www.iFourWinns.com

MY FIRST THREAD!
I have been on this site reading some of the other forums and I thought this would be the best place to gain some knowledge. I currently live in Prescott Arizona. I work at a dealership that recently took a 1994 Four Winns 190 Horizon in on trade. He ended up purchasing a Bayliner and we gave him $1000 for his boat. The boat is in relatively good shape, except the motor. The motor was not winterized block cracked. I am thinking of purchasing the boat and buying a re-manufactured motor. It has the 351 5.8L EFI motor, which should scoot that boat along pretty good. The dealership I work at can get the motor for about $2300. Does that sound accurate? Also the guage (All one cluster) has the mph and tach peg popped out of place. I am not sure if I can pop them back into place. Any suggestions?
I checked the gearcase and there was a little water when I undid the bottom screw. My mechanic said that a seal is probably bad, but he would pull the lower end and make sure that there was no rust to the bearings. I figure with everything that needs to be repaired I will be in the boat about $4500-$5500. Do you think it is worth it?
I will post pictures next week to show the condition of the boat.

Welcome! The answer to "is it worth it" is very subjective when it comes to boats, because NONE of them are "worth it" if you look at them from a purely financial perspective. They make cars look like good investments no matter what you do with them.

Having said that, if the hull, deck, and interior are in great condition it might be well "worth it." That engine ought to make that boat a rocket. What's the condition of the drive, and the trailer?

As an aside, you certainly live in a beautiful part of the country! I love AZ, especially the mountains.

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

The trailer is in good shape. It is a tandum axle with brakes, which is a nice feature to have. The drive has it's normal wear on it, but I could not find any punctures at all.
I think this would be a great boat, and I know Four Winns are very good boats.
I am not looking at this as an investment, but for a first boat for my wife and I. I also like it because we go to Powell and the boat has tall siding and a GREAT motor for the size of the boat. I have heard mixed reviews on that OMC motor. I know that alot of the parts existing on the motor I can re-use, but anything that would be cool or good to do while I have the opportunity?

I'd be careful about starting with something that age. For one thing, a boat that old could have rot in the deck (floor) stringers and transom. Don't forget these are wood cored boats. A 1994 is now 14 years old and if it was stored inside, it may be fine, but if left outside, and not always covered, there could be a lot of rot.
Also, is the drive system Merc or OMC? If Merc, that's fine, parts are every where, but if OMC, that's another problem, many mechanics don't work on them and some of the parts may be hard to find.
Before you get involved with this, check the floor, transom and whatever of the engine stringers you can see for rot. Get someone who is familiar with fiberglass repairs to look at it, or you could well wind up with a money pit.

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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

Yeah, the make of the drive is what I was asking. If it's an OMC, find out exactly what drive model it is, and find out who you have available to work on it before buying it. Depending on the model, parts may be nearly impossible to find.

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

I got a 94 Horizon 180 and love it, but the boat was in GREAT condition when we bought it. And we think it still is. Post up some pics.

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Troy
2008 Centurion Avalanche
1994 Four Winns Horizon 180 SE 5.0L OMC Cobra (Sold)
2002 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition (http://www.nhtoc.com) 378 hp & 465 tq at rear wheels
2008 Honda Accord EX-L w/Nav