www.iFourWinns.com

Anyone have any experience with the Teak and Holly floor option in the cabin? Our yet to be delivered boat has this option and the stripes don't line up correctly with one of the cut outs in the middle of the floor. The center cut out has been remade at the factory because the first one was warped and now the replacement does not line up and has a large gap around the edges.

Any input would be a help.

Steven

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE

Hi Steven... You're question yields the first post I'm making from on board my new V358 currently in the midst of the shakedown weekend prior to delivery to my home port I just went below to check and all of the stripes line up correctly. I have to say I'm really happy I also got the carpet inlay - mainly for when the dog is on board, but you may want to consider it.

I'll have much more to report from my shakedown weekend on another post... If there are any more questions while I'm still on board, I'll try to check the forum a few times before I leave late tomorrow.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

So no squeaks, or rattles on the cabin floor? How about the space surrounding the cut out? On ours I would guess the clearance all the way around the cut out is about 1/4 to 5/8ths of on inch all the way around. I would think the tolerance would be much tighter than that. You can actually see the fiberglass cover that the floor section is attached to.

Also, is your dunnage box door (the large storage area on the transom) warped? Ours is bowing out from the two latches making the box subject to taking water on into that area. I would guesstimate the gap to also be in the 1/4 inch range in the center of the door.

How about the curtains down below? Do you feel there are enough of them on the windows at the V-berth to cover them enough and to make the space look less skimpy?

I also just thought about the TV's next year there wont be anymore analog reception, I am wondering if there are provisions for adding digital receivers so we could actually get a signal. The changeover is Feb. 09 right?

How far up the Hudson are you all? My sister and B-inlaw are up that way somewhere in Rockland County, NY. I have forgotten the marina they are located in.

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE

No squeaks. There is a bit more space, as I would expect, around the smaller access panel for the shower sump, but the other panel is sufficiently tight. I took a bunch of pictures for you to compare but can't upload them at the moment - I'll send them your way in a few days.


I don't think it's bowed that much but it's definitely tighter by the latches - a design 'flaw' I knew about going in. It will be interesting to see how big a deal it really is.


The V-berth curtains need to stretch a bit, but in the scheme of things it should be fine. They probably need to be steamed or pressed to widen out a bit. I had the wooden blinds they used to use installed in the salon.


The salon TV has digital inputs - I haven't looked yet to see if it has a digital tuner. If it doesn't, you'll be able to add a box to adapt to the digital broadcast signal. I typically don't use the antenna since you have to be within a pretty good proximity of a signal for marine TV antennas to pull anything down and most of my boating isn't near any signals. If you have cable at the docks the new digital era won't be an issue.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

BetterLuck,

The stripes SHOULD line up, if they do not, then you will have to have Four Winns yank up the piece on the hatch and redo it so that it does line up (pathetically easy). As far as the gaps are concerned, there really isn't a better way to do it. Four Winns uses nice round overs on the hatches, with a round over edge as opposed to a straight edge, you are going to have a gap it's unavoidable because you can not have the material lay on the radii of the rounded edge. What could be done to "minimize" the white showing through, you could get spray paint that matches the color of the teak as closely as possible and carefully mask off the teak and spray the edges of the fiberglass in a matching color so that you don't see white. I don't see any other way to do this unless you gelcoat the edges of the factory hatch to make a sharp edhge that the teak can be laid all the way up to the edge. I have gaps like this in my PlasDeck that I am installing in my 248 and it's just unavoidable.

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Brett DiMichele

Thank you all for the input thus far. I looked in the brochure at the 318 cabin with the wood floor and it looks to me like the access panel was cut from the same piece of wood originally and the graining matches from the hatch to the main part of the floor. Mine no longer does that at all.

In the grand scheme of life, this should not be that big of a deal, but at this price point and knowing myself, these factors will annoy me because it should be right.

I now will be calling my dealer and discussing options upto and including removal of the entire floor and recutting a brand new one at the factory for reinstallation. I likely would settle for other compensation like giving me the price of the flooring back or giving me something of equal value that would satisfy me. We'll see how gracious FW is. The dealer did tell me that the QC guys at FW were very upset this boat ever left the factory in this condition so I do know that they want to deliver a quality product in the long run.

I'll keep you posted!

Steven

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE

Okay, the latest on my flooring issue is this: The dealer told me today that FW wants to send a factory team to the dealer in a couple of weeks to remove the flooring and reinstall new flooring in the cabin. I will not have access to the boat I have already made a payment on for another 2-3 weeks.

I am pretty dissapointed to say the least. Glad that I am getting attention to the flooring issue but POed I have to pay for something I can't use.

Any thoughts?

I have a call out to the dealer and will be discussing what forms of compensation I am willing to accept for this snafu. My payment is close to 2k, I made a payment already, I would like reimbursement for the payment in one form or another. I was thinking cash, or merchandise. I would prefer cash but will accept perhaps those blinds that were deleted from the 358 for 08, as well as the lay in carpet for the cabin. That is close to the payment amount. Do you all think I am being unreasonable or not askiing for enough or am right on target?

Love to hear from you all.......

Steven

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE

Steven,
It's great that FW is willing to fix the problem with the flooring.
You are right in that FW quality control really dropped the ball here but I'd be really surprised if they reimburse you in cash for the payment made.

I think that asking for compensation in the form of a FW credit equal to the payment may be a better route to go.
But thats not to say that you shouldn't at least try for the cash first.

Good luck.

Pete

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"ROCKHOUND"
2005 Vista 298
Georgian Bay, Ontario.

Steven

Good luck with the reimburstment thing. I don't understand why FW can't just change out the hatch piece from another boat so that you can use your boat while they fix your hatch?

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Brett DiMichele

They tried making a new one already and it came out too small and grains not matching.

Here is the letter I sent out this morning.

Dear Fourwinns,

Let me introduce myself, my name is Steve Dinkin and I was hoping that Fourwinns was going to be the best thing to happen to me with regard to my previous experiences with other boat brands which were not that great. I had a Maxum that was just plain junk and traded it in within 3 months of ownership to purchase a Sea Ray so I could get a quality product. The 320 I bought had a hole in it from the factory and we took on a substantial amount of water and returned it to the dealership within 3 days of ownership at their insistence. That was replaced with a 340 which had a generator fire in the beginning of our first full season with it. So far I am not having much luck with Fourwinns either. Nothing as drastic as a hole or a fire but never the less, I am still having issues and haven't even taken delivery yet!

I am referring to the flooring issue I am having with my 2008 358V cruiser which I just made a payment on and have yet to take delivery of due to some quality control issues from your manufacturing plant that have arisen on my hull, number GFNCW018L708.

I was introduced to your product at the DC boat show this year and wound up purchasing one from Family Boating Center of Fredericksburg, VA whom I hold in the highest of regard for communicating with me frequently and treating me fairly and correctly from a customer's point of view.

The issue regarding the floor is that the center access panel that covers the waste tank squeaked and was not flush with the rest of the floor. Dave Lee the owner of Family Boating Center was in contact with your factory reps who advised him to replace the panel. That took approximately three weeks to make a new one and have it shipped out. Add to that the fact that the dunnage box door was warped and had to be reordered and replaced as well as the items actually missing from the boat that the factory forgot to include such as the dining table leg and the cockpit filler cushion that had to be ordered and sent and you could begin to see my concerns for having made a bad purchasing decision.

Had I known how lengthy a process this was going to be, I would never have agreed to completing the purchase until the boat was near ready to be delivered. I closed in good faith thinking it would take no more than a week to replace the items and deliver my boat. To my dismay it is now more than a month since taking ownership and I still don't have possession of the boat.

When the replacement piece came in, I took a look at it and the stripes did not line up, the gap around the edge was glaringly large to the point you can see the fiberglass underneath it, and also the shading and coloring no longer match the rest of the floor. To Family Boating's credit, they were not happy with this either (before I ever saw it) and did not install it and try to get away with it as some other dealers might have done.

Of course I am aware that you are doing what you can to correct the problem by re-manufacturing a new floor and sending a factory technician to install the new floor, but that all is taking more time away from the short boating season and it looks likely that another payment will be due and I still wont have my boat.

In the grand scheme of life this certainly is not a major issue but nevertheless, when you pay for something you expect to be able to use it. I think the correct or legal term is "loss of use".

I would like some form of compensation for this and only think it fair that I be reimbursed for my "Loss of Use".
If you can think of any way(s) of resolving my concerns and making me a valued Fourwinns customer, please let me know at your earliest convenience.

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE

I think you are being too critical. But that is just me..

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Brett DiMichele

How is that?

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE

Well, the latest news regarding my flooring and my letter, I got immediate response from my dealer by 9 am on Thursday morning. They already had contacted FW and forwarded my letter. I heard from Mike from the FW warranty dept. They are sending out a team of flooring experts and sending ahead an entire new floor for the cabin and installing it next weekend.

By 1200 noon the same day, I have confirmed that we will be receiving the wood blinds for the cabin and the carpet lay-in also for the cabin, compliments of FW. No haggles, no hassles, no worries. I think that shows some real good customer service. Hopefully that will resolve the flooring issue and we can splash the boat and get down to business.

HAVING FUN!

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE