www.iFourWinns.com

Hello,

Great site you have here. I am a potential Four Winns owner. A 1987 Horizon 190 has come available for $1700 that includes a 2002 Load Rite trailer in good shape. The boat needs overall TLC but it's all there. Looking extensively on Craigslist the past two months leads me to believe that this is a fair to good price for this boat and trailer. It fits my budget, I can tow it with my current vehicle, and I like the idea of a four stroke (the oil/gas smoke kills me, unfortunately). My thinking BTW is that a boat this size and price is a good starter boat to see if the family really wants to get into this thing. Maybe we keep a boat like this for a year or two and if we like it we move up to something a little newer and nicer.

The problem is that this boat has the 165 HP Mercruiser 470 4 cylinder and it has started leaking coolant from the weep hole under the circulating pump. I have done much research and see that this is a known issue for these engines. My readings of this issue show that some people have had success doing this fix themselves.

I have decent automobile repair experience. Been turning wrenches in the driveway for almost 30 years, did a frame on restoration of a 70 Oldsmobile. I've done tranny swaps, water pumps, brakes galore.

So, here I stand looking to get on the water for short money to do some skiing and tubing with the kids on the lakes around here and find this decent boat from a nice couple who moved up to something bigger, and the question is, should I avoid this boat?

For those who have done this repair, IF you were in my shoes knowing what you know would you buy the boat and do the fix or keep looking?

Thanks in advance to all who reply with constructive advice.

Though I can't tell you if it's worth it or not, I can point a few things out I've found in my project with my 170.
1) a little problem tends to be just the surface of a big problem, so the weeping problem could have caused issues further in the engine if someone hasn't been careful.
2)The 470 is also based off of a Ford engine, so that might be a consideration for repair parts and farmilarity with Ford engines.
3) I have a stringer OMC drive, and parts are near impossible to find, so plan pick something that has many readily available parts (if its a outboard, I'm sure that won't be as big an issue for you).
4)Bust Out Another Thousand. I've heard this before and didn't really realize it until I started into my project, Boats won't nickle and dime you to death, they'll $50 and $100 you to death

Like you I'm a driveway mechanic and honestly I've found boat a little simpler to work on than cars, but with that being said, it's still a challenge. I took the plunge with a much much bigger project and thought I knew what I was getting into. I didn't, but it's still not beyond my skill sets.

If it fits your budgets, don't mind not getting it out onto the water until later and your confident that you're comfortable to tackle bigger issues than you can see, I'd say go for it. But just like cars, you can't tell what's going on in the engine until you crack it open.

Oh and I don't regret my project for a second, the challenges it's provided me and fun it's been tinkering on it every weekend. If it's even half as fun on the water, I'll be a boat owner for life.

The problem with the coolant leak is that the cam gets grooves worn in it from the 2 seals. You can use speedy sleeves to fix the problem temporarily but the only proper way to fix it is to put a cam and lifter set in it, they are relatively cheap but you have to tear most of the motor down to do so.

_________________
Brian Borchik
The Winds of Cold Springs Harbor Marina
Baldwinsville, NY

Upon further review I passed on the boat. Spoke to two different marinas today. One of them said they could do a proper repair for $1200 but didn't speak highly overall of the 470, and another said they wouldn't touch it as it was too old and that I should not buy it.

So, off to look for something different. I'm still hoping to come up with a Four Winns, they sure look nice...