www.iFourWinns.com

Just been getting mine ready, bolted the outdrive back on, learned how to stitch up some loose seams in the Sunbrella cover using an awl (lock-stitch), cleaned it all up, replaced the fuel filter, checked spark plugs, tomorrow I will put my dwell meter and timing light to check the dwell, idle speed and timing, then new impeller and it's ready. With this boat what takes the longest is the cleaning, because no matter what I do there is mildew to clean up, inside storage is very expensive here so most boats are stored outside, with either shrink wrap or a canvas cover.

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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

Splashed at Canyon Lake for the first time this year on Memorial Day weekend. Due to break-in procedures, we had to start out slow and then no more than 3,500 rpm during the first 5 hours. We're up to 3.5 hours so far and everything is looking good on the new lower unit. Was actually kind of nice just slowly cruising around and taking our time getting nowhere on the lake! Still have to put a total of 10 hours with limited full throttle runs before I have to change out the gear oil and then all should be back to normal. And I need some paint... The new lower is painted black and the motor is white. Need to get it all the same at some point.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

Sounds good!
I’m just finishing up a few jobs on mine as usual.
PS your 05 Grand has 240k? Wow mines still a baby only 115k!

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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

Actually hit 245k last week. I've limited the amount of driving in it now since we sold the old Explorer and bought a 2011 Forester to take over DD duties for me with work. The GC is now for boat towing and hunting duty. I had the trans rebuilt back in January also as it was starting to "stutter" a bit now and then under load.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

Eventually I want to find a newer version of the same thing. Grand Cherokee Limited with Hemi + tow package. It's been my favorite vehicle in all the years I've been driving. We still have our old '98 Grand with the 4 liter straight six. This is going to get restored this summer and will be my dedicated beach buggy.

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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 went out today. First time with the new oil separator. After 20 minutes the motor started to sing a little more. I nailed it. It was worth 2 1/2 mph so far. Got home checked it yep oil in there. None in the spark arrestor.

I think it is a worthwhile addition to a boat. Dumping oil in the intake just wasn't making sense to me.

Brought the boat back to the house this weekend for a few little checks on things. A couple weeks back I pulled the front vertical bow cushions and had to replace the wood on one of them. This weekend was to put both cushions back and check the trailer bearings.

The inside vertical face of the bow area has a slight curve to it (naturally) and I didn't think the flat 3/8" plywood I used would be that hard to force a curve into. Wishful thinking on my part. I couldn't even get it close! So that project was a half-fail since I was only able to put one side back together. I have to pull the vinyl off the 2nd one now and force a curve into it over the next few days.

As for the trailer, the driver side looked good since we had those bearings replaced (on the side of the road) just over two years ago, but the passenger side not so much. There was a little play in the hub (a little wiggle I have since been told by two different trailer places is "normal", including one of them showing me on three brand new trailers the same condition), and the rear seal was shot. After pulling the hub (heavy little sucker since I have the single 5,200 lb axle) and looking at the bearings, I noticed some slight pitting on the outside bearing race. No problem I thought! I have an extra set of bearings for spares from the issue we had two years ago.

The inside race popped out fairly easily. The outside race...not so much. I eventually conceded and gave up, and today I took the hub to one of above trailer places to get the old race punched out and the new put in. An hour after dropping it off they call and say they can't get it out. New hub time. They won't cut it out for fear of cutting the too deep and being liable for some future mishap that some lawyer may happen to blame on faulty work for some untold number of $$ that I probably wouldn't see anyway, but I digress.

BUT! They tell me they have (4) brand new hubs in the same size as mine (6-lug & large diameter brakes) all with brand new bearings and seals from a deal that fell thru all for about $30 less than what they were going to charge me. Nice! So I gave them the $91 they were going to charge in exchange for the new hub and another spare set of bearings & seals! It's all packed in grease now and ready to install as soon as I get home tonight.

I also came home with my old hub and will see about trying to cut the old outside race out. If it works, then I'll have a complete spare hub! Which would have come in handy two years ago when the outside bearing cratered on us 200 miles away from home.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

I did the bow sections secret is put weight on them and keep them wet. It takes a couple days but they will bend. Just slowly add weight till they crackle a little. And keep them soaking wet.

I am so tired of this site and the image and URL tags that don't work. I can e mail you pics if it helps.

Thanks. But I think I got it.

I stripped the vinyl back off Monday evening and then mounted the plywood to a 2x12 with a 2x4 underneath in the middle. Using two long wood screws and some washers, I forced a "bow" into. I was going to get it wet, but I thoroughly soaked it previously with wood sealer to help keep it from rotting again. All it did was just bead up! It's been 4 days now sitting with a forced bend in it so hopefully this weekend I'll see how it fits.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

Let me know how it turns out, I may have to do that job next season. Would 1/4" plywood be too thin?

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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

Lou,
The old piece looked to be 1/4" thick. And that just happened to be what I had laying around for my new piece. It should be fine. Mine wasn't marine grade plywood which is why I soaked it good in water sealer. Also, my side panels have a thin plastic sheet wrapped around the foam and underneath the vinyl fabric. I'm not sure why because it didn't cover up the backside of the wood.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

Thanks for the info I’ll have to pick up some 1/4” plywood for that project! I’ve got everything else in my garage & shed (1/2”, 3/4”)!

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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

Figures you'd still have some 3/4" laying around!

This is what my front side panels looked like. Port side is on top, starboard side is the bottom and was completely rotten! Yuck!!!
If you look close, you can just make out the plastic sheeting under the vinyl on the port-side panel. It wasn't much thicker than Saran-wrap.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Binp93V6FZO-XAPebaLkyB5hU2QUfIdFFhBOXP7D4vgn6-5HHpWQ4XaA5tH-zSdIHtrz3gUewYZ1E8WzRbE-jJbab6eKygYze_y3NFZaZXyzIRMl1rcaN72yPT4gomt9dJRjUcy4-A=w2400

(Sorry, you only get the link to the picture as the site says it "cannot determine the image size" and won't include the pic, even though it is linked to another site.)

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

Mine are similar, I bet the wood will look the same. I have used West System Epoxy for repairs for a while now and have found it very easy to work with due to the availability of different hardeners depending on the outside temp and how long you want it to be workable. I would coat the panels all round with epoxy and I bet they will never have to be redone again. I used the West stuff to fix a partially rotted bulkhead in front of the gas tank by digging out all the rotted plywood and drying it out. Then filled with thicheked epoxy with The very slow hardener (to keep it from overheating in a confined space and when it was like 85* out). Took 4 applications to fill it all in but now as strong as a rock. And much easier than cutting that all out, and re-fitting a new piece of ply. I did replace some ply in the engine compartment last year, cut it all out, fabbed up some patch panels and coated it all in West Epoxy.

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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

Well, I did do something to my Four Winns recently...

I extended the factory FW bi-fold ladder by 16" and added one more step!

This is the original:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y3sakxKtU99N6Bxq6

And here is after the modification:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NtN2dnbkNbnpiXtn9

(Side note: my driveway slopes down toward the garage, so the transom is sitting very low in these pics because of that. The bottom end of the skeg is only about 3" off the concrete and the motor is tilted up!)

Anyway, many thanks to Jesse Holman from the FB group for the idea on how to do this. It uses a factory FW tri-fold ladder that is used on the early 2000's FW's with swim platforms. Only the middle & lower sections are used, and they (almost) bolt right up to the upper section of the original bi-fold ladder. You do have to grind down the backside of the upper portion of the middle section to allow the bolt holes to line up between the original upper and the new middle section. I had to remove about 1/16" of material. (If you don't do this, you can bolt the ladder sections together, but it will bind and you won't be able to fold/unfold the ladder.)

The FW part # for the tri-fold ladder is: 031-0492

These are kind of hard to find though, at least new. I've been searching for over 8 weeks before I finally found a used one, and I snapped it up without even questioning the price!
We get to give it a full test run this weekend to see how much easier it will be to get back into the boat.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX