Staying in the Four Winns family.

Alan_G_298Vista · **Posted:** Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:03 pm

JeffLW wrote:

firecadet613 wrote:

I'm partial to the 318, but Regal has a new 32 Express that looks nice.

I'd love yours with the mercs in it. You looking to move up any time soon? :lol:

On your boat does that seat on the starboard side come off to get access to the starboard engine? It looks a little tight with just the hatch open.

Hey Jeff,
Not sure if you may want to consider the 298 models also as they are comparable to the 318 in size at 31"LOA and a 10'6" beam. We moved up from a 248 identical to yours to the 298 and the difference is night & day. Tons more room inside and out and way more stable then the 248 in big water. These go for signifigantly cheaper dollars than a 318 with still very nice styling in my opinion. We're extreamely happy with our move up.

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:59 pm

Alan_G_298Vista wrote:

JeffLW wrote:

firecadet613 wrote:

I'm partial to the 318, but Regal has a new 32 Express that looks nice.

I'd love yours with the mercs in it. You looking to move up any time soon? :lol:

On your boat does that seat on the starboard side come off to get access to the starboard engine? It looks a little tight with just the hatch open.

Hey Jeff,
Not sure if you may want to consider the 298 models also as they are comparable to the 318 in size at 31"LOA and a 10'6" beam. We moved up from a 248 identical to yours to the 298 and the difference is night & day. Tons more room inside and out and way more stable then the 248 in big water. These go for signifigantly cheaper dollars than a 318 with still very nice styling in my opinion. We're extreamely happy with our move up.

298 is a great boat. I looked at a few, but the 318 won out. Can't go wrong either way!

JeffLW · **Posted:** Fri Jan 31, 2014 10:01 pm

Yup, 298 is on my list to check out in person. I was hoping to go a few years newer than I currently have. I think 2005 was the last year for these.

ric · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 2:47 am

Trailerable?

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 8:18 am

Depends on how big your truck is! I don't trailer mine, but it can be done with permits.

You are correct, 2005 was the last year of the 298. 328 was '06. Part of the reason we went with a 318 is the newer styling...I like to move up years with every boat. My 268 was an '04, and one of my requirements for the next boat was a powered engine hatch. 298 didn't have that.

JeffLW · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 8:40 am

No Trailer. Not even considering that with boats this size. I'm budgeting for in/out and winter storage fees. One thing about moving up to this size is I can get rid of the truck and get something better on gas for the drive to work.

Alan_G_298Vista · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:34 am

firecadet613 wrote:

Depends on how big your truck is! I don't trailer mine, but it can be done with permits.

You are correct, 2005 was the last year of the 298. 328 was '06. Part of the reason we went with a 318 is the newer styling...I like to move up years with every boat. My 268 was an '04, and one of my requirements for the next boat was a powered engine hatch. 298 didn't have that.

We really liked and wanted the 318 as well but in the end decided on the 298 which is very close in size. I agree it would have been nice to go newer with a 318 but we couldn't justify an extra 40K to get into that for basically the same room and we did also like the styling of the 298. After finding our 298 in mint condition with only 195 hrs. on it, we simply couldn't pass it up. You have to put a cap on the boat budget somewhere!
We also looked hard for a 328. If we could have found a good one in the 04,05,06 year range we would have seriously tried for that as it has the most cabin room and largest beam of all three. As mentioned previously in this thread, beam is truly everything! The wife and I find the 298 very roomy, that extra space you get from the added length and 2 extra feet of beam compared to our previous 248 make all the difference in the world. Much appreciated because we stay out across weekends exploring and anchoring out, never sit much at the marina.

acguy · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 12:11 pm

I originally was looking for a 298 but after getting on a friends 328 and the fact that I have a growing family we eliminated the 298 from the search as I could see the 298 getting small quickly. My kids are now 4-6 with birthdays still to come this year. Our slip neighbour has a 298 and have been/worked on it a few times and have found that there is not really enough cabin space for more than 2 adults then add the 2 kids that can't sit still for more than 10min the extra beam is well needed.
I also found in our 328 it was important that when the head door is open you can still pass by to the galley that was a must.

Alan_G_298Vista · **Posted:** Sun Feb 02, 2014 10:02 am

acguy wrote:

I originally was looking for a 298 but after getting on a friends 328 and the fact that I have a growing family we eliminated the 298 from the search as I could see the 298 getting small quickly. My kids are now 4-6 with birthdays still to come this year. Our slip neighbour has a 298 and have been/worked on it a few times and have found that there is not really enough cabin space for more than 2 adults then add the 2 kids that can't sit still for more than 10min the extra beam is well needed.
I also found in our 328 it was important that when the head door is open you can still pass by to the galley that was a must.

I agree completely, if you have kids with you every weekend, push for the biggest of the three, which is the 328 for sure, it's a fantastic boat IMO. There's an 2005 328 on our dock with the classic blue color band and it's just plain beautiful, and you do notice the nice large beam it offers.
For us, 90% of the time it's just the wife and I, so we don't have the issue with kids and again it was economics, a similar year 328 was another 20K or so, we had to draw the line somewhere. Still, compared to our previous 248, the 298 has tons of room and storage and we're very happy!

I see you went up from a 248 as well, you must be in heaven after having your kids with you on the 248!

acguy · **Posted:** Sun Feb 02, 2014 10:10 am

Alan_G_298Vista wrote:

acguy wrote:

I originally was looking for a 298 but after getting on a friends 328 and the fact that I have a growing family we eliminated the 298 from the search as I could see the 298 getting small quickly. My kids are now 4-6 with birthdays still to come this year. Our slip neighbour has a 298 and have been/worked on it a few times and have found that there is not really enough cabin space for more than 2 adults then add the 2 kids that can't sit still for more than 10min the extra beam is well needed.
I also found in our 328 it was important that when the head door is open you can still pass by to the galley that was a must.

I agree completely, if you have kids with you every weekend, push for the biggest of the three, which is the 328 for sure, it's a fantastic boat IMO. There's an 2005 328 on our dock with the classic blue color band and it's just plain beautiful, and you do notice the nice large beam it offers.
For us, 90% of the time it's just the wife and I, so we don't have the issue with kids and again it was economics, a similar year 328 was another 20K or so, we had to draw the line somewhere. Still, compared to our previous 248, the 298 has tons of room and storage and we're very happy!

I see you went up from a 248 as well, you must be in heaven after having your kids with you on the 248!

Yes the space is awesome. The only issue now is in the future when it's time to move up again what do you go to. I really think this will be the last express cruiser that i own. Your really not going to gain a lot of space moving to a 38' with a 13' beam. The next one is going to get really expensive like a 391 meridian or something like that!! Not sure my pocket book can handle it.

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 02, 2014 12:10 pm

Its very interesting to see the changing market place in regards to pricing with used boats, and the price differences from when we all bought. You are definitely right you have to draw the line somewhere as you can easily talk yourself up 20-30k into a bigger boat!

Mike we feel the same way. Just isn't worth it to upgrade to another express cruiser style boat. A 358 isn't that much bigger than a 318 when you compare it to a Meridian style boat, which will most likely be our next way down the road. 328/338 would be nice for the extra room, but a 318 suits us just fine. The way Four Winns changed the cabin layout between the 298/318 helped us out big time. We did not have the cabin table out at all last season, as we had a small playpen setup for our infant. Fit just fine, and we were able to walk around it. HUGE size increase from the 268!

Decision · **Posted:** Mon Feb 03, 2014 2:30 pm

Yup, from a size point of view the 358 is only 3 inches wider in beam over the 328 (12' vs. 11' 9").

I too like the Meridan 381 or 391. The Carver 360SS looks nice as well. If I had more holidays or was closer to retirement and could spend much more time on the boat the Sedan Bridge style of boats would really be a nice upgrade. But for right now for my wife, 11 year son and I the 328 works very well. Nice blend of size, cruising speed, layout and amenities.

Oh well, in about 2 1/2 months we can start the annual bottom paint and waxing chore.

Mike.

JeffLW · **Posted:** Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:48 pm

ugh! If only I was ready to pull the trigger today!

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2008- ... -102176259

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:52 pm

Nice boat for a decent price. Had it been for sale two years ago, it would have been mine. I remember walking through it when it was new.

Bliss36 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 17, 2014 8:25 am

JeffLW wrote:

ugh! If only I was ready to pull the trigger today!

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2008- ... -102176259

That is a VERY gently used/clean 318 and the wife was the primary driver. They traded in our 268 to get that boat in 2010. We were assigned a slip next to them in New Buffalo a couple years ago and it was funny to see their double take looking at our boat as they walked down the ramp. Who knows maybe it will still be available with a price reduction when your ready

www.iFourWinns.com

Staying in the Four Winns family.

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