Considering an X press or a G 3

[georgestarrett2]

X PRESS OR G 3 IN A 17 FOOT BOAT

I am downsizing for retirement and looking at the G3 1610 or the 17 foot X press. I fish mostly small lakes and would likely not be in more than about a one foot chop most of the time. Usually two guys casting for bass. I have read positive about both with many comments about the Hydro Lift Hull on the Xpress. I would imagine the boats are pretty similar and both dealers are about the same distance away and both dealers have positive feedback. I was leaning toward the G3 because of the Yamaha

I would appreciate any feedback on either of these boat

[1Holeshot]

Most Xpress boats are rigged with a Yamaha at the factory.

I have owned 2 Xpress boats with the HyperLift hull and strongly recommend them. The boats were 18' and 17'.

The most recent was a H17 with 90 hp Yamaha 4 stroke. Great performance but front deck is a little short. The X17 has a larger deck and rated for 115 hp.

Have not owned a G3 but do not like the hull configuration on them.

[Mike Carroll]

Most Xpress boats are rigged with a Yamaha at the factory.

I have owned 2 Xpress boats with the HyperLift hull and strongly recommend them. The boats were 18' and 17'.

The most recent was a H17 with 90 hp Yamaha 4 stroke. Great performance but front deck is a little short. The X17 has a larger deck and rated for 115 hp.

Have not owned a G3 but do not like the hull configuration on them.

I would have to agree with you, I looked at the g3. wasn't impressed with the vinyl one. I would get the xpress with the spray on coating before I went with g3. the g3 just seemed to be pieced together. jmo

[alli ss]

G3 is more of a tracker type rig. Go beat around on both of the hulls. Both are factory rigged with yamaha so thats not an issue.

[Finlander]

The smaller boats are great for one person with the occasional second. If you have 2 or more a sub 17' boat can struggle with the weight displacement. I would go with the 17' for this reason alone.

[VIDRINE]

G3 Hull is no where close to an xpress. Xpress hull is rock sloid

[Kwwildcat]

It would be a no brainer for me. I've owned an x19 and now an x21. I wouldn't run any other aluminum boat out there right now. The hull and ride in the Xpress will be much better than that G3. I've looked at several G3's and even owned a smaller G3 several years ago but the welds and hull were out performed by the Xpress.

[SHW372]

I have Xpress an XP7 Bass that has been excellent boat. I usually fish two people total and the XP7 has been very stable with descent storage. Give the Xpress XP7 Bass a look.

[AH64ME]

First off I own a G3, doesn't mean I biased in any way. I have owned both brands, both have pluses and minuses. My Xpress was 17' with 115 Yamaha, with two people it got up on plane in a reasonable amount of time, roughly the same as the G3. The Xpress didn't turn as smoothly as the G3, not even close, and the ride over even moderate waves was a bit rougher than the G3.

The factory trailer that came with the Xpress was ten times better then the G3, period! It pulled truer, stayed were it was supposed to when going cross country, and the electrical stuff was way better quality then the Bear trailer that came with the G3 I currently own. If I had deeper pockets I'd buy a different brand tomorrow!

I hated the way that the factory mounted the batteries in the Xpress, not well thought out, and the stock battery charger was junk, lasted three months. The next two replacements were no better, spent my own money on a Minn Kota three bank and never looked back. I had the same basic issues with G3, but the dealer split the cost of a Minn Kota after the stock charger failed. The batteries in the G3 were a bit better from the factory, I rotated them 90 degrees to give myself some storage room for a spare prop.

With all of the things I disliked about the Xpress, the real problems were minor. No cracks or broken welds, no serious chaffing wires, seat construction was way better, dash construction was better than the G3, fuel tank size was about equal. I sold my Xpress because I wanted more room on both decks, my Dad is 81 and not as nimble as he used to be.

G3, the only thing I can figure is this boat was built on a Monday after the team went on a bender that weekend or it was built on a Friday when they just wanted to go home. I have spent more time repairing poor craftsmanship or piss poor design with very little help from the dealer or manufacturer. The list of problems is frustratingly long, stuff that wasn't put together right before it rolled out the door and the CQ guys either didn't care or were pressured to get product out the door. Customer service is non existent from the factory, and my dealer doesn't care because I didn't buy a 60K Falcon boat I guess. The only items he has fixed were safety items, stuff that either almost killed us or could have hurt us. The Hydraulic steering servo failed at wide open, the hard right turn sent us flying, the kill switch did its job. Had to use the Ultrex to get it back to the dock, got lucky in that we didn't get hurt. After inspecting the boat the dealer didn't outright call me a liar, but he might as well have. I had to threaten to get a lawyer just to get them to take it for a test run, which did hurt one of his employees, and proved that the servo was bad. It took six weeks to get a new servo from the manufacturer in Canada, six weeks.

So after all of this, what I'm trying to say is two things. Don't down size too much, your balance doesn't get better with age. And second, stay as far away from G3 as you can get, I'm stuck with this boat for a while, being retired has it setbacks. There are so many things that could have caused me to change my mind, but once the dealer and G3 gets your money you no longer matter to them.

[1Holeshot]

Now tell us how you really feel.

Just kidding. Your concerns are real.

If you read my post above you noticed that the X17 covers your concerns about the short front deck. My H17 was a fine boat but the front deck was too short and 90 h.p. Limit was too low. X17 covers both of these concerns..

Absolutely no reason for the lack of customer service by G3.

I hope you and your dad get the boat you need and want going forward.