www.iFourWinns.com

I just bought a 220 with tandem this past summer. This is my 5th boat but 1st tandem. It tracks much better and having the brakes are a big plus. I would not have it any other way. That being said, I have a long narrow driveway with curve. It's many times more difficult to back with the tandem than it was with the single axle. I pride myself in how I back when trailering but after numerous times have still not gotten the hang of backing down my driveway. Still wouldn't trade it for the single though. Good luck!

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'07 Horizon 220

Well, I stayed with the single axle. My dealer said they have never sold a 200 with a tandem under it. They also said they didn't know of anyone having issues with the single. So, it went like this: I gave them an opportunity to charge me more money, and they talked me out of it. There is a first for everything, I suppose! I think I'll be OK, based on the above. I did change the engine last minute to a 5.7 300 HP from the 5.0 270, though!

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2008 H200SS
5.7 EFI Volvo Penta
Black graphics
2004 Toyota 4Runner

Well, if there gonna save you some bucks, then all the better!

Did you order your SS with the full windshield, or the shorty? I have heard of a few guys ordering them in our area with the shorty, then being sorry for it afterward (just to be able to get out of the cooler breeze on those beginnign/end of season rides).

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

That's the way to do it...

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

Did you say your SS is Black???? I'm looking forward to seeing pic's when you get them.

The Volvo was one way I could not have gone. Just imagine pulling into the dock (for gas, of course), with the Corsa exhaust reverberating across the cove. All eyes on you, and the gas attendant sipping a beer between puffs of his cigarette says "what's you got in that?". Spitting back with a "It's a Volvo" is likely to make him spill his beer, and drop his cigarette into the gas he's spraying all over in confusion with a resulting fire and Hollywood explosion. Where as, if the response is "350 Magnum!" or, in my case, "377" he's likely to reply with a "Wow", or a simple grunt of acknowledgment without the catastrophe detailed above. So, understand, I did it for safety sake.

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Walt B
"Debt-Charged"
Black '07 H210SS
6.2L Bravo One turning a 21P HIFive
Wakeboard Tower with Perfect Pass Stargazer version
Missouri River; Kansas City, Mo.

Popcorn sounds good.

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

.... and back to the subject.....

I have been in my house for 7 years with a drive about 70ft long, and 8ft wide (trailer is 8'6"), and a sharp 90 at the end to park. I've been parking all my boats in the same spot (all single axle)... including my 23' sail. The 210SS on tandem went exactly to the spot all the others have without difficulty, so I didn't notice any difference. Keep in mind, all my tow vehicals have had VERY tight turning radiusses (or radii, or what ever the plural is for radius).
I cannot say enough about how much better the tandem tracks, but also think about how much your boat weighs (about 4000lbs for a 200SS w/ trailer) compared to the vehical weight. My Envoy and 210SS/trailer weigh about the same, so single axles and a gust of wind would be a bad combo for me. The point is, there are lots of variables. However, you can sift through this forum and see what others have done and why.

Related to my last... I would be curious how a VP set-up compares to the similar Merc. I haven't been able to drive the same platform with both combos. I go with Merc because it's what I am familiar with.

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Walt B
"Debt-Charged"
Black '07 H210SS
6.2L Bravo One turning a 21P HIFive
Wakeboard Tower with Perfect Pass Stargazer version
Missouri River; Kansas City, Mo.

Merc is easier to get parts & labor on in our area. Some would say VP drive units were built tougher until the latest generation of the B3. Beyond that, the engines are virtually the same. 'Course, VP doesn't use names like "Magnum" . The 5.7GXi is actually rated 20hp higher than the 350Mag (subject to the same margins of error that apply to all marine engines). Both companies make good stuff.

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

Chrisvs: I did get the taller windshield. I'm going to tint it because I like the look of the other one, but just sitting there making engine noises I could tell it was going to be a problem, so I did the tall one.

Walt: I agree that safety should come first in everything we do; Congrats to you for always thinking first of your fellow man! That said, I think 8/10 times I fuel the boat it will be on the trailer, where I won't have to always be paying the higher pump prices at marinas, so hopefully those guys won't be smoking at the pump. Why don't I just put this to rest and swear to always pump my own gas into it? Self serve here I come!

I did the VP for a few reasons. One of which is that I work for Volvo. Not Penta, but Trucks. My experience with the Volvo powertrains have never been anything but excellent. Now, those are always diesel, but let's face it, Volvo nor Merc build they engines they market, simply the drives and the software. I do believe (based on what research I did) that the SX is a better drive than the Alpha. So, there it is... Would have been neat to do a Merc though, because then the whole boat would be black!

Regarding pics, believe me, once I get her in the water, you guys will have to beg me to stop posting so many!

Pass the popcorn.

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2008 H200SS
5.7 EFI Volvo Penta
Black graphics
2004 Toyota 4Runner

I upgraded on my FS203, glad I did, more stable, hardly know it's there.

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2006 FW 203 FS
2005 Dodge Laramie 1500
2003 CRF 247F SuperMoto racer
2001 CBR1100XX

jjker, I like your style. My first car was black, with a black interior (and black tires, oddly). As for your posting pics, you won't get any negative feedback from my direction. I love boats, and pictures of boats, and talking about boats (and talking about pictures of boats) so give us every one you've got.

I've got a ton of pics from this summer that I haven't gotten around to scanning and organizing on my hard drive. Once that happens, you will all be victims of my posting mania.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Good move JJ, that'll help while you're zippin' along on Lake Simcoe on those cool May evenings. I bet you were wishing that the season might have started early with the thaw we had at the beginning of the month! I know I was.

This is kinda off topic, but with the growing number of Ontario based Four-Winns owners showing up on this board, perhaps we should organize a rendezvous this summer (sorry, no thread hi-jacking intended)?

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

One thing to bear in mind with any boat / trailer package is the load capacity of the tires. With a single axle and a H190 you are really on the edge of the load capacity of the tire, but with a tandem, you have plenty of margin and a much nicer handling package on the road.

There are a some horror stories about the Carlisle tires fitted to FW trailers and I think the real problem is not the tires themselves, but simply overloading them. Think about it - if you have a 2000lb boat/trailer, and tires are rated at 1000lbs each, yes you are within the capacity of the tires (just!) when at rest. However, take this package around a bend in the road at say 40mph, and the inner load may actually be 800lbs and the outer tire load 1200lbs - exceeding the load capacity of the tire.

IMHO, tandem is the go...

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport