Looking to buy our first boat

Martin092009 · **Joined:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:35 am **Posts:** 10

My wife and I are looking at a 2006 204 Funship with the 5.0 FI Volvo. The boat looks to be in pretty good shape. Looking for any advice/recommendations on this boat or just picking a boat in general. Thanks!

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:18 am

I would suggest reading this link below before you buy any boat.

Boat Buyer's Checklist

LVChris · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:20 am

I don't think you can go wrong with a Four Winns. With that said,

What primarily, do you and your wife want to do with a boat? Each one has a very distinct use in mind (however you can certainly do things it's not designed for like fishing from a ski boat etc.)

How many people do you expect to have on the boat at any given time?

Where will you be boating, what lake?

What is your skill level with repairs/diy?

If trailering will your vehicle tow it?

Do you have a link to an ad for the boat? OR can you give more details like outdrive and have you had a marine survey done on her?

Cheers!

rpengr · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:31 pm

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

I would suggest reading this link below before you buy any boat.

Boat Buyer's Checklist

+1
That's a great thread.

ric · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:46 pm

Good boat, enough power for 6 people comfortably.

Martin092009 · **Joined:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:35 am **Posts:** 10

Thanks everyone! We plan to use the boat for a little bit of everything (tubing, maybe try skiiing, and just cruising around the different lakes are are around us. The lakes here are pretty small but there isn't a whole lot else to do so we figured what the heck lets get a boat! We moved from Lexington, KY to Pikeville, KY about a month ago and rented a boat already to check out two of the lakes but there are 4 lakes within 30 mins. We have family and friends that will be visiting and friends here already trying to convince us to get a boat so I feel very comfortable that it will be used a lot.
I will check out the link provided for sure
Towing...I have a 2014 Chevy 1500 Z71 LTZ so I think that should tow it just fine and the boat comes with a tandem axle trailer.
The boat has a 5.0L FI Volvo which puts out 270hp so I think that's big enough to do whatever we want from what I've read.
We are going down to look and test the boat out this Saturday and if we like it I will have someone go over the entire boat as suggested. I've priced one company and they charge around $500.
Any other advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Below is the link for the boat
http://www.americanboatcenter.com/work/ ... 4-funship/

ric · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 1:39 pm

The 5.0gxi is the largest engine offered, it will be fine. Good motor. Is it single or dual prop?

Martin092009 · **Joined:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:35 am **Posts:** 10

From the pictures I believe that its a single prop. Would you recommend a double?

Gresh24 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:00 pm

If you're going to do a sea trial and have it gone over by a professional you should be covered as long as it meets your expectations of condition and cleanliness. Looks like a very nice boat. Love the room in those.

rpengr · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:01 pm

That looks like a good all-around boat for what you want to do with it. While you could get by with a 17-18', most people want to step up pretty quick, so this 20' should serve you much better.

Looks like nice condition, and I would guess that the price is about right. Four Winns do hold value pretty well.

I see what looks like sun damage on the tops of the back u-shaped seats, however, that can be heat staining because of a dark colored cover touching that area while in the hot sun. Often times that darkening will fade away with a little time in the sun, and/or cleaning with a magic eraser. (there are some threads on this forum about that topic). Just make sure the vinyl feels both soft and strong in that area (and all areas).

It looks like the boat has been kept covered, and that is good because the sun will damage the vinyl more than anything else, and the more the boat is kept dry the better it's lifespan.

As far as single vs duo prop: A duo prop will get somewhat improved hole shot and cruising efficiency, and therefore a boat with duo prop is worth a little more. A duo prop is almost a necessity on Vista Cruiser because they are heavier (more weight per horsepower). However, a single prop will also do well for a boat like yours, and has the advantage of being cheaper to change prop pitches and types for towing vs cruising. Most likely though, you will be happy with one general purpose prop. (lots of threads on props also). I have a single prop on my 24' horizon, and get good all-round performance with a 19 pitch 3-blade SST prop.

Good luck.
Ray

Martin092009 · **Joined:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:35 am **Posts:** 10

I've been able to get them down to $17.5K so I'm pretty sure that as long as the test run goes well and the survey doesn't bring anything back bad, we should be able to move forward with it. NADA has it listed at $19.2K for avg w/ trailer and $17K for low w/ trailer. I might try to get it down to $17K but we'll see. I'm also looking at a 2007 19 SS crownline that seems to be in great shape listed at $16K. Both boats have approx 100 hours each

ric · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:33 pm

The funship has the front ladder in the bow. Let me tell you something, that's the best feature anyone can have on a boat!

Gresh24 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:42 pm

Martin092009 wrote:

I've been able to get them down to $17.5K so I'm pretty sure that as long as the test run goes well and the survey doesn't bring anything back bad, we should be able to move forward with it. NADA has it listed at $19.2K for avg w/ trailer and $17K for low w/ trailer. I might try to get it down to $17K but we'll see. I'm also looking at a 2007 19 SS crownline that seems to be in great shape listed at $16K. Both boats have approx 100 hours each

Those are two pretty different boats. The FW will have a ton more room. I love those Crownlines though. Both are great boats, but different styles. Can't really go wrong either way.

ric · **Posted:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:54 pm

Even if this was a crownline forum I'd still tell you to go with the Funship. Lots more room and features

Martin092009 · **Joined:** Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:35 am **Posts:** 10

Thanks for the feedback...I was a little nervous mentioning the Crownline on a FW forum :shock:

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Looking to buy our first boat

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