www.iFourWinns.com

Bill,

It's not a fear based in rationality that is for sure. Considering we can drown from as little as a tablespoon of water. It's just that fear of the unknown thing I guess. Same when I used to go out deep ocean fishing, we would at times be 200+ miles from shore in 1400-2000' of water and my mind was always putting that into perspective "wow 2000' of water, that's like driving from here to there long"

Forget scuba, tried that once, I can't breathe through a mouthpiece!

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Brett DiMichele

Just got the call from my dealer today after he picked up my trade. Everything looks great and we are off and running. He already placed the order for the new 358 but fortunately we still have time to change the color. The Wife has completely changed her mind on the two tone black and now wants the two tone blue with the blue canvas and tan interior. I told her she better be sure as this is the last time she can change her mind as they are going to start construction. I asked about going to the factory to see the boat being built and dealer said he will check with factory and let me know. We're looking at end of April beginning May for delivery. Oh yea Baby can't wait!!!!

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2008.Fourwinns V358
1999 SeaRay340 Sundancer
1989 SeaRay 260 Cuddy

Congrats reberm! Spectacular news!! What power package did you decide on and why? Love to see the list of how else you spec'd her out...

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Congrats reberm! I would go with the two tone black and a tan interior. Now its going to be a long wait for spring.

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

I ended up going with the Volvo 5.7 L inboard Vdrives. The dealer recommended it, the factory said it was the most efficient inboard package and actaully told me that the crusader package was a waste of money. After reading all the comments on here I'm hoping I made the right choice. As far as options I got the boat with all the same options that it was shown with at the NY boat show. I spoke with the factory rep about the placement of the flat panel in the main salon below and they are going to mount a larger flat panel on the bulkhead space along side the stairs. Same as the Sea Ray does it. I got the Flexiteek cockpit floor as well as swim platform. Does this really get that hot? I heard that by going to the white lines instead of black it really improved?? Anyone have experience? I think the look is fantastic and lets face it, we all want to impress everyone at the marina...... right? The wife saw the cockpit flat panel and had to have it. I really didn't want that option I don't think it is very usable during the day do to sun glare but I guess at night it could be pretty cool. Hey you gotta let the signigficant other feel like something is hers. Also went with the teak and holly floor in the cabin. I think that will be so much easier to keep clean especially with the central vac any sand or crumbs should be easy to pick up. Again the look is incredible. And of course the polished anchor is a must to finish off the look. Man just describing it gives me goose bumps, I can't wait for May!!!!

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2008.Fourwinns V358
1999 SeaRay340 Sundancer
1989 SeaRay 260 Cuddy

There's no good place to put a TV in the 348/358. At least not for watching while sitting upright on the sofa. The spot over the galley is too high. The spot next to the stairs is still too high and also forces you to crane your neck hard to the right. Both positions are a recipe for neck problems. Trust me, I've *really* tried to come up with alternatives for our 348. We have the stateroom wall for the forward cabin so it's pointless to put a larger TV out in the cabin for viewing. At some point this winter I'm going to shop for a TV to put up in the forward cabin itself. I'm thinking of mounting it on the forward face of the starboard side closet. Possibly on an arm that can swing out.

As for the flexi-teek, don't say I did tell you so.... I'm guessing the white backing (lines) may help somewhat. But then you'd still be stuck with the grungy look. Personally I like the cockpit carpet. Ours has held up quite well for two seasons now.

Impressing people at the marina? I have other priorities... like making myself and my wife happy. At no point am I interested in impressing anyone else. If that happens by coincidence, fine! But I'm certainly not going to spend one extra nickel or put up with any inconvenience for it, ever. Life is too short to waste trying to impress anyone other than yourselves.

I do like the cabin floor option. But I also like how much quieter the cabin is when the carpet is installed. I'd probably go for both. If we had a day trip planned that was likely to be messy (lots of people, swimming, hosting a party, etc) then it'd certainly be nice to have that wood floor when the carpet was taken up. If we ever have to replace the carpet I'll certainly plan on setting up that cut-out for in front of the galley. That's a great feature.

The TV in the cockpit is an interesting idea. I'm considering whether it'd be useful for us. The trouble with the cockpit area at night is bugs. Put anything up there with a light on it (like the glare from a TV) and you're just asking for a bug-fest. And if you put up the canvas it turns in a bug-fest in a hot house. To a certain extent it might be improved if there were screen panels for the forward sections. I may actually have some made, at least for the two forward side panels. The three forward panels are often best left as whole to prevent any overnight rain from dripping down into the companionway steps.

But these issues are not limited to just the 348/358, or even just FW. It's the nature of the beast in express cruiser designs.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I have to agree with Bill on the TV down bellow . There is no good place really for it. We have the privet stateroom. And I think where they have it above the sink is probably the best. Because you can just sit on the couch. Instead of have to turn to see it. We also have a flat screen in our stateroom. I think what we are going to do this year. Is put a flat screen up top. We watch football all the time up there. Works great for us up there. We usually have people over to see the games or Nascar. I think we might be putting a dish on this year also.

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

Bill, you raise a point with the tv attracting the bugs.. Is that mainly your observation at the marina or on the hook? I know a lot of folks tend to just hang out on there boat at the marina, but I generally do not. When I'm over at Fairlee the bugs aren't too bad (and on the hook in general) however, at the marina I'm sure you'd inhale more bugs then air!

Also, do you guys use the Magma Kettle style grills? I thought about that rail system option for the swim platform, but I don't know if that rail will hold up to somebody big stumbling into it or putting a lot of weight on it. It would help the to tie down the dinghy as well. Would it be a better idea to have a fishing rod holder installed and use the Magma fishing rod holder attachment? I used the rail clamp on the 248 but that was weak at best since you had to use the plastic sleeve I had to babysit the grill fearing the clamp wouldn't hold it tight enough and punch a hole in the vinyl.
Rail system on the 378:

Here's the attachment options for the grill: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... uctId=3710

Congrats Rberm!

I use a fishing rod holder mounted on the rear rail. I have it mounted at a 45 degree angle, upwards to the starboard side. I then have a rod holder mount under a Magma Newport (rectangular) grill. It's worked ok for the past two seasons.

Here's a picture of the rod holder mounted on the rail:


Friends with kettle style have complained it's not large enough to cook food for more than just two people.

The only downside of my transom rail mount is the risk of grease dripping onto the transom as it slopes sternward. Thus I try to limit cooking to things not likely to create too much grease. This often rules out doing hamburgers for more than 3 people. But I keep a squirt bottle with water handy in the transom locker to squirt away any drips. I also have one with some Ori-Pine cleanser in it.

At some point I'm considering putting a table mount in the swim platform. The same sort of table mount as used in the cockpit and down in the cabin. I already have the parts, I just haven't gotten up the nerve to take a hole saw to the platform.

I've also considered putting the mount into one of the doors on the platform. Those storage areas only get used for storing inflatable lounge rafts, and they tend to get rather slimy anyway. So losing one of them wouldn't be a terribly big deal. I'd want to figure out some way to keep the door shut better than the latches on there now. That and the hinges might not be 'strong enough'. But given the past two seasons, and the fact that I never have the grill mounted unless I'm actually using it, there might not be too much to worry about regarding the 'strength' of the mount.

I've seen the rail option, at least in pictures. I've not seen it on a 358 yet, nor in person. A grill is a relatively heavy item, at least the rectangular one is. I wouldn't want to try keeping it mounted if the boat was going to be tossing through chop. The rear handrail definitely doesn't seem like it'd be strong enough to allow full-time mounting, as tossing motion would put a real strain on how it's mounted. The rail is durable, it's the through-hole mounts that I'd be worried about. So I wonder how the rail would handle having something heavier mounted to it. I'd rather have something with more stability in multiple directions. I'd like an L shape instead of just a straight line. I seem to recall there being a FW option for a rail that mounted at the corner of a platform. But, again, I've never seen one in person to get a feel for it's durability (or lack there of).

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Thanks for the picture. Pretty much the same as the 318, so that's helpful. I assume that the holder is clamp on style? Is it metal to metal contact? I guess it scratches up the railing which is what I was going to try to avoid. Also, does the holder make contact with the fiberglass? I'm guessing no, but it's a not quite clear from the picture.

I can just envision a drunken 300lb friend of a friend falling (stumbling) on the platform and taking the railing and some of the swim platform with him! I wanted to check but didn't - I would imagine they through bolted it with a backing plate on underside... but I'm still leary.

Yeah, the kettle is rather small but 90% of the time it's just me, and the little lady hardy eats anything.

It clamps QUITE solidly to the rail. There is a rubberized liner between the clamp and the rail so it doesn't cause any scratches. I really had to torque down the screws in the clamp but it stays quite tight. I put a small strip of white rubber under the point where it comes close to the transom just in case. But it's not needed it.

Well, I can cook two nice strip steaks, 2 ears of corn and a foil packet of veggies all at the same time on the Newport. Or four strip steaks if we've got guests, and nuke the veggies in the microwave (not the corn, of course!) A smaller grille means more work in the galley below, or parts of the meal are colder than the rest. But if you're fine with the size of the kettle don't let me talk you out of it. You're probably right about the 90% likelihood. Heck, any grille aboard beats being ashore!

I'm likewise leery of the rail placement on the 378. It just seems odd. Properly bedded I'm sure it'd withstand a lot of abuse. But I just have visions of someone doing something stupid like towing a skier off of it, or their dinghy! Or getting lines caught on it while docking and ripping it out. Not that any of US would ever do that, right?

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

We have our kettle type grill on the back rail. Never had a problem. We leave it up all year. Even when we are running up the lake.

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

Thanks for the picture! Looks like mounting it on that rail is sufficient - no need for the rail system. Now, has anybody seen the "transom swim seat" option? Maybe I missed it before on the hull and deck items list but it's there now. I haven't seen or heard about it until today when I was on the website looking at the flexiteek prices...again!

I thought about the rail option for a moment as I thought it added a 'yacht-like' feel to the platform, but I think the lines are sleeker without it (and it's one more thing to polish). If the transom swim seat is anything like Sea Ray's, it's a neat feature, but personally, I wouldn't give up the transom stowage to have it (if that's the case with FW).
Back to the TV discussion, I'm going to add a larger flat-panel on the bulkhead next to the companionway on a mount that will have it swing out (like in the 458). A 45 degreee angle will make a big difference. Not a perfect solution, but a reasonable compromise. I thought about pulling the small TV and just having a cabinet there, but I'm going to leave it hooked up and also have it connected to the video out of the E80. Maybe I'll broadcast the channel and start "The Fishfinder Network"

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Oh, and Cattailspa - great picture! I guess we all now know who's second in command on "Last Call!"

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards