3055 or 305??-gctid371911

[Guest]

Hi

I'm looking for my first boat and 'settling' on either a 3055 or 305. We like the layout in the 3055 with 'rounded' cabin seating area but what other differences are there? What should we look out for?

Petrol or Diesel?

We are in the UK and will look to use it/ keep it in Norfolk with limited sea use.

It will be used by my wife and I mainly with occasional visitors.

Would welcome any input!

[Stratocaster]

They are the exact same boat from '99 on. In (I think) 2003 they changed the name from 3055 to 305.

In the early 90s, the 3055 was a completely different boat model.

[Guest]

Thanks for feedback

[Guest]

Hi sufc99,

If your going to be based on the Norfolk broads, (as we are) choice of fuel will depend a lot on your location. diesel is freely available all over the system both northern and souther rivers. Petrol however is rare, on the Southern river its available from Brooms at Brundal or Waveny River Centre. The only place that sells petrol at the moment on the northern rivers is Martham boats who are the top side of Potter heigham bridge and a 305 or 3055 will not get under that, air draft is less than 6' 6" at most low tides.

Also if you can look for one where there arch has been hinged as the low bridges will serious affect you cursing range our 285 will only get under Ludham bridge with the arch down, also we can only navigate through Yarmouth on a low slack water and even sometimes we have to lower the arch to get under the bridges. I think we may just fit under Wroxham bridge but as yet I have never had the guts to try it!

I do know of a 3055 for sale at the moment I think its up for about £50K, but I also said boat needs some serious work on one of the drives.

[Guest]

As strat said the 99-03 models were 3055 or was it 02? When they changed to 305, they also changed the cabin a bit, removing the bulkhead between the front berth and the galley, different material on the couch, moved electrical panel, different door on the head, etc. Other than that they are virtually the same boat still, same hull, etc.

As for diesel or petrol, in the states there are not many diesel 3055/305's, petrol is very common though. I have twin 5.7's, they burn alot of gas what can I say. Good boat though.

[cwiert]

biohazard wrote:
As strat said the 99-03 models were 3055 or was it 02?

'03 was the first model year of the 305. That's when they changed up the interior a bit. My boat is technically a 305 because it has the updated interior (and that's what the people at Bayliner told me), but on the side of my boat I still had the 3055 stickers. I guess my boat has a bit of an identity crisis.

[itsabowtime2]

Stratocaster wrote:


In the early 90s, the 3055 was a completely different boat model.

And it is a GREAT model at that!!

[Guest]

As others said, minor differences in the later years. The early ones (early 90s) have a little less space and the layout is nowhere near as nice. In the mid-2000 models the tiny differences in the cabin layout are subjective. The admiral likes the early-2000 model better, I don't really care either way.

[Jeffw]

sufc99 wrote:
Hi

I'm looking for my first boat and 'settling' on either a 3055 or 305...

Would welcome any input!

As a former 305 owner and boatowner for 40+ years, I suggest to you that a 305/3055 is a LOT of boat, even for an experienced boater. I'm not trying to discourage you, just cautioning you, hoping you don't bite off more than you can chew. I would also caution you about "settling." If you're not sure it's the RIGHT boat, keep looking. If you go forward, you could hire a captain for a few lessons, and above all, please take a boat safety course.

[itsabowtime2]

SwampNut wrote:
As others said, minor differences in the later years. The early ones (early 90s) have a little less space and the layout is nowhere near as nice. .

Less space below, yes. But I like the 'Sunbridge' layout of the early 90's much better. With kids nothing beats the L lounge, especially with the filler, that makes it huge.

[Guest]

What Jeff says is absolutely true, but has both positive and negatives. It's big, it's a lot of boat. Both to handle, but also gives you so much. We shopped and looked at dozens of boats, no other has the space and layout of the 3055/305 in this price range. The beam is a big part of it. This weekend our neighbor's wife was on our boat and commented that she's always on edge on their boat because it bounces around (Regal 28' with 9.5' beam) and she's completely relaxed on ours because it just doesn't move. That's probably due to the beam, I would guess. Happy admiral = priceless.

[Guest]

The beam forward design gives it the extra space over other comparable 32' models.

Look at a 3055 from front view next to lets say a 30' crownline or something, you will see what I am talking about. Some say it handles like a truck because of this, I sure have not had this experience, it will cut into turns like my 24' did no problem.

[Guest]

This thing is shockingly agile. I never expected what happened when I swung the wheel hard over at cruise. My brother and dad who have been on a LOT of boats were equally surprised.

[Guest]

2002 3055 my first boat! Love it from the standpoint of getting somewhere fast but not all that fun on the gas. Excellent room everywhere and you will love the space in the engine bay. Easy to drive just have someone spend sometime with you docking it the first 3-4 times. I almost always back in the slip as backing ups easier. I've upgraded the interior to 305 by ordering formica to match the cabinets and applying it to certain surfaces. Looks extremely nice so try to get a 3055 with the wood look and you'll have an easy interior upgrade. I'm not sure about the power as I really haven't had power issues with the 5.0s. Just go full up on the WOT and bring her back down while putting the tabs up.