Need input on the 330 Express, please!

[Gray-Sea]

Hey guys, we are seriously considering a 2002 GW 330 Express that was repowered in 2008 with DF300s (less than 100 hours). I've read all the Grady-hate on THT, and I'm inclined to believe the owners and fans rather than the detractors who heard third hand about a bad experience. I do have some reservations, however; primarily a boat this large, beamy, and heavy is powered by outboards. The lost transom space is also a turn off, as well as fishing around those outboards...but the interior layout is fantastic and makes up for it, especially for family use, and I suspect the newer Suzukis will perform admirably compared to old F225s.

The other primary contender right now is a similar age/similarly priced Albemarle 320XF. Very different boats with different focuses, however our intended use is the same for both: heavy offshore family fishing. We really want to be able to pull occasional overnighters, and the Grady (I think) would do that more comfortably than the Albie

Albemarles are overbuilt true "Carolina boats" and have rugged hulls that are hard to just beat for sportfishing. Overall Quality and fit-and-finish are above average, especially interior carpentry. The only negatives I've heard are that it is a "tender" hull design, and to stay away from the CAT 3116s.

Grady-Whites are also Carolina Boats, but I'm not sure that the SeaV2 hull is nearly as rugged, dry, or intended for hardcore offshore use as the Albemarle is. But I could be wrong.

We agree that a family-friendly offshore boat in this size range is what we need (my wife is more of a fisherman than I am). And yeah, I know, "all boats are a compromise." And it's the compromise where I need some informed advice!

Downsides of the Albie that I see:
- "tender" reputation of the 32's hull (made up for with quality of the ride, especially in a head-sea, which is reported to be superb)
- cabin space; from pictures, it doesn't seem like overnighting is particularly reasonable, unless we kick the kid/kids onto the helm deck with an air mattress

Selling points of the Grady:
The layout and second berth for the kids are pretty strong selling points for the Grady. The newer digital motors are also. No tower on this boat, but that's not a deal breaker. The wasted space of the eurotransom and outboards bothers me, but I've never fished it, and I imagine I'd get used to it. Is the 330 a cruiser disguised as a fishing boat, or would we be perfectly content fishing every weekend with the added benefit of dockside comfort?

I know the quality of Grady has been called into question with relatively new boats having construction problems (possibly caused my failure to follow maintenance recommendations), along with the negative Pasco reviews, which amusingly pan Grady AND Albemarle, but extol Luhrs. Go figure. :hmm

Anyway, we'd welcome any advice, especially from folks who own or have owned a 330. There are a ton of them on the market right now, and I wonder if that's in part because it should really be an inboard diesel boat for practicality and more economic operation.

 

[irie mon]

I have a 2003 330 that I have owned since new. The boat is an excellent fishing platform, as well as a family friendly cruiser. Docked in southern New Jersey I routinely fish the offshore canyons out 70+ miles, and she has handled all whether conditions beautifully. The euro transom is a bit of waste of space, but you get used to it. She is not a speed demon, but she moves Alomg at 24+ kts drinking a bit over 1mpg. I have cruised her with my wife and two boys throughout the Chesapeake and Delaware bay's, and as far north as Newport RI and MV and Cuttyhunk Mass. On our second set of motors, we put on a set of 250s 3 seasons ago, I bet the 300s will delivery great fuel efficiency. All in all, I love my boat. Only major issue we ever had was with the generator. It is damp in the bilge so you have to run it under load. Let it dry itself out and stretch it's legs... Good luck

 

[onoahimahi]

Tough choice - both great boats. However, it's hard to beat the clean-looking outboard-less transom on the Albie - even with a traditional swim platform which my wife would insist on if I ever move up from my 28-footer. I'm also jealous of the way my twin-diesel clubmates can maneuver their big boats flawlessly around the slips and with only their shifters. They also claim surprisingly efficient operation so I would look closely at that for both boats if it is important to you.

 

[grady33]

I have a 2006 330 and love it. Moved up from a 272 Sailfish last fall. I looked at many many boats and I prefer the new quiet outboards over the loud smelling diesels. I also find it easy to maintain these engines DIY. Like the look of boat boats so I think it comes down to a personal decision. We have af250 on our boat and they cruise us at around 24-27 depending on conditions. I do wish I had the new Yam 300s on the back but at this point the extra speed isn't worth the extra cost to upgrade. Good luck on the decision.

 

[Wally World]

I just purchased a 2002 330 express repowered with 2011 250's with only 125 hours on them. I had a Proline 33 Walk before was lost to Sandy. I can honestly say it has been a big upgrade! Heavier boat more range etc... a true fishing machine with all the comforts of home. Sounds like we had a similar situation as I have a family that surrounds fishing and dock life as well and with the comforts underneath and the helm layout, my wife and I felt that the whole family could be sitting in one area while underway. We liked that most. Have not ran it that much as of yet but so far seems to have been a good choice. It loves a head sea as well!

 

[Gray-Sea]

Thanks very much for all the input, folks! We appreciate it. We were able to find two visiting boats last night at a local marina, a GW300 and Albie320 parked right next to each other. It was pretty neat to be able to compare like that, unfortunately the owners weren't around to bend their ears.

Wally, the helm layout of the Grady is a definite advantage. The Albie we're looking at does NOT have the L-shaped helm seating, so if we went that route, I would have to contact Albemarle to see if they could retrofit that seating if they still have the molds for it (just on the port side though, it looks like it interferes with the helm chair starboard). And you're right, DEFINITELY a similar decision situation! It's that cabin, comfort, and layout of the Grady that I think is going to give it the edge. We're really looking forward to our trip next weekend to see both boats.

 

[Gray-Sea]

Found a nice 300 Marlin for sale today too...loved it. F225s scare me though with the exhaust corrosion issues. Beautiful boat though, I suspect we'll like the 330 that much more!

 

[ElyseM]

i'm not sure 350's are needed in the 28 to 30 range (even the 330's were running 300hp prior to 2008) the new f300's or f250's would be great.

with the 350's, i get 1 to 1.1 mpg across the cruise range. that's full fuel and half water. more towards 1.1 as the fuel burns off. i use xl4 props which actually nick the economy, but seriously improve control and handling. it runs 8+ tons wet.

as far as the f225's go. have them scoped and factor "time to a repower" into any price offer. a marlin in my marina was repowered with the new f250's (from 2 strokes); owner loves them.

ron

ps: not sure how this got here. supposed to be an answer to another post. however, some of it fits.

 

[jip40]

Gray-Sea

I moved from a 22' Pursuit Cuddy Cabin to a 2002 330 in August 2011 - it has 225's that had 450 hours on them, they now have 750 hours. I wasn't aware of the corrosion issues at the time but I did have the engines surveyed by the selling and servicing dealer (they had been servicing my old boat as well) and nothing was mentioned regarding the corrosion. I boat in the Gulf off the Florida panhandle and may have smoother sea conditions than some of the other posters as I routinely cruise 4500 rpm in the range of 28 - 31 mph (gps stats) burning 24 - 25 gph.

I mainly use the boat for fishing and didn't consider anything other than outboards as I want to be able to beach the boat for some fun in the sun with the grand kids and I really dislike the diesel fumes from inboards. You learn to fish around the outboards and with one exception have not had problems with the lines in the props. I agree with the comments about the placement of the generator as I consider this to be the biggest negative with the boat. My problem was compounded by a mechanic "rebuilding" the generator as a condition of the sale. After one year the generator had to be pulled and major service done to correct mechanical and electrical wiring that was marginal at best. After the second year the stator (I believe that's the correct term for the end that generates the electricity) went and out it came for a second major service. The location of the generator results in a lot of bilge water getting all over it. The Kohler servicing dealer recommends that I run the generator under load from the time I leave the dock to the time I get back.

One of the things that really sold me on the 330 was the cabin layout. Even my wife (who is not a boater) is comfortable staying on the boat for 3 - 5 days. I have had a few guys try to convince me that I should sell the boat to them and move up to something larger. As far as I am concerned, the 330 is perfect for me. I can handle the boat by myself offshore and at the dock as well, and the space in the cabin is perfect for 2. My son and I had his three kids on it for five nights and that was too much.

Good luck in your search and enjoy what ever you decide upon.

Jeff

 

[Gray-Sea]

Thanks much, Jeff, very helpful.

Two of you have said it, apparently I'm missing the reason...what's the point of running the generator because it gets wet?

 

[HMBJack]

I have owned my 2006 330 now for three years. Have 700 hours on the F250's and it has the diesel genset. Love the boat and would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. Definitely find one with the bow thruster - like auto pilot, I won't own a boat with one! On a 50 nautical mile trip of combines trolling and cruising, I'll typically burn 50 gallons. Good luck in your decision!

 

[jip40]

Gray-Sea

The way I understand it, the generator concerns are two fold. First, because of the placement of the generator it get wet from the bilge water splashing around and the water is very hard on the generator components, causing a good deal of rusting and premature failure of components. Second, and this applies to all generators, is that the generator need to be run at full load in order to keep it functional. It seems that it is much harder on the generator to be run infrequently than it is to run it whenever you run the boat. The Kohler dealer explained that the motors, both gas and diesel, will run better, have fewer problems and will last for many more hours when it is run frequently.

When I was researching the boat, I found the owners divided between the gas and diesel models. I went with the gas because I don't want to have two types of fuel tanks. As others have pointed out having two types of fuel is only a matter of time before someone puts the wrong fuel in the wrong tank - has it happened ??? but I don,t want to be the boat it happens too. Additionally, with 350 gallons of gas I am much less likely to run out compared to 13 gallons of diesel

Jeff