www.iFourWinns.com

Hi ,I know that the 268 vista is longer over all to the 248 vista ,but the question i have is where exactly is the 268 bigger? is the cabin slightly bigger or maybe the cockpit/deck area? is the swim platform the same size or is that also bigger? I did some researching and do know that the 268 is approx 60cm longer ,but not sure where,maybe its just a little here and there? also can anyone give me their opinion on which boat rides the best of the 2 ,or would you consider them equals? look forward to some responses ,should be interesting to hear what you all have to contribute ,thanks ,Mike

From what I've seen all of the extra room is in the cabin area. The aft cabins are the same size so all the extra room is forward of there. No sure of the difference in the ride is as I have never been on a 268. I would assume they are relatively the same ride

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

I know the galley is bigger and also I believe an extra storage compartment between the aft cabin and head.

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

Hi Mike!
Here are the factory supplied measurements. A comparision of the two will show where some of the differences are:

The 248
http://www.fourwinns.com/past_product/specs//2005/21%20248%20Vista%20%28p82-85%29.pdf
The 268
http://www.fourwinns.com/past_product/specs//2005/23%20268%20Vista%20%2890-93%29.pdf
I'm not sure there would be a dramatic difference in ride between the two, but the 268 is 2ft longer and 800lbs heavier which should make some difference. We have the 268 and are very happy with it, but they are both great boats!

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Thanks ,I see on the specs sheets it shows the v berth is a little longer ,but also little narrower ,the mid berth is slightly bigger than the 248 as well(according to the specs) does anyone have pictures of the extra cabin storage in the 268 they could post please? thanks

Starting in the back, you have a storage areas behind the seat of the 268, the seats don't make up the stern of the 268. The deck seating area is a little larger, the galley is a little bigger, and the v-berth is much nicer. One of our club members had a 248 and when they saw my 268 they had a Sea Ray a week later. Gotta say the Sea Ray is a better built boat.

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2000 268 Vista "Reely Nauti"
http://www.facebook.com/#!/rivercruiser

Take a look at for sale boats on YachtWorld and BoatTrader. I tried to post a pic but it won't let me now

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

That"s funny because just a couple of days ago I was lurking on Club Sea Ray and a bunch of them were bitching about the poor build quality of their Sea Rays We looked at the 260 Sundancer when we were shopping and there was no comparison between the FW268 and the SR260....the 268 smokes it in every category except maybe cockpit layout which is preference. With glue in carpet, plastic thru hulls, an impossible to access mid cabin entrance, and the well documented unstable feeling ride it made the decision easy.

I'm not trying to start a Sr vs. FW war of words here since I believe SR makes a great boat, but I do believe that for that time period (2000-2005 and later with the 258/278) and size range, FW had one of the best and most complete 24 & 26ft single engine cruisers on the market with the 248 & 268.

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Most cruisers around here are sea ray, they build them here, and I was not very impressed by the smaller ones. I really liked the layout of the 248/268 myself so I was concentrating on them when I was looking last year. But sea rays are very popular here and you cant say anything bad about them to most people without getting in an argument.

I sea trialed a couple 5.7 268s and a newer 8.1 VP 278 before I bought this 248 and honestly they all 'felt' about the same. The 278 with the 8.1 stood out because of the torque of the 8.1 and just being a much newer boat with 20 hours it felt tighter of course, but a big wake didnt feel much different than the 248. Hard to really tell with short test drives. Main thing I noticed with the 268 was the rear seat wasnt the stern, I'm pretty sure its the same 'u' seat between them. I noticed the head was laid out different, the storage between the head and mid berth and a slightly wider galley. Also the 268 has a forward bilge and a 248 does not. I didnt notice the v-berth is that much nicer, seemed pretty much the same to me, but I was looking at 2000 and 2002 268 and 2006 248.

I ended up with the 248, the year, hours, meticulous previous owner and price swayed me that way. Not to mention my 6600lb lift would pick it up, the 268/278 I would have to just leave in the water. I do think the 268 looks better with the arch and stern not being the seat itself, the 248 looks a bit stubby but honestly I would outgrow a 268 just as fast as a 248.

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2006 Vista 248 5.7DP - SOLD
2011 Crownline E6 - SOLD
2007 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer