www.iFourWinns.com

I just purchased my first Four Winns. A 1988 205 Sundowner Cuddy with a Chevy 6 cylinder. Any advise?
I am currently having work done on the carb and rear seal.

Don't drop it in the water until you've done this, unless there is a receipt in your hand for something from previous owner. Word of mouth (I did that 2 years ago...) doesn't count.

Replace impeller and thermostat
Replace bellows
Replace gimble bearing/u-joint
Inspect/replace exhaust manifolds
Inspect/replace throttle and shift cables
Change all oils (engine, power steering, outdrive)
Replace fuel filter
Do a full tuneup (cap, rotor, plugs, wires)
Verify ignition timing with light
Replace bilge pump with 1100gph automatic unit
Inspect lighting, horn, all gauges, blower motor. Verify they work. Replace what doesn't.
Inspect trailer wiring make sure all lights work
Replace bearings on trailer

Once you're all done with that, you should be ready to go for a summer of fun!!

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

Welcome, glad to see another Sundowner join up! rics list is good, esp for the older boats. What drive ya got on it? Also, where do ya boat at? And lets see some pics of your new-to-you boat.

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

Welcome! Looking forward to seeing some pics!

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1988 215 Sundowner 5.7L OMC

welcome!

similar boat here, same powertrain.

I would consider doing a pointless ignition, along with cap, rotor, wires and plugs. Made my boat a entirely different experience.


None the less, welcome!

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Rob

Present: 1999 Formula 280SS
Past: 1989 180 Horizon

http://www.robcamerondesign.com

Good god , scare the poor guy. . I would say check out the boat but also use common sense. lol

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1997 Horizon RS 180
5.7 GL Volvo Penta /SX drive. (1.60)
2018 Ford F-150 super crew 4x4

Geez, no kidding.

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1994 FW Horizon 190
5.0 OMC Cobra

If you're already having a guy do some work ask him to look over everything for you. Do not just go and replace things that don't need replacing.

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1994 FW Horizon 190
5.0 OMC Cobra

I don't think the intent was to scare him. That is sound advice because that Is all stuff that needs to be replaced on a scheduled basis anyways....may as well "zero it out" and start fresh so you know what schedule you're on.

Of course, if there are any issues, chances are very good they will show themselves when you're on the water. Best to do that on the trailer than realize you need it in the middle of a lake

Welcome! looking forward to seeing your boat. I've got an '87 195 SD that I have yet to post pics of

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1987 Sundowner 195, 4.3 OMC " Z boat"
1983 Wellcraft 248 Sportsman, 3.0L OMC Sea Drive "Born Again"
9' Patriot 40lbs TM "Quack Addict"

Exactly.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

If its an OMC Cobra, as many of them of that era were, it should shift easy and not be stiff going into and out of gear. It should not jump out of gear. If it does either of these things get it looked at by a shop that knows OMC right away.
Other things....
I had a sticky shift cable caused by deposits built up behind the shift bellcrank in the pivot housing. Easy cure.
I also had a performance problem (no power would not plane the boat) that was due to a combination of a dirty carb and a corroded anti siphon valve.
Make sure the impeller pumps water well an that the exhaust manifolds/risers are not clogged.
There's a lot more but that's the basics.

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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

I did my research and found a local mechanic (Oceanside, LI,NY) who claims to specialize in OMC CObra Stern Drives. I had him look over the boat and was told that the following needed work:
Rebuild the carb
Rear Seal
Throtlle cable to tight
Need new Alternator
New pulleys
Fix instrument panel lights

Stern Drive is a OMC Cobra. I currently have it with a local mechanic who claims to specialize in OMC drives. We wil see what happens.
Currently having him work on the few things that really require attention.
We, my son and I will work down the list he gave us of things that need to be changed down the road.
I guess the best course of action right now is to fix what is most crucial and take care of the other issues during the winter.

The throttle was tough to get the engine into gear. Mechanic stated it was too tight so when we gave it full throtle it provided too much full to the carb and it stalled out. having this fixed.

With the carb being rebuilt we hope to fix the planning problem. Currently working with a 3 blade prop but need to know the optimim degree to use for best hole shots.

I had it on a lake in VT, Lake Bomoseen, so we could run several tanks of new fuel through the engine along with some lead additive, octain boost and marvelous mystery oil. Apperntly, previous owner did not have a clue but was aware enough to replace the gimble and tune it up as it was in storage for a year prior to our purchase.
After the week of running new fuel, it began to run better but still requires acarb to be rebuilt as the valve continued to stick when attempting to start the engine.

Not to worry! My son and I expected problems. We always liked the look of the Four Winns on the lake in VT so fixing it is something we can do together. He is recently home after a year deployment in Afghanistan so working on it is a bit of therapy.