www.iFourWinns.com

I haven't tried any DYI fiberglass repairs, but I can tell you from personal experience that fiberglass repair from a good shop isn't cheap. I had some stuff like that fixed on mine this past summer and it was close to a grand to fix it all correctly like it never happened. The good part is my insurance paid for it and I didn't have a deductable at the time so it cost me nothing....something you might want to look into.

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2008 FW F204 - 5.0 VP "Stand On It"
Former Boat: Larson 186 LXI - 4.3 VP

Good tip from Kvou812, if ya have insurance, it might cover the gelcoat damage. From reading the other guys posts on the bilge switch, I must have mine wired weird. When I turn my switch ON (light comes on in the switch), it isn't manually on, but in auto mode. It kicks on when the float is high enough due to water. Hmmmm....

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1996 205 Sundowner DLX
5.0FL Volvo SX Cobra
Tow Veh: 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

"When I turn my switch ON (light comes on in the switch), it isn't manually on, but in auto mode. It kicks on when the float is high enough due to water. Hmmmm...."

I agree, I think I would want to check out that wiring too. So if your switch was left off and your boat took on water thru some leak your bilge pump would not turn on?

Yep, may want to look into that.

On my previous boat, we were sitting in the cockpit seating area one afternoon and I started to hear this noise like water was spraying against something - Hmmmmm, but what?

Determined the fitting behind my city water water connection let go and of course water was spraying out under pressure inside my boat behind the transom seat. If we had be away from the boat for half a day or so I'll bet many gallons of water would of ended up in my bilge. Also a good reason to never leave city water connection turned on when away from your boat for long periods of time.

Mike.

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Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

I love the stories and love the pictures so I am definitely a fan! Keep the stories coming I too love talking about my boat or any boat when I can't be on her.

I feel you man! Grew up boating with my parents. Just bought my first boat as a "grown up". I freaking love it, but I have had my challenges too. On the way home from the purchase, I threw a belt in a trailer tire. Put on 4 new tires. Next I discovered the trailer master cylinder is leaking. Replaced that. Then had a wheel bearing go out on the way to the lake with friends. That trip was shot. Replaced all wheel bearings as a preventative measure. Then had a brake line rupture near one of the calipers. Was able to fix that easily. Finally, had the brake line that runs through the tongue rupture. Got a new one custom made. Now the boat is in storage for the winter and not costing me a dime (other than the storage fee). Crazy thing is the boat is immaculate. Something tells me that the previous owner was not so particular about the trailer! I have replaced nearly all working components on it now, so I should be good to go, but you know what they say BOAT stands for...
All that and I'm still not sure I will survive the winter! Love my boat!

Here is the tire from the trip home from the purchase:


Boat on side of the highway after destroying a wheel bearing:

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Seth




2005 210 Horizon
5.0L GXi
"Don't Think Twice"

Its all part of the adventure..nice roadside pic....I had a flat on my prior boat (Bayiner 2050SS)...had my boy who was around 7 and wife. An old man drove up and drove me and my boy to town and waited with us for new tire mounting...my wife wanted to stay with truck to read...really nice rolling hill with meadow area...and she had my .357 just in case...this nice odtimer then said he had to make stop, I said sure mister thanks for your time, while calculating in my mind when I would make it to boat ramp so i could salvage the trip.....he ran into a store then came out with some big old ice cream cones. Texas is awesome!!

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http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o71 ... wqm355.jpg


08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

We unhooked the boat and my wife took the truck with my family and my buddy's family back to his car. I waited with the boat. Then when she got back we had to run all over the place to find a new bearing/hub kit. Eventually got it all back together, but the day was shot. Forgot to mention that when I went to lift the boat off the truck, my boat jack crapped out too. You can see in the pic that I used my truck jack under the tongue to lift the boat off the truck. Couldn't really script it any better than that! Funny thing is, I can't wait for spring to do it all again.

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Seth




2005 210 Horizon
5.0L GXi
"Don't Think Twice"

Boating taught me A LOT.....
How to re-build salt water trailers...how to make drum brakes last and work better in salt water....how to make I/Os last on salt water...
The value of regular maintenance..and Fixing Things Right The First Time...

I've got an original 25 year old raw water cooled engine... Original out drive ... And a 19 year old galvanized trailer...

So it an be done.... Newer is not always better than old stuff that is de-bugged and well maintained..

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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

On our way to Norris Lake for boating vacation. Traveling with a friend and his family and my wife and adult daughter. Burnt out a wheel bearing on I-75in Ky. Real mess, bearing completely gone. Fortunately we were close to a exit with space to park our trucks and trailers. Every one was starring at the grease splatered, smoking hub with long faces thinking of a ruined trip, or at least a major delay.

I said "I think I can fix that". I dug around in the back of the truck and came up with a new wheel bearing set full of grease ready to install that I have carried for ever for just such an occasion. Now if I can get the old one off. Luckily it came off with only minor scaring to the spindle that I smoothed out with a file. Found a transmission shop and they hammered out the old races and installed the new ones. Guy's name was Cooney and all he wanted was $20. Gotta love Ky. Back on the road in about an hour and a half. My daughter still calls me McGiver.

Trip saved. Must be my old Boy Scout training. Be prepared.

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Inboard, outboard, onboard never bored
KUT 'N LOOSE
'99 258 VISTA

Oh and just about the best thing every invented for trailer wheel bearings are the Tie Down Super Lube hubs, you can easily repack the hub with grease, it forces the grease in behind the inner bearing, out past the outer one and you can see if its water contaminated or not. Every trailer axle should come with these, they are far superior to Bearing Buddies. I have not had to take em apart in 8 years, I recall the old days when we had rear drive cars with bearings that had to be repacked every 30000 miles, what a pain in the butt messy job that was. I just grease it at the end of the season, if I saw milky grease then I'd take it apart and change the seal and inspect the bearings, but in 8 seasons I have not had to do that. So grease it 1-2 times a season to look at the color of the grease while spinning the wheel to check play also.

I think most of your wheel bearing problems are from either water intrusion or bearings adjusted too tight or too loose. Properly adjusted and lubricated bearings will last a long time as long as the trailer is not overloaded.

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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

My latest adventure....

cabin fever and limited time availability caused me to make a questionable (ok bad) decision.

I needed to get out on the Lake on Sunday so against my better judgement I decided to take her out with 37 mph wind gusts. I thought "Well I am just going down to the wash...I can handle some gusts an when i got to the ramp, things looked pretty good. We launched, ran down to my fishing hole and there were already 15-20 other boats there so I felt ok with my decision. After all the wind had not been a factor....yet.

10 Minutes in...2 fish in the boat



(too small so we threw them both back) sun shining, absolute beautiful day.an Hour later I look around and it looks like all but 1 of the boats left...uhh guess I was the only one catching fish (of course they stopped biting after the first two) another hour in and I start to see the winds coming....they are blowing funny my boat is circling my anchor. and within a few minutes anchor breaks free and we are drifting. Ok time to go home.



10 minutes into our ride things start to get a little choppy, not awful just bad enough to make me take a few precautions, move some things into cabin, close and latch doors, and attach the kill switch lanyard...just in case.

All is well and we are still cruising at around 20mph. I turn to make sure everything is secure and pull the kill switch...hehe has happened many times before so I quickly re-attach the clip and crack it snaps! Uh-oh! I need to move quickly as I am fairly close to some rocks so I depress it with my finger and take off. If you know my boat 1996 238 Vista....holding that thing down while trying to drive is a feat designed for a cirque du soleil performer. So I have my passenger try to repaair it with some electrical tape...not working.

My brain is racking the whole time...how do I disable this thing? Is there a fuse? a wire? I got no idea, and I will never be able to dock her at the ramp while holding the switch. And of course the winds are getting worse. 300 feet of water, so no anchoring here for me. I take an inventroy of what's on board that can assist when it hits me! I can wedge my fishing net on it and hold that down with my foot. Eureka! It works. (hope that might help someone else in the future) I get back to the dock and after 6 attempts at driving her in I finally make it..Damn winds kept changing direction. I finally got in and helped 4 or 5 other boats into the dock, hoping that was penance for getting me through this one.

$18 for a new universal kill switch lanyard...or $9 for this one which I think is right.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&partNumber=10476570&langId=-1&searchKeyword=kill+switch

might get two!

at least I got her all cleaned up!

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Chris and Alicia
Las Vegas, NV
ALTIVA
1996 Four Winns 238 Vista Dlx 5.8Fi

Anyone have any idea how to disable the kill switch If I ever get in this situation again?

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Chris and Alicia
Las Vegas, NV
ALTIVA
1996 Four Winns 238 Vista Dlx 5.8Fi

No idea in a dash, but I did it once on an outboard. There was a small switch inside the hole where the plastic part went in. It was easy to toggle it with a screw driver.

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1969 Chris Craft Commander 47
1999 Four Winns 328 Vista - SOLD

I always have a spare on the boat...just in case!

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-Tony
2016 Robalo R200 w/Yahama 200!

Previous boats:
2003 Four Winns 248 Vista - sold
1994 Sunbird Corsair 200 - sold
1980 Checkmate Predictor - sold

Reading this has got me thinking about getting a spare.
By the way, you are really living up to the title of this thread. Love the improvising with the fishing net. Great job.

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2004 248 Vista "Amante"
MC 5.0MPI/B3