www.iFourWinns.com

Helping a friend and his wife look for there first boat. They want a small to midsize cruiser. We found a 99 258 Vista that from pictures so far looks really clean, has all options except genny and no tower. Hour meter shows 32.5 hours! They are asking $20K. Oh also it has a VP 5.7L for power. What do you guys think? Only thing I can see it needs for sure off hand is new bottom paint. Oh also it has the dreaded VDO gauges.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

Some mid to late 90's 258's had issues with leaking port lites, and thus some water intrusion in the cabin and ocassionaly the coring. The portlites are sometimes hard to find similar replacements in boats of that vintage. Cockpit dimensions inside are exactly the same as a similar year 248 & 268 Vista. The cabin interior is just slightly larger in the 268's than 248/258's.

Always good to pay to have the engine compression checked, outdrive tested, and full hull survey. If there is anything of real concern, it will show up there. It's money well spent when purchasing a cruiser.

Otherwise, the 258 is a great boat for it's size, with most of what you need to get started in the cruiser lifestyle.

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Ok thanks. They do plan on paying for a complete survey on any boat they consider buying.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

As Cap'n Morgan say's the port lights are a very bad design, in-fact they are more or less unusable on ours as a good cup full of water will enter every time you open them, if you leave them open even a tiny amount and it rains water floods in. I'm curious to know why you think the VDO gauges are "dreaded"

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Regards
Beyond the Blue

"If we improve with age I'm now excellent"


Ex 1998 238 Vista 5.0Gi SX DP
Lexus RX300

Are you guys referring to the small windows on the port side? I have heard the VDO gauges fail a lot.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

Both sides. If the windows were as good as the VDO I would be well pleased.

_________________
Regards
Beyond the Blue

"If we improve with age I'm now excellent"


Ex 1998 238 Vista 5.0Gi SX DP
Lexus RX300

OK so in other words make sure all the port windows are kept closed when not on the boat? Anything else I should look for? Going to stop after work and look at her.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

No. They leak when it rains, when you wash the boat, and sometimes if the seals are shot, they leak even when closed. A poor design. Not a deal breaker, but can be a nuisance over time.

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

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

No fix for the leaking? Silicone around the seam between hull?

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

It's not a fixable (if that's a word) problem, it's a design fault. You might be able to see in this photo that the port-light frame is angled back letting water rest against the window pane, it just puddles there until you open the window and then flows in. The frame is always full of water from rain, spray, hosing down etc. I have had to tighten the securing clips real tight to keep the water out. It might not bother some people, but it drives me up the wall!!

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Regards
Beyond the Blue

"If we improve with age I'm now excellent"


Ex 1998 238 Vista 5.0Gi SX DP
Lexus RX300

Thanks for the pic. That really helps me see the problem. I will let my buddy know about this.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

Back when we were shopping for a small cruiser, I quickly decided that the design improvement and style of the new 248/268 were what I wanted, I quickly quit looking at any 238/258's.

But we all have different tastes and there is nothing wrong with the 238/258, mid 90's I thought they were the cats meow!
There are so many used boats to choose from right now, make sure they look at many to see what the market has to offer.

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

This looks like the same design ports as my 97 278. They held a small amount of water but did not leak. That said, I always mopped up the pooled water after washing and I was in a covered slip. Maybe standing water for extended periods would have been a problem.

The latch screws can be tightened which increases the port light pressure against the gasket. Look for stains on the fabric adjacent to the ports for evidence of past leakage.

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Martin
04 268 Vista - Knot Again
08 Boston Whaler 130 Sport - Double Good
Previous Boat:
97 278 Vista - Buoy Howdy

Double post sorry

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97 258 vista 7.4 VP/DP......... 2008 GMC Yukon XL Denali


96 sundowner 5.7 vp/sx (SOLD)

My 97 258 is great everyone loves it. I did have a few problems with the engine believing it was overheating when in fact it wasn't but I have that under control thanks to all the help I got from people on this forum.

I have to say that when I shop for a boat I don't really look for the cleanest one around simply because those cost too much. Don't let a dirty boat fool you. My 258 was filthy when I bought it but I was able to see the inner beauty of it. Had full survey done on the hull and negotiated from there.

Dirty doesn't always mean bad.

Oh and BTW port lights also drive me up the wall.

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97 258 vista 7.4 VP/DP......... 2008 GMC Yukon XL Denali


96 sundowner 5.7 vp/sx (SOLD)