www.iFourWinns.com

Here is a picture of my Sunsport Rear Seat:

Has anyone taken their Sunsport Seat apart to get access to the engine?
- How long does it take to disassemble / reassemble?
- Have any pictures?

Has anyone cut an access hole in the Sunsport Back panel to access the engine?
- Have any pictures?

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

I was going to comment -- since I have all of that out on my boat while working on the engine -- but yours seems different enough that my comments would probably not help --- I have no idea how you get that sunpad area off.

I had contemplated cutting and then making some figerglass changes to that the section that has your courtesy lights.
If there were a removable section it would at least make it possible to service an impeller without removing a lot of panels -- which I have to do now.

As I said, mine is different - that whole seat area raises on an electrical actuator -- you then have that cross panel and a couple of isolator boards on each side.

I decided that it was going to be more work than probably worth it to cut that cross piece and install a removable panel. I would not judge it was very structural.

thx
Dale

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DaleG -- West Palm Beach FL
2003 240Horizon -- 5.7Gi -Duoprop

i've got the 2000 190 horizon and did the impeller a number of years ago on my own. i don't have pictures but remember it took longer to get the seat out and panel off and back together than actually changing the impeller.

now that i think about it. the seat might just be the 2 bolts to come out that are used to slide the seat from bench mode to bed mode. i remember the back and bottom were all one piece when i pulled it out. then the panel was a few bolts.

needless to say when i had the drive serviced last year i went ahead and had them do the impeller since i was in some big $ for a new gimble bearing so said what the hey and let them deal with the hassle.

sorry no picks.

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2006 Nissan Titan SE 6" Lift
2000 Four Winns 190 Horizon 5.0GL

Dale, Mine doesn't look tooooo bad, the support box is all starboard screwed together. The Seat Bottom and first 12" of the back are hinged and on a sliding track, that allows them to come forward and lay flat like a futon. So it's probably not too hard to remove them.

It's the top of the backrest (the Camel Color) that I wonder about, since it curves around at the ends and must be screwed into the side gunnels. Maybe the rest can be removed without removing the Camel Colored part. I'm wondering if taking this apart is a 1 hour job or a 4 hour job?

And I am considering cutting an access cutout in the back panel of the starboard to be able to access the impeller easier. I am about to change it for the first time, and I'm not sure if I can work with two hands while standing on my head.

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Thanks hellasnow.
Do you remember if the top of the backrest stayed in place when the rest was removed?

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

mine is slightly different than yours and does not wrap around. the hatch is just one big piece with the head rests connected to the hatch. sorry did not notice that was one of the pieces you were referring to.

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2006 Nissan Titan SE 6" Lift
2000 Four Winns 190 Horizon 5.0GL

I went through the same thing on my boat, but it was set up differently in the first place being a lot older. The way it was, there was a heavy 3/4 in thick piece of plywood that was the seat back, and a box formed the bottom section, all one piece basically. Heavy. The previous owner got rid of the lower section for the seat bottom and put in a pair of coolers with cushions on top, like fishing boats have. Not comfortable to sit on and didn't really fit right, but easy to remove. When I re did the whole interior except the coaming panels, what I did was build a new bulkhead that went between the seat and engine but made it in 2 halves, with a take apart hinge in the middle, so it could be removed easily. For seats, what I used were a pair of bench seats (each 36" wide, fit with some trimming of the shelf in the coaming panel) for a pontoon boat. I used matching helm seats so they all match. The benches are attached to the deck with 4 screws each (threaded fittings in the deck, no wood screws). So I can remove one side at a time, then the bulkhead on that side can be removed separately as well. I can remove both bench seats, the whole bulkhead, and the side panels, (all secured with screws and wing nuts) in about 5 min. Using a pair of seats, and the 2 piece bulkhead, makes it much lighter and easier to remove. I designed it the way I wanted it for ease of maintenance. When its all removed the engine is wide open and things like the oil filter and starter are relatively easy to get at. The modern FW bowriders I would not even consider because they near impossible to work on, without a sawzall LOL, seriously if I had to get one of those, I'd take it to my 'glass guy and have him make it easily removable.

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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

That top piece looks like the one that was on my 1999 Sundowner; if I remember correctly, there are some studs at the sides with nuts and washers. With similat studs and nuts on the underside.

Thanks everyone.

If, and when, I take it apart, I will take pictures. In the mean time, I think I will stand on my head for this impeller change, I think I can reach it OK if I take both batteries out of the way.

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Here is what I think needs to be done

FROM YOUR POST
The Seat Bottom and first 12" of the back are hinged and on a sliding track, that allows them to come forward and lay flat like a futon. So it's probably not too hard to remove them.
=============

remove that back piece --- at hinges
remove the piece that goes across boat with the courtesy lights in it
the may be two other fore-aft starboard pieces that need to be removed to get the across piece out -- (one at batteries /and one at fresh water tank for my water washdown)

when that is done you sit in front of the engine and reach down. It is hard enough even with all that removed.
The bracket that goes to the engine and prevents the pump from turning can be as much of a headache as the actual pump.
I sometimes pull the entire pump from the crank pulley using the three allen head screws rather than deal with the four smaller brass screws that you have to remove If you just try to replace the impeller with the pump on the engine. If you try to remove the brass screws -- use a small socket rather than using the screw driver slots in the screws.

good luck -- and let us know how it goes

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DaleG -- West Palm Beach FL
2003 240Horizon -- 5.7Gi -Duoprop

It all looks very similar to the Sundowner of the same era with the Sunsport seating. To get reasonable access to the engine, I used to remove the lot; the "Starboard " seat box and engine side panels are screwed to the floor via right angle metal brackets. The panels are also joined to each other with screws and the same type of bracket; I eventually changed those screws to nuts and bolts, even when liightly screwed in, the screws tended to pull a thread shaped piece of plastic out of the "Starboard".

Dale is right; the metal bracket stopping the pump body from rotating can be very awkward to remove/ replace. It was especially so on mine as there was a vertical heat exchanger very close to it ! Mine is modified; basically cut in half so the bolts on the engine no longer need to be disturbed, the two halves held together by another metal bar with studs and more accessible nuts.

Also, if you change the 4 brass screws to stainless cap head ( "Allen" head) screws, it's much easier in future. They're M5 or the direct equivalent UNF thread.

Yes, I believe the 1999 and 2000 are exactly the same, and the Sundowner & Horizon are the same at the back.

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Good ideas Graham -- I should change some of the bolts on my cross piece from screws, to studs and nuts --- that would work better as most of then are already stripped out from several removals ---

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DaleG -- West Palm Beach FL
2003 240Horizon -- 5.7Gi -Duoprop

I used threaded fasteners like these

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... GIdbDDSqHE


to attach the seats to the deck, they screw into the plywood deck and a machine screw then screws into the fitting. No wood screws stripping out, makes it easy to remove them for maintenance. If you have a WM store nearby they sell em in smaller quantities. To fit the other panels together I used stainless machine screws and wing nuts. Makes it fast n easy to take apart.

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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've found this type work well in plywood and fibreglass; very easy to screw in using an allen key/ hex driver and the thin flange makes them screw in almost flush to the surface ( and makes the installation look tidy). The coarse external thread spreads the load well.
http://www.theinsertcompany.com/steel_hex_drive_inserts_for_wood_headed.shtml

Where you have access to the rear of the panel, these pronged T nuts work well for plywood and Starboard ( but not fibreglass)
http://www.theinsertcompany.com/steel_t_nut_inserts_for_wood.shtml

Graham