www.iFourWinns.com

Had something similar happen to me. Story was that their truck driver (they get 2- 3 boats on a trailer) messed the original delivery time up. Then, the truck driver had a flat or some such. One way you can tell if your boat's built is if the dealer has the Hull, engine and trailer serial numbers. You need this info to get insurance (usually the dealer will not release the boat without proof that the boat is insured - at least if any finaincing is involved). So call your dealer and tell him your insurance agent needs the info. My Dealer had it, and apparently was at the whim of some wayward trucker. I did get my boat, and you will too.

*edit - one nice thing, I'm sure your boat will have the same new, smaller profile, Sirrus Radio antenna that came on mine. It's much smaller than the 'cup holder' sized ones used previously.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

I know the feeling

Request a meeting at the dealership with the owner and sales manager

I have found this to be the best way to resolve diputes!

WE have had our share! NO BILGE PUMP OUTPUT!

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Jeff

2006 Four Winns Yellow Horizon 30th Anniversary 200 SS
2005 Nissan Titan Crew Cab
2004 Ford F-150 Lariat

http://www.seabrook-services.com

So we picked the boat up yesterday, was a long drive but we got it back safely. I've spent the entire day checking everything out, however i haven't found the rear table post. Isn't there supposed to be a bracket in one of the storage compartments for it like for the stern light?

We need to go pick up the tower in 3 weeks so if the dealer forgot to give it to us we can get it then. . . i just want to know if its hiding somewhere on the boat.

Good luck dealing with the dealers, our agent was also really slow about returning calls, but alot faster with emails.

Mike K

I doubt there's a bracket for it. It should stand out from all the other poles with that 45 degree angle in it. Maybe it's deep in the ski locker? - my Dealer shoved a bunch of my 'options' in there.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

Fun times continue. Got a call from my salesman Friday night while I was out to dinner. "Good news!" he says, "I just got word that your boat shipped yesterday and I expect to see it tomorrow!" Originally, they had told me it had already shipped 5 days before. Completely fed up with the situation, I concluded that the boat was sitting on the lot already and they just had fallen behind and couldn't get it ready for me yet. I drove down Saturday to look and see for myself-no boat. So, I felt like an idiot for a bit.

Talked to the sales guy again yesterday-he couldn't tell me if the boat had hit the lot yet because he hadn't been down to the waterfront location where they are actually delivered and had been working instead at their showroom. I told him that they were now a month late, that I wanted it delivered this coming weekend (May 19th/20th), that I had no interest in picking it up Memorial Day Weekend because I still have to pull it about an hour away to my lake, and that if they couldn't handle that they could just find someone else to sell it to.

I started this process at a boat show at the end of January with the very thought in mind that I wanted some time before Memorial Day. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether this is a manufacturer or dealer issue? I don't really know what to think anymore, and am doing my best to be patient with this process. Missed another mid 80's sunny weekend here in Missouri last weekend.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

It's hard to say where the problem is, but you're right - something's amiss somewhere. To start with, though, if the dealer told me, "I don't know if it's here or not," I'd rip him a new you-know-what and let him know I expect him to FIND OUT even if it means he HITCHHIKES to the damned location where it's supposed to be. If they can't answer that basic question, I would by default assume this whole mess is the dealer's fault until they can demonstrate otherwise.

I think at this point I'd be talking directly with the owner or highest ranking person in the dealership. January was MORE than enough time for them to get the boat ordered and delivered when you wanted it. If it hadn't been until March, that would be different.

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

Well, to avoid confusion, January was when I committed to the boat and put money down. We didn't do our demo and test drive and order until the first week of March. I realize that January doesn't help regarding the order, I just recall asking several times whether or not I would be set up by the first of May and the answer was never anything but yes.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Well... FWIW - I ordered our 230 on March 8th and it was all they could do to get it delivered to us on June 2nd. The only difference is, the dealer told me up front it would take that long, based on the build date he got from the factory and the fact that the delivery truck was going to have to make a stop at another dealer on the way here. In fact he got all that nailed down before I placed the order because he knew it would be awhile and didn't want me getting upset about it later. I haven't been 100% in love with everything my dealer has done (more like 95%), but I can't accuse them of being dishonest on anything.

It's starting to sound to me like the factory isn't the problem, but that the dealer has just said whatever they have to in order to make a sale. I'm still just speculating though, but it sure sounds to me like the problem is with the dealer and not the factory.

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

Just got off the phone with the Sales Manager at the dealer. I have now been given my 3RD ship date which was <drumroll> TODAY!! On top of that, I got the repeat story about how ice storms have set everyone back from working on boats, many others are delayed as well, Four Winns keeps changing the dates on us, blah blah blah blah blah.

WOO HOO! Don Pardo- tell him what he's won.

"Paul, you've won a trip on Memorial Day Weekend down the two-lane main drag at Lake of the Ozarks, which is the only road to/from the boat dealer. During this trip, you'll get to experience stop-and-go holiday traffic on your way in, hook up a 5,000 lb boat to your vehicle, and do it all over again as you turn around and go back through the same traffic to begin the one-hour drive to YOUR lake. As a fabulous second prize, you have a chance to win an exotic Memorial Day Weekend at your place at beautiful Pomme de Terre Lake with NO BOAT WHATSOEVER!" [audience applauds loudly].

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Ouch. I think the ice thing is a load of crap. I haven't heard anyone else talking about not getting delivery from FW. I can actually believe today being the actual ship date. That would about match what ours was based on a March 8th order date.

I doubt it'll make you feel any better, but how would you like to have a 230 sitting in storage, and be facing the possibility that you won't be able to use it at all this year?

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

I would not like that option, either. Hopefully that is not your situation.

I should probably just shut up. There are a lot more important things in life than whether a toy is getting delivered on a certain date. I brought this up more to find out if anyone out there thought I was out of line in being frustrated. I have not been through a boat order before, so these are uncharted waters for me.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

How about suggesting to the dealer that an equivalent 'loaner boat' could tide you over until they are ready to complete the transaction? Wouldn't be your boat, but it'd be a boat, and should take the trailering factor out of the long weekend.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

Actually it is. But back to the point, don't worry, your frustration is the same that all of us either have felt at some point in the past, or will. We lost nearly a month of last season due to a gel coat repair; the dealer was so backed up they just couldn't get to it for a long time. Again, they told me that up front, so there were no surprises, and the repair was more perfect than I could've hoped for. All this seems to be part of boating, but that sure doesn't make it any more tolerable for the person dealing with it on any given day.

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

Jim, that is a great suggestion. I'm calling Michigan this morning to see if I can get a straight answer from someone, and possibly a paper copy of a Bill of Lading or something confirming that the boat really was shipped yesterday. If I get that, I'm going to contact the dealer and discuss that option with them.

Once I get some solid answers out of Michigan and/or the dealer, I'm going to be patient and let them do their jobs to get it to me.

Thanks again to everyone for your insight and thoughts. I'll post any significant info in the hopes that it will benefit someone in the future in a similar situation. Otherwise, I'll post the pics as soon as I can.

Mike, I hope your situation works out so that you can enjoy yours this season.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Update time:

Talked to the FW sales department at the factory in Cadillac, Michigan this morning. They advised that my boat was completed on May 1st. My brother's boat, which is identical except for maybe one or two options, was completed May 2nd-except for a part that was back-ordered. Factory was not able to tell me what that back-ordered part was, but they did say that it was back ordered to May 7th, then to May 9th, then to May 14th. So, that is what has caused the delays and the multiple ship dates given to us. Could be one of his optional parts causing the delay, or it could be that I got the last steering wheel, or something like that, before he did.

Both boats are now completed, wrapped, and have been "released for shipment." The problem now is that the time crunch for delivering boats before the holiday weekend has left them short on transport units. They have released both boats for shipment, but they do not know what day they will actually leave their factory. Could be tomorrow, could be this weekend, just depends on how soon they get a driver lined up.

The factory said that they would contact me to let me know when they physically leave, and that they will email me a copy of the paper confirmation when they do leave. They also told me not to be upset with the dealer, as this issue is completely out of their hands. They also said that they would be able to tell at that time whether our boats were the only boats on the load, whether there were multiple dealer stops, where the other stops would be, etc. so that we might have an idea as to whether Memorial Day Weekend is a realistic possibility.

According to the factory, the dealers just call the shipping department, get a ship date, say "OK, thanks", and leave it at that. It was nice to get some concrete answers/reasoning as to what the problem has been. Now, I'm off to give my brother a hard time and blame him for delaying the boating season.

Again, thanks to all for suggestions, comments, etc. Hopefully this thread will live on as a lesson to others out there in a similar situation and help explain delays in delivery dates.

I'll update when I have some definitive dates and, of course, with pictures of me smiling like a kid at Christmas or [insert name of alternate religious holiday here].

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)