Xpress H20B owners opinions wanted

The hull is nice but will be a good bit rougher than a glass boat in big water. All things considered it sounds great for what you are doing and my next boat will probably be that one.

Don’t skimp and get the 115 at least with hydro steering. You will not be sorry.


Eta. I don’t own one but have ridden in a few and owned the G3 2072

I had the xpress hb20. They are good boats for the value. id look at the used market. I would def get one with a 115 or 150.

overall great boat for family on the river or marsh fishing. if you get in big water with that boat its not fun. I did it and finally sold it for a fiberglass boat. its a mass produced boat so they have quality issues with paint and welds a lot.

you will like it for marsh fishing, the dislikes are the so called dry storage was never dry, the small console, the terrible trolling motor it came with, also make sure it has a jackplate.

Have made over a hundred trips between a 2001 X21 and a 2005 X21 in Venice and delacroix. Not a H20B but close enough. Both with Yamaha 200s. 115 would seem underpowered to me for a 20' aluminum bay boat.

Not going to get super shallow with it but good enough to do everything but site cast for reds in shallow isolated ponds. Will last forever and you can beat the crap out of it. As mentioned above, dry storage is not really. We regularly fish 4-5 comfortably. Use it to haul kayaks, pirouges for duck hunting and it works well there too. Will be less forgiving than glass in rough stuff.

We had a H22b for awhile. It had the Yamaha 150 four stroke.We enjoyed it and it was good for bays and lakes. Pick your days just as you would for any other if you wanna go out a bit.
The biggest complaint was putting it on a trailer. A little breeze and it gets blown around pretty easy.

Located in NOLA. Typically just use sportsman, Craigslist, and boat trader. Haven’t really thought about a set distance yet, I guess a deal is a deal.

FIL has this boat. I like it, but as other stated, will not ride as good as a glass boat in rough water. But we have taken it around Grand Isle and Leeville with 4 adults and had enough room. Also fished some freshwater with FIL and 3 kids. Have used it to pull inner tube as well. Been a pretty versatile boat. Definitely upgrade trolling motor and get a jackplate. Had the boat about 5 years now. Far from an expert fisherman or boater, but I like to boat.

Let me know if you have any more questions, would be happy to let you come along for a test ride. Located in BR.

If you stay in the marsh and small bays, i would suggest getting the flat bottomed version if sight fishing is on your list. that V hull realistically drafts 15+ inches where as the flat bottoms would be more of 8-10.

If draft isn't a concern, its a neat do it most type of boat.

I have the H20B with the 115 Yamaha. It planes quick and does 40 at WOT. I'm good with that, but some will want more power.

As others have said the storage areas get damp, and it is a wet ride on a windy bay; but it is a good boat for day trips to the marsh. I was looking at $30K bay boats when I saw this one for $15K, so I couldn't pass it up. It meets my needs for the Chef Pass area, except on windy days.

These boats need 12"+ of water and are heavy for poling. If you really want a flats boat for sightfishing, you should get one; because wichever kid sits in the windward jumpseat is gonna get wet anyway.

Look into a custom built boat. Checkout this Morgan City boat builder.

LINK

Just get the flat bottom version. They are super wide and stable, therefore a shallow draft. G3 has the same thing. I think you would be very happy with it. Lots of room for the little ones to run around