronts are under 3. I have factory plus 400 pnp. Would be nice to be quicker. Hopefully that’s somewhat hopeful.

[bsreid]

They have started using faster or dual fill pumps which is really nice as the rear ballast fills in 5 minutes. The drain times are a little over 15, if I were to keep my boat longer I would look at having the dealer add in a second pump.
Yes you will want the rear ballast full unless you’re running a big crew. Unfortunately you lose the storage unlike in the Nautique but it makes up for it with the rear surf locker and everywhere else, I keep 4-5 boards easily hidden in my storage plus 2 babz fenders fully inflated with tons of room to spare.

I’ve got the 460 and the 2:1 transmission and never have a wished for more power. I wouldn’t go for the 440 but would definitely do the 460 again. The 575 is nice but not needed at all and will just drink more fuel. My dealer hasn’t brought in a 575 in a long time.

The reason the G drives so nice is because it has nearly 2000lbs less ballast and is a lighter boat. On the Nautique with ballast full the platform isn’t even wet on the tige it’s under the water.

The 25ZX is on the slightly smaller side for a 25’ boat but still has tons of room. Where it makes up for it is in the depth. Interior is significantly deeper than the new G boats.

[maxrider]

bsried I can't get the quote function to work..... But my boat is a 2021 and I feel they are not firm enough IMO. The G boats have a lot firmer feel making them feel more higher quality.

[renegrub]

Thank you bsreid. It's a bummer to hear the 440 is too little power - my dealer has a 30th anniversary one coming in but it has the base engine. Coming from the 575 on the Nautique is probably too big of a difference.

[akdoc]

Thank you bsreid. It's a bummer to hear the 440 is too little power - my dealer has a 30th anniversary one coming in but it has the base engine. Coming from the 575 on the Nautique is probably too big of a difference.

If you only use the boat to surf the 440 will be okay, that's what I had in my 2020 25ZX. You won't get on plane with full ballast but you'll get to surf speed easily loaded down. I went with the 460 in my 2021 and it will get on plane with full ballast, I rarely do that as like you we get out early and surf then head back to the dock.