Thread: XP owners

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  1. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Kaufman, Tx
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    70
    #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Bryanzzz View Post
    Nice job on lighting, with that out of the way what's your favorite cat fish bait???

    Just about any non game fish (legal to use for bait) I can get my hands on. If I don't want to mess with or don't have time for catching bait, I go to an Asian supermarket and buy a few talapia to cut up. Stays on the hook amazingly well, and the more fish we catch on a single piece of bait, the better they seem to like that piece.

  2. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Clemmons, North Carolina
    Posts
    165
    #22
    Adjusted my 2014 Xp 18 footer wench stand today. With boat on trailer the bow eye was 3 inches above wench roller, take tension off wench. Have read posts on cracks at bow eye from boat bouncing while being trailered. Slid wench stand 3 inches south of factory mark on tongue, raised stand a couple of inches. Check your boat out guys. Boat on trailer should not be under any stress, Xpress you there?

    Thanks for fishing tips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!PsychoXP
    Last edited by Bryanzzz; 01-13-2015 at 05:59 PM.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Clemmons, North Carolina
    Posts
    165
    #23
    Added LED trailer pole lights to aid backing unloaded trailer at ramp after dark, review I read after installation were negative, easy to break. Found this out the hard way. Installed fiberglass "drive way markers from local hardware" they work, reflective tape on ends.
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  4. Member
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    Feb 2014
    Location
    Clemmons, North Carolina
    Posts
    165
    #24
    Used fiberglass driveway markers to aid backing empty trailer, also insulated livewell lid.
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  5. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    East Central Florida
    Posts
    2
    #25
    Hello guys. I am new here. I just got a new XP16CC with an F40. I use it in both salt and freshwater. I have a Minnkota RT55SP on the bow. I moved my TM bat to the center console for better weight distribution. I will be adding rod holders this week hopefully. Boat does 32mph with just myself. I am havin some issues wth my fishfinder reading at speeds above 15mph. Any advise?
    I wondered if the weld bead is causing a disturbance in front of my transducer.

  6. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Victoria, Tx
    Posts
    1,608
    #26
    Start a new thread and post some pictures of where the transducer is mounted and we will be able to help. We all have been there before.

  7. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Clemmons, North Carolina
    Posts
    165
    #27

    XP side locker converted to rod locker

    Please don't ask how much time I spent on this project, place to store my ultra light crappie reels. First try was to use 1.5 plastic water pipe for tubes, not enough room in bow of an 18ft xplorer. This should work.
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  8. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    arkansas
    Posts
    1
    #28
    Do you still have the dimensions to the removable deck extension? I have the same boat and would like to have one constructed as well. Thanks

  9. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    South Louisiana
    Posts
    1
    #29
    hey guys, I'm the newbie here. first post. just put down money on a 2015 XP180SC w 90 Yamaha 4stroke. I take delivery this weekend. So far from what I have seen on here, I like the under seat handle idea. I would love to put lights in
    the storage boxes and under the console. no idea how that would be done. looking forward to the sharing of ideas here.

  10. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Denton, TX
    Posts
    79
    #30
    Congrats on the new boat. Most of the guys that put lights in their boxes already have some sort of wiring and lights already in place and just hook into those wires. You will most likely have to run wires from your battery to a switch then to the lights. Since your express does not have these wires already you will just have to fish them through the wiring chase to your console and around the boat. I just ordered an H22bay and will have to do this. I will pick it up when I get back from Afghanistan at the beginning of may. I ordered lights and switches from bluewater and will be installing deck lights, compartment lights, and trailer lights on it when I get it. Check out the Boats and Trailer Bling section of the forum there are lots of helpful people on there, good ideas and pics on there also.

  11. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Nashville
    Posts
    3
    #31
    Hey guys I love all the mods you've done to your xp boats . I have recently acquired a 2011 express 200xp with a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke it has a min Kota trolling motor 101lbs of thrust . The only reason I'm mentioning that is that it uses 3 batteries. So I have 4 batteries in the back of the boat total. Plus the 25 gal gas tank ( I think that is the capacity) I have got to run it one time . It will run about 3/4 throttle I'm guessing 35/40 mph pretty stable but as soon as I start trimming up it begins proposing pretty bad I did not attempt to drive thru it at the time due to the fact I had my 2 children in the boat.

    Ok so the boat has no jack plate ( I suspect it needs one) I would like to know what prop and set up specs u think would make this boat run out and drive nicely.
    I do have hydraulic steering and my current prop is a 4 blade 23 pitch .
    I hope I gave you enough info to make some recommendations.

    Some future mods I'm planning
    1. Led blacklights mounted below handrail outside ( for night fishing) red led lights mounted inside boat so as not to ruin night vision
    2. Pro deck mod for larger casting deck
    3. Lighted led uprights for trailer and step extensions for easier in/out of boat on trailer
    4. I'd like a camo boat cover that has slits cut in it and Velcro closures for those slits so I can use the Velcro cover when duck hunting and pop out the slits to shoot.
    5 timer install on live well
    6 console replaced and rebuilt to be able to mount lowrance lds 12 into dash
    If anyone has done any of these mods I'd love to see what you came up with.

    http://www.bbcboards.net/member.php?u=87256
    Thank you in advance!
    Jim
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  12. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Clemmons, North Carolina
    Posts
    165
    #32
    Hey OH2Quick, been awhile since your post, made any additional mods?

  13. Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    fulton, mo
    Posts
    148
    #33
    I'm pretty excited about the recessed trolling motor tray. I've wanted it basically since I bought the boat but never got around to putting one in. I had some work done at the dealership last weekend and just had them install it while they had it.
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    2015 Nitro Z-7
    2015
    Mercury Pro XS
    Minn Kota, Lowrance and Powerpole

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Kaufman, Tx
    Posts
    70
    #34
    Well I finally took the leap and added a 6" setback manual jackplate to my XP18CC. I chose to go with a HydroDynamics plate since they are only about 30 minutes away and are partnered with Steve's Custom Props.

    Before the addition of the plate, my boat would max at about 33mph when trimmed up to just before it started porpoising pretty badly. The factory prop was able to get it up to 6,200 rpm which the dealer touted with a level of pride. The biggest problem I had with it was the motor was set so low on the transom that the prop shaft height was 9.75" below the bottom/pad of the hull which is ridiculously low, causing added drag and killing me when it came to navigating shallower water.

    So I consulted Steve @ HydroDynamics for some advice. He recommended a 6" setback plate, and since I was looking for a set it and forget setup, I went with his manual plate, the Rapid Jack. As can be seen in the photos it uses a ratchet type lift mechanism instead of the typical single screw. I make no claims as to whether one is better than the other, it's just what he offered and I couldn't find anything negative about it. His system does make easy 1/4" per click adjustments.

    So I used the forklift at my work to lift the OB off the boat very carefully, leaving all the cables attached. I cleaned up the old silicone, applied new, and installed the plate. Next I re-hung the OB on the plate. All pretty straight forward. But nothing I do is without some kind of issue. On this project it was my steering cable, as it was a bit short for the amount of setback and bound the cable where it makes the turn to the motor. So i ordered a new cable 1' longer.

    While waiting on the cable to arrive I pulled the old one out, pulling two small ropes in it's place. One I used to pull a new 3/16" tube to the helm for the new water pressure gauge I installed. Maybe not completely necessary, but a good safety measure to insure I maintain water pressure while making adjustments.

    Of course the dash bezel didn't have room to accommodate the new WP gauge, so I grabbed a piece of black phenolic 1/4" sheet I had left over from a past project and went to work. Once I had it built I had to do a little butchering on the console, and the fun part, unwire everything, install the new, and wire it all back up, then cross my fingers that everything worked. It did!

    The steering cable arrived and installing it was trouble free, and the extra foot of length fit perfectly.

    A note about the steering cable: Mine is a center console, meaning the steering cable comes up from a chase in the bilge area which makes a tighter than normal radius from the bilge to the motor. A side console boat may not require a longer cable since the approach angle is much different. I make no actual claims on this, just wanted to point out the differences in setups.

    Once all was installed, I set the prop shaft height at 4" below the hull, as was recommended by Steve, and went to the lake. My first trip was in much less than desirable conditions. The wind was blowing 20-25mph that day, so I had to hug the south shoreline to stay in slightly less than white capping water. As I brought it up on plane for the first time I could tell right away I was driving a different boat. It barged right up on top with noticeably more stern lift than it previously had. Being a test session I had minimal gear in the boat, just safety gear and me, no TM, TM batt's, coolers, or even fishing gear. Just me and my stripped down rig.

    The boat was/is much more sensitive to steering input. Not in a bad way, it just reacts to input much better than it ever did. I noticed right away that the problem I had with the boat listing to port a little bit had gone away (a symptom I was told would likely be remedied by the plate as well). So i trimmed the motor up and she picked up speed as expected, to right at 36 mph. That's a 3mph gain from stock set up. In doing so I looked down and noticed the rpm hanging at 6,500. I slowed down, trimmed down, and did it again, this time paying close attention to the rpm. I barely had to trim up to make it hit 6,500rpm, and then the rpm just hung there no matter how much I trimmed it. Rev limiter!

    Next trip to the lake was just me again, but this time loaded for bear (catfish actually). Two coolers, TM and batt's (2), full compliment of fishing gear, all in all about an additional 300lbs I'd estimate. She exceeded expectations again, easily hitting the rev limiter but requiring a bit more trim to do so. But still plenty left on the table.

    Next trip was last weekend, to the Sabine River for three days of fishing the sand bass spawn. More gear than I typically carry at any other time, plus a buddy who weighs 225lbs easily. With him sitting on the cooler in front of the console I had to trim up a good but more before hitting the rev limiter, but still did so at will. In the tighter confines of the river I got to test turning the boat a lot, and found some blow out in the really tight turns, but the boat functioned better than it ever had in those conditions.

    So, to summarize;
    I raised the motor just under 6".
    I have, so far, picked up 3mph.
    The stern has much better lift than it ever has.
    The boat is more responsive to steering input.
    The water pressure never dipped in any maneuver I made.
    And I have, I feel, more gains to be made with some prop work.

    I honestly cannot find a negative.

    Next step is to take the data back to the prop dept and likely have some cupping added to my SS prop. Once we exhaust the work that can be done to my prop, I'll buy a new, better suited, prop, and we'll play with that one too. I need an extra prop anyway.

    Here's a few pics:



    Can't keep the pics from being rotated 90 degrees.
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  15. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Kaufman, Tx
    Posts
    70
    #35
    Oh, and no more porpoising, I can now trim up until the prop blows out.

  16. Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    3
    #36
    xpress.JPG
    My xp170 I just recently purchased. This is my first aluminum hull boat. So far I am really enjoying it. I have done some simple things such as install some cupholders, lowrance helix 5 with sidescan and a minn kota 55lbs thrust trolling motor. I have fished saltwater my whole life, however I am looking to get into some freshwater stuff now too. Such as catfishing. Some stuff I am interested in installing in this boat but am currently unsure of how to do are led strip lighting for the deck and hatches. I would also like to do a sound system. Not sure if bluetooth speaker would be a better option though. I am also looking into installing smart tabs to help in chop and high speed. I run about 35 max with a yamaha 70 2 stroke with 2 people and full gear and tank. I really hope this thread will see a revival as I love to see and hear what other people are doing to their boats. Some of yall have really neat ideas.

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