www.iFourWinns.com

Well then in your environment a roller trailer would work better. I think all the OE trailers that FW makes, are bunk versions but my old 88 Horizon 200 sits on a Load Rite single axle roller trailer with 24 rollers. I added a 9 foot long tongue, so that I didn't have to get my Jeeps' tires in the water launching the boat. It works fine on the ramps we have. The only issues with roller trailers are that they take more maintenance (greasing rollers, etc) and you have to be careful to keep the safety chain hooked up because the boat can literally roll right off. I have the normal safety chain but added a shackle and chain with the turnbuckle and hook that goes from the trailer frame to the bow eye. That way even if the strap and normal chain failed, the boat would not roll off. We have very steep hills where I live so I have some redundancy there.
I recall reading on here that FW did not put a safety chain as standard on their bunk trailers, anyone who does not have one, should add it. You never know.....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I should have worded that a little different. A roller trailer wouldn't help me. The reason why the ramps around here are made for fishing boats is that the water is very shallow. Much of the water around me was once dry ground that was flooded when the lock and dam system was installed in the river. Before it was flooded they came through and cut down all the trees, but left the stumps leaving what are now called stump fields. You really need to know the waters in order to navigate. There is a place really close to me that is probably 1.5 miles across, but once you leave the main channel of about 500 feet wide the water is actually only about 2 feet deep.

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1989 205 Sundowner
5.0 HO OMC Cobra

Lou,

The "biggest" tides in the area I boat in are about 19' 6" between high and low water at true "spring tides ", March and September usually.. Not always that big, sometimes it's as small as 11' ( once a month), every month though there's at least a 16' tide. It follows a roughly sinusoidal patterns over a month from "big" to "small" tides. It gets pretty ferocious near headlands in a big tide, even without adverse wind. That's why I need a cuddy !

Graham

My lake has a 3ft "tide" between the dry and rainy seasons

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

This is true. When we had our H200, it did not have a safety chain or strap until I added one.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

I think it is a "must" have.

Agreed.



I beach my boat on a regular basis in the "Big Muddy". This includes sand bars, mud bars and about every combination of the two. Obviously, rocks are a big no-no. At least in our parts of the river, tree stumps are a bigger hazard than rocks. I mostly beach into known locations to minimize the risk. However, you never know what's floated in underneath where your pulling your boat in. Your concern about being able to get up on the boat after shoving off is a valid one. When I had my 18' open bow, it wasn't a problem to shove off and pull myself over the bow. Now with my larger boat and getting a little older every year, I can't pull myself up and over as easily. Some of the places we beach have pretty fast currents. In those areas, you have no choice but to power on and off the beach. I try to avoid the more popular beaches with fast currents. Too many people who don't know how to do this, it can get pretty scary. As with everything, practice is the key. In areas where the current isn't too bad, then I shove off and shove the bow around away from the beach. Then I walk the boat out to deeper water and enter the boat from the boarding ladder. My kids are old enough that I've taught them to turn the blower on and lower the drive while I'm walking the boat out. Then once I am clear of the ladder, they then start the boat so we're ready to go.

I know everyone's concerns about sucking up sand, mud, debris into the impeller. However, with boating on the Mississippi, you're doing this as soon as you start your boat regardless of water depth. It's just the reality of the world we live in. My impeller gets changed out every two years, and the old one goes in the boat as a spare. Also, I take my boat a few times a year to larger inland lakes (LOTO, etc) to flush the Big Muddy water out. I realize this actually does nothing for the boat, but it's a fun reason for me to tell the wife why we need to go every year.

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2005 FW Horizon 250
8.1L VP DP

I'm still very new to boating so we stick to the channel as much as possible. We are probably one of those families that has no business being on the river. The wife doesnt like the boat much and is terrified of the water. I swim like a rock and have a slight fear of the water as well, but I love boats. A couple of the kids can swim good enough to save themselves but that would be about it. But the kids love the boat as well. We take every precaution possible and even avoid the stump fields at all costs. We pretty much stick to the channel, but that gets kinds boring, and it would be nice to go exploring the back waters a little. We stay between lock and dam 10 and 11. This year I plan to get out a lot more and try the lock system. I have some buddies in the quad cities area and it would be nice to head down that way. I just need to get over that fear of stranding my family on the river.

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1989 205 Sundowner
5.0 HO OMC Cobra

I taught my son to drive the boat over the past 3 summers, the things I taught him to focus most on were:

Big boat wake and how you handle them
Depth finder ( a good one not a cheapie) also taught him how to spot shallow areas
temp gauge...how hot is too hot....
oil pressure gauge...how low is too low...

Taught him how to put the anchor down and call for help on the VHF radio (we have a Coast Guard Station at Eaton's Neck Long Island right near by).

For you guys, why not sign up at a swim center and really learn to swim, you will be much more confident and that will reduce the fear factor. You will enjoy the boat much more.
I keep inflatable life jackets on the boat, they are much more comfortable to wear, we always wear them if we are leaving the local harbor as Long Island Sound can be rough for small boats.

As far as not getting stranded, the depth finder is your friend, but also your boat is about as old as mine. I maintain it to a very high standard, anything questionable gets replaced, I do have tow insurance but have not had to use it yet (10 years boating).

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Buy two things:
VHF radio. Every boat should have one. Not just to radio for help, but if you're on busy waterways it's a navigational aid. Also comes in handy to holler at your buddy to come talk to these ladies at the dockside bar you just met.

GPS Chartplotter with depth. The Garmin 441s is cheap. Load it up with detailed maps of your area so you can explore and just set an alarm for when the water gets too shallow just in case there is something underwater that's not represented on the charts. You get the best of both worlds.

If you're an extremely paranoid parrot about crashing the boat, buy a category 1 EPIRB. If it goes in the water or if you hit the button, the coast guard will be on your butt in no time. People even use them when doing remote camping trips in the middle of nowhere. They're not just for ocean use. If you're worried about safety and you're out of cell range.. your VHF radio is your friends. If you gotta ditch the boat or it ditched you, the EPIRB is your only way to get help unless someone happens to find you.

You can also submit your travel plans (if you're going out all weekend) to the coast guard of when you're leaving and when you're expected back. If you don't come back, they'll go find ya.

These products and our tax dollars go towards these things to keep us alive. I was raised sailing in the ocean and we don't untie our dock lines unless everything said above is done and working.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

We have VHF already. I was looking at a depth finder/GPS a couple weeks ago. Can't remember the model but it was around $350. I like the idea of the EPIRB too. I can see another expensive boating season coming.

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1989 205 Sundowner
5.0 HO OMC Cobra

My boat has a standard depth indicator; I find the fishfinder a lot more useful though (not for fish, I only ever catch fish if there are none on the fishfinder !), It gives me a visual indication of how the bottom is changing, admittedly retrospectively as the transducer is on the transom. the fishfinder and depth indicater agree within 0.1 m. I also have a separate chartplotter + paper charts ( not a great fan of combined units; if they fail, everything is gone)

Graham

Paper charts are a must, too many people depend on GPS, it is a nice convenient tool, but it is not a substitute for studying charts of your boating area.

If you're boated without a depthfinder, you will find boating with one much more assuring, but as Graham noted, it's telling you the depth of what you just passed over, not what's now in front of you. But as you use it and gain local knowledge, your confidence level will increase.
A couple of things that can help, one go over your boat before each trip
Make sure you have a spare prop, and the tools to replace it...very easy on that style boat, no extended swim platform in the middle of your way. Get a yellow floating prop wrench, a block of wood and spare cotter pins for the prop nut.

Keep your battery(s) well charged, if you only have a single battery, carry a battery jumpstart pack or consider adding a dual battery system. I did that about 8 years ago and it's the best mod I have done to the boat. Round up some spare fuses too. These boats take the old glass cylinder style fuses.

And last but not least, make sure the bilge pump works. The hull under the deck on these boats is foam filled but you want to make sure that bilge pump works each time you are going out.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I agree with Lou!! With every boat I have owned, I have always install an extra bilge pump (cheap ins.) and carry a small 8oz tube of outdrive oil. Along with a fuel filter & impeller!! The extra prop I stopped carrying. The 1st year of boating, I went though 4 props, from there is was down hill. THANK GOD!!!

First year I bent up one aluminum prop (floating piece of wood), changed it with the boat on the mooring 5 min job. I still carry the spare though. I also have an impeller, plugs, plug wires, points n condenser, cap, rotor, spare oil, etc. When I re-did the interior, I used pontoon seating for the rear seats, 2-36" benches with storage in the base, so I have plenty of room to store stuff. I also have a spare VHF radio in case the main one conks out.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II