www.iFourWinns.com

Hi guys,

I'm new to boating. I've only been on a boat once and never put one in the water. My wife grew up a mile from the lake but never really got into it. No one in my family swims, I on the other hand love the water. I've always wanted to get on the water, jetski was my first want years ago, now I want a boat. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a boat and then not use/enjoy it. So I've decided to go with a used boat.

I have a good friend that has a 1993 210H Four Winns. It's been sitting outside covered for 2 1/2 years. Some of the flooring was replaced and fiberglassed. He bought another boat thinking he could not repair the floor but another boat friend of ours was able to repair the floor.. It has a 5.8L with an OMC outdrive. He has yet to give me a firm price but in passing he threw out $1,500. I'm thinking $1000 if the motor functions. My questions are as follows:

What is this boat WORTH?

Is this a good boat for me to start with?

What things should I checkout or ask about is I want this boat?

Here is a photo of the repaired floor.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lmgoods/3704544727


I've been reading the forum for awhile and getting great information.

Thanks

Mark

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Mark

Depending on the rest of the condition of the boat that is a realy good price. Does it run and shift into both gears? Lets see some more pics of the boat itself.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

I second that ^! More pics.
The best thing to do is get the boat and take it to a Boat Mechanic and let him look it over Really good and listen to what he has to say. Make sure the Mechanic also know OMC drives.
From the one pic you showed I would have to pass. Especially how dirty the boat is. Makes me wonder how the rest of the boat was taken care of. Our boat looked like the day it rolled off the showroom floor when we bought it in 2007. You can find good deals.

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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

07H200ss, I have tried to start it or anything so I don't know how it's operational condition is. I did call the local marina and they told me they would do a "New Buyers" check for $125 that would include a compression check. Below is a link to some more photos maybe after looking at those you can give me your opinion on it.

Thanks for the quick response.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lmgoods/se ... 189192208/


Mark

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Mark

Troy, Take a look at the rest of the photos I linked to and let me know what you think.

PS - Love your truck. I have an 03 Supercrew also.

Thanks

Mark

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Mark

1000 bucks for that boat (if it runs) is a great buy.

But - do you want to spend the next year getting this boat fixed up, or do you want to spend a bit more and be able to splash within a month or so?

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Thanks! Is your a F150 a Harley Edition also? If you need to know anything about the truck check out NHTOC.com.

For the boat. It looks like it would be worth the 1k - 1500 range for me until I seen (what looks like to me) the fill plug missing from the outdrive. It is missing that and the outdrive is trashed then its going to get expensive! The 5.8L engine looks nice and it looks fuel injected also. That is nice for the age of the boat. Ours is Carbuerated. The interior needs work also. I like the dash/gauges Much better than ours. We have the Car style gauge cluster.
I would Deffently get a Certified Mechanic look at it. $125 for them to check it out doesn't sound to bad!
Let us know what you decide! I like the lines of the boat. Wish ours was that big.

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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

cougarcruiser,

As the old saying goes... "I got more time than money..."

I don't mind spending more time getting it water worthy as long as it's worth it.

Thanks

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Mark

1NiceHarley,

I don't know if it's missing the plug or not. It might just be the way it appears in the photo. I hope I would have seen that being I was so close to it many times. I will go by there and take another look and let you know.

My SCREW is not a HD, I almost got one though but, I needed 4wheel drive. They are pretty trucks.

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Mark

Assuming no major issues, I would say that boat is worth the 1-1.5k. Read through a couple of the recent H190 restoration threads. Plenty of good info in there regarding boats that have sit for a while. Assuming this was properly winterized before sitting, I would guess you'd be in decent shape mechanically. I would definately recommend having a mechanic look it over to make sure everything is in decent working order. You'll need to do quite a bit of basic manintenence at the very least (oil change, impellar, etc). The interior/exterior look to need a bit of elbow grease, but nothing that can't be handled. If you decide to buy it, make sure to do some things like take a boater's safety course, get insurance, maybe find a local person (maybe your friend selling the boat) to teach you the ropes, and of course enjoy!

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'99 Horizon 200

1niceharley,

Checked out the boat and the fill plug is in place. I just looks like it's missing on the photo.


yrless11,

I'm already signed up for a class in Aug. and yes I have several guys that are willing to help me learn.

So I guess he needs to give me a price and once he does spend the $125 to verify everything is cool.

Any of you guys have any advice on what I might need to do/look for on the trailer before I try to move it? All 4 tires are flat and I don't know if they hold air. That's all I know about the trailer right.

Also, let me just say that the owner says he used it until the floor was replaced and everything worked fine. I doubt it was winterized though but I will ask.

Thanks

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Mark

Hi there,

I just completed a bit of a refresh on a 1985 Horizons cuddy. There was some floor rot under the helm seat and I replaced the floor. When I tore it up, the stringers were not too bad, but not really great either. I replaced a bit of them and it quickly became a bigger job than I wished I had handled.

I bought my boat for $1650 and it had been used all the time (which is a good thing in my book). It ran, shifted and mechanically was in pretty good shape. The engine ran very well, had good compression and so on. I now have 3700 into the boat, with a new interior, new fenders on the trailer and new cuddy cushions. The only thing I had to do to the motor/outdrive was have the shift bellows replaced as they were ripped and I wanted it safe.

I guess what I am trying to say is this. Interior work / cosmetic work is THE CHEAPEST part of the boat. I am not sure that I would ever buy a boat that has been sitting for a really low time. Time is the enemy of engines and moving parts when they sit. I would THINK about it, if the interior was REALLY nice, etc.

I always tell the wife, "where there is one, there is two" and so far I have always found both...

Just my .02

- Patrick

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Don't forget the plug....
.......Don't ever forget the plug......

Good thing on the plug. If that plug was missing that would be very crappy.

As for the trailer make sure you check the tires, suspension and brakes. Look over the rails and bunks. Make sure the coupler is good also. Our trailer had to have the brakes replace. I swapped them from the factory drum to disc. The swap was easy and just took a day. and I think it was less than $300.

Good luck.

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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

Ok Guys,

I finally got a price. He owns the boat with another guy and he had to run everything by him. ( I know him as well). He said $1500 for the boat and trailer. He's stating that the trailer is worth $800 alone.

Here is my game plan and you guys tell me what you think:

First, take it to the marina's shop and have them look it over. I guess it's worth the $125 for that. The mechanic also said the price would go up if more things need to be looked at. My first concern would be if it's able to run. If it is then I would be willing to put more money into it.

Second, if it looks like it will function, then I think I will counteroffer $1000. My thinking is that I will have to put a minimum of $500 into it even if everything works.

a. Trailer has been sitting as long as the boat so it may need tires and bearings.
b. It's gonna need all the fluids,filters and belts changed.
c. from what I've been reading it's a good idea to replace the prop.
d. It's gonna need a new battery.

The trailer part is going to have to be dealt with before I can even move it.

So, does my game plan sound reasonable? Am I unreasonable with my counteroffer?

Any other advice you could offer would be great.

Thanks in advance, you guys have been very helpful.

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Mark

I would say he is correct that the trailer is probably worth 800 or so. You can certainly part out the boat and make more money than what he is offering it to you. As far as the trailer is concerned, you probably just need to repack the bearings. If the tires aren't dry rotted, they will probably get you around some short distances with no worries. While replacing bearings and tires is a good idea, you may not want to dump that much money into the boat. I would start making a list of items that need worked on (repaired or replaced) and add up the total. You could easily add 2-3k onto the boat price, so it may be worth just looking for a better condition boat. Just my .02. Trying to make sure you keep an eye on the overall picture.

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'99 Horizon 200