1992 330 EC questions

[capt steve]

I am going to check out a promising lead tomorrow. I have a family of 4 , kids are 5 and 7. is the EC layout inconvenient for this use? how well does that salon settee convert to sleep quarters? im interested in the pos / negs of this configuration for this size boat. will be primarily overnights on the hook , but I would like to venture further for a week or so to get to block island etc etc. would we be going crazy?

thanks

 

[Alegria]

I can't speak from experience on the EC layout, but I will offer my thoughts. I think at 5-7 you will be OK. If they are boy/girl then at some point they will want their own berths. If they are both girls no issue or both boys no issue. Get sleeping bags and they can sleep on the converted sofa with plenty of room I suspect.

That is a good beam and since the aft cabin is not there, the sofa is pretty large I suspect. The dinette on our 97 330 with same beam was a very comfortable arrangement for my two girls to sleep on well into their late teens (18-19)...

Good luck. No issues with the 7.4 engines. I had them in our 330 and they were good.

 

[capt steve]

thanks very much. I have two girls and they love having "sleepovers" but I don't want to create a situation where we are clamoring over each other about the cabin. are those berths pretty easy to convert? if this boat shows as well as it looks , I fear the price is too good to pass up and I may end up committing!

 

[sbw1]

We settled on the express cruiser layout years ago. As was mentioned it works best if you have two kids of the same sex. Our children, both boys, always slept in the aft cockpit on air mattresses and sleeping bags. They preferred that arrangement and the table conversion was almost never used which is a good thing. The problem with boats this size is where to put "stuff". As they get older, kids travel with lots of stuff that takes up way too much space. Even sleeping bags get in the way. The cockpit worked well until we got a good downpour. Canvas leaks and the bags get wet. I recall many days when everything we wore was wet due to rainy spells. Long way of saying the 330 should work for a while. We never really outgrew the express design, but the boats needed to get longer as our boys grew up.

 

[capt steve]

well , looks like I have two to check out tomorrow. one in warwick Ri wihich is a 94 330 sundancer. I figure I will make my way up I-95 tomorrow after I check out the EC first. they are both within my budget and have been lauded by their owners / sellers. ive learned over the years to read between the lines and both have some major positives. guess it will come down to whichever clicks off the most boxes. will be a long day the road tomorrow, but hopefully fruitful
cheers

 

[Almightys]

We have the 92 dancer and like it with our two boys. The EC has a different layout up top but to be honest we were more seeking the best boat we could find in our budget. At those years choices become limited due to owner neglect or poor survey results. I think either are good

 

[capt steve]

update - I looked at the EC and it became clear that the layout wouldn't be to our suiting. I took the ride up to RI and looked at the sundancer and it definitely would work for us. boat had solid decks , small area of slight softness on stbd side side deck. the owner had re-bedded the rails as was evident by the access points in the lining material on the inside. overall it looked ok. the canvas was in good shape. the upholstery behind the helm seat by the wetbar needs to be re-done , but the other looks like it can be made presentable with the right cleaning touch. engines started promptly , there was belt squeal coming from stbd engine , no evidence of oil / fluid leakage in the bilge. he did a DIY carpet replacement in the interior which I would need to redo as it is past it. just hoped he didn't use the strongest adhesive available. macerater pump has been disconnected from the waste tank. the boat really needs some "detailed" attention. wiper motors etc the usual crap on this age boat. he vent window motor worked ! I think we will making offer on it this week

 

[Almightys]

update - I looked at the EC and it became clear that the layout wouldn't be to our suiting. I took the ride up to RI and looked at the sundancer and it definitely would work for us. boat had solid decks , small area of slight softness on stbd side side deck. the owner had re-bedded the rails as was evident by the access points in the lining material on the inside. overall it looked ok. the canvas was in good shape. the upholstery behind the helm seat by the wetbar needs to be re-done , but the other looks like it can be made presentable with the right cleaning touch. engines started promptly , there was belt squeal coming from stbd engine , no evidence of oil / fluid leakage in the bilge. he did a DIY carpet replacement in the interior which I would need to redo as it is past it. just hoped he didn't use the strongest adhesive available. macerater pump has been disconnected from the waste tank. the boat really needs some "detailed" attention. wiper motors etc the usual crap on this age boat. he vent window motor worked ! I think we will making offer on it this week

Congrats the survey should tell you the rest of its hidden skeletons


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[munko]

Look for rot in coaming bolster where the dock water inlet and cock pit wash down spigot is.
Mine was rotted but it was fixable. I had to pull helm seat & wet bar. Replaced complete coaming with MDO plywood and had reupholstered.
Took several weekends. Swim platform is also susceptible to soft spots.