We have a 1996 205 Sundowner DX, Ford 351 engine, fuel injected, Volvo-Penta stern drive, an amazing craft. We live in the Northwest (Portland, OR) so we have plenty of opportunities to get out on bodies of water - rivers, lakes, and some open seas. We spend part of every summer in the San Juan Islands of Puget Sound, which is where I think the boat performs most admirably. The wide beam and high walls make this a most enjoyable vessel. We were caught in some pretty heavy water, 3 to 4 foot+ swells (that's about as much as I care to take on, really, and only if it's unavoidable -- such as an unexpected weather change on a long trip back) and I was pleased with the way the boat handled the task. While we were getting pounded, it stayed true and steady. There were a lot of rattled nerves on the boat, including mine, but the boat made it look easy. She drives with ease and has bailed us out of a few prickly situations with grace - for instance when I came up on the wake of a larger (2X) boat and tried to crawl over it, my nose went down too steep on the descent (it was a BIG wake) and we were covered by the second wave. I thought "Thank goodness I didn't have an open bow." It's happened only once.
We use the boat for water skiing as well, never a problem coming out of the hole. Launching/loading is cake on the Four Winns trailer.
While she's 10 years old she looks new. I'll post a picture on this site.
There have been a few problems over the years, and I'll post those, too, in the effort to share information about this boat.
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