Hello Everyone, I'm new to the boards. Anyway, I'm about to buy my first boat, and I'm looking for some advice from guys who've been in my shoes before. I'm a serious angler, and within the next week I'll be purchasing an Xpress X series boat. Choosing Xpress was the easy part, deciding on new or used is the hard part. Now please, don't tell me to search the forum for my answer. I have scoured every forum on the internet for the last month while deciding what boat to get. I still have a few very specific questions.

 

If I buy new I can only afford the X17 with a 115 Yamaha four stroke. good boat. That will run me about 20K with freight and dealer prep.

 

Used I can step up to the X19 with a 150 Yamaha vmax. There is one boat in particular that I am itching to pull the trigger on. It was fished by a tournament guy and he doesn't know the exact hours on the motor, but he says they're high. It's a 2005 and fished a lot. The boat is in great condition, and he stands behind it. Carpet looks good in pictures, the paint is nice, etc. The boat is out of state, and he offered to take it to any mechanic of my choosing to have it checked out. I found a place that will take it out on the water, run a compression test, check all the systems etc, for 250 bucks. He's asking $12,500 for the boat.

 

I'm not really in the market to get a boat and in a few years sell it and buy a new one. I want this boat to last me a long time. I guess my question is, if you were in my shoes, would you go for smaller brand new boat, but with a four stroke and better fuel efficiency, (i don't have tons of cash to be spending burning buckets of gas shooting around the lake) a warranty on the motor, lifetime warranty on the hull, and the all the fun of that brand new boat smell.... or would you spend less on a bigger boat with a bigger motor, but one that is less fuel efficient, and has high hours on the motor. Obviously I'll only follow through if the mechanic gives it an A+ review... but still... what to do? If the motor goes out in the next few years, I'm looking at spending 12K on a new one... which would mean I'd spent 25K total and for that price I could have gotten a brand new X19. I guess I should clarify I can't spend more than $20,000. Also, I'm pretty dead set on an aluminum boat.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there are any Oklahoma guys, (I'm in Tulsa) who would like to hit up near by lakes let me know. I'd love to get acquainted with anyone who's out there on Oklahoma water.

 

Thanks a bunch guys, and I look forward to becoming a part of your community here at Bass Resource!!

 

-Ben

you do know that Xpress is probably the most expensive tin out there right? great boats, but too pricey for me. besides Tracker, the Ranger, Triton, Lowes, and Crestliner are all solid aluminum boats. as for new vs. used, it depends on your mechanical knowledge. I'm dangerous with tools so only new for me. I can rig electronics and other things, but besides winterizing I won't touch the motor. dealers charge a fortune to work on them. I would really stay away from motors with high hours and tourney boats. if you do go used, don't do anything until you have the engine and boat completely checked out and even that won't mean much in a year or two.  I have a Crestliner VT19 w/ 115 opti and it's a miser on gas. they are rated for 150 hp if you need the speed. the 4 strokes are not going to give you better mileage. they are just so quite and no need to add oil all year. I checked the prices on the Xpress vs the Crestline and the base price was about the same. the difference was that Xpress charged extra for features that were standard on my boat. in the end for the same size boat and engine the Xpress was 3,000.00 more, plus the fact that there is no Xpress dealer within 500 miles of me. good luck.

you do know that Xpress is probably the most expensive tin out there right? great boats, but too pricey for me. besides Tracker, the Ranger, Triton, Lowes, and Crestliner are all solid aluminum boats. as for new vs. used, it depends on your mechanical knowledge. I'm dangerous with tools so only new for me. I can rig electronics and other things, but besides winterizing I won't touch the motor. dealers charge a fortune to work on them. I would really stay away from motors with high hours and tourney boats. if you do go used, don't do anything until you have the engine and boat completely checked out and even that won't mean much in a year or two.  I have a Crestliner VT19 w/ 115 opti and it's a miser on gas. they are rated for 150 hp if you need the speed. the 4 strokes are not going to give you better mileage. they are just so quite and no need to add oil all year. I checked the prices on the Xpress vs the Crestline and the base price was about the same. the difference was that Xpress charged extra for features that were standard on my boat. in the end for the same size boat and engine the Xpress was 3,000.00 more, plus the fact that there is no Xpress dealer within 500 miles of me. good luck.

 

From everything I've read and all the owners I've talked to, the higher price is justified. The handling is far superior to that of other aluminum boats. Also they seem to hold their value longer, which is also another good sign. I'm up for being wrong, I just haven't heard anything but high praise for Xpress bass boats.

I have a friend who has an Xpress 19' with a 115 four stroke Yammy.  He has had 11 trouble free years out of it.  It has the lift of a glass boat and a very smooth ride.  It is the best ride that I have seen in an aluminum boat.  If I were buying an aluminum it would either be an Xpress or a Lund as they both are quality boats.

 

BTW:  His 19' runs close to 50 mph (gps) with 2 guys.

 

If you think the 17' is enough boat, personally I'd go for the 4 stroke for the quietness.

 

Where are you located and how far would you drive to get a good deal?

I have a 2001 Xpress H56 18' w/ Merc 115 elpto for sale.  $7K.  It's a tank, Fish Lake Ontario, Erie, and larger Finger Lakes with it.

 

If you think the 17' is enough boat, personally I'd go for the 4 stroke for the quietness.

 

I'm afraid of buying too small and then regretting not going for a bigger boat. And also, I like the advantages of a four stroke... but are they worth the $7500 price increase of new boat?

 

Where are you located and how far would you drive to get a good deal?

 

I'm in Tulsa. There is a very good Xpress dealer about 3.5 hours from me. He's been super helpful and comes highly recommended by Xpress.

There are pros and cons for both four stroke and two strokes.  What I've seen, the cost analysis is a wash.

So, how would you feel buying a boat from a tournament angler? On the one hand, you know the boat has most likely been run pretty hard. But on the other hand, you can pretty much bet that its been well taken care of, maintenanced, etc.

I bought mine from a tournament angler.  Had 20 wins, and I added a dozen more.  I run my boats the same, whether in a tournament or not.  As long as it's maintained, it should be fine.  Get any used boat checked out by a mechanic before buying, and get a test drive on the water.

I bought mine from a tournament angler.  Had 20 wins, and I added a dozen more.  I run my boats the same, whether in a tournament or not.  As long as it's maintained, it should be fine.  Get any used boat checked out by a mechanic before buying, and get a test drive on the water.

I'm having the boat I'm looking at given a full systems check and a test drive by a mechanic that comes highly recommended. I think if he gives it a thumbs up I'm gonna go for the used X19.

One more thing, does anyone have experience with getting decals off a boat? He has several stickers on the boat from his sponsors. He said they went on about a year ago, and that with a hair dryer I should be able to remove them without leaving a mark. Any truth to this?

Hair dryer and some Goo-Gone should work fine.

I'm having the boat I'm looking at given a full systems check and a test drive by a mechanic that comes highly recommended. I think if he gives it a thumbs up I'm gonna go for the used X19.

 

Sounds like you've done your research.  My buddy has an X19 with a Yammy 225, and it's a sweet boat. 

From everything I've read and all the owners I've talked to, the higher price is justified. The handling is far superior to that of other aluminum boats. Also they seem to hold their value longer, which is also another good sign. I'm up for being wrong, I just haven't heard anything but high praise for Xpress bass boats.

 

I agree that the Xpress is probably the best tin out there. I believe that Xpress and G3's are the only tins with pad hulls. resale value is what  it is. get more for it but pay more for it. owners of any boat are going to praise thier rigs. I have looked in on the Xpress forum on that bass boat forum and while most owners are very happy, the one thing that comes up a lot is leaking compartments. that probably would'nt stop me from buying one as I don't fish tourneys and being retired I can pick my days to go out. Xpress is like the Ranger of aluminum. great resale but expensive as hell to buy. lots of glass boats that can compete with ranger. if I wanted the fastest tin on the water then yes I would look no further than Xpress. I have seen 19' Xpress' going for over 35,000 and for a tin bassboat I think thats crazy.