www.iFourWinns.com

Hey guys I am new to this site and I was wondering if you guys could give me a little help or insight on buying a new boat. I am looking to buy a FW H200SS with the following options.
350MPI/Bravo I DTS 300hp w/ Smart Tow
Wakeboard Tower with racks
Swim platform mat and lighting
Compass, table w/ mount, walk-thru door, bow cushion fill-in, cockpit and foward cover, trailering cover and spare tire.

The MSRP is 56,483. Dealer price 47,500.

How does that price sound?? I have to order the boat as it has more options than most dealers get this boat with. Also any other ideas or opinions about the options that I have selected would be great help.

Thanks.

I think you can do better on the price. Shoot for closer to 20% off MSRP. I suspect you'll get some more opinions. Several have talked about the swim platform mat being uncomfortably hot in the sun.

Welcome to the board!

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Thanks Mike for the reply. I was going to check with a couple different FW dealers to see what they could do. I have read that the mat was hot in the sun, but I do a lot of wakeboarding so I might have to deal with the "heat".

On a completely different note I see that you are from KC. I grew up in Independence Mo. but currently live in Ohio. What lakes do you go to out in KC? I have some friends who go out to Smithville and Blue Springs.

Jon.

Hi Jon, good to talk to a former KC'an. Been here my whole life (live in Olathe now), but oddly we don't boat on any of the local lakes. For day trips it's usually Perry, for long trips it's Table Rock. We'd like to start taking more weekend trips, and for that we love Pomme de Terre.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Price is a tough one... looks like your dealer started with about 15% for a discount. That is about the normal up here in the Seattle area. If it's boat show season, which it is here, then you can usually dig up another couple points or benefits....

There also isn't as much margin in the little boats than there are in the big boats.

I agree that 20% is a great start... after that, you might consider getting other freebies or major discounts on other items... new wakeboard, tubes, ropes, life vests, etc. Maybe even a free 20 hour service and free winterize next fall. Maybe even a Four Winns mooring cover?

I have found it's the little things that add up more than the big things so far...

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Just adding to the data... part of our deal was a couple hundred dollars' worth of accessories (of our choice) from the dealer. We took a bunch of lines, fenders, an anchor, stuff like that. As it turned out, as our experience grew we decided we preferred products from other sources and which weren't available from our dealer - West Marine colored lines, custom-length anchor rodes, Polyform fenders, etc. We use NONE of the stuff we got from the dealer now, so we'd have been better off taking that much more off the price of the boat.

We came in about 24% off MSRP, but that is very regional, has a lot to do with dealer overhead, etc., etc. Lots of variables.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Sounds like a nice boat you're building! I have a similar one on the way, but without the wakeboard tower and a few of the other extras you added.

I was interested in the swim platform lights, but my dealer had a boat in stock with them on, and I was really disappointed by how they are done. It's just 5 holes drilled in the swim platform and LEDs stuffed into them. It was mickey mouse in my opinion. I could see it if it was a less expensive option, but they wanted about $300 (from memory) for what appeared to me to be about $30 worth of parts.

Also, I live in Canada so I can't comment on whether your price is good or not. Good luck.

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2008 H200SS
5.7 EFI Volvo Penta
Black graphics
2004 Toyota 4Runner

Check out the dealer link below. They claim to be the world's largest Four Winns dealer. I drive by their storage yards all the time and they seem to have atleast 150 boats of different sizes in stock. I bought my H200 there and saved about 3,000 over comparable boats all over Ontario. I just kept checking autotrader.ca to keep myself informed of the current prices. I had my name in at the dealer looking for a clean 20 to 22 foot bowrdier so they called when they got a nice trade-in.

They are at the Toronto International Boat Show currently so there may be some deals associated with that. The Canadian dollar exchange will save you some money if you are from the US or atleast it will pay for your trip up here to get it.

http://www.theboatwarehouse.com

I bought my H260 in NH and saved a ton of money but ... that's another story.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

Or... You could buy my 1998 H200 for say 14,000 add the wakeboard tower (4,000-5,000), replace the 5.0 GL with a 5.7 (2,500 after you sell the old motor) and voila you have an excellent boat for about half of what a new one would cost!!!!

I'm just kidding! But... I do have the H200 for sale. I guess I should add it to the for sale forum.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

Jon,

First and foremost, welcome to the board. You would do well to read every post in the Horizon forum (and a few of the others) if you proceed with that boat.

IMHO, that is not a very good price. Oddly, my 2007 220H was stickered at about $1,000 more than yours and I have 2 more feet in length and the Bravo 3 drive. However, the wakeboard tower and racks are a little more than my ski arch, you have a few other features as well, and the Smart Tow (if I recall correctly) is somewhere around $4000-4500. Despite all of that, let's just assume that our boats were similarly stickered and I'll tell you that between the dealer incentives and boat show incentives, I got mine down to just barely over $40K before we discussed trade or anything like that. That also included a package similar to what 230Mike described (although I was very pleased with the quality of that setup and intend to use it until it breaks or is lost) as well as an extended warranty covering the entire boat for a total of 6 years when combining manufacturers' warranty and extended warranty. Before we get too carried away about how great that warranty may or may not be, it was good peace of mind at the time I made the purchase.

Obviously, dealer overhead varies from dealer to dealer and that certainly would affect price but I think you could do at least 5 thousand better. Just my experience.

On a side note, you and I are exact opposites: I was born in Ohio and now live in KC. Where will you be using your boat? BTW, thanks for getting 230Mike to commit to that trip to PdT Lake. I've been in his ear since last May.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Sorry, I forgot to include something else I meant to advise you of. That Smart Tow system is very expensive when compared to the aftermarket products out there. If you want the SmartTow primarily for watersports, the products are very good and are roughly $3000-3500 cheaper than SmartTow. That is, provided that you are handy enough to do the install yourself.

One of those products, PerfectPass, requires that you drill a 2-inch diameter hole in your hull for the paddlewheel sensor. I've done it, and I've posted a thread on it with some pics. I've got a few more pics to add, but it is not too bad of a job to do.

There is another newer product out that is GPS-based instead of paddlewheel sensor based, so it does not require any hull drilling. I know next to nothing about it, other than that it looks to be very similar to PerfectPass and costs a few hundred dollars more.

So, the real question with regard to a speed control system is "What are you looking for?" Do you need outdoor temps, engine temps, efficiency statistics, etc.? SmartTow is much more comprehensive with respect to the amount of information it will give you on the display about very detailed and specific things. PerfectPass will give you RPM, MPH, water temp, and keep an hour meter on the display for you, as well as a few other minor things. If you think you really want all the bells and whistles that SmartTow gives you, then you are stuck with that price. Otherwise, if you are trying to concentrate on the speed control for watersports, it is a total waste of money and you'd be better off with an aftermarket system.

Just something to keep in mind as a potential way to save $3K right off the top. You can order PerfectPass directly from them for under $1100.00. I have no affiliation with PerfectPass other than my having installed it on my boat and being very pleased with it. No stake in it for me.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Great comments and ideas... The other thing to consider that I endlessly get an earful of is buying from a dealer you can trust and work with. The dealer really is your lifeline...

Unfortunately, my dealer in Seattle chose not to provide a level of service that I expected - so I went long distance (across the country) - and found a dealer that I have confidence in.

Work your best deal. Every deal I've ever meet got a little sweeter when I was prepared to ink the deal that day... not just "looking around".

The economy is down... sales are slow... you should be able to find a deal that suits your needs with no problem!

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Thanks for all of the replies guys.

The Smart Tow is a 700 dollar option by itself. Now you have to add the DTS engine which is about 1900 more than a none DTS equipped engine of the same size. So all in all I guess it is about 2600 more for a Smart Tow equipped boat. You do get the Digital Throttle which seems like it would be nice, but I have yet to find someone who has experience with it. I talked with the dealer and he said that it is VERY responsive and may take some getting used to. If anyone has experience with this system let me know if it is worth the money.

Sounds like I will delete the swim platform lighting as it sounds like it looks cheap and I more than likely wouldn't use them that often anyway.


The lake that I go to in Ohio is Alum Creek Lake which is just north of Columbus. It is a relatively small lake, about 11 miles in length and about a mile across at it's widest point. I live about a mile from the boat ramp which is great as I get to use my boat a lot.

I am going to trying and work with the dealer to see what they can do. I will let you guys know.

I have another question for those who have a SS series boat and that is about the windshield. Does it block the wind at all or are you getting blasted in the face all of the time? I think that it looks cool but I was going to exchange it for a regular "tall" windshield.

Thanks again for all of the replies.

Jon.

Hey Mike, where do you spend your time at Table Rock, we spend almost every weekend there during the summer, don't see many Four Winns that way.

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2005, 268 Vista, Table Rock Lake "Choices II"