Grady-White 330 Express Review, Specs and Used Buying Guide

The Grady White 330 Express and the outboard express revolution

In 2001 an express boat meant inboard diesels or gas sterndrives buried under a cockpit hatch. The Grady White 330 Express changed that. It was widely credited as the first outboard-powered express-style cabin boat (Grady's smaller 265 Express had tested the styling a couple of years earlier), and owners loved the result: an uncluttered cockpit, an engine room you never have to crawl into, and the ability to tilt the props out of the water at the dock.

The formula worked so well that Grady-White kept building the boat for 24 years and, by Power and Motoryacht's count, sold more than 1,200 of them, making it the company's most popular model for most of that time. It was finally replaced by the Express 340 at the 2025 Fort Lauderdale show. That longevity means a huge used market, a well-documented list of strengths and weaknesses, and parts support that is not going anywhere.

Note that although many listing sites and this guide group it with center consoles, the 330 is an express: the helm sits on a bridge deck under a windshield and hardtop, with a cabin below and an open cockpit aft.

Hunt hull, 11-foot 7-inch beam and the F350 rework

Like every modern Grady-White, the 330 rides on a C. Raymond Hunt & Associates hull, the SeaV2 continuously variable deep-V. Deadrise is 20 degrees at the transom and gets progressively sharper forward. Combined with substantial freeboard, a crowned foredeck and a tall windshield, the hull earned a reputation as one of the best riding boats in the class in a steep head sea.

The 11-foot 7-inch beam was generous for a 33-foot outboard boat in 2001 and still is. It gives the cockpit real width for two or three anglers and lets the cabin hold a full galley, a stand-up head and a mid-cabin.

Grady reworked the 330 around Yamaha's new F350 V8 for the 2007 season, and gave it a broader refresh around 2015 with the AV2 hardtop, whose integrated tempered-glass windshield is about seven and a half feet wide. For most buyers, 2007 and later boats are the ones to shortlist.

Three generations of Yamaha power

Over its life the 330 carried several Yamaha packages. Launch boats ran twin 250 hp Yamaha two-strokes, and Salt Water Sportsman saw 41.6 mph (about 36 knots) at 5,600 rpm and a 28.5 mph cruise at 4,000 with them. From 2007 the boat was built around twin F350 V8s, which Sport Fishing ran to 50.4 mph with an optimum cruise of 32 mph at 26.5 gph, and late models were offered with the lighter 4.2-liter F300 V6 or twin XF425 XTO Offshore V8s.

BoatTest ran a boat with twin F350s, two people aboard and full fuel. It reached 50.9 mph (44.2 knots) at 6,000 rpm and planed in 3.1 seconds. The most efficient fast cruise came around 3,500 to 4,000 rpm: 26.7 mph at 21.5 gph at 3,500, and 32.1 mph at 27.9 gph at 4,000. At 4,000 rpm the range works out to roughly 340 statute miles on 90 percent of the 331-gallon tank.

For a used buyer, the F350 boats offer the most performance per dollar but those engines are heavy and are now out of production, so check parts availability with your dealer. A late boat on F300s is lighter, quieter and very nearly as quick at cruise.

A fishing cockpit with family manners

Aft, the 330 Express is set up for real offshore fishing. A 45-gallon stand-up livewell, a large transom fish box, a bait rigging station with sink, fresh and raw water washdowns, cockpit bolsters and a transom door are all standard. The fold-away rear bench clears the deck when fish are biting, and aft-facing cockpit seats give guests somewhere to sit while still watching the lines.

The standard hardtop carries an electronics box, lights and rod holders, and an optional full enclosure with tall side glass and an aft curtain turns the bridge deck into a three or even four season pilothouse. Northeast owners often add it and extend their season by two months at each end.

Grady also made generator, air conditioning and a water heater standard, which is part of why owners tend to stay aboard rather than rent a room at the end of a fishing day.

Mid-cabin accommodations for four

The cabin is the reason buyers choose an express over a center console. A forward dinette converts to a V-berth, and a mid-cabin tucked under the bridge deck gives a second double, so the boat sleeps four. The galley carries a microwave, a Corian countertop, a two-burner cooktop and an Isotherm refrigerator and freezer. The stand-up head has a VacuFlush toilet and a shower.

Older boats feature teak cabinetry and a teak and holly sole that look traditional and wear well, though the varnish needs attention. Headroom is good for a 33-footer, and the cabin works well for a couple with two young children on a long weekend or for two anglers on a canyon overnight.

Used market and value retention

Because so many were built, a used Grady White 330 Express for sale is rarely hard to find. Prices span from about $65,000 for an early 2000s boat with tired original engines to roughly $560,000 for a 2024 or 2025 boat on twin XF425s. Resale has always been strong, and the end of production has, if anything, pushed late boats up because the replacement Express 340 costs considerably more new.

Annual running costs typically fall between $20,000 and $38,000 depending on whether the boat lives in a wet slip or a rack, how far you run, and whether you maintain the teak and gelcoat yourself. Fuel at 28 gph at cruise adds up quickly on long canyon trips.

Express 330 or the new Express 340

The Express 340 is a complete retooling on a SeaV2 bottom with the same 20-degree transom deadrise, with a starboard helm instead of the 330's centerline helm, mezzanine seating, side boarding doors in place of the transom door, and a choice of triple Yamaha 350s or twin XTO 450s. It is a better boat in many ways, but it is a larger financial commitment.

If you value the 330's centerline helm visibility, twin-engine simplicity and lower purchase price, a well-kept late 330 remains an excellent choice. If you want the newest systems and the option of three engines, budget for the 340.