I recently purchased a xpress awd 16 and had them put a 27hp PD on it because of where I duck hunt. I wanted something to use for hunting and fishing and found that this boat was the one. I ran the boat at a local watershed the other day to see how it was and get the feel of it. It almost felt like the boat was too heavy for the motor or something because it was literally taking forever to get the boat on a plain. I had a buddy sit in the back with me on the second run and it would not plain even after messing with the trim thinking that was the problem. When I was alone in the boat and once I got on plain it was awesome but I dunno how its gonna run with gear, guns, and ppl.

had a friend go through this with a PD on a 16'....went with an 18' boat and its a whole different animal & carries a load 2x better


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I really like the boat and motor setup , and honestly think if I change to a 36 PD it will weigh down the rear too much. I don't know really what else to do. I mean it does get a plain and tomorrow I will check the speed with my phone and see what im getting. Im also gonna through some weight in the boat to see how that does too.

Your gas tank needs to be up front. That is a heavy motor. Weight distribution is important. You also need to make sure you are trimmed up enough. When riding with two people have the other guy sit all the way up front. That 27 can push that boat. You will just need to get an understanding of it and adjust your weight.

^^ X2 It might take a few trips to find the sweet spot

Well I went out fishing today in it by myself and on the way to my spot I played with the trim and seemed to get bogged down when I would put it at the wrong level. Once I found that spot for it , it was smooth and it actually pushed the boat pretty good. Now I just wonder what it will be like come duck season with gear and people going to the blind....

I have a 1648SV with 27 prodrive. you need the gas tank and battery up front, only thing in the rear is you and the motor. You will need to get on the trim as soon as you hit the throttle. The 27PD will push that boat in the low 20's ready to hunt with two guys. Just work on your weight distribution and learn how to work that trim.