Official 330 Express Cruiser / 340 Amberjack 1997-2003 Thread

Bow cushion looks amazing. Been thinking about it for a while but can't justify the crazy pricing I would probably get to make the cushions. And I'm lazy, don't want to have to pull then inside and back out every time I use the boat. A towel and pillow will work fine for me. The less work the better lol. Congrats on the new boat! Just be careful if the previous owner never changed spark plugs I'm sure he wasn't to good with maintenence.
 
Bow cushion looks amazing. Been thinking about it for a while but can't justify the crazy pricing I would probably get to make the cushions. And I'm lazy, don't want to have to pull then inside and back out every time I use the boat. A towel and pillow will work fine for me. The less work the better lol. Congrats on the new boat! Just be careful if the previous owner never changed spark plugs I'm sure he wasn't to good with maintenence.

Good advice. Check the risers and manifolds too if they were not checked during the survey.

--Mike
 
sweet boat!!! welcome to our little family!!!!!
 
Bow cushion looks amazing. Been thinking about it for a while but can't justify the crazy pricing I would probably get to make the cushions. And I'm lazy, don't want to have to pull then inside and back out every time I use the boat. A towel and pillow will work fine for me. The less work the better lol. Congrats on the new boat! Just be careful if the previous owner never changed spark plugs I'm sure he wasn't to good with maintenence.

Thanks! Yeah I was concerned about that too but it does look like everything else was maintained pretty well. This boat has been under a cover and in a freshwater lake in Minnesota its entire life. Crazy!

Good advice. Check the risers and manifolds too if they were not checked during the survey.

--Mike

Surveyor checked them, said they are solid.

Congrats on the new to you 330. The bow cushion does look great. Is that a center hatch cover piece that comes out?

Yeah it straps to the hatch. Easy to put in/out.

sweet boat!!! welcome to our little family!!!!!

Thank you! I'm excited to start digging in
 
If the boat was in fresh water it's whole life does it have raw water cooling or fresh water cooling? Mine came from the great lakes somewere so it was fresh water kept also. (Built in merrit fl) When the previous owner took ownership it was not fresh water cooled. He did not put it in the salt waters of long Island till he installed a fresh water cooling system. Just food for thought if your not fresh water cooled.
 
My dilemma now is that there are two 330s for sale in my area at about the same vintage and price. One is a Sundancer and the other is an EC. I like the EC better because of the wide and open cockpit and the larger engine room but my wife, and she could be right, prefers the SD because of the accommodations which would allow four people to sleep without moving things around. Did anyone else have this issue or am I the only one facing this decision. Does any EC owner use folding chairs in the cockpit since the folding seat is only for short people?
I can't wait to hear from you.
 
My dilemma now is that there are two 330s for sale in my area at about the same vintage and price. One is a Sundancer and the other is an EC. I like the EC better because of the wide and open cockpit and the larger engine room but my wife, and she could be right, prefers the SD because of the accommodations which would allow four people to sleep without moving things around. Did anyone else have this issue or am I the only one facing this decision. Does any EC owner use folding chairs in the cockpit since the folding seat is only for short people?
I can't wait to hear from you.

It really depends on a few factors. Do you need the extra sleeping berths? Are you using the boat in the Ocean or in a calmer setting like a lake? Will you be doing serious fishing or mostly pleasure boating or both? Will you be wrenching on your own boat?

I have been a captain on both boats and now I am bias so here goes. As for the 330EC you have a wider beam, so the cabin and the deck are much wider giving you a lot of breathing room, but the real benefit is stability in chop or even heavier seas. Its a very stable platform. It's also fairly rare and keeps its value. The 330SD is also good, but you will feel the roll more and the cabin, even though well equipped will feel cramped. The folding couch in the 330EC is electric and goes out flat and will accommodate two average size adults without and issue. There is really not much "moving stuff around" other than pillows or whatever you have on the couch and the whole operation takes a couple minutes. The added berth in the 330SD is a plus if you have a large family, but that would only matter during overnight's etc. They will be much more happy in the larger open deck of the 330EC during daylight hours. I have a the optional "L" couch for the deck and it really makes a difference over the fold out seat. It also adds the extra seating you may want for guests and it a great open air berth during the summer. The real plus is its removable so if I need the whole deck for fishing trips I have it. You should see if you can find one. I also have 3 of the West Marine deck chairs and they work great on deck as well if we have a large group. Lastly, repairs at sea or at the dock are much easier on the 330EC. You will not be able to do some engine work on the 330SD do to lack of space in the engine bay if needed at sea. I am able to go down into the engine room on the 330EC with the engine cover closed through the hatch and change out impellers or other work. That cannot be done on the 330SD. My suggestion if you go the Sundancer route is look at 380 Sundancer's. You will be much happier. Much larger beam (13.5) and tons of space, very stable and very comfortable to live on and use. The prices on the 2000 era models are down just above the 330EC for some of them.

Thanks,

Mike
 
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Well we just got back from a weekend out on the river for the first time with our new EC. What a great boat!! Seriously. We are so happy with our decision to go the EC route instead of the DA. The cockpit is HUGE. I'm pretty stoked as this is my first twin screw and I was able to back her into the 14' wide slip without any damage :)

Couple small things I noticed:
Port engine wouldn't start, had to jiggle gear lever to find the neutral sweet spot. Should I did into this? Easy Fix?

Transom door is annoying. There is no bracket to hold it open so it finds its way to slamming shut.

Cabin door and vberth hatch...both aren't black out. Each of them let a lot of light in so the cabin gets pretty light in the morning.

Windlass works at the foot pedal but doesn't work at the switch. Any thoughts?

Salon couch doesn't fold totally flat, backrest remains angled. Is this a common problem, any fixes?
 
Well we just got back from a weekend out on the river for the first time with our new EC. What a great boat!! Seriously. We are so happy with our decision to go the EC route instead of the DA. The cockpit is HUGE. I'm pretty stoked as this is my first twin screw and I was able to back her into the 14' wide slip without any damage :)

Couple small things I noticed:
Port engine wouldn't start, had to jiggle gear lever to find the neutral sweet spot. Should I did into this? Easy Fix?

Transom door is annoying. There is no bracket to hold it open so it finds its way to slamming shut.

Cabin door and vberth hatch...both aren't black out. Each of them let a lot of light in so the cabin gets pretty light in the morning.

Windlass works at the foot pedal but doesn't work at the switch. Any thoughts?

Salon couch doesn't fold totally flat, backrest remains angled. Is this a common problem, any fixes?

U have a transparent cabin door? Need to see a pic of that.. there should b a small black flip stop on bottom port side of cabin door track. That holds the door from slamming. Cruising with cabin door open gives the station wagon affect to. Did it a couple times and my Co detector went off each time. There should also be (at least on mine) 2 pull shades attached to the inside of the v berth hatch, pull forward it's a sunshade pull aft it's a bug screen. My sofa doesn't lay flat until I give it a reason to. I open it all the way till the motor stops let go of switch and give it a little persuasion. Still not completely flat but close enough
 
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Well we just got back from a weekend out on the river for the first time with our new EC. What a great boat!! Seriously. We are so happy with our decision to go the EC route instead of the DA. The cockpit is HUGE. I'm pretty stoked as this is my first twin screw and I was able to back her into the 14' wide slip without any damage :)

Couple small things I noticed:
Port engine wouldn't start, had to jiggle gear lever to find the neutral sweet spot. Should I did into this? Easy Fix?

Transom door is annoying. There is no bracket to hold it open so it finds its way to slamming shut.

Cabin door and vberth hatch...both aren't black out. Each of them let a lot of light in so the cabin gets pretty light in the morning.

Windlass works at the foot pedal but doesn't work at the switch. Any thoughts?

Salon couch doesn't fold totally flat, backrest remains angled. Is this a common problem, any fixes?

Hi Grimm,
I have had a few of these same issues. I will try to help.

The Port engine neutral safety switch is the issue with the no-start. That is an easy one. On top of the port transmission is a sensor that has two leads running to it. My guess is the switch is starting to go or your transmission cable needs adjusting. There is a procedure for this and I am sure someone on this forum has done one before. If its adjusted correctly that its the switch. You need to get the model number of the Hurth transmission on that side from the data plate and then you can order a new sensor.

The transom door is a pain, I feel you on this. We use a bungee cord to hold it open and tie that around the rail on the transom, however I have been thinking about adding a hook latch and ring to actually lock it to the transom when open.

As for the light coming in through the door and hatch, that is just the way the plastic and window cover are made. I have a suggestion on the door which I did for a completely different project. Get a roll of 3M Di-Noc in black. Its an adhesive material that comes in hundreds of colors and styles. It is easy to use and it will conform perfectly to different shapes etc. This will definitely black out the cabin door. For the glass and cover hatch in the v-berth you could have a Sunbrella cover made for the outside that would be a dark color and it would probably work. Any canvas shop can do it and it should be inexpensive.

For the Windlass, if your foot pedals work, but not the dash switches you most likely have a bad switch or connection at the switches. Take the panell out and clean and test the switches with a meter. If that does not work then check the connections and relays for the windlass in the anchor locker. I am betting bad dash switches. You can get new ones at flounder pounder.

The Salon couch seems to be an issue for everyone who has a 330EC. I had to go through and retighten every bolt from underneath mine. You can get to them under the couch in the storage areas. If this doesn't work you can use a series of fender washers to shim the couch. It took me a while to get right, but it can be done.

Thanks,

Mike
 
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U have a transparent cabin door? Need to see a pic of that.. there should b a small black flip stop on bottom port side of cabin door track. That holds the door from slamming. Cruising with cabin door open gives the station wagon affect to. Did it a couple times and my Co detector went off each time. There should also be (at least on mine) 2 pull shades attached to the inside of the v berth hatch, pull forward it's a sunshade pull aft it's a bug screen. My sofa doesn't lay flat until I give it a reason to. I open it all the way till the motor stops let go of switch and give it a little persuasion. Still not completely flat but close enough

No the cabin door is just made out of a thin white material and it lets light in which is annoying in the early morning. I don't have trouble keep the cabin door open, it is the stern door that I was talking about. Yep, I have the two vberth hatch shades too, one is just a screen and what is a white colored screen which does not block out the sun completely. On my 260, this screen was a complete black out screen which let in zero light....which is nice to have.

I'm going to look into the salon bed, I need it to lay flat so people can sleep there.
 
Hi Grimm,
I have had a few of these same issues. I will try to help.

The Port engine neutral safety switch is the issue with the no-start. That is an easy one. On top of the port transmission is a sensor that has two leads running to it. My guess is the switch is starting to go or your transmission cable needs adjusting. There is a procedure for this and I am sure someone on this forum has done one before. If its adjusted correctly that its the switch. You need to get the model number of the Hurth transmission on that side from the data plate and then you can order a new sensor.

The transom door is a pain, I feel you on this. We use a bungee cord to hold it open and tie that around the rail on the transom, however I have been thinking about adding a hook latch and ring to actually lock it to the transom when open.

As for the light coming in through the door and hatch, that is just the way the plastic and window cover are made. I have a suggestion on the door which I did for a completely different project. Get a roll of 3M Di-Noc in black. Its an adhesive material that comes in hundreds of colors and styles. It is easy to use and it will conform perfectly to different shapes etc. This will definitely black out the cabin door. For the glass and cover hatch in the v-berth you could have a Sunbrella cover made for the outside that would be a dark color and it would probably work. Any canvas shop can do it and it should be inexpensive.

For the Windlass, if your foot pedals work, but not the dash switches you most likely have a bad switch or connection at the switches. Take the panell out and clean and test the switches with a meter. If that does not work then check the connections and relays for the windlass in the anchor locker. I am betting bad dash switches. You can get new ones at flounder pounder.

The Salon couch seems to be an issue for everyone who has a 330EC. I had to go through and retighten every bolt from underneath mine. You can get to them under the couch in the storage areas. If this doesn't work you can use a series of fender washers to shim the couch. It took me a while to get right, but it can be done.

Thanks,

Mike

Thank you for the thorough answers Mike! This helps a ton, seriously.

So for the tranny sensor, where would I order that part through?

I was thinking about the transom door today, I think what I might do is put a snap on the door and then make a small section of canvas/plastic with snaps to go from the door snap to the transom snap.

Tomorrow when I head down to the boat I will bring a tester and see what the button is reading for the windlass and then go from there.
 
Look up "Hurth Transmission Neutral Safety Switch" on google. Make sure you get your transmission model number off the data plate first.

--Mike
 
Hello all, so happy to have found this thread. I have a 340 aj with 300hp 3126 cats, and I had her out over the long weekend and found I had to push her pretty hard to cruise at about 25mph. Top end was at about 30 mph, showing 2725 on the tachs. Does anyone know the performance with the diesels?
 
It was the first long trip we had her out on, we ran 82 miles one way, fuel burn was about .95 mpg.
 
Hello all, so happy to have found this thread. I have a 340 aj with 300hp 3126 cats, and I had her out over the long weekend and found I had to push her pretty hard to cruise at about 25mph. Top end was at about 30 mph, showing 2725 on the tachs. Does anyone know the performance with the diesels?

This guy with his diesel powered ec/aj... trying to show off? I'm just kidding I'm really just jelouse.

But to me that sounds terrible. 25mph or 25 knts? I cruise my gasser at 25mph with ease you should be up much higher then that . There's not many of these boats around with diesels on this site but I would post that same question up in the diesel motor repair maintanence section. Sounds to me like something is slowing you down. Fauled bottom, props out, something like that. But the diesel guys will Def help you put more. Do u have a digital view telling you what percentage of power you were at?
 
That's exactly my concern Xplcitlinck, most people I know with 7.4's have no trouble. The boat is lift kept, bottom and wheels are clean. I felt it should have stretched its legs a little better. But I have never been able to chat with another diesel 330ec or 340aj owner.
 

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