www.iFourWinns.com

I finally remembered to snap a shot of one of my favorite mods. Back in July I had the forward Eisenglass panels replicated with Strataglass. The shot you see below was taken through the Strata. The superior optics make a huge difference in my comfort with running the boat with the front panels up. They're heavier and therefore a bit more cumbersome to handle, but on balance, well worth it.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

But WHERE are you stowing the stiffer panels? There's not a lot of free space for storing the regular ones, and they can roll up.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I never roll up any of the panels when they're not in use. Much as I wish there was another space for them, when canvas panels are down, they rest on the forward berth with a sheet in between each one. The full top goes up every night. And Strata does roll... the center panel above the windshield rolls up and uses straps to keep it out of the way just like the original.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Wow, what a difference. Where did you get them and what was the cost? Did you only do the front 3 panels? I usually end up standing and looking out the through the center when the panel is rolled up or leaning out the side.

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2008.Fourwinns V358
1999 SeaRay340 Sundancer
1989 SeaRay 260 Cuddy

Re:strataglass
I was looking into this as well--mainly for the sides--amidship panel.
We rarely take those ones down and like the idea of improved visibility.
I was talking to a supplier at the fall boat show in Toronto and he was
saying it would be about 150 approx for each side. I would likely lose the zipper portion--but again don't use it much in practice. Any other thoughts or people that have done this--did you have to purchase new canvas or were they able to adapt the strataglass to the existing panel?
Thanks,
Mike
Vista 288

That looks great Sierra. How much did it run you?

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2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

Yup - just the front three. And I haven't felt compelled to do any others since living with them for three months - these get done what I set out to get done. The price surprised me - I went to a shop in my area where the guy is known for doing good work (he's been at it for a long time) but he's not known as the best in the area. Once he quoted me $650 (I anticipated paying at least $1,000 for the set) and was willing to turn it around in a week for my big trip, I didn't hesitate. He also came to the boat (a half hour away) a few times to tweak the fit. There are some vertical waves on the port and starboard panels which he said were not really avoidable because of the severity of the curve. You also don't want the glass overly tight because it has virtually no give as compared to Eisenglass. So while the waves make it less than perfect, it is a huge improvement over the stock glass as you see in the picture - it's really that clear (I'll try to shoot some comparison shots this weekend before the canvas comes down for the last time this season )



I was planning on having him remove the Eisenglass from the factory panel and replace with the Strata, but the cost difference to replicate the panels entirely was negligible and he wouldn't have been able to finish the glass to canvas seams as neatly if he used the old panels. And now I have a spare set just in case.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Well the first season is in the bag officially with the new 358. Took it to the Winter storage marina this afternoon. I have no regrets, The season was pretty good here in NJ. Put a total of about 60 hours on her. I used the boot for the large aft canvas for the first time. It was fairly easy to get on and fits well. Took off all the canvas and Left the boat with the mooring cover(also first time used) fits like a glove. It really gives the boat a very sleak appearance makes her look very fast. The main canvas was pretty easy to collapse. I took everything off including all pillows and matress cover. Does anyone take out the matress??? I did on my SeaRay but that was just a foam pad. This is a real matress. Once the winterization is done next week she will get shrink wrapped. Any opinions on whether I should leave the mooring cover on under the shrink wrap?? Well Now I'm already counting the days until April 15 when she goes back in........

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2008.Fourwinns V358
1999 SeaRay340 Sundancer
1989 SeaRay 260 Cuddy

Well sorry to hear the season is over for you up there in NJ. We still have a few weeks left down here in NoVa. All the boats that I have seen that ship from the factory with shrink wrap do not have the cockpit cover on and some stay wrapped for a season or two before being sold and they seem just fine. Personally it sounds like overkill to me and why use the cover if you don't need to.

As an aside, why do you use the eisenglass to store the boat week to week? As I understand it, sun kills the eisenglass pretty quickly and should not be used for regular storage. Do you protect the glass from the poles from the bimini? The heat the poles give off will burn the eisinglass where they touch over time.

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2008 Four Winns V358 (T 6.2L Merc Bravo III's with DTS and SeaCore)
2006 Sea Ray 340DA
2006 Sea Ray 320DA
2005 Maxum 3100 SE

I'm about to head down to the marina to clean everything off the boat and detail the cabin. I winterized the water systems, genny and A/C last week and changed the engine oil. She'll get hauled tomorrow, the exterior and cockpit will get thoroughly cleaned by a professional, they'll winterize the engines and then it's shrink wrap time. I will take the bimini home. The cockpit cover will stay on beginning tonight until it gets wrapped, but I will take the cover home with me. I will be leaving the mattress - there's a limit. I also leave the camper top up from week to week. Constantly taking it up and down is impractical for me and you never know what the weather will be like next time you get to the boat. I arrived during rain storms many times this season and was happy to just hop on board. I have foam standoffs on all of the poles that comes into contact with eisenglass to protect it from burning. All of my glass weathered the season well.

While stored for the winter:

-Do you leave/remove fire extinguishers and flare kits?

-Do you leave your sunshades (in the portholes) open to allow light and discourage mold or close everything?

-Do you leave all of the cabinets open a bit and the door to the head open to allow air to circulate or, especially with new boats, just close everything?

-Do you put damp rid in cockpit under-seat storage bins?

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

-Do you leave/remove fire extinguishers and flare kits? yes, they won't be harmed
-Do you leave your sunshades (in the portholes) open to allow light and discourage mold or close everything? Yes, but mainly because I need the light
-Do you leave all of the cabinets open a bit and the door to the head open to allow air to circulate or, especially with new boats, just close everything?
No closed, but I never thought of it
-Do you put damp rid in cockpit under-seat storage bins?
No, they're still full of life vests

I lot depends on your weather and how dry the boat is when you start. A good shrink wrap job will not let any water in. So you won't get mold if the boat is dry and cold.

I also have boat shrink wrapped with the full camper canvas up. I don't own a cockpit cover. If I had it wrapped with the canvas down I would have to be there, to take it down just before they wrapped and put it up just after they removed it.

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

Do you also remove all the cushions from the cabin, as well as all the removable seats from the cockpit for the winter?

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2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

I left all of the cushions in the cabin and put the fillers for the settee in cabinets. The nice thing on the 358 is many of the cabinets are completely finished so anything inside them is essentially sealed off. The 358 does not have any removable cushions in the cockpit (unless you count the port side lounger base).

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Revisiting an old topic... Many of us in our first season with a new V358 experienced similar problems with the depth reading dropping out at cruising speed. My dealer is aware of the problem and we'll have to deal with it before spring launch at this point, but has anyone heard from their dealer/FW about a proposed fix?

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

Hey Sierra --

About the depth dropping off at cruise -- does your transducer have a "fairing block" on the hull?

Some of the newer transducers come with a protective fairing that pushes water to the sides (and probably debris).

Might help?

Something like this:

http://www.byownerelectronics.com/store ... 454&page=1

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