Courtesy Marex Boats
Chris Gray has always had an affinity for water—and for the boats that let him explore it.
“Boating was not something my family did together when I was a kid growing up in New Jersey, probably because mom got seasick,” Gray says. “But dad’s business partner had a tuna boat that he’d run about 100 miles offshore on weekends. I thought that was so cool and imagined that someday I’d be able to do the same.”
When Gray left home for college at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, he had yet to own a boat, but the views of Narragansett Bay were all the motivation he needed. At school, he met his future wife, Anne, who shared his love of the water. Eventually, the couple moved to Boston to build their professional lives—she in medicine and he in tech. When they had saved enough money to make a shared dream come true, they went boat shopping.
They found a Ranger Tug R 25 with a single diesel and berthed it in Bristol. From there they explored the Rhode Island coast, places like Newport and Providence. Their first powerboat confirmed what they had always felt to be true: “For both of us, the water is our center,” Gray says.
After three years, the R 25 had answered every question except one: What would a larger boat feel like? “It was a cool boat, but we needed something bigger, with twin engines for better control and maneuverability. And we wanted an all-weather design that we could use over multiple seasons, not just in the summer,” he says.
The couple began the search for their second boat on YouTube, where they found themselves drawn to video reviews of European boats. That’s where they discovered Marex. The family-owned company, founded in 1973 on the south coast of Norway, had a reputation for building premium, reliable and cleverly designed family cruisers. The company offers seven models from 31 to 45 feet, but the Grays were immediately drawn to the 330 Scandinavia. There was just one problem. “There were no demo models nearby,” Gray says.
With Marex still building its U.S. distribution network, the couple faced the possibility of buying a boat they had never set foot aboard. Then the phone rang. Chris Hughes, president of Marex Boats USA, knew a couple in Michigan with a 330 who were happy to take the Grays for a ride.
Anne and Chris traveled to Traverse City last June to meet with the owners. “We flew out there with the expectation to just walk on and take a look,” Gray says. “But the couple took us out on Lake Michigan for a day. It was a great experience. We called Marex shortly after and said, ‘We’ll take it.’ ”
They took delivery of their 330 last fall and christened her Tessie. “We used the boat into November, which was the best time to be aboard. We have a roomy cabin and enclosed pilothouse. We cranked up the heat and were good to go. Our season was short, but still incredibly enjoyable,” he says.
At 6 feet, 2 inches tall, he appreciates the roomy master cabin forward. It’s a nice change from the tight quarters on their previous boat, with its big berth and en-suite head with separate shower. “On the Marex, I can stand up and shower like a human, not a contortionist,” he says. The couple also likes the guest cabin for two. Friends from out of town will often visit in the summer and they’ll enjoy the chance to experience Bristol from the water.
The Grays say the Marex 330 Scandinavia represents just the right balance for their needs. The accommodations—including a full galley, convertible dinette, two heads and exceptionally roomy lounge seating in the cockpit—support their goal of extended weekends and summer vacations aboard. They like the fact that they can use the boat on any day. In foul weather, they have Marex’s ingenious convertible cockpit enclosure system, plus plenty of livable space, so they never feel hemmed in. Or they can run with the boat open on bluebird days, with the enclosure stowed and the breeze coming through the two never-fail manual sunroofs. “We commute more than 60 miles from Boston to the boat, so when we get there, we want to use it,” Gray says. “We don’t want to have to wait for a perfect weather day.”
Other key features include wide sidedecks, a helm door, excellent stowage solutions, well-placed safety rails, a deep cockpit with plenty of freeboard, and premium Scandinavian joinery. The helm door makes it easy for the skipper to step directly from the helm to the sidedeck —a real advantage when docking single-handed. Overall, the 330 Scandinavia is thoughtfully designed and highly versatile for its size.
The Axius joystick piloting system for sterndrives has become one of their favorite features. “It’s a game-changer,” he says. Paired with the bow thruster, it makes maneuvering in tight quarters far easier—a real advantage in the wind and current that are a constant presence in their home waters.
The Grays’ boat is powered by twin 270-hp diesels that push her to 37 knots at wide-open throttle. At a cruising speed of 27.5 knots and 3,200 rpm, the boat burns 19.4 gph and delivers a range of 262 nautical miles—enough reach to open up destinations that felt out of range in the past. “With our old boat, we felt we had to stay in more protected areas. On Tessie, we we’ll run out to Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard.”
Tessie may look a bit incongruous in her slip in Bristol, most likely flanked by outboard-powered center consoles and Downeast-inspired cruisers with a faint whiff of lobster boat. This Scandinavian brand—designed in Norway, built in Lithuania and awarded by numerous European publications—is still a rare sight on this side of the Atlantic, and its aesthetic and layout are genuinely unlike anything else at the dock. For the Grays, that is precisely the point.
“We know most people in our marina, and it’s been fun to have them come by and say, ‘Hey, what’s this?’ Then they see that the Marex is huge inside, has neat lines and is just generally fun to be aboard. They want to learn more about it, and we like to be advocates for a brand that’s been around in Europe for 50 years.”
