www.iFourWinns.com

Greetings!

Newbie here to Four Winns. I'm about to buy what I think is a fantastic price on a brand new 2008 H180 with the 4.3 liter Volvo Penta.

Below are the pictures of my actual boat. First I have concerns over Genmar filing for Chapter 11 in June. What is the skinny as far as the fate of Four Winns and warranty claims and the like? I negotiated this boat down to $17,500 plus tax. Can I assume this is a good deal?









Thanks in advance,
Craig

It is a good deal if YOU think it is. That is really all that matters. As for Gen-Mar, I don't think anyone on this board is worried about them or FW sticking around and paying warranty claims.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

I just did a "build you boat" on the Four Winns website, and based on the options that I could see ( graphic, pull up cleats, bow & cockpit cover, 4.3 as you mentioned, ESP, Gatorhide trailer) I got a price MSRP of $25,920. The price you negotiated is about 33% below MSRP if my math is correct, so I would say it is a good deal, especially seeing as it is probably (my guess) the lowest margin boat in the FW lineup and there may be more options inside that I am missing.

If you have the means, I'd pull the trigger. And yes, I join Pete in not worrying about FW not being around.

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

Price seems very fair for a leftover 2008.

+1 to Pete's, errrrrr, Paul's, errrrrr, pet575's Genmar comment. FW is not going anywhere but forward, and their warranties will be supported by dealers and FW.

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Nice. Huge swim platform . . .

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2008 Four Winns 210 5.7 GI/SX
2007 GMC Sierra 2500 Crew
1966 Fed-Up Wife

Make sure they throw in 4 nice fenders, 4 15' premium quality dock lines, all your emergency gear, and a full tank of gas (Super unleaded of course!) -- and run like hell.

That's a great deal on that boat - especially if you can get the above items.

Nice work! Love the red and graphic!

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

Thanks for the replies! I'm really excited about this boat. Up till now I've been looking at 18 footers with the 3 liter and while I "hoped" they would be up to the task, I just had too many reservation for all the watersports we plan to do. When this V6 boat presented itself for a little more than other new 4 cylinder boats it made my indecision disappear. You guys helped me relax about the Genmar warranty concerns. I tried calling Four Winns direct but apparently the place is shut down this week and will re-open monday.

Is there anything I should look for with respect to my sea trial on Saturday?

Craig

The ladies checkin you out . . . Thats what I look for anyway

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2008 Four Winns 210 5.7 GI/SX
2007 GMC Sierra 2500 Crew
1966 Fed-Up Wife

Nice looking boat but I have a bais
here is mine

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

Ardy,

Nice looking boat!

Does anyone have any performance specs on the H180 with the 4.3? I'm hoping for a top speed in the low 50's.

Craig

Yes, Four Winns does on their website, look for it there.

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Guys,

I sea trialed the H180 this morning. It was a very nice boat no question. I really appreciated many features and qualities of the boat. Most impressed by the hull design. That Stable V hull is not just marketing bull....It works!!!! I couldn't believe how flat the boat stayed in the hardest of turns. Very impressive.

While this boat had the optional 190hp 4.3 liter Volvo Penta, I wasn't impressed with the holeshot, bow rise and acceleration. My point of reference is the 310hp Seadoo jet boat I recently sold and while I'm sure the V6 was working as it should, it doesn't have the rip your face off acceleration my Utopia 205 had. With the Four Winns we got 49.8 mph on gps.

While I enjoyed many facets of the boat I opted to not purchase at this time and will pursue another jet boat. Specifically the 2009 Seadoo Challenger 180SE 255hp with wake tower.

Thank you all for answering all my questions and wish everyone a safe summer full of fun on the water.

Craig

Craig - best of luck with a new squirt boat. Post some pics here and drop by and see us once in a while.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

Good luck with the new boat! Different strokes for different folks. I've driven a couple of Sea Doo's jet boats and they are for a different market than the Four Winns boats.

Kick in the pants for sure! If that's what fits -- go for it!

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

Had a 215 Sportster myself - yeah they go like hell. $10-12 / hr, skipping sideways at 50, coming right out of the water is simple (and scary) - I even filled the thing with 2' of water trying that throw it in reverse at 40 or so. Freaking tsunami came over the bow!
I wanted more comfort, space and luxury and was willing to sacrifice a bit of the breakneck to get it. I have my doubts on the lifespan of the Rotax (3k just to get it moving and 10-14k on plane if I remember right). The only way for me to keep the oomph in a larger hull was to go to a twin and thats just twice the headache and cost in my view. After a few years of spinning 14k I will be tearing down either one engine or the other every season. Where I am they are just terribly over-priced for the boat you get.
I just got tired of being wet, cold and taking a pounding everytime I went out but yeah the holeshot is sick. That shallow draft thing is a bit of a farce also since they will suck an apple sized rock off the bottom - no less than 3' of water unless at idle my dealer told me. I hope to just add a couple of used skis to my dock in a few years they really are a ton of fun - they are the kind of thing you can torture where the FW is more of a sport / luxury. Kind of like going from a Motocross to a VMax for me.

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2008 Four Winns 210 5.7 GI/SX
2007 GMC Sierra 2500 Crew
1966 Fed-Up Wife