www.iFourWinns.com

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum so forgive me if this is not the right place to post. I just wanted to introduce myslef and ask a question. Hubby (Matt) and I just bought a new 2014 H190. So far we are loving it but we have only had it out twice and are still breaking in the engine. We will primarily use it for cruising and pulling wakeboarders, tubers, and skiers. The dealer advised us that we should buy a whale tail and a High Five SS prop. I had a whale tail before on a very light low profile Sanger and it was great. I have been doing some research and it seams that people are not recommending them. We haven't tried pulling anyone yet so I don't know how the hole shot will be. We have the Mercruiser 4.3 V6 engine. Right now it seems fine but with people loaded in the back it did appear to plane slowly. Any suggestions on that? What about the prop?

Thanks in advance and I'm really excited to find this forum.

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2014 H190 SS

Hi LoriSkier,

Welcome to the forum!

I can't comment on the whale tail option but I do have the High5 SS prop on my 2011 H200 with a Merc 5.0 - 260hp. Our usage is similar to yours - we are constantly pulling, pulling, pulling. Lots of tubing and wake boarding.

You can find out which HighFive prop is right for your boat right on Mercury's website (or at least that was how I found it).

I noticed an improvement in holeshot, a negligible decrease in top speed (if any), and it seems to in general stay hooked up better on tight turns. I had previously noticed some slight cavitation on tight turns (one direction but I don't recall which way) that is gone now.




P.S. that is a nice looking boat!

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2011 H200
MerCruiser 5.0 MPI/Alpha 260 hp

Hi Lori,
I have the same boat with the Volvo 4.3 225, so similar engine. If you put 5 people in the back with nobody in front, it will take some time to plane. You will also have a difficult time holding plane when wakeboarding (17-20 mph) unless you put some people in front.
FWIW I can get up on a slalom ski with 7 adults on board but it takes a few extra seconds and I get as much weight in front as possible when starting. I still have the stock prop btw, a five blade should give you a better hole shot but will probably take a few mph off the top speed. I still love the 4.3, its light, frugal on gas, and very powerful for it's size.
Now on to the fin, I personally would not get one. I have driven a 08 four winns hull with one, and on tight corners it made the boat very unstable. Some people swear by them, but as you stated many people think they are a band aid for an underpowered engine. I tend to see them mostly on 3.0 L engines.

Congrats on the boat!

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2013 H190 RS
VP 225 V6

Admiral on Deck!

Welcome to the Forum Lori.

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

No experience with the High 5, but my Solas HR Titan 4 gives a noticeable increase in stern lift, which allows for a slower plane speed - even when loaded.
I think Whale Tales should be banned. I removed mine after I almost submerged the inside gunnel during a medium speed turn.

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

Thanks for all the advice! I think we will stay away from the whale tail and maybe think about a better prop. We're taking it camping this weekend so we will have our first full boat. We'll see how it goes. Not sure if we will really be pulling anyone as we are still under 10 hours on the engine.

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2014 H190 SS

Very nice looking boat! I have a similarly powered boat and I find that there is no problem pulling skiers, wakeboarder's or tubes with four or less adults and a few kids. However, when at maximum capacity (8), it will struggle a bit if the person you're towing is an adult.

Enjoy!

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2006 H190 4.3L
2009 GMC Acadia
Michigan

I had a totally different mental image for a Whale Tail on a boat. Damn dirty mind of mine.
Welcome to the forum! Beautiful boat!

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2004 248 Vista "Amante"
MC 5.0MPI/B3

LOL!!

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-Andrew

1984 Four Winns 225 Sundowner
5.0L Mercruiser, Alpha 1

I half expected Ric to make that post instead of Jeff

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2011 SL242 5.7 VP GXi - 320 HP Dual Prop

If decide you need help planning faster a better choice might to add a set of Smart Tabs instead. They get really good reviews.

http://nauticusinc.com/smart_tabs_autom ... gQod7nAAxQ

Ric has been pretty quiet on here lately. Thought I'd pick up the slack.

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2004 248 Vista "Amante"
MC 5.0MPI/B3

I'm a big fan of SmartTabs - installed them on my last boat and have helped friends select and install them as well. HOWEVER, the FourWinns Stable-V hull with extended running surfaces negates (IMHO) the need. I've never felt that I needed anything extra on my H220 (at least anything that tabs of any kind would solve).

Play with your new toy for a season and see how she does au naturel.

-Bart

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2008 H220 Frenzy Edition VP 5.7Gi DP
2013 RAM 1500 Crew Cab 5.7 HEMI Tow Vehicle

Previously -
1993 Baja 180 Islander

I tried a fin on my old '95 190 Horizon. It did help at very low planing speeds, but the negative effects at faster speeds were not good. It reduced bow rise getting on plane. It allowed the boat to plane 2-3 mph slower, but at any thing above 20 mph the fin caused the boat to lean to the left or to roll into a turn to the point we thought the gunnel was going to touch the water. Using the fin can be done, but it means that you need to trim the outdrive up more and adjust the trim more often. It takes a lot of practice to know how to trim for what condition. Keep in mind that the fin lifts the center of the stern. There is no stability like having two trim tabs, one on each side. Prop torque will cause the boat to lean left unless you trim up. A turn at 25-30 mph to go back for a wakeboarder or tube rider would cause the 190 to lean too much for comfort, and the turn radius was still very large. I just felt that the bad habits far outweighed any benefits. Hope this helps.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

Agreed! I had a tail / fin on mine when I purchased it. In my opinion the design of the Four Winns hull does not work with these fins and is downright dangerous! As quoted above the boat tends to roll over and take water over the side at even medium speeds. My previous SeaRay did not have this issue however and the whale tail made a huge difference to that boat making it much better.

We use our boat for a lot of water sports and with our family on board ( 5 of us) with all the toys, the 21P ali prop and the V6 mpi was unable to pull me out the water slalom... Well it would eventually but I often ran out of breath first. I now have a 19P high five prop ( cupping added, balanced, vent holes drilled, and mirror polished) and have installed Smart-Tabs as well. This combination made a real difference and pulls me out much quicker but still no rocket...I will be trying a 17P high five next as soon as I have the rev limiter removed. ( I need 5400rpm to maintain barefoot speed of 38mph with a 17P prop and the family on board. Currently tops out at 37mph before the rev limiter kicks in. The 17P pulls hard out of the hole as well)

Remember the Four Winns 190 is like an SUV on the water, even with a 300hp V8 it is still a big wide fat heavy arse'd cruiser ( Big SUV on the road), the V6 is a good motor and light on fuel, but it is pushing a big load and lacks torque.

Leave the whale tail and go for a better prop & smart tabs!

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Cheers

Mark
Melbourne
Australia

Boats:
Current: 2004 FW 190
2001 Mastercraft X5
1998 Malibu Response
1999 Sea Ray 180
17 ft Scimitar Barefoot (200hp Yamaha)
16ft Scimitar Ski (Yamaha 115)
1988 Ski Nautique ( Called Ski Antique)