80 Feet Back: Super Air Nautique G21

Boats these days have really come a long way. When I was growing up, a big wake was hard to come by in the recreational scene. Back then, if you wanted to get a big wake, you had to convince the boat owner that putting bags of water all over his boat was a good idea. If he consented, sometimes you had to prop it differently to get it on plane, and even then, the wake was moderate at best. Nowadays, boats with stock ballast right out of the dealership have bigger wakes than we ever thought possible. The Super Air Nautique G Series epitomizes this innovation.

The Super Air Nautique G21, in particular, is one of the easiest boats from which to get an incredible wake. Sitting as the little brother to the world-famous G23, the G21 has a smaller footprint. Since the maximum stock ballast is exactly the same in both boats, the G21 sits deeper in the water since its hull displaces less. But what does all this have to do with the wakes? Simply stated, this causes the transition on the G21’s wake to be steeper with a peakier crest. These characteristics give the wake a snappy feel with a nice kick at the top of the wake. Keep in mind, when I tested the G21, there were only four people in the boat. That’s 10 people shy of maximum capacity, and yet the wake was still clean and crisp with a nice kick at the top and room to grow. In a bigger boat, you’d have to get closer to maximum capacity to replicate those characteristics. That’s why creating a perfect G21 wake is so hassle-free.

Riding behind this boat was a real treat. I think it goes without saying that the wake was everything I hoped it would be. The G21 is easily one of the most impressive 21-footers I have ever ridden. And not because it just had a big wake — you could say that about a number of boats these days — but because everything you could think of was already thought through and perfected. Between the rider profiles and the substantial ballast capabilities, this boat delivers a wake that can be tailored to everyone from a pro rider all the way down to a first-timer — all with just the push of a button.