330 ss ride quality...

[Slowlearner]

So I have a new to me 02 330 with small blocks. I mostly boat on Lake St. Clair in Mi and we get quite a bit of peaky chop mixed with large vessel wake chop. The ride on this hull can be very rough at times, our cruise speed is 38mph. My question, is this normal or am I not my setting my tabs/tabs correctly...? The hull bangs pretty good and i dont wanna beat the shit out of it but i also dont know if this is just normal..?

 

[f02kbf]

I think there are a fair number of complaints about the ride. My 330SS doesn?t have the ride I?d expect given the size but it?s still comfortable. 38mph seems to be moving pretty quick in rough water for the boat. On mine, around 2900RPMs and ~30mph is the ideal cruising speed for both fuel and comfort.

 

[AJK]

I have 2007 with 496s, 30mph in rough water is a good speed. Boat handles great and everyone is comfortable and not bouncing around, usually run almost full tabs just to keep the front from slamming on a big wave.

 

[tpenfield]

I had that same experience when I first got my 330SS . . . I felt my 242SS ran better in the chop . . . well, it probably does.

The 330 SS has a fairly flat hull ( 20˚ V) vs. the go-fast boats and large center consoles (24˚ V). So, depending on what you are used to previously, it can be a big difference.

What I found is that you have to put the bow down into the waves/chop to get a good ride. The more 'pointy' section of the hull (bow) will be cutting into the waves rather than the flatter part of the hull pounding the waves. Of course you are limited to about 3 footers as being the maximum before you will want to slow down and keep the bow up a bit, otherwise you run the risk of a 'nose dive' as the waves get bigger . . . like 4-6 feet.

I would trim the boat using mostly the outdrives, and the boat seems to like to run with the outdrives almost in their full down position, but not quite, just a little bit above full down,

In a 2-3 foot chop, I can usually hold 25-28 mph. If things get rougher or there is a rouge wave, I just try to keep the boat level while airborne.



Overall, I'm not in love with the ride, but I've learned to live with it. The newer Sun Sports (290, 310, 350) have a slightly sharper 'V' hull, so presumably those boats ride a bit better.

 

[WhatsTheFormula]

When we are running in bigger water I like to keep it to around 30-32mph. 3000rpm is about 30mph on the dot for me with the 7.4's. She likes to sit at that 30mph, any slower and it starts to get a little dogged down. Of course it all depends how the boat is loaded. I put the drives all the way down and then give a quick tap up and leave them, you can hear when you hit the sweet spot and youll notice it a little in your RPM's. I think the helm being so far forward in the SS's contributes to the feeling of a rough ride for the captain. All I know is that every time we are in these conditions and my buddy follows in his 28 sundancer, I have to stop and wait for him to catch up several times before we get to the sandbar!