www.iFourWinns.com

Brrrr....so spring is approaching. We brought the 'new' Sundowner home from NH to get some accessories installed, and then in 5 weeks, she be getting wet for the summer. We will be living on-board for 4-6 days at a time. We realize that this will a little cramped, but survivable for now. We also realize that we will be getting another boat in the next few years most likely. My question: What is the minimum size to comfortably live aboard a vista for 4-6 days every other week during the may-Oct season? I have looked at the new Vistas, and the 265 looks a little tight, but what abut recent years' 248, 258, 268, etc..?

Thanks for any input. Anything is okay for a weekend, but week after week, it is good to get advice from those who have done it.

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Gary & Diane
1996 Sundowner 245
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

After spending weekends on our 248 with 2 kids and a golden retriever. My thought is that you will want 30+ feet and a beam not less than 10' to be comfortable. Maybe a minimum Vista 298 or bigger!

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

It comes down to what you want and how many people onboard !! My wife and I have a 2008 Vista 278 and love it . It is just big enough for the two of us . We also have had a couple of people stay on board with us for a few days at a time ( 2 or 3) and did fine for that short period. We could stay for weeks at a time if my boss would let me but that hasn't happened yet We have a Genny on board that has its benefits for staying longer periods, but like I said it is more to what you are expecting out of a cruiser than anything! We would only like to have more beam if anything but usually to get that you would have to go with twin engines, and I am not sure we want the added expense of another motor and lower unit to keep up with. We looked at the V258 but were impressed with V278 more and for the little more that it would cost we decided to go for it. We love our Four Winns and would recommend them to anyone!! Can't wait till our season starts ( 12 more days)

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2008 Vista 278, Dale Hollow Lake

My wife, first daughter and I lived on our 298V for 3 months when we were having our home renovated 8 years ago. Being winter, it did get cramped because we couldn't lounge around outside or even take the boat out. Also, we did a lot of eating out because it was such a hassle to cook and I gained weight. Now, with 4 kids in tow, we still spend a couple of weeks during summer living full time on our boat but we have a slip with a dock insert and we put patio furniture on it. We even hooked up a TV so now we have an outdoor living room. We basically only use the boat to sleep, shower and go to the bathroom. All cooking is done on the grill.

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

The above three posters touched on two important questions that would need answered, that being how many people (kids) on board and how you will use the boat.

When it was just my wife and I we had a 25 foot Doral Citation, 8'6" beam single 5.7 litre V8 engine. We could spend a week or so at a time on it and be happy then.

When we knew we were going to have a child, we took that opportunity to move to a 30 foot Doral Prestancia, 10' beam, twin 5.7 V8 engines. That extra 1'6" beam and a dedicated "V" berth and aft cabin plus a "U" shape dinette made all the difference over our previous 25 footer. Our son slept in the "v" berth and we in the aft cabin and there was no converting the "V" berth between a table and bed as we would have to do in the 25 footer.

When we had our Citation I remember visting freinds who had the Prestancia and couldn't help but think wow can you really notice the difference in beam. The larger beam boat will make it easier to add TV(s), take bikes along, add davits for a inflatable boat and likely just allow you to enjoy your boat a little more, but you will want to be able to afford it and the increased related costs like docking, maintenance, insurance, winterizing and depreaciation.

Now that we moved to the 328 Four Winns, we can really notice again that difference in beam over the Prestancia.

So, even if you have one kid, you will sure appreciate having a full time aft and "V" berth and still have a table for eating.

If you would plan to travel further distances you will find comfort with having twin engines in case one engine or drive has troubles and you would be able to handle rougher conditions. Take all the opportunity you can over the next couple of years and go on and discuss all the boats you think you and your wife may be interested in so when the time does come for you to make a move you will have a real good idea of what you really want.

Have fun shopping...

Mike.

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Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

The information which has been posted does an excellent job of presenting criteria for determining what size boat you need. If your children factor into you space demands, their age will also need to be factored in. My experience, and what I have observed with other families, is that their age determines how much space they need and if they factor in at all. When they are young, say ten and under, it is easy to provide for them. They fit into almost any berth and the boating experience is a pleasant diversion to them. Eleven to fourteen, you need space for them and their friends. Some time after fourteen, you will have to work very hard to get them to come down at all. By the time they are sixteen, unless your boating experience revolves around external water sports such as wake boarding or personal watercrafts, their space requirements don’t factor in at all.
One other factor, we originally choose our 278 because it has three separate sleeping berths, one for our son, one for our daughter and the aft cabin for us and it is “trailerable”. We alternate between vacations traveling by boat and traveling by trailer by trailer.

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Current Boat: 1994 278 Four Winns Vista

That is such a sweet setup!!!It would be so much easier to live aboard a smaller boat if you had a large outdoor living space like this....very nice

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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 for all the great replies. It will be a difficult choice when deciding 'what' to move up to in the future. I don't want to spend a whole bunch of money, just to find out that I should've, would've, could've. But...I guess that is the nature of boating anyways...bigger, better, sometimes faster. My old 14' rowboat with the 3.5hp ob sure was maintenance free, but I needed a bigger ride...especially when I hit jr. high...hehehe.

I will be looking for comfort for only me and my wife, and the occasional overnighting guest. No kids. That simplifies things quite a bit. One of the things that i will be torn about is going too big to trailer. My wife is not sold on the idea of using the boat as a 'traveling vacation spot'. I on the other hand would love to throw it on the trailer and head to some of the other northeast lakes. I'd like to do the Champlain Canal, Erie Canal, Finger Lakes, etc.. We slip on one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen, which is Lake Winnipesaukee in NH. It truly has a special place in my heart.

I am looking at brand new boats now, for in the year or two that I am probably going to take in making my decision and move to purchase, they will become the recently used boats that I would probably be buying. Though the Four Winns Vista series is my first choice, has anyone seen the new Bayliner 285 SB? Nice rig for the money. I will probably arrange an in-person to compare the fit and finish of it against the Four Winns.

Thanks again for the replies.

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Gary & Diane
1996 Sundowner 245
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

The new Bayliner 285 is a gem. It has a great layout and design for a 28 foot boat. Still trailerable (with a permit) and large enough for two people to stay aboard for an extended stay. Remember when looking, Bayliner are price point boats, and are are not trying to keep up with boats like Chaparral or Four Winns. They are priced accordingly. But gone are the days when a Bayliner should be considered "inferior".
If the 285 had been around in it's current form when we were shopping for our 268, I would have probably bought one.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

I feel the same way. I really was impressed when I saw the boattest.com and boattv.com reviews of the bayliner. I wish I had seen them before the Boston boat show, for I would have made it a point to stop over at the booth to look at it. I think I ended up with a bayliner catalog in my bag, and while thumbing through it, I went "Hey...what's this?" I guess first impressions were strong enough to get me online looking at it. I've been dreaming of a Vista for so many years though, so it will be a real touch and feel and drive comparison when it comes down to spending $$. There is a real mpg advantage to the bayliner or almost all other boats, but I have to believe that like a Honda, it comes more from lightening the boat, more than some new hydrodynamic hull. We'll see I guess.

For now, I am going to jump in the shower and go work on my Sundowner to get her ready for this season....Yay!!

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Gary & Diane
1996 Sundowner 245
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH