www.iFourWinns.com

Hello all, I am looking at purchasing a 2010 F244. I have a wife, 6 yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter + a dog who loves to swim. Spending time with my family and friends is the number one thing i want to get out of boating. I currently have a 20 ft bowrider which I love but its a bit small.

I have 2 big questions with the funship 244.

1) we dock our boat on a big lake in New Hampshire, I am somewhat worried about the modified V hull. Is it a big deal or will I be fine on the rough days?

2) any suggestions on the engine I should put in this thing? We will be doing a lot of water sports: kids tubing, dad and friends skiing and wakeboarding. The dealer said the 5.7 300HP GI/DP Volvo Penta is enough. Any thoughts?

I grow up on 2 four winns and like the company and its products however i am uneducated on the deckboats, I understand there is some tradeoff with a deckboat i am just worried because i grew up on bowriders and do not want to get "slammed" with waves all summer.

thank you for any help you can offer!

Steve

I never have tried a deckboat of any make but they do tend to have a shallower deadrise, where I am (Long Island Sound region) a deep V hull is a necessity because of wave action and many large boat wakes. You might do better with a 230/240 Horizon with the 5.7.
My old 88 has a 21* deadrise which is a true deep V and it does very well for a boat its size (20'9")....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I don't think you can go wrong with the F244. I have an '03 Funship 264 and although it does not have as deep a V as the big bow riders, it is a lot more spacious and deflects spray better. You'll will find the hull design is a little more sensitive to the heavy chop, but it is more than offset in my opinion by the extra room inside. The kids especially will love the space. If it was me, (and admittedly I'm a bit of a speed freak) if your not overly worried about fuel consumption, I'd get the most powerful motor you can afford, I have a 375hp 8.1Gi (wish I had the GXi with +50hp), and it runs the boat perfectly whether loaded or empty, runs 55-60mph with an average load and will pull three adults on our tube with 8-10 people on board with ease holding steady rpm throughout. If you run a motor with too much less power (torque really), you'll find the boat behaving differently depending on how many people are aboard, and if you wakeboard or tube a lot you'll appreciate the extra power.

All IMO of course.

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2003 Funship 264
Volvo 8.1Gi DP
2007 Lincoln Navigator tow vehicle
Weekends on Lake Norman

Funship = more room inside.
Horizon = better handling in moderate to rough water.

All depends on the typical conditions of the lake you are on....have the dealer get you on the water for test drives and see which one you like better.

If I were to do it again (just waiting on the Lotto to come through for me) I'd probably swap out my FS214 for a Horizon 210/220. I love my FS, but find I get a lot of hull slap in the ocean and on windy lake days.

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe