Official 330/350 (2008 and newer) Thread

[WDCboater]

I put in the Extreme High Flow System

http://www.shurflo.com/marine-produ...pumps/extreme-series-pumps/default.html#tab19

The Extreme Smart Sensor is the variable speed pump I would have put in as 2nd choice.

I can now only hear my water pump when I am very quiet and nothing else is running on the boat. No harsh sounds at all and no "banging or clunking" so now I no longer wake up our little guy when using water

Great. Thanks.
I think part of my noise issue is where SR mounted it. My pump is mounted to plywood on top of the hot water heater and the vibration against the hot water supply line creates a good amount of noise.

My other pump, which is on the anchor wash down, is fairly quiet. Go figure it's mounted more in the open and is more accessible.

 

[kaz911]

Great. Thanks.
I think part of my noise issue is where SR mounted it. My pump is mounted to plywood on top of the hot water heater and the vibration against the hot water supply line creates a good amount of noise.

My other pump, which is on the anchor wash down, is fairly quiet. Go figure it's mounted more in the open and is more accessible.

You can make it more quiet by following the manufacture installation document.

Sea Ray has a tendency never to read ANY installation instructions. (VHF vs Compas..... as well) The instructions says to use soft hose on the "last mile" to the pump. But SR insists on using the plastic hard hoses that makes everything vibrate all over the boat.

 

[Ethan's Tank]

HI all, I'm slightly new to CSR and new to this thread. I've been in the process of looking at a 320/340, but I recently found 2009 330DA and 2009 350DA. Since this, I have deserted my original search and now deciding upon these 2 model. Can you let me know which one would you pick as a better buy:

330DA:
twin 8.1 - 245hrs
kohler gen - 143hrs
blue hull
bow thruster
hydraulic swim platform
camper campus [looks new]
teak cabin floor
grill on deck
tracVision and HD antenna
$125k for boat + 17k to pay off my old wellcraft

2009 350DA - fully loaded
blue hull
twin 496 mag seacore - 135hrs
Raymarine E80 + E120
Raymarine open array HD radar
FLIR night vision
AXIUS 360 drive system
Raymarine Autopilot
Raymarine weather system
Raymarine fishfinder
full teak sundeck
integrated speaker on sun deck
grill on deck
refrigerator on deck
extended teak swim platform
$197k + 17k to payoff wellcraft

Everyone says get the biggest boat you can afford, my wife wants the cheaper payments...I want the bigger boat

 

[ziekman@cox.net]

Ethan, it's a tough call for me. While my preference would be the 350, I would add a bow thruster. But, I would want v-drives, versus the SeaCores. I'd be curious to hear from an '08 or '09 350 owner, with them. I'd really think most weren't configured this way.

 

[JV II]

It simply comes down to money and how you use the boat. Both are solid boats. The 350 is a little bigger, enclosed shower, much thirstier. I wouldn't worry about the Seacore BIII where you are. The better value is the 330. If money is no object get the 350. If it is, the 330 will not disappoint. I never had any envy for the 350 when I had the 330. The 330 is plenty of boat. Whether you have the 330 or 350, you will be looking to upgrade to 40'+. You won't be kicking yourself for not spending the extra $75,000, fuel, maintenance by the foot, and docking by the foot for the 350.

 

[BigBoysToys]

I completely agree with the last statement except for the Bravo 3's statement. Whether you boat in freshwater or saltwater, in my opinion, Id rather keep the serviceable items inside the boat. The only thing I wish I had on my 330 is the hydraulic platform. If you found a clean 330 with that option, at the price point you mention, I wouldn't drag my feet.

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[Ethan's Tank]

Ethan, it's a tough call for me. While my preference would be the 350, I would add a bow thruster. But, I would want v-drives, versus the SeaCores. I'd be curious to hear from an '08 or '09 350 owner, with them. I'd really think most weren't configured this way.

From what I hear, the Axius 360 is a superior bow thruster system

 

[Ethan's Tank]

I know the 350 comes with a 'full' hardtop, is that the case with the 330. I remember the 330's arch was bigger than previous generations, but I don't side by side comparison. Not sure if that is going to be a deal breaker or beneficial in anyway though...

 

[ziekman@cox.net]

From what I hear, the Axius 360 is a superior bow thruster system

You are 100% correct, thanks for setting me straight, which more solidifies my preference for the 350, notwithstanding the SeaCores! And, regarding the hardtop, the 330 has a bimini (canvas) top that extends partially over the aft cockpit area, whereas the 350 just has a wider hard top (no bimini)

 

[kaz911]

Great. Thanks.
I think part of my noise issue is where SR mounted it. My pump is mounted to plywood on top of the hot water heater and the vibration against the hot water supply line creates a good amount of noise.

My other pump, which is on the anchor wash down, is fairly quiet. Go figure it's mounted more in the open and is more accessible.

Ryan - forgot to say my pump was mounted as yours..... Top of water heater on cheap plywood. Changing it and changing them to rubber hoses took most of the noise.

 

[JV II]

I know the 350 comes with a 'full' hardtop, is that the case with the 330. I remember the 330's arch was bigger than previous generations, but I don't side by side comparison. Not sure if that is going to be a deal breaker or beneficial in anyway though...

The '09 330 has a full hard top that also has the extended bimini off the back, for plenty of sun coverage and the only canvas in the front is the isinglas, like the 350. The 350 arch is bigger, because the boat is bigger.

As for the Sea Core Axius, I know the Sea Core drives were solid for my 4 years use in salt water. The anode kit is pricey and needs to be done every 6 months. The guy next to me has the Axius system in his 310 and was plagued with computer glitches with the Axius for the first 2 years. It seems to be running well now, though. The other thing about the Axius, is the annual drive removal and bearing/bellows inspection is about $250 per drive up here, so add that to your annual. They are strong, efficient, and reliable, but require more maintenance $$ that you can't skip. The 350 will cost you more $$ than that 330 to operate in fuel, parts, and maintenance. The engine room in that 330 is going to be packed with the v-drives, making your and the maintenance crew's jobs a PITA. With the Axius on the 350, you might be able to store a grand piano down there. and all maintenance items in the engine compartment will be front and center.

 

[loangainer]

I just got a 2008 350 and we were comparing the 330 to the 350 for financial reasons.... but here are the main reasons we went with the 350 even though it was more $$: separate shower (even though 90% of the time we use the marina's shower,,, for those times when it's needed, it's nice to have),,, Layout of the cockpit (and the cockpit just felt more spacious on the 350 vs. 330) with the helm (and other front seat) turning to be part of the cockpit for conversation, and being part of the party.... as a side note on this, with a "full boat" of family, I was able to drive the boat easily standing while the helm seat was facing the rest of the cockpit... so it created 2 extra cockpit seats,,,, I wanted V-drive and it was easier to find in 350 vs. 330,, And the huge, #1 reason was engine (and under hatch) maintenance.... on the V-drives, look at the space available to get in and around the motors with the hatch up on both boats... That was the main deciding factor for me on the 350,, being a DIY person. if getting Axius, the 330 looks like it has tons of space under hatch too, so that part depends on the type of drives you plan to go with.

 

[Ethan's Tank]

Dealer called, told me the boat had everything listed, but he made a mistake and it does not have the axius 360, just regular bow thruster...

 

[JV II]

Dealer called, told me the boat had everything listed, but he made a mistake and it does not have the axius 360, just regular bow thruster...

Makes sense. They don't usually build them at the factory with a bow thruster and Axius. Still, it is a breeze to dock with BIII and thruster. Maybe a negotiating point.

 

[Ethan's Tank]

Took my 26' wellcraft out in the potomac today, water was super choppy...about 6"-1' high waves...not the best ride for a 1yr old baby. How do these 330/350DA stand up to choppy ass water?

 

[kaz911]

Took my 26' wellcraft out in the potomac today, water was super choppy...about 6"-1' high waves...not the best ride for a 1yr old baby. How do these 330/350DA stand up to choppy ass water?

Choppy is a definition of experience

With 1' chop - in my 310 that is full speed ahead The 310 cuts through those without issue. With 2'-3' I manage speed and angle but can still usually stay on the plane. Above 3' I only do it when the angles and distance between waves are right. But I grew up in a place with 8-12' and above waves and sailing big diesel (30-50') fishing boats and lots of sailing boats.

Where I am we usually have about 3-6' chop in the afternoons. So all long range travel happens in the morning where we have 0-2'.

But for your 1 year old - get him/her into a BabyBjorn harness - we used that until a couple of months ago. Our son is close to 2 years old. But now he got "sea legs" and stays upright by himself in mild chop (1-2'). He loves standing by the front window with head just above the window frame... with mum sitting behind him to catch him if he falls. He now gets a bit "angry" if we don't go on the boat on the weekends.....

EDIT: When I know I'm going out in big Chop - I fill my watertank to the max. It gives you a lot more stability as it is in the bottom of the boat. That will make you roll a bit less - but the requires a bit of trim tabs to cut the waves right. Else I normally only fill to 1/2 full.

 

[WDCboater]

Took my 26' wellcraft out in the potomac today, water was super choppy...about 6"-1' high waves...not the best ride for a 1yr old baby. How do these 330/350DA stand up to choppy ass water?

You're in my neck of the woods.

I have a 350 docked in DC.
It handles 1-2' chop on the Potomac very well. The ride is fairly smooth. The boat weighs a lot more than a 26' boat, so this is part of the difference. I moved to my 350 from a 240 and the difference was night and day.

The rough spot we regularly hit on the Potomac is Occoquan Bay. It is notoriously choppy.
The river also gets a bit rough at times as you get close to the Chesapeake. We hit some 4-5' waves in the Bay last season and it was rough.

For the Potomac the 350 is a great boat.
Anything north of Occoquan Bay is usually fairly calm to minimal chop. (1-2'). Once in DC, the river is usually very calm north of the Memorial Bridge. Which is great for anchoring for the day.

Its a good size boat for weekends in the Bay or Colonial Beach, DC, etc.
If you have any other Potomac related questions let me know.

 

[tbirdvet]

Makes sense. They don't usually build them at the factory with a bow thruster and Axius. Still, it is a breeze to dock with BIII and thruster. Maybe a negotiating point.

Well I don't know about a breeze to dock but my thruster sure helped.

 

[ziekman@cox.net]

Dealer called, told me the boat had everything listed, but he made a mistake and it does not have the axius 360, just regular bow thruster...

Do you have anything you are leaning towards? You may want to to go to Boattrader.com, to do some comparisons.

 

[John-Burgess]

Hope the photo attach works. Back in May I was asking forum members for help in understanding what Accessory 1 switch controlled on those boats who had something connected to it. Since I did not have anything connected to it I wired my Macris LED underwater lights I installed this spring. Chose to mount to the tabs versus the hull. They work great and look nice. Picture was taken 2 weeks ago while visiting Stonington, CT.

Appreciate everyone's inputs regarding the wiring and switch.


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