I'm considering a purchase of a 360 express with triple Yamaha 250's. I have had a test run in the boat, and to me, (no speed demon here), the power seemed adequate. A knowledgeable acquaintance however,pointed out that fully loaded with gear, fuel, water, passengers ,etc..., the boat may be sluggish, and under perform. He further suggested that this may be why the boat was taking much longer to sell than the even pricier 360's powered with triple 350's as opposed to 250's. Any thoughts from any owners out there?
360 express... under powered?
- Thread starter jdmattco
- Start date
They never came with 225's...That was the 330's...The 360's always came with 250's until the 350's came out.
I have the 360 with 250's......Load makes almost no difference in this boat at all...2 people, 10 people, full fuel, 1/2 fuel, etc....Negligible in both speed and economy.....Here are my REAL WORLD #'s with trip 250's fully loaded:
Cruise @ 4700 - 32 MPH burning Approx 37 GPH
The boat averages about .8 MPG's....It'll get .7 sometimes (Full load against the tide and .9 sometimes 1/2 load with the tide....Most of the time it gets .8 MPG whether you are going 30 MPH or 36 MPH....Fro,m 4400 -5000 RPM the economy is the same.
In my opinion it is in no way underpowered. These boats aren't meant to be rocket ships and a 32 MPH cruise on a 36 express is plenty (For me).
Now, the 350's (Trip) will get you out of the hole a little faster and cruise about 5-6 MPH faster....Top end is significantly faster (If you don't mind burning 100). The 350's are also much hirstier and more expensive to maintain. There are some GREAT deals on a few new and used 360's that I know of......PM me if you are interested......
I have the 360 with 250's......Load makes almost no difference in this boat at all...2 people, 10 people, full fuel, 1/2 fuel, etc....Negligible in both speed and economy.....Here are my REAL WORLD #'s with trip 250's fully loaded:
Cruise @ 4700 - 32 MPH burning Approx 37 GPH
The boat averages about .8 MPG's....It'll get .7 sometimes (Full load against the tide and .9 sometimes 1/2 load with the tide....Most of the time it gets .8 MPG whether you are going 30 MPH or 36 MPH....Fro,m 4400 -5000 RPM the economy is the same.
In my opinion it is in no way underpowered. These boats aren't meant to be rocket ships and a 32 MPH cruise on a 36 express is plenty (For me).
Now, the 350's (Trip) will get you out of the hole a little faster and cruise about 5-6 MPH faster....Top end is significantly faster (If you don't mind burning 100). The 350's are also much hirstier and more expensive to maintain. There are some GREAT deals on a few new and used 360's that I know of......PM me if you are interested......
Fishermanbb said:
Those are my exact same experiences with the 360. in Open ocean i have never had the need or ability to go any faster. inshore i never had the willingness to go over 40 gals/hr. I am not sure what the 350's would get me over the 250's exept to spend more on fuell...
360 Express
Having the trip 350's, i have got to be honest, it is kind of great to leave the Dip (canyon) @ 4PM and be having a beer and barbecue @ 6PM (home).
Having the trip 350's, i have got to be honest, it is kind of great to leave the Dip (canyon) @ 4PM and be having a beer and barbecue @ 6PM (home).
250 vs 350
have the 360 with trip 250's runs great. i would like to hear from the guys with the 350's? my fuel numbers and speed are the same as fishermanbb. it actually runs better closer to 5000RPM then 4 and the fuel burn is very flat through the power curve. how are the 350's holding up? heard there were some issues, but they were warranty.
have the 360 with trip 250's runs great. i would like to hear from the guys with the 350's? my fuel numbers and speed are the same as fishermanbb. it actually runs better closer to 5000RPM then 4 and the fuel burn is very flat through the power curve. how are the 350's holding up? heard there were some issues, but they were warranty.
Sorry - I thought the first years were triple F225 (Before the F250 was released)
I must of been 33's that I have seen then!
Thanks for clearing it up!
Tim
I must of been 33's that I have seen then!
Thanks for clearing it up!
Tim
360 express
Holding up great. If you want to just 'purr' along @ 32MPH fuel burn is .75 to .9 depending on conditions and wind. Fast and powerful, a 'bigger feel' than the 330, which i liked a lot also.
Holding up great. If you want to just 'purr' along @ 32MPH fuel burn is .75 to .9 depending on conditions and wind. Fast and powerful, a 'bigger feel' than the 330, which i liked a lot also.
Sorry, but LOL here - LOL -
A 12 ton boat running > 40 mph at .7-.8 mpg and someone thinks its underpowered???? Are you kidding, just not familiar with boats, or what?
Yeah, triple F350's are nice, I would like them instead of my F250's, but at what price? Maybe .5mpg vs .7?? Sorry, in this economy, I need my $$$$
Get rid of the GW's, please, get GW out of your mind. Trust me, you won't like us....
Go Fountain, maybe Contender or Donzi, or Everglades. Get back into the mindset of a narrow beam, half the weight, half of the features or accessories, just go for fast, beat yourself up fall apart speed.
People buy a 360 because it combines speed, comfort, fishability and features. Underpowered? Well, until you own one, live on one, cruise with one, you can have your opinions, are welcome to them.
Having had one for 4 years now, I can tell you there isn't a better boat on the market.
And BTW, I have those little tiny F250's on mine......
A 12 ton boat running > 40 mph at .7-.8 mpg and someone thinks its underpowered???? Are you kidding, just not familiar with boats, or what?
Yeah, triple F350's are nice, I would like them instead of my F250's, but at what price? Maybe .5mpg vs .7?? Sorry, in this economy, I need my $$$$
Get rid of the GW's, please, get GW out of your mind. Trust me, you won't like us....
Go Fountain, maybe Contender or Donzi, or Everglades. Get back into the mindset of a narrow beam, half the weight, half of the features or accessories, just go for fast, beat yourself up fall apart speed.
People buy a 360 because it combines speed, comfort, fishability and features. Underpowered? Well, until you own one, live on one, cruise with one, you can have your opinions, are welcome to them.
Having had one for 4 years now, I can tell you there isn't a better boat on the market.
And BTW, I have those little tiny F250's on mine......
I agree with Eberen and earlier posts for sure, my .02 is really down to a couple of points: I have always been about speed, power, etc. If the 350's had existed when I bought my 360, of course, I would have them.
But I had only the 250's and guess what, they have been bullet proof. If you can afford a 360, and afford is the key - like any big boat, they take a lot of maintenance, support, etc to keep all the systems working, things in tip top shape - you will not be disappointed at all. I have > 3,000 miles on mine, lots of cruising and fishing and overnighting and she is as awesome as when she was first delivered.
GW has exceptional products, service and support. IMHO, the dealer network has really fallen off the last few years, and needs to be fixed.
None of what we are experiencing in this economy, this crazy, once in a century economy, was expected. GW has responded exceptionally, retained their focus on those of us that own their boats, and will buy / upgrad our boats as the economy turns around. I hope to be one of the first in line when the new 420 or 440 Express comes online. (please don't tell my wife.....)
I have my recommendations on where GW falls short, what could improve, etc, just like we all can add input, but guess what - there is NO mfg that comes close to GW, at any price, quality, whatever, imho.
They set the bar, keep it high, and I am both proud and confident when I leave my dock in my 360 that I will be back later, safe, sound and with a box full of fish for the grill......
But I had only the 250's and guess what, they have been bullet proof. If you can afford a 360, and afford is the key - like any big boat, they take a lot of maintenance, support, etc to keep all the systems working, things in tip top shape - you will not be disappointed at all. I have > 3,000 miles on mine, lots of cruising and fishing and overnighting and she is as awesome as when she was first delivered.
GW has exceptional products, service and support. IMHO, the dealer network has really fallen off the last few years, and needs to be fixed.
None of what we are experiencing in this economy, this crazy, once in a century economy, was expected. GW has responded exceptionally, retained their focus on those of us that own their boats, and will buy / upgrad our boats as the economy turns around. I hope to be one of the first in line when the new 420 or 440 Express comes online. (please don't tell my wife.....)
I have my recommendations on where GW falls short, what could improve, etc, just like we all can add input, but guess what - there is NO mfg that comes close to GW, at any price, quality, whatever, imho.
They set the bar, keep it high, and I am both proud and confident when I leave my dock in my 360 that I will be back later, safe, sound and with a box full of fish for the grill......
360 Express
Full Box for me has been difficult, however, the 360 is as close as one can get on a 36 foot vessel to feeling that one is on an inboard powered diesel express of the same size (with some advantages and disadvantages). I had the Topaz 36 and there is a similar 'feel' in terms of stability, with speed really being on the Grady 360's 'positive ledger'. One other major difference for me has been the lack of maintenance issues with the 360 trip 350's versus inboard power.
Full Box for me has been difficult, however, the 360 is as close as one can get on a 36 foot vessel to feeling that one is on an inboard powered diesel express of the same size (with some advantages and disadvantages). I had the Topaz 36 and there is a similar 'feel' in terms of stability, with speed really being on the Grady 360's 'positive ledger'. One other major difference for me has been the lack of maintenance issues with the 360 trip 350's versus inboard power.
sel1005 said:
Amen brother... this spring I almost thought I made a mistake going to a bigger boat (I had a CC prior). there is a LOT of subsystems and they all take some maintenance to keep them running. Living 3 hours away from the boat sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the whole boating experience. I am a DIY in nature and dont like paying for things I can do myself, but i really dont have an option if I want to get to the boat and fish and not worry about the little things that dont work.
on the other hand when I call GW, and ask for part numbers or source of parts, they are very guarded and they tell me to call a dealer, which I have none in my area (or within 3 hours of me). That does not sit well with me sometimes...
overall a great boat. we got to the stream 2 sundays ago and encoutered good 7-10 ft seas and the boat fished beautifully. we outfished most of the fleet and came home with some good tuna. cant ask anymore from a boat. We did take in water from the windlass rope locker that was missing the rubber gasket and it came open and found out quick that there is an opening between the locker and the interior of the boat and many gallons of sea water came into the front berth, wetting the bow thruster electrical components which are now not working. I called GW and they knew about the opening and told me that I was in extraordinary conditions. I think that a velcroed panel between the cabin and the windlass locker is crazy. I will fix this next time I am at the boat with a caulked fiberglass panel.
the F350 has a LOT more torque than the equivalent F250 and that makes the boat feel like it has more power when jumping on plane. I prefer twins to trips for less maint cost but that is not taking into consideration cost for a newer boat which came with F350's.
My boat has the F250's and i don't mind longer plane time. use bow planes to get back end up if it needed.
My boat has the F250's and i don't mind longer plane time. use bow planes to get back end up if it needed.