www.iFourWinns.com

I have a question regarding the DCS feature in my radio. We purchased the Navigation package from Four Winns and it included a Garmin 420 Series GPS along with a Raymarine RAY49; both are NEMA compatible. I have registered and programmed my MMSI number into the radio. My question is this: should Four Winns have connected the two devices with the NEMA cable at the factory? My radio after several minutes gives you one long beep then “NO GPS” appears on the screen. The GPS is on and is displaying the boats position. Has anyone run into this with their boat?

We love the boat but there are a number of electrical issues that the dealer will need to address such as the 12V outlet in the galley does not work (the fuse is good), the cabin lights work on the high position but not on the “LOW CABIN LIGHTS” position, also the water pump runs constantly after using any of the facets; but not like it does during its normal operating condition but a slower and quieter “Thump”……………..”Thump” sound after it has finished pressurizing. I have checked for leaks and for air in the system and can not find the cause. Another annoyance is the depth finder it works sporadically. It flashes 00 until we have been under way for awhile.

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“Growing Older, But Not Up”
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2008 Four Winns V248
2004 Stingray 220CS

Unless the pump is bad, you have a leak you haven't found yet. A few well-placed pieces of paper towel or talcum powder can be employed to help track it down.

I had the same radio/GPS issue, the cabling wasn't set up right. I fixed it myself, as I was also doing some other nav equipment changes.

I got it wrong for a while too, it's NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association) not NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association). Too much alphabet soup naming these days...

Can't offer specifics on the depth sounder, but are you seeing any flickering on the chart plotter? It may be a case of low voltage.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I too just started having the 12v outlet and low lights issue yesterday. I had the whole family on the boat so didn't have time to troubleshoot. I initially thought that the battery was low, but that doesn't really make sense. Hopefully there is wisdom out there to make this easier for me!

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2005 Vista 268 "ALTEAN"

Thanks for the correction; I deal with NEMA all day long and it’s a hard habit to break.

I gave my punch list to the dealer this morning and I will keep you advised of the repairs. It’s puzzling that another boat would have exactly the same issue with the cabin lights and the 12V outlet. I would not think the problems would be related but why would two boats develop the same issue. I am assuming that “dkelly”never had the problem before. If it is a low voltage problem and most of my issues are attributed to it I have concern with the entire electrical system.

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“Growing Older, But Not Up”
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2008 Four Winns V248
2004 Stingray 220CS

I can't say it's a larger issue, but the single ships system battery was not enough for our use patterns on our 348. I added a pair of 6v golf cart batteries (in series to make 12v) and have had no electrical issues since. There are some real high-drain devices onboard, like the refrigerator, radio amp, tv, dvd and the total number of nav gadgets. But I couldn't see that causing the high/low lighting problem. That sounds more like a wiring issue. Like something wired wrong. It then becomes a bug hunt stepping one by one through the various circuits and devices.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Water-Pump -

You may have tried this, but some times when my water pump burps, or thumps,
I seem to find that one of the faucets or washdown shower may be on, or not tighten
down all the way down. For some reason my washdown on the swimdeck needs an extra
turn to stop this burping.

Thanks, that was my first thought; and easiest to check. All the valves are closed as tight at I can get them and I placed a paper towel under each; dry as a bone. The only nozzle that is near impossible to verify is the transom shower. It has a toggle style valve. It turns left or right and toggles; not a good design to make a proper seal but I still see no water dripping.

I like the description “burping”.

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“Growing Older, But Not Up”
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2008 Four Winns V248
2004 Stingray 220CS

I am having the same cabin light issue with my 248 Vista.. I thought it was the switch so I am chasing down that angle. I also lost my head light because of this. I opened up the panel in my head and found sever of the terminated plugs corroded. Corroded so bad that the return wires were broken apart. I'll keep you guys posted if this resolves the issue. I am also checking into the switch.

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2000 Four Winns 248 Vista (Nice toys, no Air)
2001 Highly Modified Yamaha GP1200R (75+MPH)