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How is the A24 in Rough Water? Help a new boater.


cmargosi

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Hello Everyone, 

I'm looking for some feedback and help from A24 owners.  We are looking at an 2019 A24 for use on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin.  I have two kids (7 and 11) and they like to surf and I also enjoy surfing, although admittedly we are all novices.  My wife has no interest in surfing and is primarily concerned with comfort of the boat, ride and handling.  Lake Geneva tends to get very busy on weekend afternoons with a lot of chop and wind.  We won't be surfing afternoons, but we do want to be able to "cruise" in our boat and anchor for the kids to enjoy time on a maui mat, swimmng and sunning.  I'm concerned with the low freeboard on a wake surf boat that we might be better off looking at a Penta Sterndrive even if we give up a bit of wave functionality.  We like the roominess of the full inboard and can live without the creature comforts that we might get on a comparably priced I/O.  Here are a few questions:

-Has anyone had their A24 in 3-4 waves and chop?  How does it handle the chop?

-How wet is the rear of the boat in chop?  

-How does it handle chop and cruising?

-We took a lesson behind a Nautique G25 (totally different boat and price point, can't splash out that kind of money), but we found the handling of chop and freeboard acceptable.  Does anyone have a comparison on A24 and the G25 on those fronts?

I have very few concerns about the wake, I know that will be great, but if my wife doesn't like the boat and isn't comfortable, this is going to be the wrong boat for our family.  Feedback and thoughts are appreciated.  

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I can’t answer completely, since I haven’t been in a G25, but I owned a G23 and expect it to handle similarly. I now have a 24 mxz which is very similar the the A24 you’re looking at. Both handle the waves and chop similarly with no real advantages or disadvantages either way. I will be honest and say that neither will handle the rougher waters like a cobalt or some other type of penta sterndrive, but there’s not a chance I’d trade that for what I have. There’s some give and take as to what you prefer, but no way I’d give up the wake/wave performance of the Malibu for something that is just a tad better for the busy afternoons you want to cruise. Get the A24 and watch as your kids and yourself progress with something you can grow with. Chances are if you get the other you’ll be looking to get into an inboard sooner than later as the rough water handling means less and the wave performance means more as you outgrow the wave. 

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Depends what your definition of acceptable is. If you didn’t mind the g25 rough water ride, you should be fine. That said, you’re going to have to prioritize what you want. You want a surf boat that will ride ok at best in rough water? Get the A24. You want a smooth rough water ride that will be ok at surfing? Get a cobalt r7 surf (or pick your forward drive I/o of choice). There’s no making up for trim and a deep hull when it comes to rough water ride and comfort. 

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Get the a24 and don’t look back! It’s a fantastic boat, I think the above comments are accurate but imo the difference in rough water performance with be marginal, while the difference in wave performance will be substantial. I comment almost every time I’m on my a24 that it is some of the best money I’ve ever spent. 

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ahopkins22LSV

I agree with the above posts 100%. The wave performance will be unmatched with the A24. 

My question is, are you truly in 3-4 foot chop on a regular basis? If yes, I’d be concerned too. A colbalt or chaparral with the surf systems is probably going to be a better answer for you and your family. As surprised as some on here may be for me to say that... Maybe @APoko can chime in. He has a 24 mxz on lake st Clair.

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I am honestly surprised at how well my A24 handles rough water in lake travis. On the right day, wind spray can be annoying, but it doesn’t seem to ever slam down when crossing wakes or chop. 

 

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Someone on here or other pointed out if you fill the belly center tank you plow instead of bounce and it reduces pounding and probably spray to s certain extent 

your wife needs to have the Axis windshield pointed out , there will be some coming around it, but if your riding in 3-4 foot chop you should expect that probably in a lot boats 

as the moderator said , sounds like your a chappy or cobalt kind of user

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Is this wind-driven constant chop or just occasional cruiser generated wakes? If wind driven, 3-4' for me is get back to the dock asap.   Even on a relatively big and high freeboard boat like the A24, you are still going to have to pay attention in rollers that big  (keeping the boat from taking them dead on) in a way that you wouldn't have to in a big water I/O.

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Thanks for all the feedback.  I surfed the cobalt and thought the wave was pretty mediocre.  I'm going to try the Regal LS4 surf and also try to get an A24 out on the water this weekend.  With warm weather predicted, the weekend warriors will be out in force and we will see how it does with the resultant chop.  I will report back.

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I have a T23. I think it does pretty darn well in chop. The largest waves I've had it in were 4 footers. A little scary but the boat actually did very well. 

No point in actually trying to do anything in the boat in more than about 1 foot waves of course. Bigger than that and even surfing isn't fun. That's about all i find the boat will smooth out for me. 

I had a 17 1/2 foot Penta sterndrive before. This is WAAAY better in waves. But it's also a lot bigger.

Edited by SomeYeahoo
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All of the inboard boats will do fine in chop/waves if you drive them right. If going thru chop, reduce trim plate so bow is as high as possible and adjust speed accordingly. 

That said, the more of a deep V hull you have, the better it will cut thru the chop/waves without beating you up.

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