Hi Everybody,
I've been on this site for at least 10 years and have read nearly every thread on the 330 Express, as it has been my dream boat since it came out. I have a 1988 Seafarer 228 that has been in my family since new. I finally got my permission slip from my wife this fall for the 330, but my budget was limited to 2002-2006 price boats. I had 3 different boats under contract this winter only to have them fail due to delamination on the sides and transom of the boat. I was very discouraged by this and still makes me worry that I will run into this in the future on the one I ended up buying. I ended up buying a 2004 with 2012 Yamaha F300s in South Carolina. I drove it up a few weeks ago by water 950 miles to NH. Here are my Loves and dis-likes (don't hate anything).
Loves:
-This boat is a tank. WAYYYYY better than I thought in the rough stuff. Much closer to a 40-50 foot battlewagon than my Seafarer 22. The people who say it gets hard to control in a quartering or following sea are crazy. Nothing got scary ever!
-It tracks amazingly well. Our autopilot was broken on the trip and steering was very easy, the boat goes straight and the engines don't bog down with every wave like my seafarer.
-The cabin and amenities are big for the size of the boat. Cooking and making coffee on a boat is a big step up for me. We have no problem sleeping my family on it.
-Center helm with the side seating allows much more room and some napping areas compared to like a Marlin 300. I want to be able to have a quick nap while still being close to the rods.
-Two engines is pretty cool. She will spin on her axis but in the wind it is not easy. She does have a bit of a bow sail. I don't have a bow thruster which would have been nice as I learn but I think it will be fine once I get more practice.
-Luxury and performance. She was dry and comfortable even in the storms I went through. This is really a game changer. A little like going from a bicycle to a motorhome. And she is just as fast as the seafarer.
Dis-likes:
-Fuel burn. Even with the 300 Yamahas she was thirsty. at 25 knots I was getting .82 nautical mpg. Increase to 28 knots and it was in the 32-34 gallons per hour. Maybe at 22 I might burn closer to 0.9 nmpg but it was certainly worse than advertised. The $1200 gas bill on long Island was enlightening ;-)
-Storage. I have a giant storage area on my 228 in the middle of the deck (not stock) but the 330 doesn't have big areas of storage especially in the cockpit. (like for a spare anchor, fenders, etc.)
-Electronics Access: Tough to get in places to even see things let alone work on them. I guess that goes with the territory of a mid size boat with tons of equipment.
Overall I love my 228 Seafarer and I think its the best boat ever built in that size class, but I may end up selling her. The 330 Express is really an amazing boat. I can get nearly as shallow as a small boat but can run with the big boys offshore. Really the best of both worlds. Thanks for listening. I am hoping to put some videos up on youtube of my trip.
I've been on this site for at least 10 years and have read nearly every thread on the 330 Express, as it has been my dream boat since it came out. I have a 1988 Seafarer 228 that has been in my family since new. I finally got my permission slip from my wife this fall for the 330, but my budget was limited to 2002-2006 price boats. I had 3 different boats under contract this winter only to have them fail due to delamination on the sides and transom of the boat. I was very discouraged by this and still makes me worry that I will run into this in the future on the one I ended up buying. I ended up buying a 2004 with 2012 Yamaha F300s in South Carolina. I drove it up a few weeks ago by water 950 miles to NH. Here are my Loves and dis-likes (don't hate anything).
Loves:
-This boat is a tank. WAYYYYY better than I thought in the rough stuff. Much closer to a 40-50 foot battlewagon than my Seafarer 22. The people who say it gets hard to control in a quartering or following sea are crazy. Nothing got scary ever!
-It tracks amazingly well. Our autopilot was broken on the trip and steering was very easy, the boat goes straight and the engines don't bog down with every wave like my seafarer.
-The cabin and amenities are big for the size of the boat. Cooking and making coffee on a boat is a big step up for me. We have no problem sleeping my family on it.
-Center helm with the side seating allows much more room and some napping areas compared to like a Marlin 300. I want to be able to have a quick nap while still being close to the rods.
-Two engines is pretty cool. She will spin on her axis but in the wind it is not easy. She does have a bit of a bow sail. I don't have a bow thruster which would have been nice as I learn but I think it will be fine once I get more practice.
-Luxury and performance. She was dry and comfortable even in the storms I went through. This is really a game changer. A little like going from a bicycle to a motorhome. And she is just as fast as the seafarer.
Dis-likes:
-Fuel burn. Even with the 300 Yamahas she was thirsty. at 25 knots I was getting .82 nautical mpg. Increase to 28 knots and it was in the 32-34 gallons per hour. Maybe at 22 I might burn closer to 0.9 nmpg but it was certainly worse than advertised. The $1200 gas bill on long Island was enlightening ;-)
-Storage. I have a giant storage area on my 228 in the middle of the deck (not stock) but the 330 doesn't have big areas of storage especially in the cockpit. (like for a spare anchor, fenders, etc.)
-Electronics Access: Tough to get in places to even see things let alone work on them. I guess that goes with the territory of a mid size boat with tons of equipment.
Overall I love my 228 Seafarer and I think its the best boat ever built in that size class, but I may end up selling her. The 330 Express is really an amazing boat. I can get nearly as shallow as a small boat but can run with the big boys offshore. Really the best of both worlds. Thanks for listening. I am hoping to put some videos up on youtube of my trip.
