Express 360 Owners - Advice appreciated!!

[yjamma]

I'm about to pull the trigger on an Express 360 and have a few questions that will help me while going through due diligence.

Any known gremlins I should look out for? I know this is a top tier boat but little things like thru-hull fittings, valves, etc. that can be a real PITA to get to in real-world scenarios. The only one I have been able to find online would be some valves in the aft berth. I have no idea what they are for but I would imagine they are shower/toilet related. How are the valves towards the stern by the generator compartment? Easy to get to? I am coming from a 33' Fountain and those valves could be quite difficult to reach while at sea, especially if I felt like turning on the generator while fishing.

We do about 30/70 fish cruise so I am wondering where to keep my stern anchor. On all my previous boats there were fishboxes in the floor that we could use. One for storage and one for fish. Now with just the transom box I am not completely convinced I want to use that to store the anchor, ropes, floats, etc. as I want to use the refrigerated box as intended; albeit for beers more than fish 70% of the time. This particular boat I am looking at has the Kenyon grill so no port cockpit cooler.

I also notice a weird waterline towards the stern where the thru hull fittings seem to have a line of growth; I am guessing this happened while she was sitting with a full tank for a few weeks. This boat has trip F350s. Anyone out there have problems like that? While I doubt I will leave her weeks on end with a full tank of gas it is something I am considering, especially if repowering I may consider twin F425s or trip F300s.

I have ten million more questions but those are the burning issues. Your help is GREATly appreciated =D

 

[seasick]

Are you or have you gotten a survey and motor inspection?
If not, I strongly advise you do so. There have been some issues with the 350s. Search these boards for posts.

 

[Fishtales]

Not an owner, but have not heard anything negative about the 360. It's a sled... Have fun with her.

 

[wspitler]

On my 2007 330, full gas tanks have very little impact (not noticeable) on the waterline. Not sure I understand what you mean by "weird waterline." All of the thru hull fittings that are stainless (scuppers, live well drains, generator exhaust, bilge pump outlet, etc.) should be well above the waterline even with full tanks and the ones below the water are bronze. How old is the boat? As to the seacocks, the ones aft should have extension rods and the ones forward should be accessible and operate smoothly. Do some research on those 350s.

 

[yjamma]

Are you or have you gotten a survey and motor inspection?
If not, I strongly advise you do so. There have been some issues with the 350s. Search these boards for posts.

Initial survey done with nothing insulting found. Will do a technical survey shortly. I'm familiar with Yamaha engines so not too worried once they pass initial tests. Thank you

 

[yjamma]

On my 2007 330, full gas tanks have very little impact (not noticeable) on the waterline. Not sure I understand what you mean by "weird waterline." All of the thru hull fittings that are stainless (scuppers, live well drains, generator exhaust, bilge pump outlet, etc.) should be well above the waterline even with full tanks and the ones below the water are bronze. How old is the boat? As to the seacocks, the ones aft should have extension rods and the ones forward should be accessible and operate smoothly. Do some research on those 350s.

Thanks. She's a 2013 with low hours on the 350s. More on the Genny but that's expected. I'm not worried about the 350s just yet and have a plan to re power with 300s in the future. My main concern is resale value but once they pass simple checks on the technical survey I'm comfortable.

I'll check all seacocks for those extensions. I also found out today the enclosure plastics are not included. My assumption is Grady can supply them still. Do you have any experience with their after sales? On my old Pursuit 2870WA they told me I was SOL when I requested new plastics 6-7 years ago. One of the few reasons I didn't even look their way this time around but not sure if Grady is any better.

The waterline mark I noticed was a buildup of what looked like barnacles that covered half of the stern stainless steel fittings on the port side. Later photos showed her sitting properly right on the top of the antifouling line and the seller explained the reason for the mark. No longer a big concern of mine.

Honestly everything seems to be going right and will most likely send a deposit tomorrow. Can't wait to join the club!

 

[Fishermanbb]

I owned a 360 for 11 years. Best boat I ever had. A real tank. I kept my stern anchor along with rode and chain in the generator compartment under the aft deck. Plenty of room in there for that, 2 dockside power cords, hose (foldable) and several extra fenders. The road and chain were in a bag. The seacock extensions for the Genset and raw water intake are in the small compartment behind the fold down aft seat. You have to lift the seat up and over the transom fishbox and then you can get to it. Very easy.

Valves in the aft berth are for A/C and hot Water on the port side. Depending on what controls the boat has you will have solenoids for the teleflex and waste tank pump out to starboard. You do not want series "A" 350's. series "C" are fine but they didn't come out until 2016. Series "B" which is likely what your boat has had a few issues beyond the well known flywheel but they are ok if well maintained. Very familiar with the boat (I even helped with the design during mock up at the Grady factory) so be happy to answer questions if you have any.

 

[wspitler]

Thanks. She's a 2013 with low hours on the 350s. More on the Genny but that's expected. I'm not worried about the 350s just yet and have a plan to re power with 300s in the future. My main concern is resale value but once they pass simple checks on the technical survey I'm comfortable.

I'll check all seacocks for those extensions. I also found out today the enclosure plastics are not included. My assumption is Grady can supply them still. Do you have any experience with their after sales? On my old Pursuit 2870WA they told me I was SOL when I requested new plastics 6-7 years ago. One of the few reasons I didn't even look their way this time around but not sure if Grady is any better.

The waterline mark I noticed was a buildup of what looked like barnacles that covered half of the stern stainless steel fittings on the port side. Later photos showed her sitting properly right on the top of the antifouling line and the seller explained the reason for the mark. No longer a big concern of mine.

Honestly everything seems to be going right and will most likely send a deposit tomorrow. Can't wait to join the club!

As for enclosures, A&J Canvas in Vanceboro NC does all of the GW OEM work and have most of the patterns. I'm pretty sure GW will refer you to them. There a lot of posts on this forum about A&J and all I have seen are very positive. They did an enclosure for my 330 and I was very pleased.

 

[yjamma]

I owned a 360 for 11 years. Best boat I ever had. A real tank. I kept my stern anchor along with rode and chain in the generator compartment under the aft deck. Plenty of room in there for that, 2 dockside power cords, hose (foldable) and several extra fenders. The road and chain were in a bag. The seacock extensions for the Genset and raw water intake are in the small compartment behind the fold down aft seat. You have to lift the seat up and over the transom fishbox and then you can get to it. Very easy.

Valves in the aft berth are for A/C and hot Water on the port side. Depending on what controls the boat has you will have solenoids for the teleflex and waste tank pump out to starboard. You do not want series "A" 350's. series "C" are fine but they didn't come out until 2016. Series "B" which is likely what your boat has had a few issues beyond the well known flywheel but they are ok if well maintained. Very familiar with the boat (I even helped with the design during mock up at the Grady factory) so be happy to answer questions if you have any.

Awesome information! Thank you! You are spot on about the 350s and I will definitely be looking at those seacocks as that's one of my biggest fears in a boat of this size and complexity. She was supposedly kept on dry dock for the majority of her life so I am hoping all of that should be in order. I do err on the side of caution with an 8 year old hull with such low hours but that's probably a good thing for me not just for the engines but the usage on the hull.

I like your idea of using the generator compartment, I was not sure exactly how much could fit in there but will definitely use your approach as a long time owner.

I will definitely be in touch as the process continues as I do have a million questions, but will wait until more of the due diligence is completed. Truly appreciate the help.

 

[yjamma]

As for enclosures, A&J Canvas in Vanceboro NC does all of the GW OEM work and have most of the patterns. I'm pretty sure GW will refer you to them. There a lot of posts on this forum about A&J and all I have seen are very positive. They did an enclosure for my 330 and I was very pleased.

Thank you! I will reach out to them right now

 

[Saunders Mystic]

I have owned my 360 for 3 years and have had no issues at all with the thru-hull fittings or the ease of getting to the important ones. In fact very little issues period. We took our boat from above Jacksonville Florida to the Bahamas and spent 2 weeks living on board. The only hiccup was with the generator and we were able to sort it out pretty quickly. This is my 3rd Grady and my best by far. I agree with the survey, it's just a smart move.

 

[yjamma]

I have owned my 360 for 3 years and have had no issues at all with the thru-hull fittings or the ease of getting to the important ones. In fact very little issues period. We took our boat from above Jacksonville Florida to the Bahamas and spent 2 weeks living on board. The only hiccup was with the generator and we were able to sort it out pretty quickly. This is my 3rd Grady and my best by far. I agree with the survey, it's just a smart move.

Thanks! I am happy to hear your experience was a good one. This is the consensus from every person I have spoken to and am ready to join the club! We will be sailing her through the Bahamas and then into the Caribbean so I am looking forward to the journey.

If you don't mind me asking, what happened to the generator?