www.iFourWinns.com

I recently purchased an 01 Four Winns Horizon 180LE. I was thinking of getting an extended swim platform for it. Does anyone know if I can still purchase one from FW? Are there any companies that make aftermarket swim platforms for FW? Cost? Thanks!

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2005 Funship 214 5.0GXi/DP | 2006 Yamaha FJR1300

A friend of mine bought a 2000 230 one year ago and was still able to order the OEM platform from Four Winns (via a FW dealer of course). I think there's a bit of a lead time involved because they make them when they're ordered.

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

Thanks! I am probably going to check with my local FW dealer to see if I can still get the factory platform. I am not sure how much it will cost, but I'm sure it is expensive. I have never had a ESP before but it looks like it would be nice to have (especially since the build in platform on this model is very small). Depending on the price I may have to go without for a season to see if I really need it.

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2001 Four Winns Horizon 180LE, VP 4.3GL/SX
2006 Ford F-150 Extended Cab 4x4, 5.4L

LOL that's what my friend said. He ordered it just before the end of his first season . I think his was around $1,500, yours should be less. Once you have one, you'll wonder how you did without it, especially if you have kids.

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

I find the ESP on my Sundowner very useful, but I do wish they had fitted some sort of hatch in the middle of it so the drive could be tilted up and the propellors could be cleaned without having to get into the water.

Regards,

Graham

No kids, but our dog usually goes with us to the lake. It would be nice to let him dry off on the ESP rather than in the boat. It is also a pain trying to get him back onto the boat once he is in the water. Does the ladder usually come as part of the package or is that extra?

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2001 Four Winns Horizon 180LE, VP 4.3GL/SX
2006 Ford F-150 Extended Cab 4x4, 5.4L

I believe the ladder is included, and the platform is molded for it to fit properly. I *would* advise you to let a competent dealer install it, unless you're very experienced with drilling into your transom.

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

A word of caution for anyone with a factory fitted ESP and a boat used in salt water; Check the mounting hardware carefully! My '04 Sundowner has been used for 2 seasons in salt water. After one season I found the bolts mounting it to the transom were only mild steel and were extremely corroded ( the nuts were thankfully stainless, so I could get them apart!); I changed the bolts to 316 stainless steel. I have now just discovered that the large thick washers on the ladder mounting bolts on the underside of the ESP, designed to spread out the loading from the mounting bolts, are extremely corroded. So much so that 4 out of the 6 crumbled away completely to a flakey dust when I held them in my fingers! The remaining 2 seem to be made out of aluminium, I presume the others, now departed, were as well. The nuts and bolts are stainless and so the least noble metal has quietly been eaten away by the salt monster; 4 of the the bolts are now loose. I don't know whether aluminium washers were deliberately used by FW ( or their suppliers) to protect the aluminium ladder from attack. I'll think that's unlikely as there is a nylon or PVC coating on the ladder plus a bedding compound of some sort on the bolts, so electrically the bolts and ladder are not connected. So, I'll replace the washers with some 3/16" polycarbonate ones I can cut from some sheets I have lying around.

Regards,

Graham