New guy on the water

Taza · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:19 pm

Hi
Newbie to the board,pick my boat up 4th August
1997 sundowner 205
5.7ltr GLi
Live in the UK.

Are parts still available for the boat.
Where can I get a boat manual from.
And boat specifications.

Cheers

Taza

204Angler · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:30 pm

Welcome!
If you go to http://www.fourwinns.com/ and go down to where it says, past product info...should have plenty of info for your boat!

Graham R · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:59 pm

Taza,

Welcome. I'm also in the UK, in North Wales. A Sundowner owner since 2001 ( a 1999 225 and now a 2004 245). I've been on this forum for quite a few years (it's not like UK forums, there's no cliques or resentment towards newcomers). Very helpful members here.

Graham

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:12 pm

Welcome Taza, from another new guy, I can second Graham's comments. Everyone is extremely knowledgable and helpful. Things I have learned in my short time here:

Impellers wear out (alot).
Change your fluids religously
Sundowner owners eventually own Vista's
Your boat will never go as fast as you want it to
Your boat will fail to start once you put it in the water and park your vehicle
Cap'n Morgan knows every website there is that deals with parts and boats
Ric still doesn't have a boat

Welcome!

JeffLW · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:55 pm

NiagaraChillin wrote:

Welcome Taza, from another new guy, I can second Graham's comments. Everyone is extremely knowledgable and helpful. Things I have learned in my short time here:

Impellers wear out (alot).
Change your fluids religously
Sundowner owners eventually own Vista's
Your boat will never go as fast as you want it to
Your boat will fail to start once you put it in the water and park your vehicle
Cap'n Morgan knows every website there is that deals with parts and boats
Ric still doesn't have a boat

Welcome!

Very true!

ric · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:06 pm

Spot on!

Welcome! Plenty of parts are still available, if they are not specifically designed from four winns and a general marine part, it's usually Attwood brand

PDACPA · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:52 pm

Welcome!

Post pics when you get some!

Taza · **Posted:** Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:59 am

Cheers Guys
Graham
I spend every weekend on Anglesey where my boat will be stored,I own a tractor and launch on Sandy Beach,my other two mates own Four Winns Liberators.

Take care

Taza

Graham R · **Posted:** Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:24 am

Taza,

Small world; we used to have a static caravan on the Sandybeach caravan site until 2006 !

Graham

LouC · **Posted:** Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:20 am

Congrats on the boat, that is a nice size boat especially if it's the first one. If you are in salt/brackish water keep in mind that the manifolds and risers should be checked and most likely replaced every 5-7 seasons, ask when this was last done.

Taza · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2012 2:57 am

The bpat is a five our drive away so I have had a marine Engineer check out the Engine,
the boat has hardily been used this year its 1997 Engine 5.7ltr GLi 450 hours.
Compression readings

1,2,3 150
4,5 125
6 130
7 125
8 140

Engine mounts good
Engine Oil Good
Outdrive Oil Good
Rams Good
Anodes need replacing
Starter Good
Steering Good
Engine Clean
Riser Gasket needs replacing on starboard side
Forward & reverse good
Drive pulley corroided
Oil pressuer 48
Trim Gauge Faulty

any thoughts

Taza

LouC · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:24 am

sand and paint the pulley with Rustoleum paint
replace the anodes (usually have to do this yearly if the boat is kept in the water).
compression test results are OK
pull BOTH risers and check the manifolds, risers and replace if there is a lot of flaking rust or clogged passages, or if the sealing surface for the gasket is eroded by rust. If those gaskets do not seal you will get water in the cylinders. If salt water it will shorten the life of the engine. Riser gaskets are the Achilles Heel of I/O cooling systems and if you neglect them you will regret it trust me.
Volvo trim gauges have sending units that fail often, I would probably not bother to fix that. Oddly the one that lasted the longest on my OMC Cobra is an aftermarket Sierra sender

ric · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:21 am

Those compression numbers suck, time for some rings!

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:04 pm

ric wrote:

Those compression numbers suck, time for some rings!

Repair manual says 125 to 150 is acceptable, so you are not too far gone. It might improve with some use. If the engine has hardly been used for the past year, you should re-check them after putting a few hours of fresh running time on it.

ric · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:19 pm

rpengr wrote:

ric wrote:

Those compression numbers suck, time for some rings!

Repair manual says 125 to 150 is acceptable, so you are not too far gone. It might improve with some use. If the engine has hardly been used for the past year, you should re-check them after putting a few hours of fresh running time on it.

It's not the numbers themselves, it's how they vary so much. An engine will run fine with 90psi across the board.. just maybe not as chipper as it was new but it will run. It's the 150psi to 125psi spread that's bothersome. That's an indication that something is going wrong, usually head gasket since Chevy did not use MLS head gaskets (stupid). On a marine engine you can't test the coolant for hydrocarbons with a sniffer, all you can do is a leakdown test.

www.iFourWinns.com

New guy on the water

Who is online