Have been fishing in my new FXR20 LE for a couple of weeks now. It is a great boat, and much better than the FX I had previously. Here are my impressions/thoughts so far:
- The front deck is so much bigger, very easy for two people to fish up there. Even around the very front of the boat where the Ultrex puck is mounted, I have room to step into the boat easily from the trailer or a dock.
- The ride is excellent and smoother than the FX and handles rough water very well - some of this might be due to the better seats as well. The grab handles on the seats come in handy also.
- Speed is a few mph faster in this boat vs the FX.
- When coming off plane quickly, there is less of a chance of wash over the stern of the boat.
- Lighting in all compartments is great and the dimmer feature on the console comes in very handy in the mornings.
- Battery monitoring system is helpful in terms of information.
- Dry dock system seems to have a lot more power in terms of moving air than the FX did - fan seems to be more powerful, you know when it is running for sure.
- I had an Ultrex before but I am now using the remote more. No big change here but I am seeing the advantages of using the remote in certain situations.
- The Helix GN3's that are standard on the boat are working well and I am getting great images both 2d and side scan, etc. I was worried about this coming from Lowrance systems before.
- The organization and accessibility to the rear of the boat where batteries, pumps, etc. are located is far superior. If you have ever tried to replace a battery in an FX, you know what I am talking about!
- The standard trailer tires are of a much higher quality than what came with the old FX (this may be true for all models - I don't know).
I am very happy/impressed with the boat so far. Happy to answer any specific questions if you are considering an FXR.