www.iFourWinns.com

She looks pretty clean, and nicely equipped! And the price is nice. Nice enough that I have to wonder if he knows of something else lurking. But that's probably my conspiracy side showing through. For $11K, you could put some money into it and still come out OK IMO.

I agree about the survey, but note that many surveyors don't include the engine and drive in their survey. It might be money very well spent to get it to a Volvo mechanic and get his opinion. That would also be a good way to find out if the trailer has any issues .

In any case, I would not buy any trailerable boat until I could do a thorough inspection out of the water.

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

Survey appointment set for tomorrow.

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2000 Horizon 230

Thanks Mike,

You've been a big help. I was thinking along the same lines about "why is he selling so low?". The guys doing the survey are guys I've used in the past to service my Caravelle. They seemed focused on drivetrain more than any thing else - compression check, oil check, bellows, etc. A boat like this doesn't have many "systems" like a larger boat would so hopefuly the hour they spend ($85) will be worth it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

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2000 Horizon 230

Looks nice. Maybe have a seperate marine mechanic go through the motor. Compression check, pull a riser to look for major issues, lower unit oil condition, ECU check for hours, etc.......

You may have a GREAT deal on your hands.

Good luck and keep us posted.

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2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

Hey, that looks just like my boat. There would have to be some major problems to make $11K not an attractive price. I thought I got a great price on mine a year ago and I paid almost twice that price. We have been very happy with our choice and it has been the perfect size for what we need. I am having the issue with the VDO and may have to shell out $500 on a new cluster if my ground wire solution doesn't help.

Good luck with the survey and hope everything works out.

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John
2001 Four Winns Horizon 230
VP 5.7 GSi / DP
2007 Ford Expedition EL

You're welcome! We'll be looking forward to hearing how it turns out.

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

Go and buy the boat! I was going to say that if the boat was under 18 K (with trailer) 16K (without trailer) it was a deal. Even if you had to spend 5K on a new outdrive (highly unprobable) you would still have a beautiful boat for under the used value. Last Fall when I was looking for a larger boat, I tried to get a 2000-2004 range 240 and could not find them for less than 25 K that's why I bought the 260 because I picked it up for less than what I could have gotten a 240 for. It seems the 240's are as big as most folks want to go and "the big boys" want bigger than the 260 so she sort of sits in the middle realm.

Here is what NADA says
http://www.nadaguides.com/default.aspx?LI=1-24-38-5697-0-0-0&l=1&w=24&p=38&f=5698&m=0667&d=1600071517&y=2000&ml=F&gc=mr&gtc=MR

Go buy the boat and get some use out of it this Fall, that will tell you what you will have to "tinker" with over the winter!

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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

Guys,

I did the test drive - more on that in a little bit. The out drive looked to be in pretty rough shape but nothing I couldn't dress up. Not being familiar with the DP out drive, I'm concerned about a small hole on the port side of the lower unit. The picture below was taken from a thread on another site. See that blemish/hole on lower unit? Is this hole supposed to be there? The one in the pic seems to be in the exact location as the one on my boat so it's a good example to show you. Thought's?

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2000 Horizon 230

That's some kind of weep hole, my outdrive has the same thing and it drains slowly for hours out of it!

Haven't you bought the boat yet? You will not regret buying that boat. All these things are small and some cosmetic cleaning up will make her look brand new for next spring!

_________________
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

Done Deal! $11k. Aside from the outdrive issues, which I think I can fix with relatively low cost, the boat started fine, but out of the hole it was very sluggish. The engine seemed to lose power and struggled to regain until the higher RPM's. In the mid-range it fluctuated a bit but WOT the RPM's were there. I suspect the fuel filter or maybe the plugs since it's due for the 100 hour service. With the hours it has (95), I doubt compression is an issue.
It has the typical VDO issues like the trim gauge only works about 5º of the 100º or so scale so I'm never sure how I'm positioned. In time, ear and feel will compensate but I'd like to have the gauge working. Also, the depth finder will not work after the engine is shut off and restarted unless you turn the battery off first. Things like that I can live with or fix. If you know of a great link for the VDO stuff, please pass it along. I will be searching.

I was not able to take it to the surveyor since my hitch has a 2" ball and the trailer requires a 2 1/4".

To top off the day, someone bought my Caravelle for the same price I paid a year ago. Things are so golden here I'm worried about my future... prayers are in order. lol.

This may be a long adventure but man does it feel good to say I OWN A FOUR WINNS!!!

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2000 Horizon 230

Congrats on your purchase! Do an oil change (motor and outdrive), put in some fresh gas, and enjoy the fall!

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2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

The trim gauge issue is more likely the sender on the drive, and less likely a problem at the helm. That hole is indeed a weep hole, but again it looks to me like it's surrounded by corrosion. I do think you got a great deal on this boat, but I hope you can get the drive & running issues taken care of without too much outlay. Note that there is a specific, multi-step approach needed to correctly refinish the drive. With that kind of corrosion I recommend you really get it done right - not just sand it and shoot with touch up paint.

You can use that picture to find your anodes. The one on the drive is that clam-shaped one that's directly above the weep hole you asked about (directly above if the drive was trimmed down). It's held on by two bolts. The other anode is a different shape and is mounted up under the bottom of your transom shield. Both are critical, and if you'll be in fresh water exclusively you should be sure to use magnesium anodes (despite the fact that some online sellers will tell you to use zinc).

But in the mean time - congratulations!

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

Sorry I missed this thread until now. Great boat...we have the exact one except for it is gray. Same engine and drive. Ours was stored on a lift do our out drive looks brand new.

You did get a great deal...even if you have to put some money into it. We got a great deal on ours as well, paid $16k in April for it. 280 hours, new tires on trailer and in very clean shape.

The boat should not be sluggish at all out of the hole...our jumps right on plane.

The fender storage in front of the windshield I wish they would have just not put there. The fenders that can fit in there are way too small and if you do not have a full mooring cover on they collect water and send it into the head and storage compartment.

One other thing I do not like is to get to the batteries, you need to open up the entire engine hatch. In 2001, they added a flip up "door" to get there.

But we now have one full summer of use, did not use it as much as we like...but my wife and I both love the boat. Great power, and rides "softer" in rough conditions than our cruiser we had before.

For what we paid...we are very pleased with our purchase and I am sure you will be as well. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Congratulations ! You will enjoy your new boat. As Dave said above spend some bucks and do a thorough tune-up (cap. rotor, plugs , wires), oil changes and even some carb/FI cleaner or octane booster in the fuel for this season will help clean everything up. Maybe even a new battery or two. I would do everything you can so that you are comfortable with the boat and you know it won't leave you stranded. The best confidence will be preparation and assurance in your own mind that you know the boat is running 100%

In the mean time, check all your local laws about safety gear and stay where other boats are until you are confident enough to break away from the pack.

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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

An update...
The rough engine was indeed just the plugs. Changed those out and now it runs like a champ! The only issues I have now deals with instrumentation. The speedo only works when it wants to. After investigating a bit it appears the VDO cluster had been sent in for repairs as it had a black ground wire coming from inside the module and was grounded to the fuse panel. Also, the back of the cluster had the Owners name on it written in marker. I can't imagine this was done during orginal production so somebody had to have gotten into it post-production. Anyway, I took the ground off the fuse panel and sent it back to the battery. Speedo worked great for a while and then went back to "bouncing" every once in a while. Do you think it's the transducer? I have not done the voltage check yet but if it is working intermittently, my test result could be deceiving.

The depth finder freezes after the initial startup. It won't correct unless you cut off battery supply.

The clock always resets after the battery is shut off.

The trim gauge does not work but I suspect it's the sending unit which I hope to replace soon.

Any opinions on this stuff? Looks like I've got a nice winter to-do list.

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2000 Horizon 230