J PAUL JACKSON

J Paul Jackson

Home: Dyersburg, TN

Discipline: Waterfowling

Current Xpress Boats: Drake Migration Nation 16 (Gator-Tail Mud Motor), 18 (40 Yamaha)

J. Paul Jackson is a world-renowned dog trainer, lifelong hunter, and Drake Waterfowl Elite Team member. J. Paul is the owner of Lone Oak Retrievers in Dyersburg, TN - one of the most successful retriever training facilities in the world. J. Paul has trained over 40 HRC™ Champions and Master Hunters.

What Do you like best about your Drake Boat:

I love the versatility of my Xpress boat. I run both a Migration Nation Drake 18 with a 40 hp outboard, and a Drake 16 with a surface drive motor. Both boats handle terrific, and I rally love the fact that one model can perform in a variety of applications. I use the same boat for hunting, fishing and pleasure; I am convinced that the Xpress Migration Nation model is the best all around boat on the market!

Best Pro Staff Tip about your Xpress Boat:

I have outfitted both of my boats with a Convenience Center in the front and rear. This handy optional accessory is much more than just a cup and shell holder, and it seems I find a new use for it every time I take my boat out on the water.

JESSE REYNOLDS

Jesse Reynolds

Current occupation: Mechanical Engineer, Project Manager

Discipline: Bass Fishing

Current Xpress Boat: 2006 X-21LE

Why I like the Xpress Boats:

All aluminum construction, toughness, Go anywhere, and not having to worry about hurting my boat while fishing.

Pro Staff Tip:

Shoot transducer thru hull (works on aluminum)

I put mine on the bottom step on one side of the center weld. First you need to make a flat area where you are going to mount the transducer. Sand all the paint, weld splatter, etc… down so you have a nice clean flat surface.

Finish with a sanding of 400 or 600 grit paper. Wash the area and vacuum out. Degrease the area a couple of times. Wipe the area down with some acetone and finally wipe it down with some alcohol. The area has to be as clean as you can get it if you haven’t already got the picture with the above instructions.

Now you need to make a ring around where the transducer is going to go to keep the epoxy in place while it sets up. Plumbers putty works well for this. Just place the transducer in the cleaned area and make a ring with the putty that’s about ½” away from the entire perimeter of the transducer so when you pour the epoxy in it doesn’t run all over the place.

Now for the epoxy which is the tricky part. You need a 2 part epoxy that has a long cure time “working time”. Get the longest working time you can find, I think mine was a half hour but if I could of found two hour I would of used it. When you mix the epoxy you can’t get any air bubbles in it. I squirt the epoxy in the bottom corner of a zip lock or sandwich bag then twist the bag so there is just a ball of epoxy in on corner. Then squeeze and roll the ball to mix the epoxy. Once it is all mixed cut a little corner of the bag off and squeeze the epoxy into the ring you made out of the putty. Then push the transducer into the puddle of epoxy and put a weight on top of the transducer to keep it in place while the epoxy cures.