330 Express- New guy questions

[ltrain1990]

New to the group. Have 04 222 fisherman. Would like to trade up to an 04 or 05 330 Exp. for more family fun and continue fishing. Same old question are the 2 x 225 4 stokes enough? What about 300 2 strokes? Looking for suggestions...Also never having run twins b4, nor this large of a boat (actually a little afraid of it honestly, especially for single handing) it would seem a bow thruster would be the way to go :?: Any thoughts regarding where a boat is mostly run and its longevity. For example, an 04 in up North vs an 05 in FL assuming engine hours are close? Some folks say the water salinity/ environment in FL just beats the heck out of things. Gas gen vs diesel? Any significant design changes between 04 and 05. I had read somewhere GW raised the helm height 5" for better vis when coming on plane, but not sure what model or year?
My first post so I apologize for the long one. Hope I do it right :wink:

 

[Eberen]

330 Express

I had the 330 2006 w/ twin 250's loved it. Pick your days for 'way offshore'. 5 guys overnight in Canyon easily.

 

[Fishermanbb]

I had an 03 with 225's - No thruster. The debate always rages here...But, I had the 225's and have run one with 250's extensively. There is almost no real world difference other than at top end. The 250's plane just slightly quicker and they burn more fuel. At cruise they are identical. I would stay away from the HPDI's.....You can find plenty of info as to why on this and many other sites.

As for handling.....The twins will be easier to handle than a single although the size and "Sail" surface will need to be compensated for. Pretty much all the later model boats have the thruster - And it is a nice tool in close quarters....But I had the boat without and never had a problem.

As for generators....Get a diesel if you can find one. Again, the earlier models only had gas....I think they started putting diesels in in 05/06. The Kohler gensets (Gas) had some problems.

The windshield design change was in 2008 -

Plenty of 330's are on the market and you should find a great deal out there - Do your homework.....My marina just sold two...A 2005 and a 2007.....Both well south of 200K......It's a great boat and your family will love it! Good luck in your search!

 

[ocdansar]

I have an 01 with 250 two strokes full load of fuel water bait ice and 6 guys last weekend 33 mph off shore at 4600 rpm .8 mpg boat ran 44 on the pins, it is a piece of cake around the dock once you learn how to handle twins, love mine in this economy, find one and go for it. Good Luck

 

[seasick]

Regarding the genset. Note that not all diesel gensets are explosion proof rated. In general, a diesel genset is fine for a diesel powered vessel but a gas powered vessel may require an explosion proof diesel gen set. I think that all gas powered gen sets are explosion proof rated.
Point is that gas fumes are explosive and diesel fumes aren't.

 

[ElyseM]

i would try and jump on someone's 330 to make sure you feel comfortable with it (for close quarter maneuvering; you could pilot an ocean liner in open water). we just moved from a gulfstream, which i always saw as a "huge" boat. turns out my marina had a gulfstream in for service that was docked next to my 330; the size differential was actually eye opening.

that said, i've just spent 17 hours on break in just driving the hell out of it. the boat is fantastic. i do have a thruster that makes all the difference getting into the slip, but laying up to a dock does not really require it.

good luck, and like others have said, there really seems to be a few great deals floating around out there. ron

 

[deltarome]

I have an 05 i bought used in 07. it has F250's and get 1 to 1.1smpg at 28mph cruise with half fuel, dive tanks, 4 guys, ice, etc.
It is a strong boat hull and will take just about anything. it will pound in a head sea but bow planes do help but will suck more fuel.
i have diesel genset and bow thruster.
with cockpit glass and curtains, it is a handful in side wind when docking so get thruster if you aren't an expert.
i do have hull fading and oxide removed yearly as i live in south fla. i put rejex acrylic type wax on twice a year. I would check over all your options but a boat from up north should have less use and oxide. boat hours don't usually mean much unless over 1000 so far. i prefer a boat that is used. that way things get oiled frequently and a boat on a lift or stored on shore is also preferred to one with bottom paint and stored in a wet slip.
Gas generators had issues with water ingestion more frequently than diesels but both can be expensive to maintain. i am replacing my original one with a rebuilt one due to corrosion problems.
larger boats are expensive to upkeep. make sure engines have extended maintenance plans - only from yamaha.
hope this helps. email on any questions. drasmussen@mdaturbines.com

 

[wrobinson]

I have an 02 that I repowered from the 225s to the 250s. It gets on plane a bit quicker but other than that no real difference. The one advantage the 225s seemed to have was they had a low rpm sweet part that would keep the boat on plane cruising at 20 mph and burning 16 gallons per hour. Best I can do with the 250s is 1 mpg.

I replaced the gas genset with diesel and the diesel is a MUCH better setup. I would not buy one with a gas generator.

I also installed a bow thruster after much internal debate. It really does make docking a pleasure especially in the wind and current or when you are by yourself. If you find a great boat without one adding one is no big deal. Florida Bowthruster did mine. I think it was 6k.

 

[Hoghunter]

Can't speak to anything here but the Genset. I would recommend diesel and diesel only.

I had one of the Kohler gas gensets on my Marlin and had constant problems with the choke, carb etc. It was rare that I would get a whole weekend of use without having to mess with one of the above.

I now have the Panda diesel genset in my Express and love it. No problems with it what so ever.

 

[gradyfish22]

As far as power goes, stay away from 300hp 2 strokes, the 300hp HPDI which was an option for this model, was a bad engine model. The 150 and 200 HPDI were awesome, but 250 and 300hp models had issues and should be avoided if possible. As far as power, 250 would be ideal and is enough, you will see a little under 1mpg from what I've seen but for an outboard powered boat that size your in the right ball park. The power is ghood, going to 225's is a little under powered but doable, but it would have to be a heck of a deal to consider that power package, otherwise go for the better option with 250's. I've seen a few guys with 225's repower to 250's so that should speak for how they felt about the 225 package.
Bow thruster is nice, but honestly not a necessity unless you use a side dock a lot or you are weary of your experience at the helm. I've run boats well over 33ft and rarely ever used the thruster even if the boat had them, only in very tight spots with high winds and current have I used them...which is often when we run them at work... For typical use honestly you should not need it, but if it comes with it it would not be a bad option, but by no means would I consider that a make or break in a deal.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Had an '07 and absolutely loved the boat. Had 250's, thruster and diesel gen. The lay out, the handling and the speed for that size boat was near perfect. Why traded? I'm just a center console guy and i like to cruise at 40MPH comfortable(weather permited).