www.iFourWinns.com

Finally getting ready to see the inside of my "new to me" 2004 268 Vista. The previous owner had paid for de-winterizing and launch, but I am getting a slip at a different marina. I asked if they could get it ready, re-trailer it and I can pick it up. Once they realized I was moving it to another marina the service manager said it is pointless to have them de-winterize as when it goes back on the trailer the water comes out of the engine, generator and A/C unit and to clean out the fresh water tank they fill it and it's certainly not a good idea to tow it with the extra weight, there was now a 50 dollar fee to remove the shrink wrap, 190 dollars to re-trailer the boat....

I got the distinct impression they didn't want to work on the boat since I would no longer be a dock holder. I asked about the pre-payment and they said it is really a misnomer, that if they winterize it they will de-winterize it for free, so there is no actual cash value to them for the service.

I really don't want them touching the boat now, plan on picking it and the batteries up and heading east to a friends house in Geneva where I'll bust out all my new cleaning, polishing and waxing goodies and coordinate with the service folks at Geneva State Park Marina for assistance in getting it up and running.

All of that info to ask: How big of a project is it to get it ready? I've owned and taken care of my own travel trailers and am pretty good mechanically, just never owned a boat. The previous owner offered to come up with me (I work with his dad) but he got picked up by the Carolina Panthers and is busy enough that I don't want to bother him.

I don't want to screw anything up, but don't want to get bent over paying a lot for something that is relatively straight forward. Any advice?

As an aside, I am very excited to get to become a "real" member of the boating community! It's gonna be a great summer!

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2004 268 Vista

First thing I'd do is get a copy of the Owner's Manual. Read it cover to cover.

I don't have a genset on my 248, but it generally takes me a good three days to get her ready to drop in the drink. I do all of my own winterizing and spring launch prep. I'll go thru what I do in the spring but you want to ask what was done to winterize it. Make sure the oil in the engine and outdrive was changed as part of winterizing.

Spring:
I have a zipper on my shrinkwrap so I tend to start early but don't pull it off until the oak trees drop their "squigglies" because they do stain.

New Plugs, rotor and wires;
New Thermostat and impeller;
New Belt (I do this everyother year);
Grease steerling rams;
Check all fluids (outdrive, trim tabs, etc)
Install my batteries and hook up my "shore power" from the garage to the boat;
Flush water system:
-I start with the flushing the fresh water tank with clean water, then I run diluted bleach thru it, then I run clean water and leave it empty until I get it in the slip. Then I hook up the hose and run thru the city water adapter. I leave all my faucets open so the water runs thru and out my discharges on the sides of the boat. I make sure I open the hot water valves as well. Don't want funky smelling water.
Clean and paint the outdrive (anti-fouling paint). This is a pain because the outside temp has to be above 60 degrees.
Once the outdrive is dry, grease the prop shaft and install the props and new zincs;
Remove the shrink wrap (hopefully the oaks are done their thing);
Do a quick systems check (trim tab movement, outdrive trim (and check my trim indicator), steering, blige pumps, etc.)
Turn on the blower,
I then hook up the muffs, turn on the water and fire her up. Let her run up the temp and closely watch ALL gauges, engine hatch is off so I can keep a CLOSE eye on things.

Once I am happy with the mechanical end, then comes the washing, waxing and polishing. Once I finish that, I paint the bottom. 49-72 hours after bottom paint...into the slip she goes. Oh yeah, I put in the plug before I drop her in....LOL

Kind of a quick off the top of my head run down, but I did develop a checklist I have hanging in the garage so I don't forget anything (which I'm sure I missed a step or two here). But I'm close....

Good luck Captain.



It isn't that difficult, but it is time consuming.

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-Tony
2016 Robalo R200 w/Yahama 200!

Previous boats:
2003 Four Winns 248 Vista - sold
1994 Sunbird Corsair 200 - sold
1980 Checkmate Predictor - sold

+1. Take this time to really get to know your boat and taz42169 has the right idea. Break out the manual and take your time going thru the boat section by section. Doing this may prevent you from trying to learn about a system in a panic out in the middle of the lake at a later time. Some time spent now will really pay off later....plus I think you'll enjoy it

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Thanks guys! I had already downloaded, printed and read the owners manual. Spent two days cleaning and crawling around the boat, will be back at it Wednesday thru Saturday, hope to have it in the water soon.

Dan

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2004 268 Vista

I see you are in C. Ohio. I am in SW Ohio and if the weather we are getting today is finding you. Good luck getting her cleaned up. I had plans on finishing mine today but the rain has killed that idea. I am sooooooo ready for some sunshine.

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1990 Four Winns Horizon 200
2005 GMC Sierra

From central Ohio here as well. We were able to take her out on Saturday It was nice to see that big ball of fire in the sky for a change. If it were about 5 degrees warmer.......

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2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH

I'm taking Wed, Thur, Fri off and heading to Geneva on The Lake to get it finished. My friend has a lakehouse and she is graciously letting me use her yard, water, electric and stay there for future boat rides. The outside still needs polished and waxed, the deck and bow surfaces need a good scrub then spend time getting familiar with the mechanicals.

A great surprise was three binders with everything that was purchased for, installed on or came with the boat was documented and put in a plastic sheet protector. Every service invoice, manual, the original paperwork, sales brochure, receipt... the guy was an organizational rock star. The boat has all of 114 hours on it and is cleaning up like new. Hopefully no big surprises with the mechanicals!

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2004 268 Vista

Really hope everything works out well for you! It sounds like you got a great deal. Looking forward to seeing some pictures. Are you going to try to make it down to Alum at all this year? If you do, look us up. We are just getting used to out "new" boat as well.

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2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH

I'll get some pics this week when all the cleaning is done. I think I did get a great deal and actually enjoy making my toys all nice and shiny! Towed it from Port Clinton to Geneva on The Lake with my Nissan Titan (9400 lb tow rating) and it was as much boat as I'd want to tow. I have a lot of towing experience with travel trailers and car haulers, not a newbie by any stretch and definitely felt like I needed more truck. Getting up to speed wasn't a problem, but handling and stopping had me out of my happy place. I wanted to get to Alum and spend a couple weeks at Lake Cumberland, but unless I get a bigger truck (or borrow one) she will be floating in Lake Erie.

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2004 268 Vista

I don't think more truck will make a 268 Vista tow any better. My tow vehicle is a 2007 Ram 2500 with 5.9L Cummins and I have about an hour's tow to get from the marina to the house twice a year (spring and fall maintenance, we keep it on the hard during the winter). Power is definitely not an issue, nor is vehicle tow capacity. I still do not look forward to making those trips. I have plenty of experience towing trailers and smaller boats, but I have never liked towing this one. It feels top heavy, and every moderate jounce in the road has me glancing in the mirror to see if it's still there. I've never been a big fan of surge brakes either, which our trailer has. I would rather tow a 15,000lb camper cross country than our Vista for an hour each way. Having said that, I'm sure there are plenty of board members who tow 268 and larger Vistas on a regular basis. Bliss36 comes to mind (they tow the Sea Pickle II all over the place) as well as TFD2001 who hauled his 328 to Indiana from VA. Hats off to those guys, but I prefer to keep the towing to a minimum and don't think vehicle size really matters past a certain point (adequate towing capacity and stopping capability). In my thinking, a bigger truck isn't going to make that awkward, top heavy boat ride any better down the road at highway speeds. Just my .02

I'm not trying to sound discouraging, btw... Glad you are finally able to get to work on your new purchase, and hope you get her in the water soon!

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Jack
2005 268 Vista - Sold

2001 Silverton 35C 8.1L Crusaders

Well, my experience has been that yes, a bigger vehicle will help, but other things do too, such as the trailer itself, and the brakes.. My Larson Cabrio 290 I had, when I first got it, I only had a half-ton Dodge to pull with. I borrowed a truck to bring it home from where I bought it. I only towed it one time any distance at all with my half-ton, and that was a white knuckle affair on two lane highways (about as uncomfortable as I had ever been towing anything).. That was the convincing factor to go bigger for myself and my wife. I moved up to a 3/4 ton for that boat, and I could pull it all day long, anywhere I wanted and was perfectly comfortable then. So the truck, along with the tri-axle trailer certainly help in the making it more stable, and got rid of that wishy-washy feeling.. Like mentioned above, I'm not a fan of the idea of surge brakes, especially on the larger size boats, so either marine electric brakes, or what I like and used on the last, and current boat, are appropriately sized electric over hydraulic brakes.. The new boat, as what was mentioned, was a substantial increase in size, and rather than waiting to see, we upgraded the truck to a 1 ton Dodge dually with the 6.7 ltr Cummins when we decided that we were going to be looking for boats that big. I had the trailer made for the boat when I found her, and had it fitted to get her as low as possible on the trailer, but she still sits at just under 14' high with all the stuff off the arch.. She is quite tall going down the road, but never was unstable feeling, and the 3 axles having electric/hydraulic brakes on it, made it stop pretty good too, as I found out fast when first starting.. Set my brake controller up for a little more than what I used to use on my other boat, and the first stop I made, I about through myself through the windshield.. lol The truck with duals, and the trailer setup (properly weighted out for the right tongue weight, which was right around 950#) makes it a pretty comfortable setup, and we drove straight through from Virginia to Illinois in 17 hours only stopping for fuel and food.. Point is, from my point of view, as long as your trailer is set up right, and if you bump up to a 3/4 ton truck, I think you'll be perfectly fine hauling your 268 around! But like was said, make sure you comfortable with how it feels yourself before you decide on any long trips with it..

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2004 Four Winns 328 Vista
1997 Larson Cabrio 290 - sold
1988 Rinker Fiesta Vee 248 - sold

+1 I wouldnt let that discourage me from getting out to other lakes besides Erie. It was a whole different world for me towing my 278 vs the 205 sundowner previously owned. I just had to learn to take it very easy and keep a lot of room in front of me. I towed mine back from Michigan in snowy weather (about 200 miles), I was white knuckling that wheel the entire time.

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2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH