www.iFourWinns.com

Through a strange collection of events (long story) I have an opportunity to purchase the boat from a friend for $450.

I know it needs a carburetor (missing), a battery and a starter. The boat sat at a mechanics for a number of weeks with the plug in while it poured rain. Probably took 20min to drain once the plug was finally pulled. My question is this: What should I be looking for outside of the obvious as far as potential problems.
Im a shadetree mechanic with a full garage, but Im unfamiliar with boats in general.

Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance!

What engine is in the boat?

That era of Four Winns is known for rot issues. Check for any soft spots in the deck/floor. That is a sure sign there are rot problems.

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Current Operational Boats:
'04-Four Winns 180 Freedom 150 HP Evinrude
'72-Chris Craft Commander 31 Sedan Twin-350Qs

Its a 4.3 OMC. There is defiantly a soft spot in the floor I noticed. In my ignorance I figurered It was as simple as pulling up the carpet and putting down new wood. I take its not so simple?

I have never done that type of work, but I have used resins and that is what you are going to need. Of course, remove all the rotten wood. Replace it the marine grade, use a epoxy resin to bond and seal it. You may need fiberglass cloth to reinforce it. If there are any gaps, add a sandable filler to the resin to thicken it so it will not run.

West System http://www.westsystem.com/ss/ There is plenty of info here to get you stared!!

That rot could well extend to the stringers, it did on my 88 and fixing that was one big job, that I'll never do again. In the end, to fix it right, I had to dig out all the foam from in front of the helm seats, all the way back to the engine, the stringers were repaired by a glass shop, I replaced the foam, and installed an new deck, gas tank supports and gas tank cover. I then had all that new wood glassed in and gelcoated in nonskid gelcoat, so I could throw out that crappy carpet that caused the rot in the first place by trapping moisture. I also sealed all the screw penetrations with 3M 4200 to prevent future rot, that's where it starts, at each screw hole that's not sealed.

Then there's the rest of the boat. Does the engine run? How about the drive? You can get most of the parts but some parts for Cobras are NLA (no longer available)...like trim rams, and exhaust manifolds. That boat could wind up costing you thousands to get it sea worthy and reliable. Do you like it enough, to make it worth it?

Honestly your friend, should pay you to take it off his hands, he will never sell it as it, there are plenty of boats, with Merc drives, where all the parts are available, that run for low prices in this economy. I would say free is a fair price, but don't be surprised if you have 4-5 grand into it by the time you are done....

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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

WOW Lou, sounds like a lot of work!! I was just thinking that it was 2 or 3 pieces of wood. Not 2 thirds of the boat.

Wood rot in a boat is like rust on a vehicle, what you see/feel is the tip of the iceberg. My next boat will be not more than 3-5 years old, composite (no wood) and surveyed before I buy it...

_________________
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

Sounds like I need a realistic budget of 4K+. At that price I'm sure i could buy a decent boat that's ready to go. Thanks for all the input, I appreciate everyone's time in helping with my decision!

Sounds like a better plan, my project taught me a lot about boat construction, I can check out a used boat and find problems I would have never noticed before I fixed mine. Cost me money and time but I gained knowledge. And my old boat, is more solid than many new ones I have walked around in at boat shows.
Just be careful, any older boat in the $4-5000 range, can have that rot. I hate carpeted decks, for this reason. Look for a fiberglass liner, no carpet...

_________________
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