This post is part 2 in our video series that takes a direct look at the Centurion Opti-V Hull and how it compares to it’s two major competing boats on the Market – a Malibu 24 MXZ and a Nautique G23.

The first video in this series was the most shared, talked about and debated post we have ever made – with thousands of people viewing it and hundreds of people weighing in on the results. As a quick recap here is a summary of the results from our fuel economy test for wakesurfing:

Gallons of fuel burned per hour while surfing:
Centurion Ri257 w/ 5,050 lbs. of ballast – 8.25 GPH
Nautique G23 w/ 2,850 lbs. of ballast – 13.5 GPH
Malibu 24 MXZ w/ 3,000 lbs. of ballast + wedge – 17.5 GPH

There were a number of points that were brought up in the reactions that people had to this video and we want to talk about them to hopefully provide the most accurate information possible. It is our effort to make these results as transparent as possible, however, we are working within a certain set of confines – the most restrictive by far being the boats that we have access to. We are a Centurion dealer and the ability to hook a Diacom up to current model boats from our competitors is a VERY challenging thing to arrange. We tested these boats because we were able to and we don’t have access to others. There is no “spin” on this information – we tested the boats we were able to acquire and we are happy to test ANY boats that we can get access to and compare the information. The point of these videos is not to highlight shortcomings of the other boats, but rather to showcase the incredible performance of the Opti-V hull.

The most prominent point that was brought up dealt with the engines that were in each of the boats and how it impacts performance and fuel economy. The engines in the Centurion Ri257 and The Malibu 24 MXZ are similar in size and horsepower while the engine in the Nautique was larger and equipped with a supercharger. It is correct to assume that the larger engine run under the same conditions will burn more fuel than a smaller engine running the same RPMs IF the smaller engine has adequate power to run under those conditions. If the load that the engine is put under is more than the 450 can handle properly it will burn more fuel than a larger engine that isn’t being strained as heavily. One important note that we hit on in this video is that most of the Nautique G23s sold in our area run a XR7 550hp engine because the H6 is not powerful enough to handle the boat at our elevation where the Ri257 can perform not just optimally with the H6 motor but will actually outperform the Nautique with the larger engine. That is the benefit of the Opti-V Hull. You can put a XR7 in a Ri257, but the boat performs amazingly with the H6 and has even more power when equipped with the XR7. The goal is having the best ratio of power to fuel economy and as you can see in this video the new Centurion boats achieve this.

This video was shot at the same time and under the same conditions as the video comparing the fuel economy for surfing. The only difference is each of the boats is now optimally set up for wakeboarding – both with ballast amounts and distribution. Here are the specs for each boat and how they were equipped for this video:

Nautique G23
Boat Length – 23′
Boat Weight – 5,400 lbs.
Ballast Weight – 2,850 lbs.
Total Weight – 8,250 lbs.
Lake Elevation – 5,417 feet
Engine – PCM XR7

Centurion Ri257
Boat Length – 25′ 7″
Boat Weight – 6,150 lbs.
Ballast Weight – 3,500 lbs.
Total Weight – 9,650 lbs.
Lake Elevation – 5,417 feet
Engine – PCM H6

Malibu 24MXZ
Boat Length – 24′ 5″
Boat Weight – 4,800 lbs.
Ballast Weight – 3,000 lbs. + Wedge
Total Weight – 7,800 lbs.
Lake Elevation – 4,900 feet
Engine – Indmar Monsoon 450

We hope this info is helpful. If you have any questions at all feel free to let us know and thanks for spending the time to learn about the amazing boats we have the opportunity to represent. We will see you out on the water!