Grady White 330express
- Thread starter zzzingpow
- Start date
Sardinia306Canyon
GreatGrady Captain
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2023
- Messages
- 649
- Reaction score
- 141
- Points
- 43
- Age
- 60
- Location
- Island of Sardinia
- Model
- Canyon 306
I checked out one for sale here in Sardinia, but deleted the photos, but a short search found this one in NJ.
https://it.boats.com/barche-a-motore/2014-grady-white-express-330-9467287/
A tower is certainly nice to have and very useful if you do a lot of trolling, i spent years and years up in the tower captaining.
Not sure if a foldable tower would be feasible, the 330 Express is a big and rather high boat so not really simple to trailer.
I believe that she will live happier in a marina, and you too as i know very well how my life changed from whan i have first my 30ft RIB and now my 306 Canyon fully loaded and ready to go in a marina.
Absolutely dual station, the extra cost for the second station still makes it worth to be able to steer from above, either for trolling but it's also priceless to drive home during sunset.
Back draws:
Chris
https://it.boats.com/barche-a-motore/2014-grady-white-express-330-9467287/
A tower is certainly nice to have and very useful if you do a lot of trolling, i spent years and years up in the tower captaining.
Not sure if a foldable tower would be feasible, the 330 Express is a big and rather high boat so not really simple to trailer.
I believe that she will live happier in a marina, and you too as i know very well how my life changed from whan i have first my 30ft RIB and now my 306 Canyon fully loaded and ready to go in a marina.
Absolutely dual station, the extra cost for the second station still makes it worth to be able to steer from above, either for trolling but it's also priceless to drive home during sunset.
Back draws:
- trailering difficult, more than without tower
- best would be a safe, nearby marina what is costly and probably difficult to find
- more piping to clean and stay behind
- you need a cover for controls and electronics, soft cover works fine if not very windy
- more costs to add a second station, for engine controls and at least one MFD
- the long, spreader kind of outriggers are a PITA to clean , rig and transport
- climbing up and down need a bit of attention to not fall down, good knees and generally being fit
- the outriggers reduce the space to move to bow a bit
Chris
Well, slips in the marina are plentiful here..sshhh! I'm OK for summer months but most certainly trailer the vessel home whenever I feel. I'm close, always brought my past boats home up to 28'.
I will handle the 330. I see many on trailers online so it is quite doable. A retractable/fold tower dual station is a must have. I will do that as an afterthought. #1 priority "Buy boat". Been climbing the tower on the Thunder, a 48 ft Chris...for long time. Used to lookin out hanging on slippery when wet. Staying fit is mandatory....Thanks for the link
I will handle the 330. I see many on trailers online so it is quite doable. A retractable/fold tower dual station is a must have. I will do that as an afterthought. #1 priority "Buy boat". Been climbing the tower on the Thunder, a 48 ft Chris...for long time. Used to lookin out hanging on slippery when wet. Staying fit is mandatory....Thanks for the link
My 2 cents: I'm always up and down on the hard top on my '03 to rig and unrig my outriggers, maintain antennas, etc.. I think it's easily strong enough to support at least 1 person at that level if you wanted to add a 1/2 tower (heard them called marlin towers too). I did exactly this on my previous boat, a Boston Whaler 28 Conquest. It also had a nice cushion to lean back on, and quick release pins to be able to take it down pretty easily. I didn't add controls as I used it to spot fish when trolling, not running, though I did have an autopilot remote so someone up there could steer.
I thought about doing this on my 330 but have held off because it's hard to climb up there safely from the cockpit as factory configured - the overhang of the top is too wide. Adding hand holds would help, or I've also seen a pic of someone who cut away half-moons into the top where the side support "ladder" reaches the top. It's hard to see in the picture, but on my whaler, the aft supports were actually designed as a climbable ladder with curved cross pipes that extended out a bit so you could find your footing. Before I put the mini-tower up there, we used to climb up all the time to jump off the top!
I think the Grady top can easily support something like the above -- you'd just have to figure out better access. If I were going to do it, I'd probably also cut away the lip over the "ladder" and add some nice hand holds. I probably would keep it as "observer only" without a 2nd steering and throttle station, and just use the autopilot remote when trolling. I can control my autopilot with my Garmin watch!
Hope that helps.
I thought about doing this on my 330 but have held off because it's hard to climb up there safely from the cockpit as factory configured - the overhang of the top is too wide. Adding hand holds would help, or I've also seen a pic of someone who cut away half-moons into the top where the side support "ladder" reaches the top. It's hard to see in the picture, but on my whaler, the aft supports were actually designed as a climbable ladder with curved cross pipes that extended out a bit so you could find your footing. Before I put the mini-tower up there, we used to climb up all the time to jump off the top!
I think the Grady top can easily support something like the above -- you'd just have to figure out better access. If I were going to do it, I'd probably also cut away the lip over the "ladder" and add some nice hand holds. I probably would keep it as "observer only" without a 2nd steering and throttle station, and just use the autopilot remote when trolling. I can control my autopilot with my Garmin watch!
Hope that helps.