www.iFourWinns.com

I've beached mine and at my end of year super clean job I took a high speed buffer to it and worked the scuffs out. I dont do it regularly.

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6th season with this boat... Never beached once, boat stored every day in a garage, boat is pristine.

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2004 180 Horizon
NE Georgia

I have beached any of the 3 boats we have own on rare occasion in soft sand at Lake Powell.

You can see in sig. phot how we usually tie up at beach. Avitar photo, was taken late November, no way was I getting in the water!


If you Ever beach, you will scratch gell coat, its that simple.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

I have beached and consider myself "smart" about it. I run in slowly, shut the motor down, trim it up, stop on beach, after everyone gets out, I pull the boat up by hand.

When I leave, I push the boat out by hand and then let everyone get in, then I give the boat a big push and jump in, trim down a little, start it up and slowly back out.

HERE IS MY QUESTION.
I replaced my themostat because the boat wasn't warming up right, the old themostat seemed stuck open. The new themostat worked fine...until I beached again, then it stuck open again. I took out the thermostat, cleaned it and put it back in and it has worked great since (no beaching since either). Machanic said I was sucking in sand and I needed a filter that would take care of that. The thermostat did seem have sand in it.

Anyone heard or installed this filter? Anyone had this issue?

We boat with our chocolate lab "Mocha" and she need to use the beach once in a while.

1995 220 Horizon with OMC 5.8L EFI and Cobra outdrive.

Thanks, Shawn

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Shawn
Washington, Iowa
1995 Four Winns 220 Horizon

5.8 EFI 58FAPHUE

I beach my boat all the time. I do have a keel guard though. I figure just fix the bottom if needs be every 2 years and it would be worth it. So far bottom is in great shape and this is my second year.

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2007 Four Winns Horizon 200
Santa Clarita, CA

Most of my shoreline is mud/silt. I have a keel guard, bow ladder, and removeable cushions/carpet for that reason. Yes, I beach the boat frequently. Aim towards the desired spot, gun it a bit, shut down, trim up and slide in. I have a screw in "dog" tie-down I use, and one of those solar lights that I mark the spot with at night. No one trips over the rope this way.

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Walt B
"Debt-Charged"
Black '07 H210SS
6.2L Bravo One turning a 21P HIFive
Wakeboard Tower with Perfect Pass Stargazer version
Missouri River; Kansas City, Mo.

I am torn now...

I am new to boating and have an older boat....but she is still mine.

There is a nice little resort on Lake Huron that we are going to stay at and I would like to beach the boat overnight. Maybe I should just anchor out a bit and pull the stern in.

Thoughts?

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Don't forget the plug....
.......Don't ever forget the plug......

Yeah, I've beached my boat a few times. I have some small cosmetic scrapes too. Not likely to do it all that often to be honest.

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Kinger
2009 H220 / Mag 350 / SS Reverse Arch

Don't know the conditions on Lake Huron, but if it is relatively calm, consider getting an "Anchor Buddy", which I use and others have alluded to also. It is a bungie which you put on your anchor line which allows your to come up to shore and unload. I use mine on a stern hook and stretch it as I pull in to shore - once everyone/everything is offloaded, I hook on a caribiner to the bow eye to attach my bow-line to a dog-screw on the beach/shore. The Anchor buddy pulls the boat back off the beach and lets it float untl you pull it back in by the bow line.
Works like a charm.

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

People here do beach their boats but I don't...not because it's in such pristine condition (NOT) but more because of having to wait for the tide come in to re-float it...high tides are separeted by 12 hrs and it's 6 hrs from low to the next high tide....we have sandy beaches but the sand is bigger and more coarse than an ocean beach with many small rocks mixed in...the boat's bottom painted so it doen't really matter but still rocks concern me...

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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 prefer to anchor bow facing out and walk the stern in, then use a line to tie off the stern to shore. This guarantees that anyone getting in will have to walk through the water meaning no sand in the carpet and less cleanup later.

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

Yeah, we've been hit by receding water also - on Lake Mohave - And we weren't even beached!

Just below Hoover dam it is shallow and narrow and if they reduce the water flow it drops the water level drastically...we were surprised by this when we came back from a few hours at the hot springs.....

Took a few hours to come back up and absolutely no damage done!

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

Funny coincidence that Horizon looks just like ours...maybe it's a few years newer because of the curved windshield...like a 91 or 92....

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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

No beaching in Washington...I have yet to find sand on any of our shorelines. In Chelan Falls there is a sand bar that people float around. But the river varies by up to 10 feet daily so I would worry about that.

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Optimus Prime
Now: 2007 Horizon 260, (2007/08 brochure boat)
Previous: 1995 Sea Ray Signature Select 220
Tow: '07 Avalanche LTZ
Seattle and Chelan, WA

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97 205 Sundowner