Big decision Help pls 280 ss vs 330 ss
 

Yesterday I went out on my friend's 97 280 ss with my wife and our 4 kids , spent the whole day on the boat, went to Fort Lauderdale had lunch , my kids had a blast, so veredict, I am getting a cruiser, I know, don't flame me, but it is a reality, my beautiful 272 will be for sale soon... Will price it to sell..

So question ,

Where is the 5' difference between the 280 ss and the 330 ss , I know 330 is 1 feet beamier, but is the cockpit area bigger or it is the cabin that is roomier than the 280 ss.

Any info will be appreciated

Diego you've been on a 280 now just go get on a 330. Plenty for sale. Go look at one as a consumer and see what you think

I'm looking at the 1997 Formula Brochure here, and there is a little lost in the cabin, a little lost in the forward cockpit, and the rest in the aft cockpit. If you send me your email address, I'll send you a copy of the brochure. There is also a difference of 40 gallons of fuel, 9 gallons of water, 5" of cabin headroom, and the aforementioned 12"of beam.

And if you were out here, I'd take you out on the 330.

The Sun Sports are really not a cruiser, since they do not have an aft cabin. Sort of a cross between the traditional deep-v and the PC lines. Anyway. . .

I looked at a bunch of 280SS boats and ended up with a 330SS. If you compare the 2 boats, everything on the 280 is scaled down a bit from the 330. So, on the 280. . . the cockpit is a bit smaller, the port bench seat is smaller, the wet bar is smaller, the u-shape seating is smaller, the engine compartment is shorter, and the cabin has about 1-2 ft less space.

Functionally, they are the same, but just more spacious on the 330.

On an overnight, the 280 will feel a bit cramped in the cabin, whereas the 330 will be more livable.

As far as engines, the 280 will have the 5.7 twins for the most part, but there are some 4.3 and 5.0 setups. The 330 will have the 7.4's and then the 6.2's or 496's in the later models. there are a few early model 280's with a single engine, but I would stay away from those.

As far as the hull, the extra foot (or so) of beam gets you a 20 degree v-hull on the 330 and a 21 degree hull on the 280. The 330 planes at a very low speed for the size of boat . . . the 280 planes fairly well also.

As mentioned, it is best to see a 330 in person. Once you are used to handling the 5 extra feet of boat, which is not too bad, you will be happy with the extra space of the 330.

Hey i might take a flight to Cali. for that ride LOL !!! Thank you.

Considering that my kids would always like to bring a friend on board , i am inclining myself to the 330 ss , i will probably go see one here over the weekend , it is a 97 with 7.4's , asking price is $39k , anyways need to sell my boat and a pair of 383's before i make the move...

thanks.

Diego, I'm coming down in may again, if you haven't made a move ill be glad to go shopping/ sea trial with you.

Hey Jamie,

that would be great man, me and Pablo will be waiting for you... He is really enjoying his 357

Excellent! Ill call you when dates are confirmed

Deigo

I have a freind with a cherry 280 4 sale. He likes to make trade deals an the like. I will post the craigslist link

lc

This is a rare instance of the smaller boat riding better than the bigger boat. A 280ss is a much much smoother ride than the 330ss. The extra foot of beam along with 1 degree less V make a big difference.

I know there are plenty of people here who will say, "oh you just don't know how to drive it, or Mine rides great" etc etc etc. But The 330ss was the best selling model Formula mde for years. Why did it not get the make over the other SS's did, with the new cockpit layout and a FX model version?

Its because the biggest complaint Formula ever had was about the ride on that boat. That is a fact.

Yea, I noticed the harsher ride, due to the flatter and wider hull. I found that pointing the nose into the waves helped a lot, so I had to run the boat differently in the chop than how I ran my 242SS.

I think that is why Formula went to the new SS & FX lines . . . narrower beam and deeper V hulls . . . trying to get back to the boats that made them famous.

Wow I was kind of sold on the 330 but with this statement , I will have to ride one soon... My friend's 280 has a nice ride!!

Boat looks great but way more than what I would pay for a 280 ss , I am not saying is not worth that but not for me,


But if he trades it for my 272 sr1 plus some cash ... Maybe...

Give him a call, he is a formula nut like the rest of us, always trading around. Gave me a good trade on my cobalt when I bought my fastech from him.

LC

I've heard comments about the 330 ride too. Not sure it is more harsh than the 280 though. As far as the make over I believe Formula built new hulls across the entire Sun Sport line during the make over years. They introduced the 310 model and decided on the 350 as the largest model in that line. On the Super Sport 370 and 400 they just did an interior make over which basically introduced the rear facing bench on those two.