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When Grady-White launched the Express 330 in 2001, it was the largest outboard-powered sport-fisher on the market. In the 25 years since, the Express 330 has earned its place on the sport-fishing landscape. The people who swear by it—who you’ll find fishing and staying aboard the 33 Grady-White most anyplace you find dedicated offshore fishermen—have created something of a legacy and cultlike following for this boat.
And that is part of what makes this new Grady-White Express 340 so exciting. It is a fresh, modern take on a classic—a totally reengineered deck mold that sits atop the same proven hull design. The boat is both true to its heritage and more modern and sleeker, with improved performance.
The cockpit, well-appointed and unapologetically fishy, gives way to a covered helm station, where you find the first significant design change: The helm doesn’t sit central, but starboard. It’s a small change, but one that opens the boat and improves flow. There are many things like this, nuances that you might not notice immediately but improve the feel of the boat. The design of the 34 is modern. There is less pipework, drawing your eyes to the boat’s open sleekness.
Moving forward, you come to the cabin. Its entry is wider, and you pass through a pocket door that disappears when the cabin is open. Descending into the berth via floating stairs, the cabin is spacious, equipped with a range, a microwave, and a sink set within a quartz countertop. The cabinetry work is clean. With bunks, a dinette, and a head with a stand-up shower, there are places to sleep, relax, eat, cook, and store everything you need to do the things that you like—all while providing access to panels and wiring.
The cabin has the feel of a kitchen in a luxury condo. You see why this boat (and its predecessor) is so popular and widely used. Standing there, you can imagine yourself fishing the canyons of the Northeast, on a weekend trip to the Abacos, or enjoying a double overnighter in the Gulf.
The boat handles the way you’d imagine, somehow combining the feel of a sport-fisher, the intimacy of a center-console, and the heavy, comfortable ride of a cruiser. And the evolution isn’t limited to design and layout. Under the hood—or on the transom in this case—the Express 340 draws its offshore confidence from triple Yamaha 350s, a proven combination that gives the boat surprising punch and impressive range. Sea trials delivered a 57.2 mph top-end speed at 5,950 rpm, while the optimum cruise of 30.4 mph at 3,500 rpm returned 27.2 gph and 1.12 mpg.
Like the Express 340 itself, these changes did not arise from a vacuum. Grady-White enlisted the input and feedback of the boat owners who have fished aboard for the past 25 years. Real-world time on the water informed the design, flow, and the look and the feel of the new Grady-White Express 340. The result is a classic… reimagined.
Grady-White Express 340 Specs
- LOA: 33’6″
- BOA: 11’7″
- Bridge Clearance: 9’11”
- Cockpit Depth: 29″
- Draft: 27″
- Transom Deadrise:
- 20 degrees
- Maximum HP: 1,050
- Fuel Capacity: 340 gal.
- Freshwater Capacity:
- 51 gal.
- Displ.: 12,870 lb.
