330 Express Questions

[nodima]

A while back, I had posted with some questions about Marlins. It ended up that I looked at a couple of 330’s, and felt they were a better fit for the family’s desire to overnight. The selling bit was the ability to remove the helm chair and fit a table in the spot, giving us another ‘room’ for a rainy day in a harbor. We will be closing on a 2003 330 Express in the next week or so and have a few questions.

The lift for the electronics at the helm is broken, any thoughts on replacement source? I found a couple things that seem promising, but not sure. Who makes it, and is there a manual available for troubleshooting?

The PO boated in an area about 50 miles away, any thoughts on doing a full reset on the GPS/MFD to go back to factory settings and get rid of old waypoints etc.? Going to download the most recent SW update for the unit as well.

What is the preferred way to set the battery selectors? One to 1 and the other to 2? Believe the set up is the standard 4 batteries – a starting battery for each motor, and a pair of batteries as the house. I think the switches just control the starting batteries, is that right? Looking at the wiring diagram in the manual, there appears to be an on/off switch for the house, is that the switch on the panel in the cabin?

 

[jip40]

A while back, I had posted with some questions about Marlins. It ended up that I looked at a couple of 330’s, and felt they were a better fit for the family’s desire to overnight. The selling bit was the ability to remove the helm chair and fit a table in the spot, giving us another ‘room’ for a rainy day in a harbor. We will be closing on a 2003 330 Express in the next week or so and have a few questions.

The lift for the electronics at the helm is broken, any thoughts on replacement source? I found a couple things that seem promising, but not sure. Who makes it, and is there a manual available for troubleshooting?

The PO boated in an area about 50 miles away, any thoughts on doing a full reset on the GPS/MFD to go back to factory settings and get rid of old waypoints etc.? Going to download the most recent SW update for the unit as well.

What is the preferred way to set the battery selectors? One to 1 and the other to 2? Believe the set up is the standard 4 batteries – a starting battery for each motor, and a pair of batteries as the house. I think the switches just control the starting batteries, is that right? Looking at the wiring diagram in the manual, there appears to be an on/off switch for the house, is that the switch on the panel in the cabin?

I’ve had my 2002 330 for 8 years & have been through the same 2 questions you have.

The ram for the electronics console needed to be replaced about 6 years ago. As I remember the length of the ram for the replacement was a little shorter so the base needed to be mounted a little higher. You get to the base by removing the AC/DC panel in cabin. I think I found the manufacturer on the old ram.

There is not a single way to connect the 4 batteries to the 2 switches. Over the years the batteries have been changed multiple times. My boat has 1 starting battery for each engine and 2 house batteries. I got tired of pouring $ into the genny to only use it a couple of times a year. I disconnected it from the batteries which gave me a 2nd house battery. You really need to spend the time to trace every battery connection to the source & to the switches to know how yours is setup. Or, pay someone to do it like I did.

 

[everwhom]

Give Grady a call about the ram -- they will be able to help you find the right replacement. They are very responsive even for non-original owners.

Agree with JIP - the batteries could be wired in many different configurations, so best is to trace the wiring.

Mine (2003) is wired as 2 banks of 2 batteries each. For each bank, two batteries are wired together in parallel so they act like one big battery.

The Starboard bank does double duty as the house bank and the Port bank does the port motor plus the bow thruster AND (as I recall) the generator start. I believe the standard battery position is "outwards" so the switch on the left (as you face backwards, i.e. the starboard switch) points to starboard and the port switch points to port.

 

[themikehyde]

Welcome to the 330 Club!

 

[kirk a]

Thanks - thinking more about it, I'll go ahead and trace the wiring back and then I'll KNOW what it is doing. This boat is a fair bit more complex than the old 23 Mako it will replace, so I have a lot to document and figure out. Fortunately, I do have the manual both in hard copy and electronic forms.

How tight should the anchor be on the bow pulpit? Should there be any/much play in it? I know it has a retaining clip on the chain, but currently it seems like it is moving more than it should, but I have no frame of reference.

 

[SkunkBoat]

For the chain you can find a tensioner at any marine store or use a stainless turnbuckle. Just tight enough to stop it and anchor from rattling.

As for normal position of battery switches, if the configuration hasn't been changed, 1(starboard) to1 and 2(port) to 2.

Good luck with the new boat, its an Express...the best kind!

 

[themikehyde]

I usually leave my battery switches the same as SkunkBoat does. I leave the Starboard switch on 1 and port side on 2. By factory, I believe Bank 1 should be starboard starter, and house feed.

Helm chair as table - We have removed the helm chair several times to use as table. Makes for a nice saloon. I have the upgraded seat, and it is much easier with 2 people. I just lay a large towel over the helm pod and sort of flip it over. Last trip I had misplaced the longer bolt I use for the table, and we really missed it. I have been looking for a helm seat where the back folds down flat, but no luck. Mine reclines, but would love to be able to make it fold flat. Then the back on the seat could be the table.

Mike

 

[RussGW270]

I’ve had my 2002 330 for 8 years & have been through the same 2 questions you have.

The ram for the electronics console needed to be replaced about 6 years ago. As I remember the length of the ram for the replacement was a little shorter so the base needed to be mounted a little higher. You get to the base by removing the AC/DC panel in cabin. I think I found the manufacturer on the old ram.

There is not a single way to connect the 4 batteries to the 2 switches. Over the years the batteries have been changed multiple times. My boat has 1 starting battery for each engine and 2 house batteries. I got tired of pouring $ into the genny to only use it a couple of times a year. I disconnected it from the batteries which gave me a 2nd house battery. You really need to spend the time to trace every battery connection to the source & to the switches to know how yours is setup. Or, pay someone to do it like I did.

The generator you use is small enough to fit where the batteries sit?

 

[nodima]

Taking delivery tomorrow and running it ~30 miles or so. Pretty sure sleep will be lacking tonight, as I'm pretty excited. Over the weekend, we went down to the boat, to take care of some cleaning and brought some of our stuff aboard. There seems to be more storage than I thought, but yet, it all of a sudden seemed to get smaller as we put stuff on the boat.

Curious as to what people store in the compartment below the aft berth. Clearly it is open to bilge so anything should be able to take some dampness.

Anyone done modifications to the storage on the port side in the cockpit, below the sink and cooler? I'd like to keep the majority of my fishing gear outside the cabin where possible, but the single open compartment seems to need some division.

Thinking tools and cleaning supplies in compartment under V berth in bow, but they might also be ok in the compartment between the head and the rear berth.

What about the two little drawers under the port folding seat at the helm?


I know we all have different needs, but any ideas to optimize storage would be helpful.

 

[jip40]

The generator you use is small enough to fit where the batteries sit?

No the generator weighs 200 lbs - the four batteries are in the port area in rear cockpit - the fish box takes up most of the transom & the generator is under the fish box - my boat has a very wet bilge which causes havoc with the generator

 

[jip40]

Curious as to what people store in the compartment below the aft berth. Clearly it is open to bilge so anything should be able to take some dampness.

Anyone done modifications to the storage on the port side in the cockpit, below the sink and cooler? I'd like to keep the majority of my fishing gear outside the cabin where possible, but the single open compartment seems to need some division.

What about the two little drawers under the port folding seat at the helm?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


There are two compartments under the aft berth. The furthest aft is a water tight compartment & I store all of my excess dock lines in there. The other is actually the forward bilge and it contains - (1) livewell pump and thru hull - (2) raw water wash down thru hull - (3) overboard discharge of holding tank. BTW the HVAC system condensation drains into the forward bilge and my forward bilge is always wet.

I store leader material, Ring Free, trolling artificials, etc in the compartment under the sink.

The two little drawers contain a bunch of little s*it like extra ss bolts & self tapping ss screws & don"t forget a bunch of rubber tapered stoppers for the fish box and cooler - helpful friends are always throwing the plugs in the boxes out with the ice.

You will quickly learn what you need and where you need them - you will absolutely love the boat

 

[RussGW270]

No the generator weighs 200 lbs - the four batteries are in the port area in rear cockpit - the fish box takes up most of the transom & the generator is under the fish box - my boat has a very wet bilge which causes havoc with the generator

Welp....I spend time, while waiting for the top, thinking of ways to improve my boat.... shock, right.. lol

I want to add a small a/c in the cabin, because I can.. heh.. but I am not a big fan of mounting a generator on the sides of the boat. I would love the ability to run one, but trying to see if it is even possible.

I also was looking at the design of the extra bunk on a 232 vs the space of a 270. Not sure it is possible to add one of those either, but I enjoy debating the pros/cons/feasibility of mods

Half the fun is dreaming about it, right? heh... never know, may be someone out there that has actually done some of this on the same model boat and will be like, "We did it.. here's how"

R

 

[nodima]

Great idea about the extra line storage. Perfect. Moved mine there today. Thanks.
As a best practice, is it a good idea to leave the rigging station open to let it fully air out? My wife was wondering if there is a mold problem with it. I guess the same question applies to the other storage compartments.

One thing I have noticed is that there is limited storage at the helm, just a single cupholder there. I always seem to want to store misc small stuff at the helm for short periods, perhaps a pair of pliers, a phone, or a spool of leader material which may be in my hand as I need to move the boat quickly. Perhaps I just need to alter my bad habits though!

Does the large mushroom breaker to the starboard side of the helm serve both the thruster and the windlass?

So far, after 3 or 4 trips, the boat has handled well, and is not as difficult to maneuver as I feared. Coming from a 23, it is a big jump, but has not yet been an issue.

 

[everwhom]

I added a 2nd stainless cup holder next to the first and replaced the original plastic with stainless as well. Only thing is to be careful because your expensive iPhone can get trapped and bent by the electronics hatch if you accidentally leave the phone in the new holder while stupidly closing the hatch. Guess how I know this.

The big red mushroom button only shuts off the bow thruster. The windlass has its own breaker right where the control is.

 

[nodima]

That sounds like a bad mishap with the iphone...I'll definitely keep that in mind.

The strap to hold the cabin door open is broken/missing on my boat. Can anyone post a picture of what I assume must be a velcro strap which holds the cabin door open? There are a couple of loops on the door, and remnants of a strap broken off with a screw above it on the port side.




Also, any idea on sourcing hinges with the round metal part on the outside of the door? Are these the glass hinges sold by Boat Outfitters?



What about the thin rubber gasket such as that found on the plano box cabinet?

 

[bea5454]

Where are the pictures?

 

[kirk a]

Where are the pictures?

I can see them, can no one else?

 

[nodima]

Couple more questions.

Where is the compass sensor for the autopilot likely to be located? It is a Simrad AP22 and original to the boat. It is giving an error "compass not found". I looked behind the cabin electrical panel and did not see anything Simrad there. It is also not on either side panel of the mid berth.

I also removed the helm lift today, and can read the manufacturer etc. on this. Troubleshooting showed there is power through the switch, but all the unit did was click. I did notice there are 4 wires coming out of the lift, black, white, red, and blue. Both the black and white were connected, but the red and blue terminated in a euro terminal block and were not connected to anything else. I did not see an obvious connector or loose wire. I've not been able to find a manual online. With the sticker, I can replace the unit easy enough, but at about half a BOAT unit($500), I'd like to explore options first.

 

[wspitler]

My compass (fluxgate) is located in the bilge amidships in the aft cabin. I had to move it slightly to port to minimize deviation caused by the live well pump. Different dealers/installers may locate it elsewhere, but ideally it should be low and amidships.

 

[wspitler]

That sounds like a bad mishap with the iphone...I'll definitely keep that in mind.

The strap to hold the cabin door open is broken/missing on my boat. Can anyone post a picture of what I assume must be a velcro strap which holds the cabin door open? There are a couple of loops on the door, and remnants of a strap broken off with a screw above it on the port side.

View attachment 7930


Also, any idea on sourcing hinges with the round metal part on the outside of the door? Are these the glass hinges sold by Boat Outfitters?

View attachment 7931

What about the thin rubber gasket such as that found on the plano box cabinet?

My cabin door is held open by a magnet attached to the bulkhead.