Trying to decide on lates 90s 205, 225, 245

joverrover · **Posted:** Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:10 pm

Hello I am new to the forum, but not to boating. I just sold my 200 Horizon and want to move into a Sundowner. I will be using the boat for day use and an occasional overnight. I boat on the great lakes and some of the water connected to them. How do they handle 4 footers? Iam see its only about 15 inches length between 205 and 225. I appreciate any advice you have, thanks. Joe

Technologic80 · **Posted:** Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:27 pm

I have an early 90's Sundowner 255, which is the same hull as the 265 vista from that era, just different top deck. It handles the waves of choppy Lake St. Clair better or as good as my 99' 258 Vista did!! I think the lower profile (vs the Vista) really helps when its windy. With the Vista, I'd be getting whipped all over the place but not in the Sundowner.

Ive been out with 3-4' waves and it handles them great.

Bim05 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 25, 2011 12:57 am

I have a later 255 (2006), and I can honestly tell you it has no trouble at all handling 4-5' in open water. We have exposed ocean and bay areas here around Brisbane, and the 255 is great. Overnight is a breeze - plenty of room up front, and the rear 'bed' fits nicely as well. We have the full storm covers, so very comfortable and dry! Love the 255...........recently added some SS rails around the swim platform to get greater use out of that area for fishing (and the BBQ :mrgreen:

)

Graham R · **Posted:** Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:41 am

If you can afford the 245, go for it. We moved from a 1999 225 to a 2004 245, the difference in handling waves is quite amazing. As it's heavier, with the 320 HP 5.7GXi it's a little slower than the 225 with the 280 HP 5.7 GSi was , but not that much.

Graham

M3eater · **Posted:** Thu Aug 25, 2011 7:22 am

As noted above, If you plan on actually overnighting and/or have more than three/four people on board when you are "playing in the water" ... go for the 245. This is a big boat for its class size and the cuddy is one of the largest and most usable in its class.

97_245_sd · **Posted:** Thu Aug 25, 2011 9:33 pm

We love our 245. We have the U-wrap seating and it gives lots of seating area but still lots of room to move around in the cockpit. We've had 8 adults and 2 kids on the boat and while it was close we weren't smashed together. I have the lowest power engine available 5.7 GI (250 hp) with the SX drive and the power is marginal for a boat this size with more than 4 or 5 adults on board. I'd recommend a bigger engine and the DP drive but ours is adequate.

Swansea · **Posted:** Fri Aug 26, 2011 6:53 pm

We have a 2005 205, and it's a great boat, but not big enough to handle the big winds on the Great Lakes. I've been on Lake Ontario a couple times when the wind was strong and there were 3-4 footers, and it was brutal - in fact it was so bad, on one of the trips, the admiral was crying by the time we finally made port. Fine on small and medium-sized lakes, rivers, and channels, but for Ontario, Erie, or Huron, go big or go home.

aussie_sundowner · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:48 am

must be soft in the USA. Our 205's been 5km offshore (Pacific Ocean) and handled the odd wave across the bow that went over the windscreen without any drama. it wasnt windy, but the seas were rather large.
The 205 can handle a lot, you just have to adjust how you drive it.
Obviously, larger is better though,

coming back through Sydney Heads was much worse, mostly due to the crowds welcoming a 16year old round the world sailor home...

Jafo4U · **Joined:** Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:33 am **Posts:** 1026

I have the 220SS and I wouldn't think of putting it anywhere near water that rough it would definitely sink I think :shock:

Then again it's a bowrider so it's definitely not made for those conditions maybe you can get away with it in a boat with an enclosed bow but I wouldn't be the one to try.

ric · **Posted:** Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:18 am

Jafo4U wrote:

I have the 220SS and I wouldn't think of putting it anywhere near water that rough it would definitely sink I think :shock:

Then again it's a bowrider so it's definitely not made for those conditions maybe you can get away with it in a boat with an enclosed bow but I wouldn't be the one to try.

If Four Winns ever stepped up their game and spent the $50 in construction to make the deck self bailing we wouldn't have this issue. Not too hard to retrofit.. that might be a winter project for me. I don't care about waves crashing over, I care about the florida bilge pump killer rain that drops 1-5 inches in 1hr almost every other day.

Swansea · **Posted:** Fri Sep 30, 2011 11:22 am

aussie_sundowner wrote:

must be soft in the USA. Our 205's been 5km offshore (Pacific Ocean) and handled the odd wave across the bow that went over the windscreen without any drama. it wasnt windy, but the seas were rather large.
The 205 can handle a lot, you just have to adjust how you drive it.

Ripper! Good onya mate! Pretty impressed by Aussies for having the ballsy to go out in that rank.

Those are some pretty decent heavies – I sure wouldn’t want to be out in that without a huge keel or twin 450’s, or I’d come a gutser!

I wonder if the waves on the Great Lakes are different? – those ocean things seem to have pretty deep, but wide swells to them – In my experience, large inland lakes tend to have shorter wavelengths, which makes the 3-4-5 ft. depths more pronounced, and harder on the back and knees.

When caught in them in a smaller boat, I always have the debate over 1) slowing down and bobbing in the surge, or 2) speeding up and trying to hit the crests.

I’ll defer to the Cap’n and others for advice!

boatingboy · **Joined:** Sat Dec 29, 2012 10:14 am **Posts:** 31

I have a four winns 225 1999 sundowner. WE have had it in 6 footers. with the 280 Hp volvo penta motor. Single prob

TFD2001 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 02, 2013 8:14 pm

boatingboy wrote:

I have a four winns 225 1999 sundowner. WE have had it in 6 footers. with the 280 Hp volvo penta motor. Single prob

Necro-post much??

john55c · **Posted:** Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:06 am

Quote:

I wonder if the waves on the Great Lakes are different? – those ocean things seem to have pretty deep, but wide swells to them – In my experience, large inland lakes tend to have shorter wavelengths, which makes the 3-4-5 ft. depths more pronounced, and harder on the back and knees.

I have heard that that is true, that the lake waves are tighter than ocean swells. I have been in 3 foot swells in a 17' Glastron Bowrider and had no issues many times on Nantucket Sound or Cape Cod Bay. If you slow down and quarter the waves, its not bad at all. When up in NH at Lake Winnepsaukee, the waves we experienced were both from wind and all those wakes from other boats. This made for a very bumpy ride, and there was no way to get into a pocket and ride them out. The predictability went out the window and it was tougher to guage. I think it is all relative to the wavelength crest to crest as to whether its an uncomfortable ride or not.

boatingboy · **Joined:** Sat Dec 29, 2012 10:14 am **Posts:** 31

www.iFourWinns.com

Trying to decide on lates 90s 205, 225, 245

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