www.iFourWinns.com

From a straight performance standpoint the boat performs quite well. I'm not sure I've noticed much of a difference in fuel economy with this boat vs. the SR with v-drives but there is definitely a difference in top speed. This boat sees 36-38 kts on the top end and also cruises very smoothly. I've found it makes about the same amount of noise at idle and just above, more noise than the v-drives from 7 kts to 15 and then is quieter above 15 kts to redline.

In terms of handling around the docks, it is definitely not as responsive as a v-drive boat but can still be handled pretty easily once you get a feel for it. There are definitely advantages to the sterndrives in some handling situations where the ability to turn the drives is a plus. Also, whereas the V-drives lose most any rudder control at low speed the sterndrives still respond to the wheel at anything including idle.

If there's anything else I can answer just let me know. I've posted a few issues about the boat but if I had it to do over again I would do the same thing again. Okay, maybe not entirely, I'm now looking at the 458 trying to decide about that wee little upgrade. I've read what a lot of people have to say about 35' being the sweet spot for cruisers but I can't help but look at the 458 and see a lot of really nice upgrades from our boats.

Ben

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2001 Cruisers 4450
Volvo TAMD-74P 480hp Diesels

Duped Post

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2001 Cruisers 4450
Volvo TAMD-74P 480hp Diesels

dcwjd, where do you do your boating? Are you on the South Shore of LI? I have dealt with Kydds marine in Massapequa during the time that the dealer in CT was in transition, and Kydds was the next closest 4Winns dealer to me. I have to be honest, I was not overly impressed with the service department. They blew me off on a couple of issues, and solved a couple more. If you are accessible to the Sound, I would highly reccomend the dealer in CT, G&R! I believe they make deliveries on the CT River. If this is an option for you, I can give you some contact info. Good Luck.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Duped Post

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2001 Cruisers 4450
Volvo TAMD-74P 480hp Diesels

dcwjd, I posted a reply to this on Saturday, but it seems to have dissapeared??

Anyway, I do have some experience with Kydds in Massapequa, who did some service work for me on my 268Vista during the time that the dealer I purchased the boat from in CT was in transition. Also, I was talking to them about trading the 268 in for a 298 they had on the lot. From a Sales perspective, I think they were pretty fair, and I wound up talking to one of the owners, but decided against the trade. From a service perspective, they solved 2 of my 4 issues.

I do not know where you keep your boat, but if you are close enough to the LI Sound, you may want to check into G&R up in CT.
If you are interested, let me know and I can get you some contact info.

Good Luck.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Sierra, welcome to the site! Regarding the 8.1's, keep in mind that the sterndrive models are designed to exhaust out the top of the outdrive, as there is too much thrust to soley exhaust thru the prop hub. As a result, the 8.1 with a sterndrive, can be very noisy, especially with a heavy load as the boat is planing. Once on plane, not too bad. I have the single 8.1 in my 268Vista and other than the exhaust noise, it is an awesome engine.

Although I have no experience with the VDrives, I would guess that that configuration is a lot quieter.

BTW, I see you are in the Hudson River. How far upstate are you? I am in the Hudson River, in Piermont, NY.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

http://www.theboatwarehouse.com/Super_Specials

Hi--Good luck on your purchase. We have a 288 and have been very pleased with the
brand and our dealer service. Check out these posted prices in Canada. A 378 is
going for about what you are paying for a 358. I think there is a 9% duty on bringing
boats into Canada from the U.S., you may be able to apply and have the duty drawn
back when you take it across the border. However, you would not be very close
for service. Kingston isn't too far from New York and the Thousand Islands are
a great cruising area. We live in Toronto and take the boat back each fall and bring
it here in the spring. We plan vacation around the time and take our time and enjoy
the trip over several days. Good luck in whatever you decide.
Regards,
Mike288

Thanks for the welcome and for the feedback - I'm further upstate in Greene Country - used to bike to Piermont from NYC all the time years ago. Upon closer examination of the power configurations for the 358, 8.1 inboards aren't offered (they're Merc 370hp 8.1's on the Sea Ray 340). The comparable package on the 358 would be the Crusader 6.0 375hp engines. So now I'm obviously curious if anyone has experience with the Crusader setup. I'm in a bit of a dealer dead-spot up here, but had good luck buying my Sea Ray out of the area and hope the same will be true if I go with the FW. I'm going to talk to the Lake George dealership as well as Kydd's. And thanks for the general feedback on Four Winns as a brand - please keep it coming!

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Sierra, are you up near Catskill? This past June, we did an overnight at the Catskill Marina, in the Catskill Creek! We really liked the place! Next year we hope to go up the NYS canal system into Lake Champlain.

Just our of curiousity, why would you go to Kydds in LI from all the way up there? Below is the search results from the 4Winns website showing the distances from Greene County, NY. I bought my boat from the folks at G&R. They are about the same distance from me as they are from you. The guy to talk to at G&R is Bryan Douglas. He is one of the owners. That's who we bought our boat from and he has done good by us. Below is the contact info. I highly reccomend you call Bryan at G&R!

Professional Marine Retail Network
Search Results

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canada Lake Store & Marine [73 miles]
(Have this Dealer Contact Me)
103 Old State Road
Caroga Lake, NY 12032
(518) 835-6069
Fax: (518) 835-2138
clstore@telenet.net

G & R Marine LLC [75 miles]
(Have this Dealer Contact Me)
1535 Rt 5
PO Box 619
South Windsor, CT 06074
(860) 290-7855
Fax: (860) 291-9665
http://www.grmarine.com
bryan@grmarine.com

Boats By George [84 miles]
(Have this Dealer Contact Me)
18 State Route 149
Lake George, NY 12845
(518) 793-5452
Fax: (518) 793-5481
http://www.boatsbygeorge.com
george@boatsbygeorge.com

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

This is the response I recieved today from my dealer....

Walter

After speaking with you at the show I looked for 2007 inventory that was available and found nothing. The 358 is very popular and most dealers are not willing to give up inventory. I sat down with the owner of Kydds marine and we worked out the best possible price we can offer on a new 358. I priced the boat with 5.7 OSXi/DP 320HP FWC. Options include Flexiteak, sunpads, windlass upgrade, Nav pack, wood cockpit table, transom stereo remote, tv/dvd aft. The bottom line price would be $238,990. You have a choice of the $7000 rebate or 2.99% financing for the first 36 months. This runs through the end of October. The deal stands on your trade at $72000.



Jimmy Lucas

Kydds Marine

25 Alhambra Rd

Massapequa, NY 11758

(516) 541-7747


I am lost as to what to do.....

I spend some time on Long Island which is why I thought I'd check out Kydds but I'll definitely give Bryan a call - especially given how inflexible Kydds appears to be in 'dcwjd's' post - the boat market is still soft (Walter - I would definitely encourage you to have a conversation with another dealer.) I took a look at "Canada Lake Store's" website and it doesn't look like they deal with cruisers. Thanks for the recommendation!

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

That's a little high but not too far off the numbers I'm hearing. I'm looking at numbers around $205K, for a 08 358 with VP 320 HP (RWC), no teak or nav, with front sunpad, windlass upgrade, wood table, transom stereo, aft TV and gray water. Same deal on the $7K rebate.

Does ocean drives, teak and nav add $34K?

The other issue is the trade value. Some dealers inflate them to make you feel good and then just give you less discount on the new boat.

Is NH is a little far for you to go for a new boat?

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2008 V358 Two-tone Blue V/P Dual Prop 320 HP
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

No the nav, teak and ocean drive doesn't add even close to that amount. I was thinking between 200 -210. Hoping for 200k. My trade is actually a little low. Searay was willing to give me 76,400 as well as Formula. They could easily sell that boat for 10k more.

While the "build & price" feature on the FW website doesn't work for the 358, I stumbled upon http://www.fourwinnsmarketing.com/build1.php?model=358 which does. Hope that helps...

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Sierra, that looks like 2007 model pricing.

dcwjd, Nav is either 7500 or 9000, Ocean/fwc drives add another 5000, and teak adds almost 9500! These are all retail numbers. So you're right this doesn't account for all the difference.

I don't know how far you're willing to go, but 3A Marine in Hingham, Mass (south of Boston) had a left over 2007 at the Boston Boat show and it's still on their website. I don't remember the options or cost.

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2008 V358 Two-tone Blue V/P Dual Prop 320 HP
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH