www.iFourWinns.com

Hi! I am looking to possibly buy a 2016 275 Vista. Before I do it, I do have one question that I would love people's feedback on: whichever boat I buy, it needs to be one that can handle the Long Island sound on a good day for occasional short trips. Is that something the 275 can handle? Thank you in advance.

It should be able to handle the Sound as long as you watch the wind & tides.
Plenty of people venture out in the Sound in smaller boats but it can turn nasty on you. In summer the calmest time is usually in the AM, in the afternoon the winds pick up. Beware wind against tides ESP in inlets like Huntington Bay....Often when the winds kick up the issue is not just the wave height but the period, steep closely spaced waves are common. However, on good days with calm weather you will often see boats that size and smaller, all the way down to 20' fishing out by the Eaton's Neck Triangle. There is a Coast Guard Station right there, but keep in mind their is a field of rocks right below the surface at low tide in that area. I would get a good chart of the part of the Sound eastern or western that you will be in because there are a number of hazards to navigation that you need to be aware of that may not show up on your chart plotter depending on the zoom level.
Where about will you be using it? The western Sound and eastern Sound are quite different, and have different concerns. The crossing between Conn and Long Island varies in distance quite a bit as well, where I am located it's only about 10 miles, but on the eastern end it is quite a bit longer.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Sounds like you are talking LI sound and not the ocean so...
I have been on LI sound all my life with small (17-20 feet) boats on the CT side from New Haven all the way to the mouth and have ventured the full extent to NYC. We have been on the CT river with a 258 for 5 years but recently upgrade to a larger boat. With the 258, which is a little smaller than the 275, we went out in the sound many times but as Lou points out you really have to watch the weather and can get nasty quick. I never felt unsafe in the 258 but being a single engine would not venture out of LI sound to the ocean. I know many people do go to Block Island and other places in smaller boats but I never felt comfortable with the family on board.
If you do go further out and into the ocean I would say dual engines as well as all the "extra" safety equipment like a EPIRB and radar would be on my list.
Not sure what you are looking for but if you have a family you might want to think a few feet bigger like a 318-328 range. The small cabins get really cramped real quick.

_________________
--2002 3880 Regal Flybridge | Twin Merc 8.1HO **Seven**
--2003 AB 13 VST Console Inflatable | Tohatsu 40hp TLDI **Phish'n ski**
--310 Mercury Inflatable | 1982 9.9 Johnson

Thank you so much. I bought the 275. I'm ready for the season to start!

Congratulations!!
I can't wait for the season to start too. Just needs to warm up a bit more. Been too cold to do any real work.

_________________
--2002 3880 Regal Flybridge | Twin Merc 8.1HO **Seven**
--2003 AB 13 VST Console Inflatable | Tohatsu 40hp TLDI **Phish'n ski**
--310 Mercury Inflatable | 1982 9.9 Johnson