About to pick up a new bayou 18v and I have a new gtr40 and was wondering what kinda speeds you fellas are getting with the express bayous, not much data on these except I see it weighs 630lbs and is inbetween the gatortail 1854 and 1848, same thickness and basically they same extreme hull... I would guess 30-31 28 or so with a load??.... any input or experience would be nice, thanks fellas

You’d probably see those speeds with a GTR hull.
From what I’ve seen, the bayou’s are slow.
Maybe the 40hp will give you those speeds

Everything I have seen is they are all about the same weight... Go-Devil 1848 weighs more than the express bayou 1850... and somewhere I saw gatortail 1850 (1848 they are now only 1850) weights 20 lbs lighter... they have the same Hull crimp as the gatortail extree... I think they changed somthing up on the older bayous with the foam that held water and there’s round bottom mud hull

I have seen 1750 bayou that got 28 with a 35stock... so I’m assuming close to 30-31... Guess I’ll find out in a couple days lol

Sounds like you’re trying to get someone to justify your purchase... good luck....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Lol no... I got all the justification I need ... lol just Bad at waiting on Info lol... couldn’t justify spending $4000 more for a gatortail boat that is 1754 with galvanized trailer vs express aluminum and same exact lay out but comes with 2 trays welded down both sides... speed isn’t my main concern.... although we all like it... my main concern is handling and turning in the hardwood swamps under a load and empty at faster speeds... I’ll still do a review on it when I get it cause there’s not a lot of data for the newer 40’s.... i know I got 34 with my 40 on a 17.6x44x18 1/8” with a heavy wet wood floor and 18gal of gas (150lbs) and it was like a crotch rocket... would fly going straight but almost had to go down to 15mph or so just to make a turn... either it super power slide or the noise would bite and occasionally do a 180 deg... or bout pull my little 140lb butt outta the boat lol

What gauge is the hull? My 3/16 gatortail takes one hell of a beating (with videos and pics to prove it) and I still don’t have a single slight dent. I hope you express comes with the same material and same runners if you run what I run.

My old xpress couldn’t come close to handling what my GTR does, but it was a different model so I don’t want to compare apples to oranges to tangerines and hope to lead to decent conclusions.

Don’t get my wrong, where I hunt, I’d trade resilience for speed, so I prefer a tough and often heavier hull.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Express is .125 1/8” just like standard gatortail boats... I didn’t know gt maks 3/16, i have a crawfish skiff that’s 3/16 with a 60 and it runs around 38mph... but very heavy lol...

I could be wrong but been looking at the new express bayou.. I know they got longitudinal runners, extreme chime copy of the gt, looks like it has came along way from the original bayou ... the 18v weights 620lbs and 17v weighs 580lbs... I know they were about 100lbs heavier with the older ones and had rounded chimes... great for turning but usually loose some speed like that

It looks better than the older models but I’d still just rather not gamble and get what’s proven, but that’s just me. As for GT, yes you can get the 3/16 upgrade on the bottom. It’s like $800 more or something but I’m very glad to have it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

You’ll probably get pretty good speeds, but overall (speed & durability) you probably won’t get the quality you would get from a GT boat. Not saying the Xpress won’t be a good combo, but After all a GT boat is designed to specifically run best with their motor.....