Experience with Xpress Shallow Water Bays?

Looking for information from anyone who has experience running the Xpress Shallow Water Bay series boats. I'm interested in getting one but would like someone's personal opinion from either owning one or knowing someone who does. I'm curious how they perform in various water conditions and depths. Any information would be greatly appreciated

my buddy runs a 20' SWB. it is nice, but if you decide to go with one, make sure to put the 150HP on it. he has the 115HP and regrets it every day. I personally looked at them and decide to go with the Carolina skiff 258DLV with the 225 Honda four stroke. I draft about 6' and go shallower than he can.

Thanks. The one I'd get would be the 20ft. How does it ride and handle in deeper water with some light chop? I wouldn't be taking it out in anything I shouldn't be in, but just curious how it rides in anything other than glass.

Its a smooth ride. it handles fine in less than real 3 footers. but at the end of the day it is still a 20' boat, so you will have to pick and choose your days to run to a rig. I have been out 5 miles in a 18' bass boat and did fine. it is definitely a dry ride, but drafts about 10-12' realistically

one more thing that I a don't like about them is that the stickers down the side of boat scratch very easily..example...I pull my boat right up on the grass and little shrubs down in delecroix. when he did that, he scratch the front side of boat sticker pretty bad...just my opinion though

Ok thanks for the info.

Sapp_Ray:

I suggest you look for an old thread (maybe 2-3 years old) if it is still on this website on discussions from MANY welded aluminum Express boat owners who learned of several VERY SERIOUS issues. Many developed cracks and leaked and these owners who had this problem went through a NIGHTMARE as they had to send the boat back to the Express factory to be repaired. AND, if it was outside of warranty I believe the owner had to pay shipping costs. Then, it took them 9 months to a year to get their boat back after repairs.

There was later discovered another MAJOR issue. The aluminum bottom developed 'pitting corrosion' on the bottom of the hull from the aluminum sitting on carpeted timbers treated with the new rot resistant treatment which caused CORROSION that pitted the bottom of many hulls. Some owners installed the teflon strips on the carpeted runners so the boat would sit on the teflon rather than the carpet which apparently absorbed the corrosive timber treatment.

How many Sportsman readers remember this thread? If had something like 100 replies and had nearly 2,000 readers if I recall.

'Pete'

I have a sw20 and tired to sell it. 7 months after I got it the nose cracked right down the middle and they wanted me to haul it to Arkansas. All the electrical connections corroded in the back, who puts a fuel tank in the back of a shallow water boat?, also they used metal screws and the seat hold downs are steel underneath where u can't see until they rust away. If your gunna buy a saltwater boat never buy one that's not made near the coast.