Xpress H20 Vs War Eagle 961

[dhall1693]

Looking to purchase one of these, and really like the concept of each in a center console. Wanted to see if any one had the h20 and enjoyed it. Looking to stay in the 2020 range pre covid builds, and I've rode in the black hawk however the smaller rear deck with the open jump seats of the 961 rather than the flip up of the h20 has me liking it more. I know a popular opinion is the blackhawk, however I wanted some of the h20's feedback.

[Ring King]

The H20 will be faster with the same horsepower and will be a better ride in the chop.

[bitesize]

My only experience is with War Eagle however if I was buying a new boat I would lean towards Xpress

[Heybo_Hater]

I can offer nothing on each hull, but can't stress pre-covid builds enough. Bought my Ranger RB190 at the start of that nonsense and its a cadillac. Saw the products built during it and after it and its subpar. Good luck!

[bbhntr48]

Finish on Xpress is top notch. They are foam filled so the ride is more “dead” then others. That H20 is a rocket


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[Rubberhead*]

I have a friend, an SCDUCKer, that has an Xpress that he had to keep getting the welds redone. He blames it on trailering over rough roads (Hwy 501)...

[Ring King]

Finish on Xpress is top notch.

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That's not usually a comment that is associated with Xpress. Lots of folks complain about the welding "splatter" that's left on the boats, lockers that leak and need to be DIY fixed, etc. Not saying that they're a bad boat by any means. I loved my 16ft Hyperlift back in the day. They just aren't generally known as a top grade "finished" boat.

[huntinghagen#12]

I've never owned a metal boat in that size, but I've had both a War Eagle and Xpress in 15' versions. I like the Xpress more personally.

[Cwaysvt]

Really can’t go wrong either way.

[BigBrother]

I have a friend, an SCDUCKer, that has an Xpress that he had to keep getting the welds redone. He blames it on trailering over rough roads (Hwy 501)...

501 is a magic carpet ride compared to 701 and if that friend runs 501, I promise he's only on 501 to get to 701.

[TreyMo]

I made the same decision in 2017. Went with the Xpress H20 over the Blackhawk. Xpress had a larger fuel tank and larger max HP, it has more room as well. I liked the idea of a 150HP vs the 115 Max HP in the Blackhawk 961. I have zero regrets. Reach out if you have any other questions.

[SCmudder7071]

Excel is another option. Buddy of mine had a 20' and he loved it. It rode well, handled chop pretty good, and was plenty quick. He sold it to go fiberglass because he started spending more time offshore.

Only experience with Xpress Bay boats I have, is a guy through mutual friends that was fishing nearshore and noticed a bunch of water getting in the boat. They chalked it up to the rain. When they got back to the landing, they noticed the welded seam had split in the rake about 2'. Luckily it was high enough it wasn't taking on water the whole time. Only when a wave hit. He got a new boat from Xpress and went fiberglass as well.

[Birddawg]

I have a 2016 H22B with a Yamaha 150 (not vmax). Good friend has a H20B with a 150 vmax. There is an Xpress bay boat group on FB that has good info but like any user group/forum, its a lot of complaining.

The 22 and 20 and very similar, atleast in 2016 they were.

Having spent time on both (20 and 22, Ive never been on a war eagle), here is my real world experience with Xpress:

-The trailers, Backtrack, made by Xpress, leave a lot to desire. Both boats are on tandems. You can get a single for the 20. Dont. They are called backcrack for a reason. I had to have a few spots welded where the welds crack.

-The welds on the hull arent the prettiest, but they arent awful. Neither boat has had any cracking.

-The "dry boxes" arent dry. I have sealed some spots with black sealant (boat is camo) and it helps, but its not a great design. There is ample storage however. When I installed the livescope on the bow I was able to crawl in the bow hatch. My boat has two live wells and jump seats. I almost bought a Havoc but it didnt have those seats on the boat I looked at. They are a must have IMO especially if you have kids.

-The rigging is shit, but I planned on rewiring the boat so I didnt care. No float switch. Blue crimps and sloppy. Im gonna redo the dash wiring as it fails. I moved batteries, ran #2 to the bow and console and pulled all my electronics off of that.

-I was having an issue with the bilge having water in it when it shouldn't be there. I feared it was a crack in the hull. It turned out to be a loose live well hose and the drain hole had some slag from a weld and wasnt sealing. I took a Dremel and rounded the hole and the plug sealed. Most of the live well hose clamps werent real tight. IDK if that was from the factory or had somehow worked loose. I pulled the gas tank to rewire so it was an easy fix.

-The boat rides great and feels solid. Fastest I have ever seen was 51. Its a 45 mph boat pretty consistently. I havent played with props. I have a 6" manual jackplate that was on the boat when I got it. I am the second owner. First guy bought it from Marshalls and lived in timmonsville.

I am in summerville and spend time on santee and would be happy to show you the boat. I spent a lot of time rigging my boat and will answer any questions as I learned some shortcuts that could help the next man.