Two Week Vacation on Our 330 Express. 3pic is Edisto SC, 2nd pic is ThunderBolt GA, 1st pic is St Augustine FL

[usmm1234]

We are taking a 1400 mile round trip vacation on our boat after 22 months of improvements. So far so good. Averaging 28.2 mph at 1.21 mpg. Loving the new Simrad AP44 Autopilot and Furuno TZT Touch12.
We are going from Myrtle Beach SC to Ft Lauderdale and back.

 

[kirk a]

Those are great numbers! Sounds like a solid adventure, too!

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

When the Abacos recover from Dorian , you need to get a fourth pic from Hope Town or Green Turtle . I would love to slow down enough to cruise the ICW from Baltimore to Keys. Technically ,the ICW is not in the Keys but it all connects. Looks like a great trip.

When you to get to New Smyrna Beach, get off the boat and head to the Garlic for great Tuscan Italian. It's good food. I really like garlic so I think it's great food. You should make reservations.

 

[usmm1234]

Those are great numbers! Sounds like a solid adventure, too!

Yeah. I don’t know if it is the Suzuki’s that are the reason, or the PowerTech 4 blade Props? Or both? I have never met any 330 owner that gets these kind of numbers.
We were thinking about trading up to a 36/37 Express. We met a guy at our marina bringing his 2016 37 from FL to Cape Cod. He had Trip 300 Yamahas. He was getting .77 mpg. That cured me of going bigger. Next ride will be 10 knots and diesels for retirement.

 

[usmm1234]

When the Abacos recover from Dorian , you need to get a fourth pic from Hope Town or Green Turtle . I would love to slow down enough to cruise the ICW from Baltimore to Keys. Technically ,the ICW is not in the Keys but it all connects. Looks like a great trip.

When you to get to New Smyrna Beach, get off the boat and head to the Garlic for great Tuscan Italian. It's good food. I really like garlic so I think it's great food. You should make reservations.

Sounds great! We love garlic as long as both of us eat it at the same time!

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Sounds great! We love garlic as long as both of us eat it at the same time!

Power Tec claims better midrange fuel economy with their OS4 props. I getter better cruise with mine by a tenth of mile per gallon. I am not surprised by your noticed improvement.

Garlic. it's local and we enjoy it a lot. New Smyrna use to be our beach growing up in central Florida. JBs fish camp is great food. it's a bit of a dive ,but it's on the water . you can't get your 330 to it though. it's on the eastern shore of the mosquito lagoon.You could definitely Uber to it. I love their blackened dolphin a lot. it's solid. Norwood's seafood is also nice . it's near the Garlic . I still vote for the Garlic over it though.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Awesome!! Enjoy.....I love Edisto BTW.

 

[High Hopes II]

Yeah. I don’t know if it is the Suzuki’s that are the reason, or the PowerTech 4 blade Props? Or both? I have never met any 330 owner that gets these kind of numbers.
We were thinking about trading up to a 36/37 Express. We met a guy at our marina bringing his 2016 37 from FL to Cape Cod. He had Trip 300 Yamahas. He was getting .77 mpg. That cured me of going bigger. Next ride will be 10 knots and diesels for retirement. View attachment 20899

hey there, im running 300 zukes on my 330, curious to what size props your running? hope you love those motors as much as I do.

 

[usmm1234]

PowerTech LPS 4x16x16. I could go up to a 4x16x17. I would guess you would be 18. Out engines are identical other then the ECM program. You motors redline at 6300. Mine at 6100. PowerTech is the only prop manufacturer that has the Suzuki double reduction gears figured out. I work in the industry. The Suzuki Reps sent me to PowerTech. I’m cruising at 28mph at 1.25 mpg. I don’t know anyone that has that kind of mileage on a 330.

 

[ECO]

Nice trip, is there anything you would had planned or did differently?
What was less of a concern then you thought it would be also?

 

[usmm1234]

Nice trip, is there anything you would had planned or did differently?
What was less of a concern then you thought it would be also?

When it was all said and done. We will probably not be as aggressive next time, as far as distance. The lack of inlets on the FL Coast forces you to make some key decisions as far as inside or outside. We made all the right choices there weather wise,, but the Flagler Beach area, has some really long Manatee Zones. I had all our stops pre arraigned, and reserved, which is important. I also had the print out of all the distances inside and out. Just in case we had delays. We had the Waterway Guides Too.
All in all. A great Trip.
We’ll head North for the next Trip. Maybe to Annapolis and back.

 

[ECO]

I have traveled the Eastern ICW from Port St. Lucie to Coco Beach before, I know what you mean by how slow some of the areas are, and the lack of inlets, which is why we ran the ICW, (staying ahead of an approaching storm and didn't want to be on open water without a quick way in).
Printing out and planning the route and stops was a great idea, that helped I am sure. But don't we all try to push the distance a bit farther than our spouse's prefer? LOL. Your next trip sounds like a great deal of fun also. Stay dry and stay safe.

 

[usmm1234]

I have traveled the Eastern ICW from Port St. Lucie to Coco Beach before, I know what you mean by how slow some of the areas are, and the lack of inlets, which is why we ran the ICW, (staying ahead of an approaching storm and didn't want to be on open water without a quick way in).
Printing out and planning the route and stops was a great idea, that helped I am sure. But don't we all try to push the distance a bit farther than our spouse's prefer? LOL. Your next trip sounds like a great deal of fun also. Stay dry and stay safe.

yes, your right about pushing it. We are glad we did it. But we would stay longer in some of the spots. We did 2 nights at Sailfish Marina. Singer Island, City Marina St Augustine, and 3 nights at Bahia Mar Ft Lauderdale. the rest were 1 night.

 

[wahoo33417]

Sounds like a great trip. You could just keep going and do the Great Loop. You're already well on your way!

 

[usmm1234]

Sounds like a great trip. You could just keep going and do the Great Loop. You're already well on your way!

if I kept going. It would be the Caribbean. We plan on migrating from Bahamas to Maine

 

[SouthFork]

The further south in Fla you go the more inlets you have. From Ft Pierce to Ft Lauderdale the inlets are pretty close together.

 

[usmm1234]

The further south in Fla you go the more inlets you have. From Ft Pierce to Ft Lauderdale the inlets are pretty close together.

Very true, but the central coast they are far and few between. And some of those are pretty damn sketchy in bad weather on the falling tide.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Very cool! I'd love to do a much shorter trip in my 228... maybe a couple hundred miles as opposed to 1,400. The waters here in the Puget Sound are relatively protected, it would just take finding a place you want to go to and some nice weather. Would love to drive down through the Ballard locks and to a Seahawks or Huskies football game or even do Seafair with the hydroplane races one year if/when it comes back. That would only be about 40 miles or so but still a lot of fun.

 

[usmm1234]

My parents had a 24 weekender that they cruised in. They did all the bays of the Jersey Shore.

 

[wahoo33417]

if I kept going. It would be the Caribbean. We plan on migrating from Bahamas to Maine

Sounds great. Hurricane Dorian hit West End hard in 2019. We haven't planned any crossings since then, so I don't know how the rebuilding is coming along. If it works out for you, Green Turtle has been our favorite spot in the Bahamas, although we have the most and best memories in Bimini. We got engaged in Bimini 32 years ago.