from sailfish 272 to 33 Express

[grady33]

I’ve finally outgrown my 272 sailfish and thinking about moving up to a 33 Express. Anyone make that similar move or have any comments, concerns or advise to share? May try and go new or look for an older model and repower. Seems to me the early 33's were underpowered with 225's and 250's. We fish Ocean City, MD (30-60 miles offshore) but would like longer range too. Simply put, we need more room and creature comforts and would like to do more overnight trips.

 

[alfa1023]

We made this exact upgrade last year. The 330 feels huge compared to the 272. There are times when I miss the Sailfish (like when docking in a tight marina, although the bow thruster helps a bunch) but the 330 has expanded our boating: lots more overnighting (generator on the 330), way more range (350 gallons on the 330), safer, more comfortable when things get nasty, etc. One big downside though is we could trailer our 272 to the Keys or east coast of Florida, now we have to motor to get there.

We have the F250's on our boat. When lightly loaded, they are more than adequate power. But when we are loaded down with 4+ divers and all their gear/full fuel/etc, there are times I wish I had the new F300's.

They made a couple big improvements on the later models - one key one is they raised the height of the helm bench seating so that your passengers can actually see over the bow when underway. This is one big complaint that my crew always has.

 

[ElyseM]

can't help there, but we went from a 232 to the 330.

love the boat and would suggest you find one with a thruster because they make it a whole lot easier to handle in close-quarters with less than good conditions.

you also may want to check with GW to see if the older hulls will handle the new 4.2 f300's. pre '04, they were rated 500hp, but that may have been because there weren't larger engines. good luck, ron

 

[grady33]

THanks for the feedback. I agree about the engines and will probably shoot for 300 - 350's. Grady is off this week (annual vacation) but when they are back, I'm going to ping them on adding larger engines to older 33's. I'd love to get a 36 but hard to find any around at a price I can afford.

 

[georgemjr]

I made the same move last year, from a 28Sailfish to the 33 Express. I love the boat, couldn't be happier. I went with an '06, intentionally, as I didn't want too old of a boat with too many hours. I find that it is perfectly powered with the 250's, and have heard the 225's are equally as good. Don't get me wrong, I do believe you can never be overpowered, but I wouldn't want the 350's. They aren't supposed to be too good on gas and are heavy. The 300's are lighter than the 250's, more powerful, and more efficient. I find that I cruise at around30, top out at 40. I usually am faster than most boats of similar ilk, and can run as fast as the seas allow. It runs almost identical to my friends 30 withe the same power. The boat has allowed me to overnight often. Try to get one with bow thruster, it is not necessary, but a wonderful luxury in wind and tight spots.

 

[Frank G]

I agree with most of the above comments. We upgraded in 2007 from a 272 to a 330. We love the boat. My wife agrees with one poster about the inability to see out over the windshield. We solved the problem by buying a bean bag chair from ALL TACKLE that she sits on when riding in a helm seat. Ours is equipped with 2-250's and in most conditions is more than adequately powered. We've taken a number of extended trips with the 330 and found it quite comfortable. GW has made some improvements in later models but some of them are purely cosmetic. Others such as the access door to the generator and fuel filters corrects an earlier questionable design. A bow thruster would be nice particularly if you are trying to dock in an area with a strong current flow or where you are exposed to strong cross winds.