Experience with Express 330

[seasick]

Folks,
Ii looks like my next choice in boats is either an Express 305 or a 330. I realize the 330 is more than just a longer 305 and is in fact quite heavier and wider. Can you share you experiences with your 330s and in particular, what you really like and don't like about it. For starters, is the bow thruster a must? Our slips can be a tad tight and afternoons are frequently windy. I prefer f300s and would not consider 250s on a 330. I see some boats with 350s but that seems like overkill for my kind of boating which is mainly near shore (20 miles max) and not a lot of overnights. Are there certain years that are better than others. I am looking at 5 to 7 year old models. Am I nuts to look at 330s as opposed to a 305 for my kind of boating.
Are Marlins all that different from Expresses?
Thanks for you thoughts.
Safe boating!

 

[Off the Hook]

Seasick,

I recently purchased my 330 and have been VERY impressed. The boat does everything I need it to do. I fish offshore and often have a 60 mile run to the stream, it has handled everything I have encountered very nicely, there is a lot of room in the cockpit and so far it has fished well. There is enough room on the boat for overnight trips for the whole family (5 of us). We recently spent three consecutive nights on the boat and were quite comfortable. The only thing I don't like about the boat so far is the lack of storage compartments. Of course I could put things down below, but when I am fishing I don't want to keep going in and out of the cabin. I like to fish with a clear cockpit and would love to have some storage compartments in the deck.

Every 330 I looked at had the bow thruster and that thing makes handling simple in small spaces and windy conditions. If I were buying one again it would b a necessary item. My boat is an '08 and I believe that is the year Grady made a few changes including raising the windshield height. Additionally the cockpit ac began available. I have the cockpit ac and again would not go without it.

When I set out to buy the new boat, I wanted a solid fishing platform, a boat that could accommodate my wife and three kids on overnight trips and a boat with outboards so I could go to the sandbars for the summer days of rafting up n relaxing... This boat allows me to do all those things.

 

[seasick]

Great information especially about the cockpit AC. I didn't realise that was an option

Thanks!

 

[Fishermanbb]

Run a few 330's before you convince yourself on what power you NEED. I had a 330 before my current boat (360). It was a great boat. Mine had 225's - No thruster. I never had any issues putting it anywhere. However, having said that a thruster is always a welcome addition and if you dock in a cross wind it can be very helpful (Additional hint: In a strong cross wind roll up the side windows on your canvas. It will reduce the "Sail" significantly and slow your drift.)

As for power: My 330 with 225's cruised at the exact same speed and burned less fuel (At IDENTICAL RPM) that my buddies with 250's. His boat jumped on plane 1/2 second quicker (Basically unnoticeable) and had a top end about 4 MPH more than mine. For everyday use you could not tell the difference.

The 300's are great motors but the 250's have been around a long time and are pretty bulletproof so long as you avoid pre-2006 motor year (Lower unit corrosion). How fast do you really want to go in a 33 ft. express? The boat cruises at 3o- - 32 MPH with 250's. Do you really need more than that if you are only going 20 miles? Just some food for thought as you look for a boat.

All I am suggesting is that you actually run the various power configurations yourself. My experience on the internet is that while there is a LOT of great first hand knowledge, there are also a LOT of opinions without actual experience to back it up. If you really need the extra fews MPH then by all means get 300's. However, in a 5-6 year old boat I do not think the new 300's (Which so far have a great reputation) are available.

Good luck in your search. It is a great boat and very seaworthy (As is the 305). I think my marina has a 305 for sale for awhile now, maybe also some 300's. You can look on their website:

POEMarine.com

Good luck!

 

[alfa1023]

Have a 2005 330 Express with F250's. We love the boat and use it for everything from day trips to the sandbar to multi-week trips to the Bahamas and Keys (always sleep on the boat). Realistically, the cabin sleeps 2 adults comfortably (we have no kids). More than that and I would think it would get a little crowded for more than a night or two.

Agree with the comments on a bowthruster. Never thought I would need one, but it sure makes you look like a pro when docking in strongs winds/tides.

Only complaint I have, it is a minor one, is the center helm sometimes is a pain. I really liked the setup when I first got the boat and still do from a driving/docking standpoint. But when we have others on the boat, who are in/out of the cabin while underway, the helm seat is just plain in the way.

I have never felt the boat was underpowered with the F250's. Would love to have the new F300's, but its not like this will be a 50+ mph go fast center console. We have had our boat loaded down with 4 divers and all their gear, full fuel/water and she doesn't miss a beat. Have had her out in some nasty seas and no problem running along at a slow plane. The only handling issue we ever had was with a big, quartering following sea. The boat will bow steer somewhat (need to use tabs and trim to help counter this) in these seas. But we had this to a degree with our 272 Sailfish.

Good luck with your search.

 

[ElyseM]

pretty much in line with the others.

we had a gulfstream w/ twin f200's prior and this one has f350's. my preference is to have more power than less. i mainly run at 25 to 28 or so mph turning between 3700 and 4000 with a burn of 1 mpg fully wet.

the 4 blade props i use are a world of difference on this boat over the 3 blades when it comes to control. you sacrifice top end speed and a touch economy, but it is more than worth it. (my top end runs are few and far between)

the engines need to be trimmed out slightly at slow speeds to attain control. all the way down and the thrust vector is not where you want it. for me, i trim to 2 bars or just into 3 depending on conditions. if you play around with it, you will feel the sweet spot fairly quickly.

as for thrusters, I've been boating for almost 50 years and after having one on this boat, i would put a thruster on ANY boat that would fit it. this boat has a huge sail area and adverse wind/current conditions can be knocked down with the thruster. if you can muscle a boat into a slip with instinct and not thought, then you don't really need one. but i'm a very slow docker (don't go faster than the speed at which you want to hit something) and i like to think things thru.

good luck with your search. ron

 

[gulfcart]

Had a 2007 330..Great boat..Now have 360.. I had 350's on it. about 1 mpg @ 30mph.. Lots of torque. Wife and I put 1600 hours on before trade. Overnight for weekends, keys trips,offshore trips. Got caught in some tough seas but handled it well. Good for two people overnighters. Panda generator was great. Never stopped purring. No bow thruster, but was ok.Couple of complaints.. Generator exhaust out same side as dive ladder? Same on 360. And 3 rung ladder..When diving it sucks. Not really fond of center helm when trying to move around helm at anchor.. Following or quartering sea we called it the Grady Lean.. Very center line sensitive. It would roll hard.. Got used to it.
All in all ..great boat.

 

[magicalbill]

Seasick;
Never owned one, but several in our club have them, all but one with 250's.

Each boat with the 250's would cruise at 30-31 at 4800 RPM and get 1.1-1.2 MPG.

That seems like a pretty hard life for an engine to spin close to 5000 RPM all day long. I would opt for the 300's, not for the extra 3-4 MPH, (who runs wide open?) but for the potentially longer life of your engines.

I've ridden on 2 or 3 of those 33's and I kept wishing they had 300's.

 

[magicalbill]

Oops,
Just re-read your post and saw that you wouldn't consider 250's on a 330.

I would certainly opt for 300's.

Haven't they had trouble with the 350's?

 

[seasick]

Thanks again for all the feedback. You have confirmed a lot of what my research has found except for the issues with the center helm. I can see the advantages and disadvantages with both that configuration.

I have read selected posting about F350 failures and would stay away from them until there is more history out there. All in all it seems that most are pleased with their 330s. The issues with lean and bow steer are common with Sv2 hull designs. Heck I get it bad on my 208. You just have to learn to adjust trim and not over compensate. Of course with the 208's light weight, trim is tough to maintain when you have passengers moving around, especially the 'larger' passengers

 

[ElyseM]

on the f350's not an expert, but hearing from them. the problem with the early ones was with the drainage over the winter. not complete and cracked jackets. i had one go. they did change the exhaust and require antifreeze in the 350's. they also just put a maintenance program in effect for the flywheels. change at every 300 hours. currently on yamaha's dime but who knows. apparently the heat generated under the flywheel is deteriorating the polymer material on the flywheel over time. i would guess that they are working on a high heat compound.

the center helm does have the drawback you indicate. the bigger the boat the more room. so you need to decide what you want. good luck, ron

 

[slimjim7]

I have owned my 330 for 8 months, moved up from a 21' center console. My wife and I generally fish it just the two of us. I rate it as a "great" boat for a couple. If there were more people trying to move around that helm area, it would get real tight. But, for us, I love the center helm -- great lines of sight!

 

[grady33]

I sold my 2000 Sailfish 3 years ago and purchased a 2006 330 with F250 yams that has all options including bow thruster, diesel gen and freezer fish box. The only thing we don't have that would have been nice is helm air but that wasn't and option at the time. Yesterday we fished flat sea conditions offshore in Maryland out 56 miles and back trolling all day. We were fully loaded with 7 large guys on board and burned 163 gallons at a cost of $4.83 per gal for non-ethanol (thanks to our tax loving governor). MD is the only state with a rain tax! The best cruise speed seems to be at 4800 rpm's at 28-30 mph burning 28 GPH. I absolutely love the boat. Handles conditions great and very roomy. My only real complaint is that the rod holders on each side of hardtop are too close together and don't seem to allow enough room for my Shimano TLD/Tiagra 50's. I would also like rod holders across the hardtop which I plan on adding. Bow thruster is a must! The cockpit of the newer 330's are higher I'm told allowing better visibility. I don't have a problem cause my delux helm chair moves up and down as needed. I would like to be able to run at lower rpm's (to get better mileage) and will probably update to 300's in a few years depending what's available. The ability to raise and lower the helm is also very nice and helps protect my furuno vx2 units. Great boat overall and heavy so handles seas well. I figured out the boat fully loaded probably weighs 15,700-16,500 lbs.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

I had an '07 with 250's and like fishermanbob said you don't need any more power with what you're doing with the boat. Thruster was a big plus for me along with the helm A/C - heat, toasty while black fishing and very comfortable on those July days. Center helm seat, i had the same problem with the space around the seat until i removed the arm rests, you'll be surprised what those 2-3" on each side do.

 

[slimjim7]

Forgot to mention I also have a bowthruster on my 330. I had Florida Bow Thrusters install it soon after I purchased the boat. It only took me a few times trying to dock in a stiff breeze or current to realize the 330 did not handle like the only other twin engine boats I had maneuvered (diesel inboards). The bowthruster only gets used here and there, but the times it does get used it is worth every single penny of the cost.

Helm air would be pretty awesome -- I don't have that on my 2004. Instead, I installed DC-powered fans on the underside of the VHF radio storage area. It's no AC, but it was super cheap and the breeze blowing right on the captain is super.

 

[Hey Jo]

I am considering a bow thruster on my 330. My question is what size to install. It seems there are two options, a Vetus BOW 55 series or the Vetus BOW 60 series. What models has anyone installed and how is the performance in a strong current or strong wind?

 

[HMBJack]

For the original poster - No a bow thruster is not a "must" - but very, very, nice to have. Same is true for the electric assist steering. Once you get used to these two items, you'll never want a boat without them. I have owned my 2006 330 for four years and the only dislike I have is the fish boxes. They certainly could be bigger for the fishing enthusiast (i.e. on long range tuna trips where you need alot of ice & space). Also, I love the FP diesel genset. The 330 is an excellent design which supports many uses so I don't think you can go wrong with it. That said - if you do not plan to do alot of overnights - the 330 is overkill in my opinion. Good luck in your search and decision making!

 

[IBeGrady'd]

For those with experience on both the 305 and 330, what is the major upside to the 330? I'm not sure that the fuel economy/performance of the 305 w/250s is outweighed by the 330 specs. :hmm

 

[gulfcoastangler]

I purchased a 2007 330 express with 250's on it. Boat was first titled in 2009 with about 40k in upgrades and I just put another 12k in it. Boat has everything and looks like a new boat. Motors have 75 hrs and she is a beauty. Diesel generator, chill plates in fish boxes, open array radar, satellite tv, upgraded helm chair, wood laminated cabinet doors. Upgrade after upgrade and guess what I'm selling it 8). In my opinion go with the 30 if you do not need the room otherwise if you want room do as I and get the 360.