Considering purschasing a 2014 Z23...

[jeremiah.hough]

I'm considering purchasing a 2014 Z3. It's brand new but I was curious if thee is anything specific i should ask or look for. It does have the smaller motor. Is it big enough? we will primarily surf and wakeboard. Nothing extreme - just the normal family stuff. We will have a full boat most of the time. I read the thread below about all the problems with the 2014 Z3's. Did this seam to be a bad year for them or did a few people just have bad luck. Thanks for any help. I love this site.

[jeremiah.hough]

sorry for the spelling in the title!

[Bruizza]

I would not buy a Z3 without the upgraded motor. You are going to struggle with the ballast full and a group of people on board. If all you did was surf I would say go for it just expect to have issues with resale. Spend the extra $ now and don't worry about having enough power or resale.

[Z1Fan]

Which motor does it have and you might want to wait a year , so they get the kinks out of the indmar set up , perhaps look for a 2013 if you can find one , I've seen a few new ones lurking around

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[Tomp]

Other than my current issue with the motor not running at times I love the boat and I was surprised how well it goes with the 350 indmar.

I have the pro surf ballast and upgraded to the 1300 rear sacs and surfing with the stock prop has been no problem, I did get it up to higher speeds and it took a bit to plain but who sloloms wakeboards or just pleasure cruises with 3500 lbs of full ballast anyways.

I put the 1235 a me on it and it feels like it would pull a house.

Anyone other than me have a problem with the indmar 350 if so what problems, I believe it's used in other boat brands

[Yzfrenfro]

Other than my current issue with the motor not running at times I love the boat and I was surprised how well it goes with the 350 indmar.

I have the pro surf ballast and upgraded to the 1300 rear sacs and surfing with the stock prop has been no problem, I did get it up to higher speeds and it took a bit to plain but who sloloms wakeboards or just pleasure cruises with 3500 lbs of full ballast anyways.

I put the 1235 a me on it and it feels like it would pull a house.

Anyone other than me have a problem with the indmar 350 if so what problems, I believe it's used in other boat brands

We have the exact same setup. The 350 works great with the ACME 1235 in my opinion. I didn't think it was worth the extra $6k to upgrade just 50hp. Although I ride in Texas, so elevation is not an issue. Some must have add on's are: extra cleats in the middle, surf Bimini, I hate the stock board racks, they are a pain in the arse. But I think the clamp racks are a $2-3k upgrade so I declined on those. Pro ballast with upgraded sacks in the rear, wake9 makes a 1500# sack. Those with the convex VX throws a great wave. But if you have a full boat, 1100# will work great. I added the wet sounds 420 eq because I like to separate the tower speakers from the interior. Upgraded the sub, the stock one is pitiful. Upgraded the trailer wheels and tires, we pull our boat to many different lakes. I wish I would have added docking lights, would really help at night. On board charger, extra battery, and heater. That's all I can really think of that we are really glad we did. Good luck, buying a new boat is fun!!! Enjoy it!!!

[ddutcher]

I have a 2013 with the PCM 343 and 1235 prop and no issues at all with power. Pro ballast as well.

[begone]

I like my Z3, we have the 350 and 1235 Prop - made a HUGE Difference than stock. It also has a lot of options on it, it's a nice boat. I would definitely check out the Air Nautique 230 though - it's only $10k more and better quality IMO. However, I was in one all this weekend (just sitting - didn't surf), and it was a more shallow boat, and the front seats were shallow as well. Also, storage was skimpy, but not much less than the Z. So why would I check it out? Just to be sure - there's nothing worse than buyer remorse on a $100k boat.

Overall, I'm glad I chose the Z, but honestly the SANS 230 is better built boat, has all the bells and whistles and surfs better from what he said (he's surfed in a Z3).

There's some things with the Z3 that are very cheap and not very "Smart" IMO. But you won't know till you get one and experience on your own.

I have 23 hours on my boat and have already encountered these annoying little issues:
Sticky Throttle (make sure yours is smooth)
Finicky Neutral (won't start sometimes in neutral have to wiggle it)
Anchor Lights won't turn off (have to manually reset or turn off battery)
Ballast is not filling all the way on port side
Bilge Pump fried
Steering Wheel Clicks when turning to left
Rear Storage Hinges Broke (poor design)
CAN Storage Warning on Tige Touch

[Dandy]

Begone, what year was the SAN230 that you were on? They changed the top deck in 2014 making it deeper, not sure how it compares to the Z3 but if it was prior to 2014 they were definitely much shallower. Just one more thing for Jeremiah to think about as if comparing boats isn't difficult enough.

If you do go with the Z3 be sure it has the VX. We ran our boat without for a little bit and after getting it back on were grateful we had ordered it...makes for a very clean and quick forming wave.

[Z1Fan]

I like my Z3, we have the 350 and 1235 Prop - made a HUGE Difference than stock. It also has a lot of options on it, it's a nice boat. I would definitely check out the Air Nautique 230 though - it's only $10k more and better quality IMO. However, I was in one all this weekend (just sitting - didn't surf), and it was a more shallow boat, and the front seats were shallow as well. Also, storage was skimpy, but not much less than the Z. So why would I check it out? Just to be sure - there's nothing worse than buyer remorse on a $100k boat.

Overall, I'm glad I chose the Z, but honestly the SANS 230 is better built boat, has all the bells and whistles and surfs better from what he said (he's surfed in a Z3).

There's some things with the Z3 that are very cheap and not very "Smart" IMO. But you won't know till you get one and experience on your own.

I have 23 hours on my boat and have already encountered these annoying little issues:
Sticky Throttle (make sure yours is smooth)
Finicky Neutral (won't start sometimes in neutral have to wiggle it)
Anchor Lights won't turn off (have to manually reset or turn off battery)
Ballast is not filling all the way on port side
Bilge Pump fried
Steering Wheel Clicks when turning to left
Rear Storage Hinges Broke (poor design)
CAN Storage Warning on Tige Touch

You mentioned steering wheel clicks , mine does that too. , what did your dealer say ??

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[Z1Fan]

Hey don't get the factory board racks ,get the Samson ones , but make sure you keep em tight , or else they will peel the powder coating off , and definatley get the extra cleats , you really do need em ,I also hear the Malibu vlx is coming with a brand new design for 2015 , much deeper and set up for surfing !!

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[jeremiah.hough]

Thanks guys for all the input. That's why this is my favorite forum out there. I think the price is fair on this boat. I'm just really struggling with spending that much $$ on a boat. I'm also going to look at the Axis A22. I know it's not near the boat as the Z3 but it's also not near the price. I have been looking for months for something used and just haven't had much luck. I really want the Z3, Malibu 23LSV, or an RZ2. I know the finish on the Axis is not near any of these but not sure about the overall quality of the boat. I should have never sold my 22ve it was cheap and reliable! Could-of, would-of, should-of!

[begone]

You mentioned steering wheel clicks , mine does that too. , what did your dealer say ??

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He said bring it in. I'm up for my 20 hour service so, I have a long list of little things I need fixed.

[begone]

Begone, what year was the SAN230 that you were on? They changed the top deck in 2014 making it deeper, not sure how it compares to the Z3 but if it was prior to 2014 they were definitely much shallower. Just one more thing for Jeremiah to think about as if comparing boats isn't difficult enough.

If you do go with the Z3 be sure it has the VX. We ran our boat without for a little bit and after getting it back on were grateful we had ordered it...makes for a very clean and quick forming wave.

I was in a 2014 SAN230 - So it was more shallow than the Z for sure. I was tied up to him all weekend.

[begone]

Definitely get the Surf Bimini - there's not much room to store the surf boards.