Help me decide on the new boat

[Dunnitnow 1]

Hi Everyone!  First post for a soon to be Centurion owner -current boat (MC XT series) is sold pending funds.  

I am trying to decide/finalize my order between the Fi21 and Fi23 and sure would appreciate some real-world advice ideally from folks who own them or maybe even have spent time in both.

We boat on a big lake (50,000 acres) so it does get some boat traffic.   We are generally a small crew (2@30% of time, 4@40% of time, and 6-10+ 30% of time at most).  We do boat from our dock so if there's not enough room folks can stay behind, and we don't need room to take everything along for the day.  

So here are my questions on the Fi21 vs Fi23:   

-Overall size.  Does the Fi21 feel small?  Does the Fi23 feel big?  Will the Fi23 feel too big for us unless we have 6 or more?  

-Bow space specifically.   Is the bow space in the Fi21 really big enough for 2 adults to be comfortable (stretch legs out nicely on a long ride)?  Any more than 2?  How much larger is the Fi23?

-Ride quality.  We hear the opti V is awesome and I demoed an Fi23, but without more time it's hard to be sure.  Do both the 21 and 23 ride great and handle boat traffic, or does the 23 outperform it significantly?

-Surf wave.  During the times we have the crew of 4 or less will the Fi21 actually produce a better surf wave for us than the Fi23 (because the Fi23 would need more weight to get down)?   

-Resale value/attractiveness.  I have the impression that the Fi23 outsells the Fi21 by at least 8-1 just based on ads I see.  Is the sale market for the 23 alot better or is this not accurate?

-engine choice.  I'm at 600ft above sea level.  If I go with the Fi23 is the regular engine OK (409HP) or do I need to consider the HO?  

-prop choice.  We'll mostly surf or cruise, and I'm not a speed demon.  Long cruises at 20-25mph are the rule.  Rarely if ever go any faster than 30.  Go with stock prop or change it to what?

-Is extra lead needed or not in either boat? (i hope the answer is no but had to ask)

-Gatorstep.  We are in the south - average 85-95 degrees in summer.  Does black gatorstep get hot on the floor or swim platform?

-Vinyl.  We are in the south - average 85-95 degrees in summer.  Does any upholstery color on the top surfaces other than white get hot?  Put another way, what's the darkest shade in the following sequence that doesn't get unbearably hot to bare skin (all hex:  white frost, whisper grey, tan, stone grey, mocha, charcoal)?

Thanks for any advice.  

[Dreamer 96]

17 hours ago, Dunnitnow said:

Hi Everyone!  First post for a soon to be Centurion owner -current boat (MC XT series) is sold pending funds.  

I am trying to decide/finalize my order between the Fi21 and Fi23 and sure would appreciate some real-world advice ideally from folks who own them or maybe even have spent time in both.

We boat on a big lake (50,000 acres) so it does get some boat traffic.   We are generally a small crew (2@30% of time, 4@40% of time, and 6-10+ 30% of time at most).  We do boat from our dock so if there's not enough room folks can stay behind, and we don't need room to take everything along for the day.  

So here are my questions on the Fi21 vs Fi23:   

-Overall size.  Does the Fi21 feel small?  Does the Fi23 feel big?  Will the Fi23 feel too big for us unless we have 6 or more?  

-Bow space specifically.   Is the bow space in the Fi21 really big enough for 2 adults to be comfortable (stretch legs out nicely on a long ride)?  Any more than 2?  How much larger is the Fi23?

-Ride quality.  We hear the opti V is awesome and I demoed an Fi23, but without more time it's hard to be sure.  Do both the 21 and 23 ride great and handle boat traffic, or does the 23 outperform it significantly?

-Surf wave.  During the times we have the crew of 4 or less will the Fi21 actually produce a better surf wave for us than the Fi23 (because the Fi23 would need more weight to get down)?   

-Resale value/attractiveness.  I have the impression that the Fi23 outsells the Fi21 by at least 8-1 just based on ads I see.  Is the sale market for the 23 alot better or is this not accurate?

-engine choice.  I'm at 600ft above sea level.  If I go with the Fi23 is the regular engine OK (409HP) or do I need to consider the HO?  

-prop choice.  We'll mostly surf or cruise, and I'm not a speed demon.  Long cruises at 20-25mph are the rule.  Rarely if ever go any faster than 30.  Go with stock prop or change it to what?

-Is extra lead needed or not in either boat? (i hope the answer is no but had to ask)

-Gatorstep.  We are in the south - average 85-95 degrees in summer.  Does black gatorstep get hot on the floor or swim platform?

-Vinyl.  We are in the south - average 85-95 degrees in summer.  Does any upholstery color on the top surfaces other than white get hot?  Put another way, what's the darkest shade in the following sequence that doesn't get unbearably hot to bare skin (all hex:  white frost, whisper grey, tan, stone grey, mocha, charcoal)?

Thanks for any advice.  

On a big busy lake it is nicer to have the bigger boat.

The out of the box surf wake is okay but with 500#'s of leadwake it can become great. The bigger the boat the better the wake.

The 409 is fine at your elevation and the stock prop is designed to work with that engine.

The lighter colour of vinyl help in the sun but sometimes we have to splash water even on the light greys to cool them off.

[Troy. R 198]

Agreed with everything @Dreamer said. You’ll never say, “I wish I got that smaller boat. There’s just too much room on this one.” In terms of ballast/wave on the 23 v 21, the 23 comes with more factory ballast which compensates for the bigger hull. I live in AZ, although I don’t have black gator step, my local dealer said it’s not an issue and does not get too hot even in the AZ direct sun (120 degrees!).

Resale will also be MUCH better with the 23.

[Dunnitnow 1]

Thanks for the info!  Maybe leaning 23 but still kind of torn between the two of them and can't demo both because my local dealer doesn't have any in inventory.

[Dunnitnow 1]

Thanks -- I have put my order in, but can still tweak it at this stage.  Went with the Fi23, std 409HP, max ballast except for the extra bow tank, all hex white upholstery with charcoal hex accents, black gatorstep.    

[Troy. R 198]

1 hour ago, Dunnitnow said:

Thanks -- I have put my order in, but can still tweak it at this stage.  Went with the Fi23, std 409HP, max ballast except for the extra bow tank, all hex white upholstery with charcoal hex accents, black gatorstep.    

Awesome!

congrats!

I love the hex vinyl. What gel coat color combo are you going with?

[Dunnitnow 1]

Sorry for delay.  Core with white base + blue steel metal flake main.  Should look classic with the white uph + charcoal accents.  Hopefully.