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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:04 am 
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Nauti Luv

Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:55 am
Posts: 2186
Location: Little Elm - Lake Lewisville TX
I have to say....you guys have better boat shows than we do. Down here...its boats and a couple of the boat shops that have wakeboard shops inside them have stuff...other than that...not much. I dont ever see people selling bottom paint by the gallons at our shows....strange!...and I admit...I am jealous. Heck, I dont even recall seeing West Marine there either!

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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


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:13 am 
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Joined: Thu May 18, 2006 8:57 am
Posts: 471
After seeing these pics, I officially can't stand that boat. A cook top in the cockpit?? In two years we made mac & cheese on ours once and that was before I was smart enough to realize the kind my admirable got was microwavable - just add water! :roll: doh!

That mid cabin berth looks like a coffin. How much headroom is in there? I thought mine was low but at least kids can sit up in it.

That windshield would be a disaster in my opinion in real life use. Even when I keep up on my detail work my glass will get spotted and dirty and its a hassle to clean. You'd need a full sized squeegy to and 1 bottle of windex a day to keep it looking nice and clear. I would hate to have to look through a dirty winshield on a nice clear sunny day.

For a 30 footer that cabin looks tiny. I do like th helm though!

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Former owner of:
1996 Four Winns Horizon 200 5.8L VP
2006 Four Winns Horizon 260 8.1L VP
2007 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer

Current boat
2004 Sea Ray 290 Sun Sport Twin 350 Mags

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:25 pm 
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268 Vista

Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 9:49 am
Posts: 4989
Location: West Michigan
+1 on the Helm also.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista
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Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy
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Last edited by Cap'n Morgan on Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:13 pm 
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Seahorse

Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2010 6:57 am
Posts: 24
I noticed the grill has been removed. If I am not mistaken, previous pics showed it by the gate at the swim deck.

I kind of like it though.....but I am suffering from twofootitis....

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David
2005 Vista 258
5.7 Gi Volvo DP
Norris Lake, TN


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:51 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:17 pm
Posts: 521
Location: Metro Detroit/Holland MI
I was wondering about the grill. Boat test lists it as an option.

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Terry
Current: 07 Crownline 255 CCR cuddy - 350 Mag MPI/B3 "Casi Cielo"

Previous:97 245 Sundowner 5.7GI/SX

Tow vehicle: 1986 GMC 2500 Camper Special 454/TH400
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:17 pm 
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Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Posts: 340
Location: Green Bay, WI
Cap'n Morgan wrote:
I wish we had a show that nice closer to home, I found myself looking at all the cruisers in the background of the V305, than I did at the boat itself. Looks like it was a good show as far as number of boats on display.


+ 1! We go to the boat show here only to support the industry. I'm thinking I may try to make the Milwaukee show in a couple of weeks!

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Michael Bova

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"Swept Aweigh"
2003 Four Winns 328 Vista

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2003 Crownline 230CCR


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:47 pm 
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268 Vista

Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 9:49 am
Posts: 4989
Location: West Michigan
Did any of you ever get a call for your input on the V305 ????

Quote:
How It Came to Be: About a year and a half ago, Four Winns decided to take a different approach in gleaning information from its customer base. While its marketing department still would conduct much of the research, Four Winns’ designers were charged with picking up the phone as well. What did they learn? “We quickly discovered that people are not cooking inside of the boat,” says vice president of engineering Christophe Lavigne. Four Winns put that information to work in the design of the V305, moving many of the cooking amenities normally reserved for the cabin to where their customers wanted them — in the open-air cockpit. By transporting the cooktop, sink and refrigerator outside with the optional grill, engineers increased the space belowdecks.


I call BS. My guess is they got some input from dealer's possibly, but not customers.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
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Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:43 pm 
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Dolphin

Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:00 am
Posts: 82
Location: Essex, CT
Good point Cap'n...I realize there is a pretty good pool for the designers to choose from, but as a "marketing guy" responsible for doing similar types of market research my lists will always be developed with a plan in mind, which would always include those who have been loyal customers, who have bought similar products, who participated in user forums (such as this)...I had bought three new express cruisers from four winns from 04 - 09...the only info I was asked for was through the normal mail surveys they send out just after purchase...I'm curious to see if you get any positive responses to this question...if they did not look here, at a dedicated forum, who did they talk to??

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Joe B.
Ruff'N It 4
2011 Regal 42 SC

Previous
2008 FW V358
2006 FW V318
2004 FW V288


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:19 pm 
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Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:13 pm
Posts: 1303
Location: Allatoona Lake, Georgia
Cap'n Morgan wrote:
Did any of you ever get a call for your input on the V305 ????

I call BS. My guess is they got some input from dealer's possibly, but not customers.


No, but I am not in the market to buy a new boat either. However, I am all for moving the galley from inside the cabin to the cockpit because of how much more space it creates inside the cabin. Then again, I am not a big water boater where I spend days on the boat and need to be able to cook away from the elements. Perhaps Four Winns doesn't see a 30 footer as a liveaboard but more like a day boat?

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Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:25 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:45 pm
Posts: 2866
Location: Indiana
JoeBalt wrote:
Joe B.
Ruff'N It 4
2011 Regal 42 SC
Essex, CT



Wow a Regal 42. VERY nice boat. Don't mean to take this thread off course....but do tell us more!

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2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:52 pm 
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268 Vista

Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 9:49 am
Posts: 4989
Location: West Michigan
I agree JoeB. Glad you posted that. I had been thinking that maybe owners like you that bought new boats from FW, were solicited for their ideas on new designs. But I guess that was not the case either. I too wonder where this "input" really came from. It certainly did not come from most of us that bought used Four Winns boats.

I have followed your progression of boats over the years, and it's good to see you stop in for a visit here again. Happy Boating !

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista
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Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy
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