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1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
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Author:  USSMerica [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 7:57 am ]
Post subject:  1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
So i just recently bought this boat and was looking to do some salmon fishing next year off the Seattle coast. I wanted to know how this boat will do in the chop and just generally being in the ocean rather then a lake. Also does anyone know the average distance a full tank can go? Im not 100% certain my fuel gauge works and want an idea of distance. The boat has a 50gal tank. at full throttle i run at 3500rpm (according to my tach not sure if that is working 100% either)

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Author:  Toddely [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 8:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
What engine are you running? Looking up the info and it needs to know your Engine.
Author:  USSMerica [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 8:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
I know its a 305 v8 im assuming the 5.0 liter its a 2 barrel carb. OMC is the manufacturer. I amnot positive on the outdrive but i know its OMC Cobra? or somewhere along those lines
Author:  Toddely [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 9:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
Its not giving me the cruising dist, for your boat, I have a 97 Horizon, 180 with the 5.7gl and it weighs around 2300 lbs and it says on a full tank I can cruise 130 miles. Not sure how true that is , and I am not sure at what speed either. If you look at your fuel consumption chart I am not sure how they figured that up. I tend not to believe this info. google four winns fast facts and it will take you to the page, click on your boat year , yours doesn't have a fast fact but it does have the original catalog. I just went up a year on yours. Full of helpful info. Good luck
Author:  USSMerica [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 10:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
So how does this boat handle in open water out on the ocean?
Author:  LouC [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 10:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
Oh well, its a 21' boat and you are talking about taking it in the ocean?
Where do I start, the boat is 26 years old, 21' long, how much boating experience do you have?
This can be very dangerous, for a whole bunch of reasons. One, a 21' is small for the ocean, its even small for LI Sound where I do some of my boating. Two, its OLD. You need to have a mechanic go through it with a fine tooth comb and fix everything that could leave you stranded. Three, you need safety equipment and that includes a VHF radio with integrated GPS, inflatable life jackets, I'd even get a life raft and I'm not kidding. I just had a cooling hose pop off on my '88 and it was pretty scary, the engine overheated and the impeller filled the bilge with salt water in about 5 min. Yes it can happen that fast. I would not take a boat that age anywhere near big water, till it was gone through and I had used it on shorter trips to make sure it was going to be reliable.
Author:  USSMerica [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 11:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
I have gone over the boat top to bottom as far as mechanically sound it runs great and i have no concerns. The hull is all in good shape no leaks cracks or otherwise problematic issues. Im not talking about 20 miles off the coast the area i fish in is only a mile maybe less off coast. i have all my safety gear inflatable vests and an emergency auto inflating raft as well as a vhf radio and gps.
Author:  Toddely [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 11:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
No farther then that I would think you would be ok, Its like anything else, You watch the weather , waves and how your boat is doing. I have an 18' and I take mine up to Lake Erie, I put in at Catawba st park and drive mine over to Middle bass island probably 8 miles out. (guessing) last time out there were only 1' - 2' waves and I cruised across, in about 15 - 20 min. Coming home there were 2' - 3' waves, I trimmed my boat so the nose was up and cruised at 10mph and she was fine. I just keep my eyes open and pay attention. Good luck. But like LouC stated make sure your boat is in the proper conditions first. Have a good one.
Author:  Capt. Hoss [ Wed Jul 31, 2013 2:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
I know I have been on Lake Erie in a 26' cruiser in 6-8 footers. Scary stuff. I didn't think we were going to make it back. Make sure you watch the weather and you should be fine, if everything else checks out.
Author:  john55c [ Thu Aug 01, 2013 7:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1987 Four Winns 215 sundowner questions
The longest trip I have done on my '88 215 SD was from Lewis Bay in Hyannis to Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. It is approximately 18NM each way and the boat handled really well. Going there, the waves we less than 1 foot. Coming back, the wind picked up as predicted and usual in the summer. The tide current and wind were going the opposite direction, making the SouthWest wind and eastern current kick up the seas as predicted to 2-3 footers (normal size for most of the year). I quartered the waves, took it slow, and we never felt uncomfortable at all. I did this trip after testing it many times in local harbors and waters. I always have a VHF radio, with a handheld VHF as a backup and all the proper safety equipment. I had a vessel safety inspection done at the beginning of the season, and they went through all systems and safety equipment to verify everything was in great working order.

One of the other reasons I did this trip and not Nantucket is that in bad weather, or if something goes wrong, you can literally hug the shore and there are many, many harbors to pull in to. You can literally run 3/4 mile off shore almost the whole way, then make the 5 mile trip straight across Nantucket Sound. There are also 2 Tow Boat US locations in case of need for service.

Again, common sense and safety precautions and you can run anywhere, given the right conditions.
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