New boat!

[onefishtwofish]

Finally! After selling my Ranger a while back, my new boat is being outfitted and should be available this weekend. I have been boatless for several months and jonesing to get back on the water. Still waiting on a 10' Power pole, but will have that put on when they get it (I'll just use my stake out pole until it arrives).

Xpress H20B with 115 SHO, 80# tiller Riptide (I don't use spotlock and just like a tiller). Already have it propped with a 4 blade that will run 46 empty. Bimini is on order and will be installed when they get it in. Has a Garmin EchoMap 94sv (side and down imaging) that came from the manufacturer. Humminbird was on "no telling when" back order.

Purchased from A1Automarine - great folks I have known a long time. Sad to not have a Mercury, but only because my Merc mechanic was good people too. Excited to get a Yamaha.

I always name my boats and have no idea yet, but something will come up. I will hopefully post some bloody deck pics soon! I have been around reading, just not much to post lately-been landlocked.

[satsuma]

Sounds like a really nice boat. A coworker of mine has a Express H20B and loves it.
Congrats!

[Red Beard]

Congratulations


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[rockyg]

Nice rig.

What prop are you running? I have a 115 SHO on a flats skiff.

[Juan]

Congrats. Sounds nice. Another one of the two happiest days of your life.

[silverking]

Congrats. As a former Mercury owner, I am loving my new Yamaha and suspect you will, too.

[onefishtwofish]

thanks all

The prop is a Solas 3453-130-19 (4 blade stainless)

[FishWithChris]

Welcome to the Xpress fam! I have the 185 Skiff. Aka The Ketchup Packet. Kathy and the whole family there at A1 are fantastic. I didn't buy my boat from them but have treated me like I did every time I visit.

Why no Lowrance/Simrad on the FF?

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[onefishtwofish]

Good question and I went back and forth deciding. Electronics are tough to get right now. I researched and researched and then did some more. I liked the thought of the Marine Tracks and read a bunch on it. I just don't really think I would ever really trust it (or any tracking software) enough to justify the greater expense-I got the latest model EchoMap and got invoiced for the older version so it was only about 1/3 the cost of the comparable Simrad (which I know is a better unit). I have side imaging and down imaging and the g3 coastal charts preloaded-I can upgrade to the g3 vision for about $500 if I choose later. Plus I tend to run in mostly the same places all the time and within a short time should have my own tracks pretty well figured out. I don't venture out all that much as I find I don't have enough time to fish the places I know catch fish. I figured with the scarcity of electronics available, I can always upgrade later if I think I need it and just decided to get what was available and take the gamble. I may regret it, but I took my chances.

My original ordered boat is not even the one I went with. Mine got messed up and sent elsewhere and lost my place in line from the factory. Kathy was PIZZED at Xpress, but it is what it is at this point. She said i could try this one and see if I liked it and she would sell it as a demo model and must have apologized 100 times, but I really agonized over the one I would up with vs the one I ordered. I tried this one out and talked to a buddy of mine that guides down south with this exact boat. Said he has never once wished for the 22 or cared he had a 115 and was very happy with both - has guided with it for 8 years. So I went with the boat in hand and saved a ton of money over the one I thought I wanted-paid for all the add ons (10' Power Pole, Bimini, Compass, Marine VHF and bluetooth radio) and still wound up for less out the door than the base one I ordered. I think this will do everything I want and I could have waited another couple of months, but maybe it happened for a reason.

[Salty Gator]

Congratulations Doc. How is the one you got different from the one you ordered? Hope y’all can get out soon

[onefishtwofish]

2 feet (really only 21 inches) shorter and a 115 instead of a 175. Everything else is identical. Slight difference in color, but I never really cared about that anyway.