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Hello everyone, first time poster here. I have been researching F.W.'s for months now and narrowing down my choices for used boats. I am eying a 298 Vista, but I live in Connecticut and am planning a trip to Block Island a few times a season and I understand that the 298's run wet. Because of that I am going to look at a bigger boat this Friday which is a 2004 348 Vista "Special Edition" (whatever that means?) It runs on the Twin Volvo 5.7 GXI and the hours aren't listed. Seems to be loaded and they are asking 139,900. Questions... Anyhow familiar with the model? Anything good bad or ugly for a first time boater? Price sound about right? Would appreciate any info you guys could give me. Thanks in advance........Bob

Welcome Bob...

If you know someone that knows a lot about boats, bring them with you to check it out. Also, find a good surveyor to go over any used boat that you decide to purchase.

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

Bob,

Yeah I have some advice.. Start a little smaller

I mean if you are truly a first time boater, I'm not sure a 348 Vista is the right choice (sure it's a choice we all would love to make for a first boat) but I think it may be a hard and painful learning experiance.

Just remember boats don't have brakes and when you go to dock it.. slow slow slow slow....


As for the 298 running "wet" ??? These are cruisers, not center console fishing boats. I don't beleive any of them run wet.

Let us know how you make out on the 348 and good luck!

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Brett DiMichele

Most of the cruisers run wet in certain conditions. One of the guys on my old dock had a 348 and he still got wet at times. He usually ran with the canvas up. I have a much smaller boat and sometimes its dry and sometimes its not. If this is your first boat I would definatley look at something a bit smaller. I do love your choices in boats though. Good luck.

Brett, I'm Sorry, but I could not disagree with you more! I also apologize to Anesthetized, because I was not going to reply since I have the 268Vista, and have never cruised on anything larger, so I did not feel I was qualified to answer, but..........

Regarding starting smaller, since Anesthetized already knows that the cruising range/style will be in "Open Water" going some good distances, and spending a fair amount of liveaboard time, the larger cruisers like the 348 will satisfy those requirements far better than a smaller cruiser!

Secondly, with the twin screws on the 348Vista and the extra weight vs a smaller cruiser like mine, handling with some practice and maybe even lessons will be easier than something like my single drive 268Vista. Don't get me wrong here, as most of you know, I absolutely love my 268Vista, but.....after just 1 season doing some extended cruising in "Open Water", I could have kicked myself in the head that I did not have the foresight to purchase something larger with a wider beam and twin screws, like the 288Vista which is a Great Cruiser, and might still have been affordable for me!

As far as the 298Vista goes, (298Vista Owners, Please Forgive Me) I have heard ,from a reputable dealer I respect, that it does in fact not ride that well in rough water. A few years ago, I almost traded my 268 in for a used 298 and decided against it, and was later told by this FW dealer that I would have been very unhappy with the trade.

Having said that, the model that I have heard only "Great Things" about and supposedly gives you an awesome "Dry Ride" is the 318Vista.

Anesthetized, I wish you the Best of Luck! I also inquired about this 348 in CT, but since it is a brokerage boat, I couldn't trade mine in on it, and decided to wait "Once Again"! At this point, I have asked the dealer to keep me in mind next year if a used 318Vista comes his way!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

If you are seriously considering a 348 G&R has an 03 loaded listed for 99,900. 5.7 IB FWC with gennyand radar. I would have considered it, but decided to stay with my 248 for cost reasons. I still want to be able to use it

Yeah, I saw that listing also but it is sold. Damn! Went up to G@R yesterday and it is slim pickings. No 31's at all as they sold out quick. I was told to come after the Norwalk Boat Show in Sept as they would have lot's of trade in's available. I was impressed with the setup at G@R. I understand, that the previous dealership there wasn't as well received.

Giaccamo Thank You! That is exactly my point. I understand that as a new boater, the learning curve is steep but why not start with a 34 if I am learning from scratch anyway? Also, being 6' 2", The wider beam allows less sedation needed for my claustrophobia! My point about the "wet ride" with the 298 wasn't expressed well. I too, was informed that for some reason, the 298 is a rougher ride than even some of the smaller F.W.'s and they have taken steps to correct the hull design with the 2007's. The 318 is also what I desire but I think that will only happen if I wait til the Norwalk Boat Show in September. Can I hold out any longer?

Thanks to all of you who replied. This is an awesome board and hope to get lots of info from here in years to come. So glad I am setting my sights on the F.W...

Anesthetized, Good Luck with your search! FW is a Great Boat. I have owned the 268 Vista since it was new in 2004 and before that I owned a 1993 FW 215 Sundowner that I also bought new and it was real good to me. I actually bought my Vista from Bryan at G&R and I will tell you that he is Great and I will buy my next FW from him as well! Maybe I'll see you at the Norwalk Show in Sept. It is my favorite boat show. In the meantime, I just finished (finally) booking my LI Sound trip in August, and will post that in a separate thread hoping that some of the CT owners from this board can join me at some point along the way. It would be great to meet some of the folks here! This really is a great Forum! Best of Luck! It sounds like you are on the right track!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Giaccamo, your advice was excellent and I couldn't agree with you more. I would love to get a bigger Vista myself however the idea of filling a 200 + gas tank blows me alway! I know at a boating forum it's not cool to talk about fuel costs however with oil at $70 a barrel it should be a consideration, unless your don't mind spending $1000 for a tank of fuel! The bigger problem is in the future gas prices are on the way up, so in short make sure you look before you leap!

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Fred 248Vista
So much water so little time!

I have a 348, albeit the newer 2005-up style. Since it's twin engined it's very straightforward to manuever when docking. All docking is a challenge, regardless of boat. But the 348 isn't all that large compared to, say, a 42' sedan bridge or aft cabin type of boat. Those are a whole other set of hassles.

I'm 6'4 and that's why we got the 348. The 338 and 318 weren't out yet when we were looking. I'd consider a 338 if I were shopping again today. The key is vertical height, the 348 is plenty tall everywhere I need to walk. Especially in the head and shower. No more crouching or ducking your head. While the 298 and smaller boats are great, they're too small for me. I find they're a little too much like camping out in a VW camper van. It's fun and all that, but I prefer the roomier cabin in the 31+ sizes.

Slow is NOT your friend when docking the 348. You MUST keep it at least 4.8mph or it starts to wander due to wind and/or current. Maybe smaller boats work better slow. Just put into gear, with no added throttle, the 348 pulls at about 3.5mph and it'll start wandering.

I find it's MUCH more precise to go about 5.2mph (gotta love GPS speedometers) down the fairway through our marina, kick it into neutral for a few seconds and then pull it to a stop with a hefty burst of power in reverse. I call pull the 348 to a hard stop in half a boat length, sometimes a little less. Then just pivot the twins and it's backed right into the slip.

This works great with the Teleflex combined throttle/shifter control sticks. I can see where some folks, used to separate throttle and transmission sticks, wouldn't like this technique. I'd never want to go back to separate sticks. And the teleflex is smart enough to avoid lurching you too fast if you over-control it. It has a (programmable) delay built into the throttle control when you're docking. So if you pull too fast on the throttle it delays engaging and then slowly starts ramping it up. Just enough for you to notice and get outta that much throttle. When you're out on the water, at speed, it goes back to providing instant throttle response. It's a pretty handy feature. Now, I'd swap it for twin IPS diesels.... just as soon as someone else pays for them!

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Fred, that is a good point! Between the fuel, insurance, dockage, and maintenance, the bigger you go the more $$ you throw into that hole in the water called a boat! HAving said that though, I still want bigger!! I better hope my stocks do well!!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Bill,

I can really see a first time boater handling twin screws.. BIG Fenders will be a MUST!

Sorry, I call em as I see em... And you said it.. Docking is a challenge.. Docking my wee little boat is a challenge and I have the benefit of maneuverability at idle (thrust vectoring.... something screws don't do).

I've moved up from 16'5 to 23 to whatever you want to call the 248 and a twin screw 348 would be a challenge for me. (But I'd be willing to accept the challenge)

Like I said before.. I wish you good luck in your search and I hope everything goes well for you. One thing is for sure, you should not suffer from two foot-itus within a year.

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Brett DiMichele

Yeah--we went through those decisions as well. Ended up with a 288--right choice for us--don't really need anything bigger and we might not have been comfortable in something smaller. We boat in some big water out on Lake Ontario and family has always felt secure. Docking is a challenge, but I'm learning every time I go out and haven't had anything more than a gentle kiss on the dock (knock wood!). I heard 298 runs a little wet, not much more room than a 288, but one advantage of the 298 is that you walk down the sides to get to all areas of the boat. The 288 hull was tweaked from the 298 as I understand.

I have to agree with wkearney99. The 348 is a great handling boat. It handles better then I even thought it would. I think it is easer then our 268 we had. If you get someone to help you some. That know how to drive twins. You will have no problems with it.

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA