Hey folks! New member here - joined because I am very seriously considering moving into a 2015-2017 era 330 Express. Currently going on my 15th season with my Regulator 26FS w/Suzuki 250APs on it (repowered in 2016). I'm in the marine business, so I understand the real world cost of things, and that's actually what has me shopping Grady's. I was dead set on buying a used 35 Henriques Express, but after doing some soul searching and realizing my wife isn't going to spend a week away at a time with me, and that my friends all have kids now, week-long trips to Nantucket are DOA for the foreseeable future. The other side of that coin is maintaining a set of diesels - we are a diesel shop, and I understand the costs, and frankly, the juice isn't worth the squeeze with the reality of my working/fishing schedule.
Anyways - I want to get some real world honest feedback on true milage of the 330 Express, both with F300s and F350s (If I repower down the road it will be Suzuki). After 14 seasons with my Regulator, I know that it gets 1.65NMPG @ 30KTS like clockwork - no matter what. That is the 15yr average, and it's never dipped below 1.57 even when rough, through thousands and thousands of miles.
I live just north of Boston, and the majority of my fishing is North Shore & Stellwagen, down to the Cape and Chatham - sometimes out East 60ish miles depending on the BFT bite. I do tend to take 1 trip per year to ACK which is exactly 100mi out and around the Cape (I hate the canal so I go that way). Ideally, I would like to be able to target the bite down off Block, the Windmills, and would like to throw a canyon trip or two a year in there. I can refuel before heading south, so I won't need to run 180mi each way for Canyon runs - typical run will be 90mi each way. Crew is 2 guys, and I don't load the boat down with 50 rods and 1000lbs of ice - I enjoy releasing fish, and only keeping what we will actually eat - so super heavy runs are non-existent. The heaviest we will be is full fuel, water, and diesel (gen), and probably 250lbs of ice.
For those who fish "like I do" - what kind of real world nautical MPG are you seeing? If I can get 1:1 - I will be happy. It seems many guys are reporting better and worse numbers depending on props. I understand I won't be cruising 30kts anymore without burning a metric ton of fuel - but if we could get 26kts at 1:1 - I could live with that. Even if it dips to .9 on the way out, and 1.2 on the way back, that averages out for me.
Anyways - cheers! I look forward to contributing more as things progress. I am likely going to wait until Spring to pull the trigger on anything (as this season is half over for us), but you never know.
Anyways - I want to get some real world honest feedback on true milage of the 330 Express, both with F300s and F350s (If I repower down the road it will be Suzuki). After 14 seasons with my Regulator, I know that it gets 1.65NMPG @ 30KTS like clockwork - no matter what. That is the 15yr average, and it's never dipped below 1.57 even when rough, through thousands and thousands of miles.
I live just north of Boston, and the majority of my fishing is North Shore & Stellwagen, down to the Cape and Chatham - sometimes out East 60ish miles depending on the BFT bite. I do tend to take 1 trip per year to ACK which is exactly 100mi out and around the Cape (I hate the canal so I go that way). Ideally, I would like to be able to target the bite down off Block, the Windmills, and would like to throw a canyon trip or two a year in there. I can refuel before heading south, so I won't need to run 180mi each way for Canyon runs - typical run will be 90mi each way. Crew is 2 guys, and I don't load the boat down with 50 rods and 1000lbs of ice - I enjoy releasing fish, and only keeping what we will actually eat - so super heavy runs are non-existent. The heaviest we will be is full fuel, water, and diesel (gen), and probably 250lbs of ice.
For those who fish "like I do" - what kind of real world nautical MPG are you seeing? If I can get 1:1 - I will be happy. It seems many guys are reporting better and worse numbers depending on props. I understand I won't be cruising 30kts anymore without burning a metric ton of fuel - but if we could get 26kts at 1:1 - I could live with that. Even if it dips to .9 on the way out, and 1.2 on the way back, that averages out for me.
Anyways - cheers! I look forward to contributing more as things progress. I am likely going to wait until Spring to pull the trigger on anything (as this season is half over for us), but you never know.
