Headed down to see the new 305 Express that has been on order for over 3 months and just arrived last Thursday!! Going down to talk with the electronics guy at our dealership and ironing out all the electronics details. I'll post some pictures tomorrow night!!
New 2008 305 Express
- Thread starter Southern Hunter
- Start date
Gman25
GreatGrady Captain
You must be bustin at the seams..Congrats and good luck!!Looking foward to some pics.Waiting to take delivery was the looooooongest 3 months of my life.
2005 300 Marlin w/F250's
2005 300 Marlin w/F250's
305
Here they are guys.......The boat is impressive......and the dealership we are buying the boat from has been first class to say the least! It will take 7-10 days to put all of the electronics in, we then go for a sea trial, and then the boat is delivered a few days later!!
Here they are guys.......The boat is impressive......and the dealership we are buying the boat from has been first class to say the least! It will take 7-10 days to put all of the electronics in, we then go for a sea trial, and then the boat is delivered a few days later!!
305
Will do.......Also got to see the new 336 Canyon first hand today, all I can say is WOW......that is truly an AWESOME CC!!!
Will do.......Also got to see the new 336 Canyon first hand today, all I can say is WOW......that is truly an AWESOME CC!!!
She's beautiful, congrats! Did you consider the Marlin as well? If so, what were the factors in choosing the Express?
I saw the Canyon at the NE Boat show, what a beast. They told me it was the top seller at the Show last week and that they did fairly well. I guess their customer base is not hurting as badly as the general public!
I saw the Canyon at the NE Boat show, what a beast. They told me it was the top seller at the Show last week and that they did fairly well. I guess their customer base is not hurting as badly as the general public!
The 305 is no longer "ON ORDER".
Grady makes some good looking boats, every one of them.
Nothing on the market comes close to this gal.
Grady makes some good looking boats, every one of them.
Nothing on the market comes close to this gal.
305 vs. Marlin
I did look at the Marlin vs. 305 Express very hard before deciding on the 305 and there were a couple of reasons why I rathered the 305. Down here in South LA we'll be running anywhere from 80-140 miles one way to fish, so the added room for seating at the helm of the 305 was a must for me. I am 6'0 tall and close to 200 lbs. and I have to say getting around the center chair at the helm is very easy and not a problem for me at all as opposed to what I have heard from many others. The added cabin space is also very nice when compared to the Marlin. The chill plates seem to also be an excellent option as it gives you 1/3 or more added fishbox space.....that would otherwise be taken up by ice. Not to mention there is also more fishbox room in the Express than in the Marlin. I also like having the extra fishbox behind the port side seat and the livewell on the starboard side as opposed to to the sink which seems unnecessary to me, I mean heck your fishing......stick your hands over the side the boat and wash them off!!! I also liked the 3 rod holders on each side of the top as opposed to the 2 of the Marlin. The open and close electronics box is also nice as you can keep your electronics out of the elements when not in use. Overall the 305 Express was simply more suited for my needs than the Marlin was, however this is just my opinion, and there are many others out there who much rather the Marlin, which suits their needs better. In the end it just comes down to what boat you need to best suit your needs as they are both very fine boats that just have different options and characteristics on them. Good luck with the decision...as I must say it was not an easy one!!
I did look at the Marlin vs. 305 Express very hard before deciding on the 305 and there were a couple of reasons why I rathered the 305. Down here in South LA we'll be running anywhere from 80-140 miles one way to fish, so the added room for seating at the helm of the 305 was a must for me. I am 6'0 tall and close to 200 lbs. and I have to say getting around the center chair at the helm is very easy and not a problem for me at all as opposed to what I have heard from many others. The added cabin space is also very nice when compared to the Marlin. The chill plates seem to also be an excellent option as it gives you 1/3 or more added fishbox space.....that would otherwise be taken up by ice. Not to mention there is also more fishbox room in the Express than in the Marlin. I also like having the extra fishbox behind the port side seat and the livewell on the starboard side as opposed to to the sink which seems unnecessary to me, I mean heck your fishing......stick your hands over the side the boat and wash them off!!! I also liked the 3 rod holders on each side of the top as opposed to the 2 of the Marlin. The open and close electronics box is also nice as you can keep your electronics out of the elements when not in use. Overall the 305 Express was simply more suited for my needs than the Marlin was, however this is just my opinion, and there are many others out there who much rather the Marlin, which suits their needs better. In the end it just comes down to what boat you need to best suit your needs as they are both very fine boats that just have different options and characteristics on them. Good luck with the decision...as I must say it was not an easy one!!
Thanks Hunter. Its always good to hear how one chooses and what is important. You valued many things that I would not have thought of, and now will consider!
Ya know that was a real nice shrink cover they sent with the boat and likely could have been reused. But I'll admit I would have tore into that late christmas present the same way. Nice rig and good descriptions on the options.
I'll have to admit I do like my topside FW sink though. jh
I'll have to admit I do like my topside FW sink though. jh
We have a 07 305 and I'm wondering what, if any changes were made. I heard they changed the transom somewhat to be able to handle 350's. The 250's push her just fine. Can't wait to see her unveiled, great looking rig. I hope you enoy her as much as we have so far.
Really love the huge windshield with wipers and the short connector to the hard top. So nice to look through glass at night and to be able to clean salt from glass and not curtains.
Are you going to dry store this boat on the trailer or keep it in a lift or rack storage ?
Comfortable cabin. Do you have a genset ?
Are you going to dry store this boat on the trailer or keep it in a lift or rack storage ?
Comfortable cabin. Do you have a genset ?
305
We went with the F250's, the main reason being that with the 250's we're told we should get 1.4 mpg and with the 350's it would have been more like 1.0-1.1 mpg. This made it a no brainer as we typically run 80-140nm one way, and with the 250's and the 290 gallons of gas in the 305 that gives us nearly 80 miles more per tank over the 350's. The cost was not a factor at all as it would only have been about 3-4k more per engine to go with the 350's. Yes we did get the diesel genset and we are going to dry store the boat on a trailer. Should be going Wed or Thurs for sea trial!! Can't wait!!!
We went with the F250's, the main reason being that with the 250's we're told we should get 1.4 mpg and with the 350's it would have been more like 1.0-1.1 mpg. This made it a no brainer as we typically run 80-140nm one way, and with the 250's and the 290 gallons of gas in the 305 that gives us nearly 80 miles more per tank over the 350's. The cost was not a factor at all as it would only have been about 3-4k more per engine to go with the 350's. Yes we did get the diesel genset and we are going to dry store the boat on a trailer. Should be going Wed or Thurs for sea trial!! Can't wait!!!