**Note: Listing and Links Below Article**

By the mid-1990s, Sea Ray owned the "family cruiser" market with the Sundancer. But they had a problem: Tiara. While Sea Ray was building "floating condos", Tiara was winning over serious boaters with wider, heavier, and more stable "Open" models.

In 1997, Sea Ray designer Jerry Michalak— ironically the man who literally invented the Sundancer—was tasked with creating a higher end hybrid model. One that appealed to the discerning yachtsman. His answer was the 330 Express Cruiser (later the 340 Amberjack).

The "Too Wide" Engineering

The defining feature of this boat is the 13’5” beam. To put that in perspective:

The Tiara 3100 Open (the benchmark) sat at 12’0”.
The Sea Ray 330 Sundancer sat at 11’5”.

Michalak didn't just add a few inches; he added nearly two feet of width. This allowed for a massive, single-level cockpit and a salon that felt like a 40-foot yacht (She didn’t just feel like 40’, the 330 Express was nearly 38’ LOA). Just as important, the width and displacement produced a noticeably planted feel underway. Compared to the narrower Sundancer of the same era, the Express rolled less at rest and carried weight through a head sea with more confidence. It felt heavier because it was. To keep the draft manageable, he used prop pockets. They allowed the massive hull to draw less than 3 feet of water, making it a perfect hybrid that could fish but still tuck into a shallow sandbar.

The Logistics Trap

The 13’5” beam was a masterstroke for stability, but a disaster for the balance sheet. In the marine industry, 12 feet is the "magic number." Most states allow a 12-foot wide boat to be transported with a simple, inexpensive over-width permit. At 13’5”, the hull crossed into a different freight category than 12-foot competitors. Permits were more expensive, escorts were more common, and dealer-to-dealer transfers became materially harder. For Sea Ray—a company built on trucking thousands of boats from Tennessee and Florida to dealers nationwide—this boat was an outlier. It often required:

Escort Vehicles: Lead and chase cars that doubled transport costs.
Restricted Routing: No weekend travel and no "rush hour" through major cities.
Dealer Friction: Because they were so expensive to ship many dealers favored the "skinny" and faster moving Sundancers that could be swapped between dealerships easily.

The 2002 Rebrand: 330 EC to 340 Amberjack

In 2002, Sea Ray leaned into the boat’s "overbuilt" reputation. They updated the interior from the dated 90s maple to a richer cherry wood finish and rebranded it as the 340 Amberjack. They marketed it as a "fishing/cruising hybrid," adding a "Sportsman Package" with livewells and bait stations to justify the heavy-duty hull.

Why They Killed It

By 2005, the bean counters at Brunswick (Sea Ray’s parent company) won. The cycle had peaked and product lines were being scrutinized, and the 13’5” hull was simply too expensive to build and too difficult to ship compared to the high-margin Sundancers. Coupled with structural saturation issues on the 40+ models, Sea Ray was now fighting an uphill battle with the same distinguished yachtsmen they set out to capture.

When Sea Ray released the "new" 340 Sundancer in the mid-2000s, they retreated to a 12’0” beam. It was faster and easier to truck, but it lacked the "tank-like" footprint of the 13’5” hull.

Today, the 330 Express and 340 Amberjack are the "insider's choice." Because they are difficult (and expensive) to truck between states, their resale value is often suppressed. If you find one locally, you are buying a boat that was "too much" for the manufacturer, but is "just right" for a buyer who wants Tiara-level stability at a Sea Ray price point.

1997 Sea Ray 330 Express (Refit)

Price: $73,900

Location: Bay City, MI

Nicest 330 Express I have ever seen. No expense spared. Very tasteful refit. Repowered in 2019, the 7.4L Mercruisers have only 200 hours. Updated electronics, freshwater, two owner boat. No trailer included.

Listing Link