www.iFourWinns.com

i am about to buy a 2014 horizon 190 RS. I think im getting a good deal and i love the boat. It has the volvo 225 v6 motor. Does anybody have any advice, warnings or infornation on these boats i should be aware of? Thanks

I should have said i put a deposit on one and will be picking it up saturday morning...

Congrats and enjoy. Best advice is read the book and don't take maintenance shortcuts. Oh and beg for any free stuff you can get from dealer.

If your model has snap in carpet or snap in cushion at walk thru then remove and stow these before trailering. Carpet will unsnap and flap around and fray and cushion can unsnap and hit a Buick driving 70 MPH in opposite direction. Oh, make sure sun pad/engine cover is securely latched....same reason as why you remove snap in cushion.

If your a first time boater....go to local boat ramp with no boat, drink a beer or two and watch people launching and retrieving boats. Its great entertainment and you see real quick the good, bad and ugly.

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


08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

Have you ever owned a boat before? You might find that going to a Horizon 180 with the outboard is a better option, better performance, safer, much less maintenance. I/Os (sterndrives) are very high maintenance machines. The repairs used to be cheaper than for outboards, but now that I/Os have cat converter exhaust, and EFI that is no longer the case. The 180 with the OB probably has more room in it than the 190 I/O. Look at both, drive both and see which one you like better.

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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

Which color of RS?

We considered one as well be the dealer warned us that colors date pretty quickly....especially the "pea soup green".

We ended up with a all black scheme - much more majestic looking

Its the blue and black one. This will be my 3rd boat but first i/o. My other 2 are outboards. I like the look of a stern drive. I think for now, im done with outboards...

The volvo 225hp engine is fuel injected? The one i picked out didnt look like it had cats, in fact it had a sticker on it that said no sales in california and one other state, i forget which one.

The boat has snap in carpet, ill keep that in mind while trailering. Can you not tow it with the bow and cockpit covers on? Does anybody know if these have wood cored transoms? Four winns website says fiberglass stringers, does that mean no wood?

Personally I wouldn't get the Volvo. In the latest design they moved the trim pump to the outside of the boat, and it sits underwater. The seals will fail, it personally happened to me. Without a warranty it will cost you over $1200 to fix. Also, the SX-A has plastic hose nipples on stress points that break. Volvo also paints the inside of their fuel pumps, it will fail in 3-10 or so years from the paint flaking off.

Also, go on Volvo Penta's webside and see where the closest authorized repair center is. There might not be one within 100 miles of you. Even from a qualified repair center, getting stupid parts like a thermostat could take 3-5 days.

Putting it frankly, it sucks to own a Volvo Penta in 2014. Mercruiser is #1 in the world for a reason. You can buy parts to fix it at Walmart. Replacement cost if damage occurs to the lower end is around $500 for an Alpha 1, or $2000 for a Volvo Penta. They're expensive, rare, hard to find parts for, and not as reliable as a Mercury.

I've owned a Volvo Penta SX-M (Old Style), SX-A (latest design), and Mercruiser Alpha Gen 2 drive system. Now that I own a Merc I like the fact EVERYONE has EVERYTHING in stock, and the fact that EVERYONE knows how to repair it if needed. When I owned the Volvo SX-A drive system? I suffered a lot of unnecessary downtime waiting on parts and repair under warranty.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

Not only that, for fun I priced out the parts in a Volvo cat exhaust:
Exhaust manifold, about 900, cat, 900, elbow, 800. For one side. See what I mean? As much as OB's are mega expensive to fix, they are so much less trouble to own, until they get stuck with cats, I see no reason any longer to get an I/O unless you get a pre-EFI pre-cat model.
If you like 4 strokes get an H-180 with a Yamaha 150, it will perform better than the I/O, weigh less, cost less to maintain and be safer. If you like 2 strokes get an Evinrude if you have a good local dealer. I've done the I/O thing for years and they are a pain in the azz and the day a cooling hose fails, (fills the bilge with sea water in no time) you will say never again.

_________________
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

Personally if I were in the bowrider market I'd go with a Glastron GTL200 with the Evinrude 200hp. It's a Four Winns with a different name badge, 20ft long, and power for days.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

I have the same boat & engine but a 2013. Yes, it's fuel injected and you are correct that it does not have a cat. They make a 225 V8 that does have a cat. You cannot get a merc without a cat in the US from Four Winns. I spoke with 4 dealers in Michigan and all recommended Volvo over merc so thats what I went with (fyi, a few of those were only Volvo shops and stocked no mercs anyway). But in other parts of the country I know Volvo can be harder to find service for and parts are more expensive.

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2013 H190 RS
VP 225 V6

With Volvo's built in planned obsolescence and repair bills three times that of Mercruiser of course they recommended it!!

_________________
1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

The Glastron hulls are not even remotely close to a current Four Winns hull.


Two of the things the brands have in common is they are built under the same roof, and offer VP engines and drives. Different molds, different fittings, different vinyl and materials etc. Current Glastron boats are the farthest thing from a re-badged Four Winns you could get.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Geez. Sounds like the OP better back out of this deal... and go buy a Glastron. Thanks for stopping by the FW forum...

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1994 FW Horizon 190
5.0 OMC Cobra

Cap'n, I'm sure you can have some fun with this one.

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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

Since you mention it, I already did. I talk several times per week via phone and e-mail to two of Volvo's
buyers'. One in Sweden at corporate, and one in Virginia. I shared some select comments from some of
little ricky's posts with them. They laughed so hard, they were nearly in tears. It was a great source of amusement
for them as well as myself.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy