www.iFourWinns.com

We are seriously considering a trailerable Vista and are looking for input on any ideas of what are must have or don't waste your money options on a 258. We will be using it mainly as a small weekend cruiser with the ability to entertain the kids during the day.

Thanks for your input

Just my 2 cents. A lot depends upon how you will be using the boat as well as your location. Some items if not present will make the boat a touch less marketable come time to move up in size.

Must haves:
1. Gas Vapor Detector
2. Auto Fire system
3. Vacuflush head
4. Heat/AC
5. Volvo Penta 5.7 OSXi/DP
6. Cockpit Cover
7. Tank Level indicator

Nice to haves:
1. Windlass
2. Spotlight
3. TV/DVD
4. CD Changer
5. Generator
6. Overboard discharge
7. FWC

Waste of $
1. Flexiteek
2. Starboard windshield wiper
3. Steering wheel upgrade
4. Any Electronics (can be purchased and installed afterwards much cheeper.
5. Pillow package

_________________
Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

It all depends upon what you intend on doing with the boat. Overnighting on the hook, staying at a marina, or going home at the end of the day ? Cruising or water sports ?

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07 Tiara Sovran 4300
07 338 Vista - SOLD

Thanks for the quick responses.

During the day it would be about 80% cruising and 20% water sports. Tubing and Wake Boarding. We are considering the tower.

At night it would mainly be slipped at the marina w/ shore power. I could see a few nights on the hook but could not justify the generator.

I was looking into the differences between the Volvo 5.7 Gi (280hp) and the 5.7 GXi (320hp). From what I have read, the Gi is a "strong" 280hp. Is the extra money worth it? We are happy with the 5.7 Gi/DP on our 230 Horizon but would the extra 40 hp make that much of a difference. We only do fresh water boating so I would assume that the OSXi/XDP is not worth considering.

I just purchased a new Vista and went through the same thing you are deciding on every option. It is tough and you really have to look at what you and your family wan to do on the water. He is my opinion on the options.

YES. I would get.

Flood light -safety item and expensive to properly install later
SunPads- nice item and provides another space to hangout
Steering Wheel Upgrade-Looks nice and is not real expensive
Navigation Package-Pricey but good quality. Depends upon where you are boating if you need it.
TV-Yes. Keeps the kids busy in the evenings
Stereo Upgrade-Always nice to be able to hear the music over the engine
AC-Keeps the family happy on a warm summer night
Pillow Pkg-Looks nice and not expensive
Vacuflush head-Uses alot less water per flush.
Tank Indicators-You never want an overflow
Fire Extinguisher system-safety item
Cockpit Cover-Keeps your boat looking new. Absolute necessity.
Trailer with Tandem Brakes-safety item

NO. I would not get.

Flexteek-Hot in the summer and maintenance issue down the road. Saw some in Florida 3yrs old that looked terrible.
Anchor Windlass-Expensive option for this size boat. Buy a good anchor, chain, and rope for alot less.
6 CD Player-everyone uses IPODS
Gray Water system-no
Overboard Discharge-no. Illegal in most freshwater
FWC-Not needed in fresh water
Neutrasalt-Not needed in fresh water

Maybe

Gas Vapor-Don't know enough about them. Alot of false readings I have heard.
Flush Out-Depends upon where you are boating.

Engine Choice

I choose the 5.8L (280HP) for my boat. The big difference between the 280hp and the 320hp is 1 mph on the top end. The price difference is big.
The dealers I have spoken with all recommend the Volvo 5.8L (280hp) as the preferred engine for longevity and price.

I hope my opinion helps. We decided it is whole lot easier and cheaper to get what you want. You will never regret buying quality and what will make you and your family happy.

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07 Tiara Sovran 4300
07 338 Vista - SOLD

jnizi, since you mention water sports like skiing and tubing, the Tower would really make sense and I would seriously consider it as you have. I have a 2004 268 Vista and there is really no good place for a ski tow ring. You can look back, and there is a whole separate discussion on that.

Also, if you do any boating either early morning or at night, definitely go for the remote spotlight. I do a lot of boating at night, and being able to control the spotlight from the helm is a real advantage.

The only other thing that I would put higher up on the priority list that the prior responses here, is the Windlass! It is one of the options that I use the most on my Vista and I personally would not be without it. It is a pain in the neck to install afterwards, and provides me with the option of anchoring in any condition, without having to go up on deck or ask one of my crew to go up on deck. Once you learn how to use it properly, you will wonder how you ever did without it!

Everything else already mentioned is good advice.

Best of Luck!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Thanks for the ideas. I was out to look at a 2007 258 yesterday and FW has included a factory mounted Ski Tow Eye that is molded into the ESP.

Makes sense! Too bad they did not think of that 3 years ago! Best of Luck!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

If you've got an iPod don't bother getting the CD changer. We've got one that NEVER gets used. That and the DVD player can handle playing audio CDs along with data mp3 discs (and you can fit A LOT of mp3 tracks on a DVD). I'll probably pull the changer out this season. No sense leaving it in the boat to get corroded or gunked up from lack of use.

DO NOT GET THE FLEXITEEK. We've got it on the swim platform and wish we didn't. It gets outrageously hot in direct sun. Much more so than the plain decking. Nobody who's ever seen real teak would be convinced that this is a viable alternative. I can't imagine the hassles of it being in the cockpit. Down below would be even uglier. The carpets FW is using have proven quite durable this past season. We've used them in the cockpit and cabin and they've held up very nicely.

The spotlight placement on the 348 defeats it's usefulness. It ends up casting a LOT of glare back from the anchor. Enough that I'd really like to consider alternative placement (like up on the arch).

I would never want to go without a windlass. It's just so much more convenient, and safer too. No worries about having someone hurt themselves (or the gelcoat) handling the anchor. I would like a washdown hose up there to clean the muck off it. That may be one of this season's add-ons.

The tank indicators are notoriously unreliable. Ours have been fixed twice and are still flaky. I agree they're important to have but they have to WORK first. We've simply learned to keep a mental tally of their likely fill level. And always top-off water and pump out when refueling. Adds a little extra time/effort at the fuel dock but it's worth it to save the risk of overflowing the waste tank or running out of fresh water. Gotta keep that icemaker cranking!

The pillow and comforter set are nice, it helps round out the overall appeal of the cabin.

I likewise can't imagine not having a chartplotter. We upgraded from the C to the E-series in order to get sirius weather, expansion and support for platinum charts. But a C-80 with the Navionics gold chart chip is definitely a must-have I'd encourage you to consider.

The satellite weather option has saved us a several times. Having the option to see current weather conditions lets you make better choices on extending or shortening your travel plans. We used it to make a run back from Georgetown to Annapolis in-between pockets of heavier rain. We literally routed around, going faster or slower as needed, the denser bits of rain and saved a lot of grief. It's not cheap but no boat I'll ever own will go without it.

Otherwise, the suggestions everyone else is making are definitely worth considering.

Not sure what the longevity will be, but we LOVE our flexiteak swim platform. Yes, it gets hot in direct sun (fortunately there is a transom shower to cool things down), but it never shows dirt, and is exceptionally nonslip.

We spend most of our time rafted up to other cruisers and stepping back to our boat is a breeze. Stepping on many other boats - especially when wet - can be dangerous.

As for electronics, look at installing a Garmin system aftermarket. Like ours MUCH better than the Raymarine stuff and it's cheaper - including XM weather which is very useful and has saved our butts about once per month since we bought it.

We like our six-disc changer. And our gas vapor detector and our innerspring mattress and our windlass (I agree that a washdown would be nice).

Good luck

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2004 Sea Ray 420DB
Formerly: 2005 348 Vista

After spending the weekend going over our choices, we finally ordered our 258. Jvalich hit the main list dead on. Our dealer highly recommended the OSXi/XDP since we will be keeping the boat in the water.

We ordered it with the:
OSXi/XDP 320hp
Solid Back w/ Aft Filler Cushions
Trailer
Fire Ext System
Gas Vapor Detector
Remote Spotlight
Sunpads
Tow Arch
VHF
Air/Heat
Vacu Flush
Stereo Upgrade
Tank Indicators
Cockpit Cover

The dealer was running a special and we even got the Volvo 2+4 warranty thrown in as part of the deal. We should see the boat in about 10 weeks.
Thanks to everyone for your input

Congrats on your new boat...gonna be a llllooooonnnnngggggg 10 weeks! By chance is your Grand Sport? My brother bought a Baja from them a couple years back and had nothing but good things to say about them.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

Yes, its Grand Sport. We slip on the Illinois River and work with the guys at the Morris location. They have always been great to work with.

Ten weeks is a long time but it will be worth the wait. I noticed you recommended the OSXi as well as Grand Sport, do you run an OSXi on your 288?

No I don't. It was just coming out . The 288 in 2003 was the first offering. I just didn't want to be on the cutting edge because the dealer had no experience with them.

_________________
Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

jnizi, congratulations on your purchase!

We just (January) purchased an 07 - 288 and agonized over all of the same things so I know what you were going through. To be honest I found it stressfull since I didn't want to miss something needed or include something useless and regret the option choices.

Here's where we ended up:
Volvo 5.0 GXI\DP
Windlass\Anchor
AC\Heat
Vacuflush (hated the pump head in our 268)
Spotlight (never used in our 268 but figured it would be a pain to add later)
Nav Package (figured less hassles if factory installed)
Deck Sunpads & aft fill in (wife insisted)
Fire supression system
Gas vapor detector
Cockpit cover
Upgraded steering wheel (lol: frivilous but I liked it better)

Other options we considered:
Generator (couldn't justify the extra 7K they quoted me)
Upgraded Stereo (dealer actually talked me out of this since the stock system is apparently very good)
Tank Level Indicators (Had these in my 268 and they were notoriously unrelyable)
Classic Color Band (harder to keep clean, and prone to wear & tear wrt docking)
Stereo control at transom

All in all, just like what you've ordered, I think it's going to be a very comfortable well equiped boat. We loved our 268 but wanted to move up to a bit more space, twins and fixed v-berth.

We take delivery on May 18th and can't wait! So far this seems to be the longest winter ever.

Happy Cruising!