www.iFourWinns.com

I'm doing a test ride this weekend (Hannah permitting) in a 2000 230. I'd like to know of any things you have seen gone wrong with your 230 and what typical problems (if any) I may want to watch out for. This boat is in very good condition with only 95 hours so I'm not expecting a lot of obvious issues. Any "gotcha's" you could make me aware of would be greatly appreciated. I'll let you know how it went. Thanks.

Andy

_________________
2000 Horizon 230

One very big gotcha - you won't be able to get your money out fast enough.

_________________


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

Mike,

I gotta tell ya. The boat is in excellent good shape with cockpit covers, 5.7GSI, 95 hours, fresh water use only, bottom paint, dry stored over the winter, etc. What would you think it's worth? I know the asking price but it sounds too good to be true. Let me know what you think and I'll tell you what it is. (can you tell I'm excited)

Andy

_________________
2000 Horizon 230

I got a 2006 Horizon 240 (with a 5.7 Volvo duoprop) that I think is the same boat. I love it, finishing 2 seasons now with no problems with the boat. I do not like the Clarion stereo and may replace it. I want to add the Perfect Pass speed control. But the boat itself has a smooth ride in rough water up to about 25 MPH. Pulls all wakeboarders other toys well also.

Why is it bottom painted? I have to be honest, that would be a big strike against it for me unless I was sure I was going to keep it a very long time and I was going to keep it in the water most of the time.

_________________


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

I agree. I think bottom paint is visually unappealing and suspect for salt water use. Here's the owner's story. He kept it in the water after a few years of owning and the gelcoat bubbled - surprise. Four Winns bellied up, fixed the bubbles, and bottom painted it under warranty.
The boat stays across from my neighbor's slip so I have a little history from them. He does take it out every winter and dry stores it so the bottom paint isn't the red flag I would normally expect.

_________________
2000 Horizon 230

A viable story, at least. As long as YOU don't have a problem with the bottom paint or the fact that it will probably impact resale value, you can put that aside and focus on the mechanicals and other features. How much/how far will you be towing it, and are you up to snuff on your tow vehicle? Trailer condition including tires? It's a decent sized load for towing; mine's 6,500 lbs actual, with full tanks and toys on the trailer.

If you buy it (or any other boat), pay special attention to making sure the drive has the correct anodes. Many don't.

Did the current owner add the FW extended platform (or someone else's)? If not, know that it's a nice addition to that boat and costs around $1,300 I believe.

That year has built-in fender compartments right in front of the windshield. They're a great idea, but be aware that they're too small for the size fenders you'll most likely end up with.

The boat may have the VDO gauge set which can be problematic. If the gauges look car-like, they're VDO. If it has individual gauges, they're not. Often the problems are due to inadequate grounding which can sometimes be fixed, but some folks end up buying a replacement (non-VDO) gauge set from FW, who is very aware of this problem. If the boat has the VDO set and they're working fine now, just be aware they could start acting up. Some have the VDO set and never have a single problem with it. Some people don't like the looks of the VDO set; personally I've always thought it looked nice.

Other than that, I know a few people (including one personally) who have bought 2000 230's in the last few years and couldn't be happier.

_________________


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

Hmmm. Anodes. Not sure what those are so I did some reserch before responding. Looks like there are several different types. With that said I'm not sure where to look on the 2000 model to see if they've been maintained. Any hints?

I've not seen the trailer yet so I assume it's the original trailer. As for hauling, I prepared for this over the past year and upgraded my wife's vehicle from a Volvo wagon to a Chrysler Aspen. According to the specs for our version, towing capacity is 8,950#. Reducing that with a B.S. factor I should still be in range of towing the 230.

VDO is correct. No extended platform.

Thanks for your help.

_________________
2000 Horizon 230

Don't pay more than $25K for it. You can get a 260 for that money.

_________________
2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

On the anodes, there are two of them. I'd just plan on replacing them, a set costs around $60 IIRC. In the meantime just make sure there's no corrosion on the drive. Related to that, make sure the drive was masked properly when the boat was bottom painted. There should be a margin of unpainted area all around the transom shield.

_________________


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

I was able to take another look at the boat today. Take a look at these pics of the outdrive. Do you think this is merely cosmetic or does this look like major damage? Thanks

_________________
2000 Horizon 230

Somebody else chime in here... it's hard to say too much with the drive underwater, but to me that looks like bad corrosion (at least at the top of the drive). I wouldn't go much farther without getting a better look at the drive. Some corrosion or degradation of paint could be considered normal after 8 years, but I'm not sure that qualifies as normal. Bear in mind I'm just a guy on a message board, not an expert. But my initial reaction is that a complete repair and refinish of the drive needs to be negotiated into the sales price.

As to the cause, there are a few things in play when you're talking about a slipped boat. There could be stray electrical currents around the dock due to faulty wiring in the facility; lack of anode maintenance on the drive; if the boat has the Volvo ACPS system it could either be not working, or working too much; bottom painting done improperly; or a combination of the above.

Please keep in mind, there are a LOT of great used boats on the market right now.

_________________


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

That looks strange; some of it is for sure marine growth or the remains of some growth. There's some brown stuff on the plastic cover, which doesn't corrode! If the boat is slipped in salt water, if it hasn't got antifoul on the outdrive, I'd have expected a great deal more growth on it. Could it be that it's been anifouled with a clear antifoul and that's beginning to bubble up due to poor surface preparation?

I agree with Mike though; it needs looking/ poking at to see if it is corrosion and if it is, the cause needs to be found and remedied.

Graham

I would not buy this boat without a complete survey

_________________
2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

Considering the asking price of $11,000 I wonder if it's still a deal considering I might have to dump a couple grand on the outdrive. I checked the bottom paint and it does stop short of the drive by about an inch or so. I ran a history report and nothing showed up there. Man I was good to go until I was able to see the outdrive. But there are some positives to consider also. I discovered it has a pump out head, confirmed it was a GSi, the oil on the dipstick looked clean, and of course, the price. Since I already showed the bad, I decided to show some good below.

_________________
2000 Horizon 230