www.iFourWinns.com

Interesting article, some challenges ahead, rearing their ugly head already.


More here

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

The dealer I bought my boat from last summer in northern Arkansas went under.. differrent owner, different name and they don't carry Four Winns anymore. The next closest dealers in Monroe, LA and Memphis, TN either went under or no longer carry Four Winns. So now there are no Four Winns dealers in Arkansas... if I should ever need dealer service I'd have to tow my boat out of state... Mississippi I think is the closest now

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2008 FW F204 - 5.0 VP "Stand On It"
Former Boat: Larson 186 LXI - 4.3 VP

Depending on where you are....

Phil Dill boats in Lewisville TX is where I bought mine.

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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

I still think they'll end up OK (assuming the economy doesn't completely tank - which may not be a safe assumption IMO) - but I also laughed when people said, "See, everything's back to normal!" after the sale.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

[WTF] Bad move. I'm sure I'm not alone in recognizing that practically all of the customer support we owners (and enthusiasts) receive is from Dealers, and many of these Dealers have a solid Rep of consistently going above and beyond (Ryan's dealership comes to mind here). Talk about adding value. If we couldn't count on our Dealer's full support to help take our issues on to Four Winns, or one of the drive train suppliers, where would we be? I'm thinking SOL. Not communicating the big picture to Dealers and current owners is paramount to virtually eliminating sales, support, and good reputation as fast as possible. What are the new owners thinking? I considered buying my current Four Winns boat specifically because of the great things existing owners said about them. I bought my Four Winns boat because of the hand holding, reputation, and overall package my local dealer put together. If the "New" Company keeps on going down this path, (and I'm getting the buy low, cut heads and expenses, then sell high vibe here) my next upgrade shall be removal of all the FW logos featured so prominantly on my boat. Maybe someone should talk to admin about starting an i(owners of boats formerly known as) forum for us.[/WTF]

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

Unfortunately, I'm in SE Arkansas.... so Lewisville appears to be 350 miles away

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2008 FW F204 - 5.0 VP "Stand On It"
Former Boat: Larson 186 LXI - 4.3 VP

Cap'n how is Hall's Marina by you. They seem to be attentive to Four Winns boat owners, are they?

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2003 268 Four Winns Vista
F-350 King Ranch Diesel (Tow)
1990 Four Winns Fredom 180

Well that sucks. That was the dealer I was using for items and information last year. It was the closest one that knew anything or even cared. We don't even have one in Wichita and the one's in Oklahoma really suck at their business. I hope Lewisville is good!

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1992 Baja 38 Special Twin 502 Mags

03 Stingray 3.0
88 261 Liberator 460 King Cobras
95 Bayliner 1850 3.0
77 Fiber Form 20ft 350/385hp
70 Wescraft 1800 SS 455 Jet

Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the Way!

Yes, Hall's is a good solid FW dealer. I have used them for several items, and talk to the sales guys often.

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Some more from A different interview on BI.

Whole article/interview here

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

The dealership where I purchased my V358 has walked away from Four Winns after a long history with the company including the various ownership transfers over the years. They will still provide support and service to their Four Winns customers so I am not personally concerned. But I think it is telling.
They've picked up Regal, a family owned company with no debt.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Shame they're inferior boats. Lots of little mistakes in how stuff was laid out, and lesser quality materials throughout. Not as bad as a Bayliner but not something on which I'd spend my money.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

My dealer seems to be very happy with Four Winns but we're only 45 minutes from Cadillac so that might have something to do with it. I spoke with the owner at a boat show about a month ago and they had stock, were getting more, and were selling boats regularly. Maybe the upset dealer is grouchy and nobody wants to deal with a grouchy person.

Tom
2008 Horizon H200

Total BS. Get your face out of the trade magazines, and away from marina gossip and go look at a new Regal once. That's the most unqualified opinion I think I have heard in years.

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Regals are extremely nice boats, a notch above Four Winns in my opinion. Rinker on the other hand is a notch below Four Winns.

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Current Operational Boats:
'04-Four Winns 180 Freedom 150 HP Evinrude
'72-Chris Craft Commander 31 Sedan Twin-350Qs