One of the most obvious changes is to our consoles. Xpress has upped the ante this year by making a variation of last year’s Tournament Series console standard for all of our boats. The console itself is fiberglass, with the upper part being vinyl wrapped.  It is more driver friendly, with a clear view of all gauges. It is also easily upgradeable because the wiring harness already includes drops for PSI and volt gauges. A newly added swiveling graph bracket allows your graph to rotate a full 360º and includes a built in ignition and 12 volt receptacle. Speed/Tach/Fuel (or volt if the model does not have a built in tank) gauges are now standard as well as livewell timers. The fuse blocks are now located under the console and use standard blade-type fuses. They are similar to what you will find in many vehicles. They allow for easy accessibility and expandability, should you choose to do so. Flush mount controls are also standard for all side console boats, replacing the bulky control boxes more common to other brands.

We decided to upgrade our seats as well. After all, the seat is what directly connects you to your boat. No matter how smooth your boat may ride, if you don’t have good seats, you won’t be comfortable. We have done away with the profile fishing seats of old, and have added a new Euro style fishing seat, with added cushioning and comfort, for all of our HD models. New seat components feature industry standard depths and shaft lengths as well as an E-Coat­® protective finish. As standard equipment for 2008 models, all Bass boats will come with 1 Euro style seat (with 13” extension) and 1 Butt seat (with adjustable pro-pole). Also, the SV and HD lines have new, upgraded, 3-tone bench seats. We have also made improvements to our tuck and roll seats.

Another large change for Xpress this year; MinnKota® trolling motors will be the standard on all Xpress boats. We now offer transom mount trolling motors as well. Also, we will be carrying MinnKota® battery chargers. Xpress will also be carrying the Humminbird® line of graphs this year. Humminbird® has really stepped up with its new products and are all top-of-the-line. Humminbird® is now owned by Johnson Outdoors, which is the same company that owns MinnKota® trolling motors. They offer features such as 2-sided imaging units that are incredible and offer something truly unique. The entire line offers great options to expand and upgrade your graph.

We’ve even changed our bow panels. You will notice a new bow panel on the standard X-series and H-series boats. This is a vacuum formed vinyl wrapped piece that will dress up the looks and match the console. Within this panel you will find another 12v receptacle, a trolling motor plug, and a motor trim switch.

We now have an electrical system that is above and beyond what our competitors do. While many of our competitors are still using butt-splices we are now using deutsch connectors. The major benefits of our new electrical systems will set an industry standard for aluminum boats. They allow for a fully enclosed and sealed connection. They are easily swapped in the event that something should go wrong. These connectors will be used on all of our gauges, bilge and aerator pumps, fuel sending units, and light bases (both bow and stern).  And to add to all this, our new bilgeand aerator pumps are interchangeable by simply popping one out and swapping it for the other. The process is so easy and can literally be done in seconds.

As you can see, Xpress has put a lot of time and effort into building you a boat that you can truly enjoy and rely upon year after year. All of our hard work is to ensure one thing; that our customers are satisfied in knowing that when they ride an Xpress, they’re riding the best boat on the water. It is because of our customers that Xpress Boats has celebrated over 40 years of business and we are looking forward to the next 40! So stop by your nearest dealer today and look firsthand at the many benefits of buying an Xpress boat.