Thoughts on mid 90's 330

[SeaNile]

Yea, I love the 04+ 340 but they are literally more than 2x the cost of a 1995ish 330.
Any thoughts or concerns on the 330? Happy with them, any major issues? Are they seriously outdated, etc.? Would be used on the Upper Chesapeake Bay, local runs and a lot of anchoring, swimming and hanging dockside.

31-34 Rinkers are reasonable as well but i/o's.

Thanks, might even check out a 330 this weekend to get a feel for the layout.

 

[Dabble]

Love our new to us 1997 330DA. Older but not too outdated.

 

[RollerCoastr]

This is definitely not the place to get an unbiased opinion about the 330DA: CSR is crawling with happy current 330 owners, as well as former owners of 330’s with fond memories.

In my biased opinion, their styling is aging well. It’s was a good-looking boat with clean lines, nice proportions and a logical layout in 1995, and I think still is today.

There are actually two layouts: dinette and settee. Mine had the dinette, and I preferred that. My friends had the settee, and they preferred theirs.

The engines are close together, so changing the impellers is a challenge. Access to the plugs isn’t that bad though.

The short arch compromises standing room at the helm. I often ran in open air with the fwd canvas collapsed against the arch.

The wet-head shower setup is usable, but the transom shower is a great alternative. I used that a lot. I’ve never used my current one because it’s behind the transom door inside the cockpit. You can use the 330 transom shower without getting any water in the cockpit.

I didn’t like the electrical plugs on the port side, nor did I care for the city water inlet in a cockpit locker. Those are small complaints.

Most owners I know use generous tab and throttle to get their 330 on plane. With big blocks, she’ll climb up and over and cruise nicely. I’ve never driven one with small blocks. I’ve known owners who mention that they’re slower, but not to the point of being frustrating?

 

[Golfman25]

I really like the boat. For me it's between the 330 and 340. And if your handy, and will to do a bit of updating you can find an mid 90's version in the old "Miami Vice" pastel green and flower colors for cheap. Update the upholstery, drop in a wood floor change the carpet color and you have a great boat. Check out the 330 thread here. Good luck.

 

[Stee6043]

For what it's worth....the 340 that shares the hull with the mid-90's 330 started in 1999. You can actually find both 330's and 340's in that model year.

I went through 90's 330's and 340's when shopping for my first cruiser. Both awesome boats. The headroom and centerline berth were really the only things that pushed me to the 340.

Keep an eye on moisture in the decks. I had a hard time finding dry boats during my hunt (several years ago now)...

 

[SeaNile]

Thanks for the info. My mental budget is under 60k but the 90's 330 are advertised in the hi 30s. Would spending more money, almost double that for a newer 320 or a 99ish 340 be worth it? Not sure I can justify 55-60k for the 320/340 with the 330 being out there at their current prices.

Thats for the heads up on the wet floor, are you referring to the cockpit or cabin floor?

 

[Stee6043]

Thanks for the info. My mental budget is under 60k but the 90's 330 are advertised in the hi 30s. Would spending more money, almost double that for a newer 320 or a 99ish 340 be worth it? Not sure I can justify 55-60k for the 320/340 with the 330 being out there at their current prices.

Thats for the heads up on the wet floor, are you referring to the cockpit or cabin floor?

Until you hop on the models you're considering it'll be impossible to answer whether or not it's worth it. For me...yes, jumping to the 340 and spending a touch more was worth it.

I was referring to the foredeck in my comment. Leaky windshields, hatches and windlass's are quite common on Sea Ray's of this vintage...

Enjoy the hunt!!!

 

[Creekwood]

All good information above. I have had mine for almost 10 years. Read the 330 DA thread on here and you will get a good idea of the boat. Layout is a personal thing so read and try it yourself. Structurally the only real issue to watch for is soft foredeck. Like most boats they are balsa cored and if seals leak, the core rots. Common in all boats, so this is not unique to the 330 and I don’t think the 330 is any worse than any boat after 25 plus years. As for performance, IMO they are fantastic. Mine comes on plane fast and does not need a lot of tab to run level. They are 17 degree hulls so that makes them plane easily and run a bit faster than 21 degree hulls with the same power. The trade off is potentially harder ride in heavy seas. But these are not big water offshore boats so IMO, the benefits outweigh the trade offs. In the seas where it would matter, you probably wont want to be out in any similar sized boat.

 

[Gofirstclass]

I guess by happenstance I've been the owner of two 1995 330's both with small blocks. The first one had the settee layout and that was OK but seemed like a bit of wasted space. It got hit and totaled one night by a drunk boater.

I liked the first 330 I tried to find another exactly like it. I found one in Portland that was a duplicate except it had the dinnette. We found we liked the dinnette better. More comfy and better use of space IMHO.

We had zero issues with either boat and loved both of them. The first one I owned about 2-3 years, the second about 7-8.

 

[SeaNile]

Looked at a 1995 330 today and a 2003 320, both were a few docks away from each other. I really, really like the layout of the 320 but it does seem ever so slightly cramped. Also, the 320 is at least a 60k boat whereas the 90's 330 is a 35-43k boat.

Is the 2003+ 320 worth 20k more? Is there something magical about the 320?

 

[Jeff42899]

I went from a 1996 330 to a 1999 340 but looked at 2003 ish 320's as well. The 320 feels a LOT smaller to me. The 340 was a great change from the 330 for me. Higher arch, cherry cabinets, more modern styling and slightly different cockpit layout etc. The price difference was fairly significant though.

 

[Chief Ed]

We’ve had our 330 for a couple of years and absolutely love it. Rides solid and feels like a bigger boat in the chop. Plenty of room for two couples for a weekend. The mid-90’s 330 styling still looks relatively current, too. Get comments at the marina all the time saying “I can’t believe that’s a 1995”.

That said, we’re in the process of upgrading to a boat with diesels to ‘broaden our horizons’ a bit. The admiral has actually shed a few tears about the 330 having a new ‘family’...