Excel vs Xpress

[thunderchicken]

As you can probably tell, I'm in the market for a new j-boat. I've narrowed it down between an Xpress and an Excel. I've had an Xpress before so I know about them. Never had any experience with the Excel. Any of ya'll own or been around the the Excel Viper F4? What are the pro' and cons?

I'm looking at the 1651 if that helps.

[turbo]

There are a couple of guys on here with the new F4's that can chime in.

I've got an '08 Excel (flat bottom) with a 90 Yamaha that I freakin' love.

I've got friends with the Xpress boats and they're also nice boats.

Test drive 'em.... that's all I can tell you. They're both great boats.

[thunderchicken]

Biggest question about the Excel is with the motor sitting so far back is it not difficult to steer with a tiller. I will be running an outboard not a mm.

[Pee Dee Ducks]

the tiller really isnt sitting any futher back than on a regular jon boat. The hunt deck part of the boat would be where the gas tank and battery compartment is on a regular boat. got some buddys with em and they love em, just make sure you get the kik up transom

[Ring King]

I forgot all about Excel boats. I like the looks of that Excel Viper Stalker 1960 Center Console. I can see that thing being a nice rig with a 115 Merc Opti on the back and a 70lb thrust Minn Kota on the bow. Throw on a Humminbird 958 combo on the console and a 788 on the bow and swap out the speedometer for a water pressure gauge and you've got a sweet little hunting/fishing combo that should get up and move pretty well even with my pirogues laid down the side, three guys, and six or seven dozen decoys. It would be at home on the Cooper River, Santee Cooper Lakes, the ICW, and even the Mississippi River while running down to Venice for a cast and blast trip.

Now who wants to loan me the money to get this boat in my driveway?

I'd be scared to see the price tag on it!!

[SCmudder7071]

I have an F4 and absolutely love it. Mines the shallow water edition with a mb. Them sob's turn on a dime also. I've seen the F4s with tiller motors. If its uncomfortable I'm fairly sure you can get a tiller extension. Not jacking thread but @ turbo. I finally got around to painting motor to match boat. Its brown right now. Goin Fri to get my stencils. And again. I love my excel

[dukhuntr]

Now who wants to loan me the money to get this boat in my driveway?

I'd be scared to see the price tag on it!!

Call Chad Lecompte put bug in his ear that he needs one then you buy it in 6 months later when he sells it to buy something else! That boys goes though boats worse than PhoneMan.


Test drive them both. Both have the pros and cons. I have not driven the F4 with an outboard so I can't tell you personally how it runs. With a MM they handle great. The f4 takes chop really well on the water too.

Phoneman is running that model Xpress right now I think maybe he will chime in too. He had a hard time deciding between the two rigs, but choose the Xpress in the end.

[Phone Man]

the excel is ALOT heavier than the xpress. I like the duck back transom, but not the high deck on the excel so i went with the xpress as it had the pods and low deck. It rides very well and seems to be a pretty tough boat. Alot stouter than my old triton. Duck season will tell, if there is something i don't like about it, it will be for sale in febuary. lol If you wanna take a ride in it, give me a shout.

[willyworm]

PM, I was gonna say that. I'll be in the market when I save up some more money. I had my mind set on the Excel. I like the setup on the Excel, but the lack of a mid-height deck is a deal breaker for me. That deck has to be high cause thats where they put the gas tank.

If you sell that Express, I got first dibs! HAHA

[duckplucker]

Marine Service Center in Little River had an ad on Myrtle Beach Craigslist Monday selling all Excels in inventory at dealer cost.

[robbbos1]

Love my excel....got the 1651 F4 with the kick up transom. Running a 50 4-stroke yammy....not a speed demon but i could care less about that. Not the first complaint outta me yet but I've only fished, gator hunted, and rode the river with it so far. Hunting season is coming though and I'll be ready!

[thunderchicken]

I went and looked at a 1544 f4(all they had) this am and was NOT inpressed! Absolutely no room in the boat. Plenty of storage but no floor space. I'm wanting the 1651 and the dealer assured me it was a much bigger boat. Reckon I need to see a 16 for myself. Robb, I will be in touch.

[Phone Man]

the 16 footer aint got much room in it either

[Phone Man]

here is my xpress. Tons of room!

[quakcaller]

I've got an Excel 1851 F4 with a MM and love it. Plenty of room in it. Wish we would have gotten it with a gun box on one side. Tough boat!

[want-a-be]

1651 F4 with a 25 tiller and a 60 tiller. One of the best duck boats you can find! The manual 25 is a little hard to lift without steping on the back but other than that no complaints duck hunting. Both engine sizes run and handle great. The 1651 has plenty of room for 2 people / dog / and decoys --- unless you have tons of decoys.

Fishing may be a different story. The front deck is a little close to the water and tend to nose down in the front when standing up there. While that is great for getting in and out hunting not so much when fishing.

[Muddy Bay]

Just some personal observations. They are both great boats and you cannot go wrong with either. We have tested and run both Excel and Xpress with outboards and Mud Motors, including the new Xpress "Migration Nation/Drake Edition" 1651 Duck Boat. Both run well with either, but they perform differently depending on where you use them. Since both are great boats, you just have to decide which one is best for where you use it. Construction is similar since both use longitudinal ribs and foam flotation between the inner floor and hull.

We found that the Excel F4 Viper (V Hull) tends to run best with an outboard and the Kik-up transom, although it does runs pretty good as well with the Mud Motor if you lock in place the kik-up transom. The advantage of the viper hull is that it does handle a little chop better. The Excel F4 Shallow Water (flat bottom) runs better with the Mud Motor since it has the rounded chines and can move across skinny water with practically no effort at all. The Viper F4 has the triple tapered square chines. The Excel F4s get up fast, turn very well, and has a lot of standard features and you can get a built-in gas tank under the high front deck which helps balance the load a little better.

The regular Xpress Duck boat has a slight V hull and runs pretty darn good with an outboard, but no quite as well with the Mud Motor, although several have bought and put mud motors on them. The new Xpress "Migration Nation/Drake Edition" Duck Boat performs very similiarly to the Excel F4 since it also has the hunt deck on the back. It gets up fast, turns quickly, and handles a moderate chop fairly well. The only drawback I see is that it presently only comes in 16 ft. length. The Xpress boats also come with a lot of standard features including lockable gun box and lockable front deck storage.

The best advice is to look at them both and test them both and see which one works best for you. Both are great boats and you cannot go wrong with either.

[backwater]

Does the Xpress Drake Edition with the hunt deck have a built-in gas tank?

[Phone Man]

wish i had known about muddy bay when i bought my xpress. I bet that drake edition weighs a ton.

[Muddy Bay]

No. Gas tank goes in the back in a compartment under the front of the back deck. The regular Xpress Duck Boat puts the gas tank in the back with the battery like most boats.