Blog | Newsletter
FREE Subscription

2024 Sylvan G5 CLZ DC

Boat Reviews

Boat Review by: Rick Layzell

Photo Gallery

Sylvan has a long and prosperous history building quality pontoons for a wide range of customers. For 2024, they have exploded into the upper tier pontoon segment with this new model. There aren’t just a couple of tweaks here - this is a brand-new entry from Sylvan and she is stunning.

Our test boat had been utilized at the brands dealer business meeting just prior to our arrival and Sylvan had outfitted her with numerous options. She was dressed to kill, and with a white Mercury 400XL Verado on her transom, she was also packaged to perform.

Sporting pearl white ABS sculpted fencing as opposed to traditional aluminum, the G5 has wicked dockside appeal. Sylvans’ commitment to this model (siblings are sure to follow) has been enhanced with their purchase of a state-of-the-art body shop where the aforementioned ABS panels are finished under their own quality control standards.

The play of white with upper and lower black accents in the fencing was further enhanced by a splash of tan on the rear fence. The optional black power arch continued the power play of colours, while the tan was played ever so gently into her luxuriously designed interior. The teak weave flooring meets your eyes with a tan base and supple black pinstripe – very slick. RGB (red, green, blue) lighting options give an ambiance, while docking and underwater lighting options and the black painted tubes pull everything together with harmony.

On the G5, all seating vinyls are high-end products designed to endure the years while you focus on making memories. Storage abounds everywhere including under the massive forward loungers that offer luxurious backrests for hot afternoons of relaxation. It’s impossible to not appreciate the stylish center-mounted bow gate, which has a wonderful open feel to it thanks to the use of black painted aluminum rails and modest design work. Her dual helm design creates a beautiful windshield layout for both the captain and co-captain stations – think longer boating seasons (YAY!!). Both helm seats make for lasting comfort and they readily transition from driver duties to entertainment possibilities via a handy slide and swivel seat feature. In seconds you can spin to join the conversations with your guests while chilling out at the sand bar or drifting across the lake.

Access to the stern of the boat is starboard side, where you’ll find high-mounted stainless-steel rails carrying from port to starboard. That means that the comfortable and user-friendly rear lounger can also be used while underway, which is ideal for spotters or sun lovers.

Throughout her interior you will find seemingly endless charging ports, beverage holders, and of course countless storage offerings.

Plenty of power would be an understatement, and the Mercury 400 purred dockside while we collected crew and gear before heading out. With her fuel gauge reading ¾ full of her 60 US gal / 227 litre capacity and only two of us on board, we ventured out to see just how strong she would be.

We had what can only be called a perfect on water day for testing as Lake Wawasee offered up calm waters, minimal waves, and even less boat traffic. Putting the G5 through an initial series of take offs and a variety of cornering quickly built my confidence in the capabilities of this smooth platform.

As I moved into holeshot testing where we safely do a minimum of 5 dead stop take-offs, we found her ready and willing and consistently putting the 4,300 lb / 1,950 KG packages up and on plane in 3.4 seconds. Seriously, that 400 Merc pulls beautifully.

Next up was cruising speeds where once again she was flawless. After doing a series of running shots and observing both the onboard digital gauge and my own GPS based speedometer, the best cruising speeds were in the 19-27 mph range. Keep in mind there were two on board with limited amounts of gear –take your time to adjust your cruising to your daily mixture of gear, conditions, and crew and you’ll be fine.

Top speeds are always the last measuring cue and once again... let’s just say the smiles were endless. Sylvan’s’ G5 showed us a very exciting 46.7 mph at 5,740 RPM. Think there’s a little more there after break in period is complete? Yup, me too, but let’s not kid ourselves – she is a rock star runner already.

With boat shows back in full swing and dealer inventories back on track, now is a great time to begin shopping for your dream boat. Whether you originally thought you were looking for a top end pontoon package or not, if you can sit yourself down in a Sylvan G5, just do it. You’ll be amazed by the craftsmanship and styling of this pontoon boat. I know I was.