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Hi, just registered and need some info on a Four Winns that i am planning to buy.
It is a Sundowner 255 with 30hrs on the clock and an 8.1l 375hp Volvo Penta with SS Dual Prop. If anyone out there has a similar Four Winns could you please tell me what the performance is like, how much cruising time (based on 65gal / 246L fuel tank) I would get from an 8.1l engine. Has anybody had any issues with Volvo Penta engine compared to a Mercruiser.
thanks

Kyp2, I have the Volvo 8.1DP with 375HP on my 2004 268 Vista and it performs exceptionally well. IT get's up out of the hole and up on plane in seconds and stays on plane at 2,500RPM w/o the trim tabs. I do not have a fuel flow meter, but on the average I am using 10/gall per hour and my moving average speed per my GPS over the last 200 hours was 25 MPH, which I usually achieve at slightly over 2,500 RPM's. The 268Vista weighs approx 7,000lbs. I am not one to push the engine, but have achieved 42MPH (GPS speed) by myself on a calm day. I would imagine that the 255Sundowner with less weight and a lower profile will "Fly" with that engine.

There are only 2 things I will caution you about:
1) The exhaust on the 8.1 I/O is not entirely routed thru the prop hub like the smaller engines and also exhausts under the lower unit thru the exhaust bellow. If you look at the lower unit out of the water, raise the lower unit while you are looking at the bellows.(Note: there are 2 sets of bellows. One is the bellows that protects the gimbal bearing and shaft. That one obviously is sealed. The other one is the exhaust bellow) As you raise the lower unit you will notice that the exhaust bellows opens up to allow exhaust thru. The 1st time I saw this, I thought that a clamp came loose allowing the bellows to disconnect from the sleeve it sits in while in the down position. I called the dealer while I was looking at the thing and he explained to me that this is how it is designed to allow exhaust pressure to flow thru. Apparantly there is too much exhaust pressure in the 8.1 to completely flow thru the prop hub. This is not a big deal, but under certain conditions like plowing thru the water at not quite planing speed, it can be pretty noisy, and you start to smell the exhaust fumes. At that point I either slow it down to an idle or goose it to get on plane.

2) As you have probably heard, there has been a recall on certain GM block 8.1 marine engines for a fire hazard related to the fuel rail clip. The fix is relatively simple and should take the dealer approx 1/2 hour to fix. The serial #'s affected starts with 401213XXXX! My engine was not affected since the serial # of mine was earlier than these.

Best of Luck!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

I have a 255 with the 5.7 liter, 320 hp engine. I installed a fuel flow meter and find that by adjusting engine trim and setting the trim tabs I can get about 3 miles per gallon at an elevation of 6100 ft. I plan to take the boat to the Columbia River this summer and expect to see an increase in fuel effeciency. I have no problems with acceration with the 320 hp at 6100 ft (Lake Tahoe) so I expect that your boat will be a rocket.

As far as the Volvo, a recent poll on another forum indicated that Volvo owners were about three times more likely to purchase another Volvo compared to the Merc owners wanting another Merc. I forgot the exact numbers. If you want them email me and I will get the exact comparison.

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2006 Sundowner 255, 5.7 GXi, 320 hp
"Simply Irresistible"

Hello Four Winns lovers. I am now the proud owner of a 245 Sundowner. Picked it up on Thursday evening and spent one and half hours driving it across our bay to berth it. It performed fantastic. Highest speed I took it was 40knots and it just glided over the water. My wife and children are wrapt. Will post photos shortly.

Congratulations on your new boat. Love to see pictures of your area

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

Kyp2, Congratulations! Best of Luck and Enjoy!!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"