www.iFourWinns.com

Well, the wife says that we should have a tradition of launching on Easter weekend and storing on Halloween (pretty ambitious, here in the Northeast).

I won't be one to complain .... but .........

April 12th is less than 30-days away and there is 3' of snow surrounding the boat/trailer. That, and she has me working non-stop on the house (we bought a 100 year old Victorian and I'm doing major remodeling to the interior), for a drop-dead date of the first week of June, due to son #3 getting married and all of the family from Michigan being here.

I dunno ...... maybe a "sleep-over" on the boat, in the yard, may be as far as we get for Easter weekend.

What's YOUR launch date?

(All you southerners & Aussies .... just keep to yerselves, eh?)



EASTER 2005:

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

Launch date is May 17th. Lakes are free of ice, but it gets below freezing everynight and I am paranoid about dewinterizing and having the block freeze and crack.

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Todd
1988 Four Winns Horizon 200
AKA "Summer School"

In on May 1st and out the 1st weekend in November

First warm weekend in May I'll be out (maybe weekday if I can get sick). Today's 70 degrees would have been good, but there's still ice to melt. April is also too risky of overnight freeze.

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

I'm thinking the boat goes in the water Saturday March 28 at Lake Norman, NC, if it will be a pretty day; otherwise one week later.

My daughter informed me that we will be getting the boat on May 1st....because it's 5 days before her birthday and it's spring. Gotta love 5 yr old logic.

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2005 Horizon 210, 5.7L Volvo

As soon as the water in the lakes comes up. My slip is 3 feet dry right now as the lake is down 13 feet right now. Yes, every winter they draw it down...last winter was 19 feet down. Typically we are in the water in early to mid-may and pull 'er out mid-October (or whenever Mitch Evans has time to winterize it for me).

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Optimus Prime
Now: 2007 Horizon 260, (2007/08 brochure boat)
Previous: 1995 Sea Ray Signature Select 220
Tow: '07 Avalanche LTZ
Seattle and Chelan, WA

If we dont get out by the end of this month, we WILL be in EARLY April.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

sorry to rub it in, but we took a 3 hour cruise on Sunday.

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Lakebum
2006 378 Vista
Nashville, TN
Current
04 Hustler Cheetah
06 Seadoo sportster 150
Past
06 378 vista
328 vista
240 horizon
21' glastron
20' celebrity

heck- the 318 is out of the water getting bottom paint and the 25 hour outdrive oil changed!

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

For me, it's open cottage, put out docks, boat lift put out, then splash the boat. There's always the boat prep, cleaning, and waxing to factor in too. Let alone the list of upgrades that grew over the off season. All of these things conspire to delay launching of the boat. I'll be lucky to get it in the water by the end of May.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

We will hope to open the boat up next weekend. Putting in April 23. Just hope weather the weather is good.

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

Probably launch April 17th this year.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

I sure did like the longer season that we had when we lived in the DC area. Easter was shorts & t-shirt and we didn't close the pool until well into October (Big unheated above ground). No boat during that period though. Moved there from Michigan, sold the boat prior to moving because there we no local large lakes where we were going to be.

We usually try to get the boat going early, as soon as the ice is out, and keep a heater in the bilge (just as we do in the late part of the season), as needed. It's likely that Winni will still have ice in 30 days, but there will be open areas (typically). I think we took the first test ride on this boat, in late April or early May, of last year. We did test a new 258V over at Winnisquam in late April.

Either way, as long as the boat is not still snowed-in, Portsmouth Harbor and the Atlantic will be open!

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

Hey Gordon at least your spring won't be a bore this year. I'm hoping for the 11th myself, but we'll see.

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2008 H210SS VP 5.7 Gi/SX
2011 Ford F150 FX4 EB