First Xpress H51 and proud owner.

[yngbuck19]

Hello all, I got my first Xpress its a 2013 H51
It came set up with a 70hp Yamaha on a 6in manual jackplate. Trollng motor is a 55lb MK Edge.
Not looking for speed yet so don't tempt me haha.
This was the first boat other than my first jon boat that I was able to pay all cash for.
It's a great boat for the small lakes I like to fish in Virginia. I'm planning on putting a 20hp or 25hp outboard on it if I can find one. Since it has a narrow beam and is light weight I can get it on plane with one of the smaller motors mentioned above.
The fit and finish on this boat is actually better than what reviews I've been reading and better than Lowe and Tracker so I am really stoked!
It came with HDS gen 1 units an 8 inch on the Bow and a10inch at the console. The 8 inch has some lines on the screen that go away if you tap the glass.
Really liking that this is a DIY friendly boat that is easy to work on as far as plumbing for the livewell and all the electrical wiring goes.

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[senkoboy]

Looks great, enjoy your boat!

[basscat tyler]

Awesome!

[Altro Cat]

Same color as my 08 but yours looks to have an updated console. Great boats for smaller lakes, wouldn't trade mine straight up for a big glass boat. I've got the 2 stroke 90hp yamaha on mine and it gets better fuel economy than most would believe.

Curious as to why you would want to put a smaller engine on it though. That 70 four stroke should sip fuel and they are really quiet.

[Grizzly]

[yngbuck19]

Same color as my 08 but yours looks to have an updated console. Great boats for smaller lakes, wouldn't trade mine straight up for a big glass boat. I've got the 2 stroke 90hp yamaha on mine and it gets better fuel economy than most would believe.

Curious as to why you would want to put a smaller engine on it though. That 70 four stroke should sip fuel and they are really quiet.

I agree with everything you said it's a great little lake boat which in my area we are restricted to 9.9 or atleast what you can cheat a little bit with a 15hp carb or 20hp ECU upgrade on a 9.9. Nothing too obvious or dangerous and no one would even question it. The guys in modified 14 foot jon boats fishing the bass club tourneys are flying though 25-28mph with the 20hp ecu Suzuki/Tohatsu but it says 9.9 on the cowl and label ID plate all day long.
So that's why I wanted an all aluminum pocket bass boat with good layout and storage to be comfortable, stable, and organized. I have a young family with my 2yr old son and want to make him feel safe while we are out on the lake with mommy tagging along. The narrower beam (78in) is 6in wider than my last boat, a 17ft Lowe Skorpion I sold back in 2020 but the bottom of the Lowe was 4in wider (55in). I believe the 51 in H51 stands for the bottom width.

So, hopefully I can get the same or better performance out of one of the outboards I mentioned above to still get on plane on those smaller lakes. That's all I care about just barely getting on plane and not dragging ass around the lake like some guys do with a 9.9 pro kicker outboard.

It would have been perfect to keep the 70hp. It was the F70LA 4 cyl 4 stroke very quiet and fuel efficient. I sold that outboard for a pretty penny and going to buy my smaller outboard with that money.

A Vance Manufacturing breakaway jackplate will hold the new outboard on and be dialed in for optimal height and performance while still able to bounce up over any stumps in the stumpy standing timber lakes that we sometimes idle back through.

Maybe one day I'll try and put a 90 SHO on it while I'm already bending the rules haha. That would be a backup for when the local bass clubs hit the bigger rivers around here.

Your 08 is probably a wider beam than mine and rated for the 90 correct?

The more realistic upgrades would be two more seat post bases up on the front deck, a recessed trolling motor pedal tray, a front deck extension, a triple fold console seat set for the little guy and mommy, and a power pole micro to hold me in place while pan fishing with my son. I'd finally like to switch over to lithium batteries one day to get 24v trolling motor with spotlock.

Other than that it's perfect and paid for she's got good bones and a good trailer. The trailer is nice but needs some modification for a swing tongue to fit In the garage and some trick steps so I don't bust my ass at the ramp.

Thanks for the compliments!