www.iFourWinns.com

Hey all, we are looking to upgrade from our 98 Horizon RS to something a little bigger to hand the Lake of the Ozarks. My parents bought a condo down there last fall and the 18' boat just doesn't cut it anymore. We need something to handle hauling all the family on occasion, and be able to cruise the lake without stopping every 15 seconds due to large waves. With that being said, we are looking to stay around the $20,000 mark, but may be able to splurge for a little more if needed. Anyway, I came across this 2000 Horizon 260...http://loz.craigslist.org/bod/5116854771.html . I think the price is a little high but wanted to get others thoughts. Also had a few questions.

How is the 7.4 GI in terms of reliability and power in this size of boat? With the relatively low hours I would guess it has quite a bit of life ahead of it. Will the 260 handle the big lake without issue and allow us to cruise without slowing down constantly or getting our teeth rattled out? As far as towing, I know my parent's Avalanche will have no trouble pulling something like this, but looking at the specs it will be quite the load. The boat will sit on a lift when we are not using it and we will only be towing at the beginning and end of the season, if we just don't leave it on the lift and do the winterization there.

Thanks for any response and help.

The 260 is a nice boat and will certainly handle rougher water better than the18'. I just did a similar upgrade from a H180 to a Cobalt 246. Night and day difference.

The 7.4 Gi is a good engine. It is under-stressed with 310 hp (the GSi version of the 7.4L has 385 hp) but according to the Four Winns Fast Facts will still top out at 50 MPH. The captain's call exhaust is nice to have. The head is a great convenience to have (was a must when we upgraded). Has fiberglass cockpit floors. Low hours. Appears to be in good condition.

I am not sure on the pricing but I think it has been on the market for some time as I remember seeing it awhile back. There is some red fluid in the bilge that would need to be checked out. Also, the "WILD THANG" name would need to be removed.

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NEW - 2000 Cobalt 246 w/454 Magnum 385HP | SOLD - 2000 FW Horizon 180 LS w/5.0Gi 250HP Volvo Penta

Thanks for the feedback. "Wild Thang" would be gone ASAP. We are going down to the lake the first week of August and plan on checking a few boats out. The bad thing about buying down there is that it is tough to find them with trailers since most just leave them in the water year round. I suppose a trailer wouldn't be a deal breaker as we could leave ours on the lift, but would like to get it out of the elements at the same time.

A few others that caught my eye as well...

http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/boa/5119829230.html
http://loz.craigslist.org/boa/5131136209.html
http://loz.craigslist.org/bod/5095450842.html
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2001- ... -102360243
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2004- ... -102516143

Most priced a little higher than we want to be, but wanting to keep the options open. There are some nice Crownline boats as well but I don't like the idea of not having snap out carpet and the early 2000's don't seem to have that in Crownline.

Of the recent links you posted.

The 26' Rinker and the 256 Chap are both great riding hulls, I would look at them if available.

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

I agree, a trailer would be a major plus. Not that I use mine often with having rack storage but if something needs to be worked on I can bring it home or to a shop.

In this price range, I would skip anything that does not have fiberglass cockpit floors. I would also skip anything that has an Alpha 1 outdrive and/or less than 300 hp. Fuel injection is good to have as well. Mariah boats is no longer in business which would make me leery. Rinker is a good value brand but is a tier below Four Winns. Chaparral makes nice boats.

I have noticed that most bow riders in this size and price range sell really quickly if they are good boats and priced reasonably. I see some sell in a few days and many within a week. If a boat is on the market for 3+ weeks I start to wonder why. For example, the 2004 Chap you have shows snow in the photos. Why has it been on the market that long? I am not saying you should avoid them but look at them cautiously.

I am a bit biased but I think this one could be a good deal: http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/boa/5130791051.html

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NEW - 2000 Cobalt 246 w/454 Magnum 385HP | SOLD - 2000 FW Horizon 180 LS w/5.0Gi 250HP Volvo Penta

Alpha 1 is for sure out. I hate nothing more than riding in an underpowered boat. I think we were spoiled with the 5.0 in our 18' boat, although only has 220 hp.

The Mariah looks nice but it doesn't have a walkthrough transom like I ideally would want to have. I have two kids, my sister has a kid, and my brother has three, all of which have been very hard on our Horizon RS seat. A nice swim platform would awesome to have as well, but anything will be a step up from the stock one on ours which is pretty much non-existent. I am also aware that Mariah are no longer in business but was always under the impression they were a very well built boat. However, I RARELY see one on the lakes I frequent. With that being said, I know they have a very active forum still but wonder what resale would be like if I ever go with a newer, more optioned boat.

I also agree that it makes me leery of some of these boats sitting around for so long. I have a decent list of boats to check out and won't do anything unless I can get a decent deal on something that has most of the amenities I am after. I am aware I may need to sacrifice a couple of things in this price range, but a newer boat just isn't in the cards right now.

That Cobalt looks very clean (aside from the outdrive) and better priced than any Cobalts I have located. Obviously, one of the best boats you can buy though and their current values reflect that. Thanks for looking out!

Rocket, "Wild Thang" is the Coast Guard registered name. The owner's address and vessel description can be found here. http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/CoastGu ... yName.html . You'll have to go through the process to legally remove the name. 26 ft is the smallest "yacht certification" you can get and it saves money on taxes, etc. Most people with 26 ft and larger boats have documented them with the USCG.

I have an H260 8.2 Merc and it handles big water very nicely. I can cruise 20-30mph in heavy chop around the 20 mile marker at the ozarks. I have to typically slow down for rolling wakes coming from boats 40ft and larger. My smooth water cruise speed is low 40's turning around 3500 RPM. My top speed is somewhere between 55 and 58mph. My speedo will read about 62mph but it's not 100% accurate as we all know. I typically have a full tank of gas, 4-8 people on board, coolers, water tank full, and plenty of water toys.

Hope this helps a little!

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Current Boats:
2012 FW H260, 8.2 B3X (DTS) "Ctrl-Alt-Delete"
Previous Boats:
1984 Century 5000, Merc 260 Alpha 1
2012 Yamaha VXR

Kansas City, MO

I have an H250 8.1 Volvo and it handles the "clothes washer" water of the LOTO very nicely. The 2004 & 2005 H250 is basically the same hull as the 2006+ H260, so much for the Four Winns naming theory. I'm not sure how the H250 differs from the pre-2004 H260's, I want to say the hull is similar with a different cockpit layout?

I say "clothes washer" water because the LOTO is very different from most lake water conditions. Rouge waves come from various angles to the boat and on a typical Saturday afternoon that is critical to be aware of. I also can cruise 20-30mph (roughly 3000 rpm) in heavy, heavy chop between the 0-24 mile markers at the LOTO. I too have to slow down for rolling wakes coming from the larger cruisers and choose an appropriate approach angle. My speed remarks are right-on with the above poster's, easily 57-58 mph on the smooth water of the Grand Glaize arm via GPS with the pitot tube reading a little higher... Any day but Saturday afternoon, this size boat has no problems going anywhere on LOTO, that's why we usually play hooky on Monday's because the the lake is fairly calm afternoon on Sunday till the next Saturday!

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2005 250 Horizon
8.1L Volvo, DuoProp
14MM Lake of the Ozarks

Thanks for the replies all. I will keep you all posted after we take a look at that Four Winns, and a few of the others if they are still available.

I will concur with the others about the H260 adequately handling LOTO waters. Although it does seem like every year my boat gets smaller and smaller. I can also vouch that the 26' Rinker is a good riding boat. However, what drew me to the Horizon vs. most other bowriders in this size is most of the other brands put so much real estate into the sundeck area. I think you will see the Horizon has much more cockpit space compared to most other 26' bowriders. The interior layout is what made the difference for me. Good luck and enjoy!

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2005 FW Horizon 250
8.1L VP DP

I have found another potential option closer to what we'd ideally like to spend right now.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2000- ... -102554403

How much better will this ride than our current 180, and how much will it be giving up compared to the 260? Right now, we'd really like something that's more friendly to trailer, but if there isn't much difference between the 230 and 260 we'd probably enjoy the larger boat even if it meant spending a few more dollars. For those that are familiar with the Lake of the Ozarks, we are on the 11mm of the Big Niangua arm so the water isn't anywhere near as rough. However, we would like something to be able to venture out in that would be comfortable for 8-12 people.

According to the fast facts, the boats should see about the same top speed while cruising fuel mileage increases pretty substantially with the 5.7 over the BB 7.4, which is to be expected. Weight wise it looks like on the trailer the 260 will weigh in at over 6700 lbs. while the 230 will be around 5800. Not a huge difference but if I needed to pull it with my Buick Rainier 5.3 V8 I certainly could. I know the 5.3 can handle the 260 but the Rainier chassis cannot safely.

Any thoughts? Anything someone knows of around the Midwest that would be around $20,000 including a trailer that would fit the bill? Thanks all.

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2005 H200

Wish that was a bit closer to our home in Iowa or the Ozarks! Definitely could be something worth checking out if they still have it after I get back from the lake next week. Thank you.

We have a 2001 Horizon 260 with the 8.1 496 Volvo penta duo-prop. We have had it since 2008 and could not be happier. The power is great and the room in these rival most 28-30' bow riders. we are going to be at the Ozarks 8-8 thru 8-15 is you would like a ride.
Good luck in your search
Kent

Hi Kent, that would be great and I may take you up on that. We will be taking a look at 2000 Horizon 260 next week and will hopefully be able to water test it. If for some reason they do not let us (which would deter them from a possible sale) then I would love to have a ride in yours. What MM will you be at?