www.iFourWinns.com

Every time I see one of these fresh water drives I have to admire how good they look. Mine looks like its been through a war by the end of the season, between barnacles slime and other nasties.

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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

+1
(missed that too. Yes, the drive bellows is tapered)

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

HAHA!! "One boating buck" - Im so using that for now one when we are talking about $1,000 in boat repair money.

I agree with everything else LouC said. He is the resident OMC go-to.

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1997 Four Winns Vista 278
T - 4.3l EFI
Kohler 4esz Genset
379 hours as of 8/8/21

Wanted to update, sorry it's been a while...mechanic was out and I got wrapped up in other things...

In any case we looked at her today..




Bellows had nothing to do with it. Seems to be a leaking shift shaft seal.

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Chris and Alicia
Las Vegas, NV
ALTIVA
1996 Four Winns 238 Vista Dlx 5.8Fi

Been a while since I updated this topic...but Sunday it happened.

Not really a big deal, put her in the water and hit the blower switch, light came on...no blower.

Now it gets interesting, I probably could have gone out for the day and everything would have been fine. But that's just not who I am. Turns out the Marina where I launch from has a parts store and they had the blower for $37 bucks, blew my mind I thought a marina would stick it to me on the price.

Took me two hours to troubleshoot it, walk the dock to the parts store and bend my body like a contortionist to get the old one out and new one in...but made it out on the water, and it felt great!

Until this morning when I realized laying on the engine and reaching over to get this thing in left bruising on my chest! Man I wish the boat builders had to repair them before they ever got to design.

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Chris and Alicia
Las Vegas, NV
ALTIVA
1996 Four Winns 238 Vista Dlx 5.8Fi

Been a while since I updated this topic...but Sunday it happened.

Not really a big deal, put her in the water and hit the blower switch, light came on...no blower.

Now it gets interesting, I probably could have gone out for the day and everything would have been fine. But that's just not who I am. Turns out the Marina where I launch from has a parts store and they had the blower for $37 bucks, blew my mind I thought a marina would stick it to me on the price.

Took me two hours to troubleshoot it, walk the dock to the parts store and bend my body like a contortionist to get the old one out and new one in...but made it out on the water, and it felt great!

Until this morning when I realized laying on the engine and reaching over to get this thing in left bruising on my chest! Man I wish the boat builders had to repair them before they ever got to design.

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Chris and Alicia
Las Vegas, NV
ALTIVA
1996 Four Winns 238 Vista Dlx 5.8Fi

Ouch!
We've all been there and done that...
I saved part of the old rear seat in my boat...and I use it for laying down on the deck when I have to change a starter, or oil filter...my problem is I can't bend my body into a pretzel any longer at least for any length of time...
So I modified the whole rear of the boat...and I can remove each half of the big rear bench seat or the whole thing, in about 5 min...then I cut the big rear bulkhead in half vertically and put a hinge in the middle of it, so it can open like a door, or come apart completely. That way I can stretch out and not need a chiropractor when I am done, LOL....
You might laugh but I do stretching exercises before I do my big jobs, it helps a lot at my age (not sayin how old but a lot older than most of you all)....how else do I know how to set points...my first 3 cars had em LOL....Electronic ignition was something exotic that you could get in the aftermarket but Chrysler was the first with it in '72...

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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

Yes, I've had those bruises! I've made it a principle that when I change something on my boat, if access is difficult I modify it so it's easier next time even if I have sold the boat!

Oil filter; fit a remote oil filter,

Loose rear cleats; cut access holes and fit deck plates rather than removing engine (sod's law, they've never come loose again, but maybe that's because they were tightened up properly! this time )

Retainer bracket for the raw water pump; chop it in half so the boit that locates on the pump can be removed without a double jointed wrist and treble jointed fingers.

Anti seize nickel and waterproof grease on the engine mounting adjustment bolts.

New blower bracket so it's more accessible ( proud of that one , a very neat thermoformed polycarbonate one !)

Moved freshwater pump ( ironically, further back than original but with improved access around it)

Electric engine cover actuator; bored out and put a plastic bush on the pivot point on the gearbox end; it'll never seize again now.

Very impressive Graham, I've tried to do much the same and it really does help. It just so happens every boat project is a trip into the unknown since we are engineering our own ideas and don't know for sure if it will work or not.


Now explain sod's law for us.....

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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

I changed the oil one time in my boat and that was it. I came out of there so bruised and scratched up that I almost find it gratifying to pay my tech to do it.

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Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

Changing the oil on the prior boat (2050 SS Capri Bayliner) was the worse. I would rather take an ass whooping. The H210SS has the remote which was a must for me. I agree that maintenance access is at most an afterthought with the boat makers.

The canvass covered access holes are useless unless your elbows bend backwards and you forearms are rubbe...I love the IO but the Outboards are very attractive this time of year.

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http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o71 ... wqm355.jpg


08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

Basically its similar to Murphy''s law, but in a malevolent form.

Systems ..best laid plans etc will always fail at a time at such time to cause maximum inconvenience to the victim .

In the case of the cleats, despite all the effort put in to make access easier, access is never required again.

got it...Sod's vs Murphy's
I guess if you keep it long enough, you might have to fix it again, who knows...
as far as the bad access to I/O engines....
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Mil ... tedIndex=0

LOL only half kidding, I'd find some way to make that removable. I'd cut it out and then design a structure in aluminum that could be bolted into place to give the rigidity needed but could be removed for access. The older boats did not have that 'glass there at all, just removable wooden panels, so it is not needed really. Who wants to have to reach through that silly little cubby hole to access batteries, God forbid you ever have to replace the fuel fill/vent line or any of the power steering parts. All you need is some Marine plywood glassed over or composite material that can take threaded inserts to make taking it apart easy. Not rocket science....

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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

Graham, I have considered making a new retainer bracket from two pieces, so the front piece can be easily removed. Do you have a picture of what you did?

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

I don't have a photo; I should be able to take one in the next few weeks.

I seem to remember sending 230 Mike a diagram a few years ago, maybe he still has a copy? ( I've changed PCs 3 times in the last 2 years, some things are still hiding !).

It's basically a flat steel bar bolted on just after the big right angle bend. it has dowels and studs The rest of the bracket, the cut off bit, that bit that locates on the pump slides onto the dowels and is attached with locknuts on the studs..

I basically removed the original bracket, drilled/ tapped/ bolted on the new steel flat bar to the bracket ( could have been welded, but I had no welding gas at the time!). I then drilled holes through the bracket and steel bar and fitted the studs and dowels to the steel bar; then I cut the original bracket, so the alignment is perfect.