www.iFourWinns.com

I just bought a 97 FW 205 Sundowner. It has 514 hours on it and ran great the one time I had it out. Is 514 hours alot? should I be worried. The boat is in perfect condition. Appears to be very well maintained but since it was a trade at a dealership they dont know much about its history. It has the 5.7 liter Fuel Injected Volvo Penta with the duo props. Anything I should look for as far as potential problems. Thanks Neil

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1996 4 Winns Horizon 170 SOLD
1997 4 Winns Sundowner 205 SOLD
2000 4 Winns Horizon 230 CURRENT
Tow Vehicle: 2007 Toyota Tundra Limited SOLD
1999 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 SOLD
2003 GMC Yukon XL 2500 6.0

Hi, Neil. Unfortunately there's no way for anyone on an Internet forum to say whether you should be worried; depending on the history of the boat it could be good as new, or on it's last leg.

Please don't be offended, but I'm curious as to why you're worried about it after you bought it?

As to specific things you can do - if it was me I would have a good marine mechanic inspect the drive, engine, and do an engine compression test. But, this would just be for your own peace of mind, since you already bought it.

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

When I first bought it I didn't think that that was to mary hours but afterwards I started thinking about it more and realized that it was alot of hours. I'm still really happy with it as the interior and exterior is in perfect condition. I guess its one of those things that I just shouldn't wory about. But I was just wondering.

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1996 4 Winns Horizon 170 SOLD
1997 4 Winns Sundowner 205 SOLD
2000 4 Winns Horizon 230 CURRENT
Tow Vehicle: 2007 Toyota Tundra Limited SOLD
1999 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 SOLD
2003 GMC Yukon XL 2500 6.0

Hi Neil,

514 hours may sound like a lot, but really it's only 40 hours/year, which is probably a little below average for those of us who only get to use our boats during 4 or so months of the year. If the boat's in excellent condition, it obviously wasn't abused, so I would just make sure it's serviced properly, enjoy it and not worry about it. Like Mike said, have it checked out for your own piece of mind.

Joe

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USCG 50 Ton Master Inland/OUPV Endorsement+Towing

1998 278 Vista - Twin 4.3 GLs, Kohler 4KW Gen, AC/Heat.
1999 Yamaha Waverunner SUV
2003 Yamaha Waverunner SUV w/MR-1 HO conversion

I only get to boat on Sundays because I work pretty much every Saturday. I bought my boat new in May of 2008 and put 47 hours on it the first year. In 2009, we only put about 30 hours on it. In 2008 we spent more time skiing etc...than in 2009...altough I was on the boat MORE in 2009. Sort of a strange mix really.

I would say most people typically put 40-50 hours/year on their boats (of yours/my size and type). Obviously, if you ski, wakeboard, etc....the hours add up faster. A lot of people would say that 500 hours is a lot of hours. With that said, there is obviously a big difference between a 500 hour boat than looks like it, and one that has been taken care of properly. As long as you take care of it (and it was taken care of before) I am sure it will serve you well.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

When I sold watercraft, the advice I gave to buyers of private craft was, "the condition of the boat usually reflects the condition of the engine".

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H210SS 6.2
F150 Platinum

Well thats what I thought, I was curious if that was alot of hours. I did drive it twice, once on the test drive and the second the day after I brought it home. I put 2 hours on in when I took it out and everything worked flawlessly. I'm probably worrying about nothing because everything is in great condition. Someone really took care of this boat. There isn't even fading on the outside and its 13 years old. I guess I just wanted some reasurance. Thanks for your replies.

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1996 4 Winns Horizon 170 SOLD
1997 4 Winns Sundowner 205 SOLD
2000 4 Winns Horizon 230 CURRENT
Tow Vehicle: 2007 Toyota Tundra Limited SOLD
1999 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 SOLD
2003 GMC Yukon XL 2500 6.0

Could it have been reupholstered? Normally a survey would be your best bet to determine the real condition of the vessel.

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2005 Four Winns 268 Vista

It could have been reupholstered. Not sure though. If the boat was maintained well how many more hours of use would I get out of it before I have to rebuild the motor?

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1996 4 Winns Horizon 170 SOLD
1997 4 Winns Sundowner 205 SOLD
2000 4 Winns Horizon 230 CURRENT
Tow Vehicle: 2007 Toyota Tundra Limited SOLD
1999 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 SOLD
2003 GMC Yukon XL 2500 6.0

I don't know the answer to remaining hours, but it sounds like it'll be a long time before you'll have to worry about it. Still, I can understand your concern, as I think I'd be the same way. My advice is, enjoy the heck out of it this summer, then when it's time to winterize, have the mechanic do a compression test on it. Shouldn't cost all that much and you won't have to be without the boat during the season.

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

Lindeman23,

You could easily get another 10 years (50 hours a year times 10 years) of engine life before even considering a rebuild.

We sold our boat last summer (to move up) that had 1050 hours on her twin 5.7 litres and the engines were in great shape. We would not notice any decrease in engine oil level from beginning to end of season and I actually obtained the best speed on my GPS that I ever had with this boat (46 MPH) when the engines were close to the 1000 hour mark.

Just maintain your engine well and you should have many years of enjoyment.

Mike.

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Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

Thank you all for you imput. I feel better about my purchase now. I just had a family member tell me that that was alot of hours and I should have found something with less. Thats why I started to worry. But I'm going to enjoy the boat as much as I can and not worry about hours.

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1996 4 Winns Horizon 170 SOLD
1997 4 Winns Sundowner 205 SOLD
2000 4 Winns Horizon 230 CURRENT
Tow Vehicle: 2007 Toyota Tundra Limited SOLD
1999 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 SOLD
2003 GMC Yukon XL 2500 6.0

+1 for what everyone else has stated. Also, IIRC the hour meter can run up while the ingnition key is on, say listening to the radio. So this may not actually be true 'running' hours. Plus a boat that is driven and taken care of will be in better shape than a boat that has been sitting idle, so higher engine hours isn't necessarily bad. From the sounds of things, you bought a boat that has been used typical of most people and maintained very well. Get out and enjoy your NTU boat!

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'99 Horizon 200

That is why you can turn the ingnition key to the ACC and only power accessories not the motor, this way the hour meter would not be counting.


100,000 miles on a motor that drives 60 MPH would take 1666 hours. 500 hours on a well maintained motor is not that much.

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

I've got a little neon with 250,000 miles. With driving around town and highway miles I probably average 40 miles per hour.
That comes out to over 6000 hours. I would think most boaters take care of their boats a lot better than their cars.
What do you think?

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sundowner 235