www.iFourWinns.com

Welcome Jackal where are you from??
Ardy
Adelaide but boating at Morgan on the Murray

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

Welcome Kiwi Chris consider your self one of the family as you live in this hemisphere.
Ardy
South Oz

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

Cheers Guys, I am from Mackay in NQ, from what i can remember from the test drive i am sure that i will love the boat, we only test drove the four winns in some pretty ordinary wether "which is what i wanted" i must say i was very impressed. We looked at a few other brands but value for money combined with a bit of good service from the dealer sealed the deal for us.

I have a pic but i havent worked out how to add it to the signature or as a part of the msg. i can see the IMG button but i am not sure what to do from there as it just comes up as

Any tips...

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2008, H210, Volvo Penta 5.7ltr, 300hp, SX Drive

Obviously i worked it out after much pain anyway here are a couple of pics

Man i cant wait to get it here....

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2008, H210, Volvo Penta 5.7ltr, 300hp, SX Drive

This is my current Ski Boat, its a Custom Probe, Its a great ski boat but we cant explore the Whitsunday Islands in it. Also we have 2 young Kids under 5 years old and the sister in law has 3 kids under 5yo as well, So i guess after adding 5 new Children to the Crew since we purchased the Jackal it is only reasonable that we get ourselves a bit of room

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2008, H210, Volvo Penta 5.7ltr, 300hp, SX Drive

Hey Jackal - in your neighbourhood over the next couple of weeks - Port Douglas, Townsville, then Gold Coast. Unfortunately not with the boat (am flying up with the family for a vacation). Did you get the boat locally or from Brissy? Same as you, I upgraded from a ski boat to a FW - absolutely no regrets whatsoever!!

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

You picked the right time of year, the wether has been perfect latley, thats why i am so keen to get this thing, i have been told this morning to expect it in the next two weeks. We dont have a dealer here, i was recently on holidays and decided to check out some boats, i couldn't believe my ears when my wife said, "i like that one lets get it" She usually opposes everything...

We only boat tested the Fourwinns after weighing up value for money,"isn't it funny that every boat dealer has the Best warranty" The Crownline was really nice when compaired to value, there were some finishing issues around the engine where there was exposed timber, the whole used to access the belts for servicing, not structual but...that would most certainly rot. It was probably the only other choice for me, they had a really good 22ft there but it was just edging above what we wanted to spend, "i could have had it but i had to wait about 2 months to save a bit more, she would change her mind by then. The Sea Ray Dealer thought we were tyre kickers and my wife sat in the car after about 2 minutes (she thought they were old school fittings & switches, i thought they were a nice boat in quality but they layout was not what i wanted) anyway The chaparal was also very nice, i felt their white was too off whit for me and even the clean boats had a bit of a dirty look about them. The dealer was very obliging but the way they are marketed is like they are a cut above teh four winns and crown line, that may be true but the price does not truely reflect that they are 30% better boat.

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2008, H210, Volvo Penta 5.7ltr, 300hp, SX Drive

If you are into rainforests etc, make sure you get to Koranda "not sure on spelling" its just outside of cairns, the big gondala ride is great for the kids, they have a big river at the top that is also a winner with the kids and ME you can hire canoes and paddle around for quite cheap.

They have some nice cafe's up there and really cold beer in the pub.

I am not sure how much you are cramming in on your holiday but it is best to plan for a day up there, and retire early afternoon for a wine back at your hotel in Port Douglas overlooking the water...

The Tempreture is starting to lift, you guys will want to move up here for sure beautiful one day, perfect the next. DONT BRING THE RAIN ANd COLD WITH YOU!!!

Townsville is really looking nice now, its quite a brown town as you will see but the council there are doing a great job over teh last 10 years, the touristy areas around the strand etc are really nice, Magnetic Island will be perfect this time of year, expect a calm bay somewhere, i suggest the mini mokes if your budget is not too tight, Freedom is paramount to get the most of your time, the stingers dont come in until closer to Xmas so snorkeling is on or a trip to the reef scuba diving is certainly rated, i have only done that once and it was from Townsville.

As for the Gold Coast, Getaway on thursday nights usually covers it twice in every episode,,,

If you like all of that then you will absolutley love Airlie Beach & the Whitsundays for your next holiday...

Cheers

Hey Jackal when is your boat supposed to arrive ? I ordered my H180 in June and can expect it in November. It's been a long wait but I figured this is the first new boat I will have owned and I wanted everything just how I wanted it. So seeing as I wanted a red one, not the light blue they had in stock I have to wait. This is a great forum for information.
Ardy
South Oz

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

I am "hopefully" going to recieve it in the next 2 weeks. I would not mind a wait for a boat that was to be built, mine was in stock. i just wanted a bow scuff plate and docking lights fitted. It has been 5 weeks now since we placed the deposit. Aparantley the factory B/O the parts. I dont believe that for a second, every 2nd boat the make would have that. imagine the backlog of new boats in the factory if that was the case....

What ever the reason, it should not be much longer. Yeah this forum is fantastic for info, its good to settle the nerves.

So you are getting the 180 hey, I could not believe the value for money with these boats, the 180 is such good value. I am sure you will love it. What motor are you getting?

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2008, H210, Volvo Penta 5.7ltr, 300hp, SX Drive

Interesting Jackal - I got the decision down to a Four Winns and Crownline also.. I like the Crownline a lot but felt the dealer network was not as good as FW and in Melbourne he was small and miles and miles from the water which I think is not a good sign. In the end, the FW was better value for money, dealer more helpful, close to the water, the boat was on the floor and I got it in less than a week! About the only thing I had to wait for was the galvanised gatorhyde trailer which took 6 months to arrive. In the interim it was on a painted trailer. So I ended up with a 2006 boat and a 2007 trailer! Interesting point - the painted trailer was showing signs of being in salt water after just one season.

Went to the boatshow here in Melbourne the other month and looked at Crownline again (this time after owning a FW for 18 months) and felt the finish was slightly better in a couple of areas, but overall the FW was better finished and a better package at a comparable price.

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

I didn't get to the boat show but i think i know the boat and dealer you are talking about, they had a 220 razor there which was pretty swish. They guy i spoke to there was really good considering it was nearly closing time and my kids were running around like they had swallowed a dragon fly... I think your trailer story is the same as the docking lights & scuff plate that i am waiting for to come in for my Boat that was also on the show room floor. At least i was out on teh water this weekend, we are having perfect weather up here, my parents just bought a 625 Cruise Craft Outsider, i must say for a fishing rig it is certainly a good boat. I cant wait to do a few reef trips "on good days" with both boats....

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2008, H210, Volvo Penta 5.7ltr, 300hp, SX Drive

Hey Jackal
Ordered the H180 with 3.0 mercruiser I agonized over whether I should go the bigger donk but having skied behind my neighbors 2005 H170 (same boat)with 3.0 and found that to be more than adequate I didn't think it warranted spending another 5 grand. BTW I ordered a red one because everyone Knows red boats go faster.
Ardy
South Oz

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

Awesome for you dude, i saw a H180 when i sent to shop for mine, coming from an 18ft ski boat we were looking to go bigger but i said to my wife if we were ever to go back to 18ft how could you go past them. One thing is for sure that if you are getting a red one you will stand out on the lake, i like red but we are a bit cautious of Red here in teh tropics, the sun really nails it. If you are keeping it in the shed or covered i am sure you will see many of years out of it.

What does everyone do to look after their Gel Coat? i have used Mcguires Wax on my ski boat (fresh water only) but i swear to you all that it still looks as good as the day i bought it and we have had 4 full on seasons and 2 not so full on (2 kids). I have never liked boat covers especially for traveling because they rub on the gel coat. "i know everyone is concerned about stone chips (our roads are really bad by comparison to the Bigger citys)" but my experiences have worked well. With the cover off it avoids that humidity sweat that covers cause too.

Does anyone use anything for the wind screens? Rain ex?

Is the 3.0lt a v6? i must admit, prior to buying this boat i was a bit anxious about the relativley low HP numbers in these boats but there are so many out there, the must have it right? I come from V* territory, in Mackay we have the largest HSV & FPV dealers in Australia, they are like but cheeks everyone way has 2. "Not me though"

I am hearing you in regard to the red color but intend to keep it well covered when not in use. As for the amount of ponies under the cover and the size of the boat, I am actually going up a size in boat hp etc. Currently we are using a 25 year old Stacer aluminum 4.4metre runabout with a 70 hp johnson on the back. Overpowered for the size I know but still lacks the grunt and the size that we really need, hence the upgrade to the H180.
Ardy
South Oz

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc