85' Four winns Horizon 190

[Jimmy Jam]

Got a chance to pick up a really nice used one. Guy agreed to let me have it for $3K.... for the boat & trailer..... It has the 3.7L 4 cyl 170HP Mercruiser. Worth it or not? Never owned a stern drive before.

It has new tops, new prop, & a really nice interior and hull. One tiny slightly soft spot on the floor right in front of the motor cover.

What should I be on the look out for....things to avoid????

Don't wanna make $3k mistake if ya know what I mean.

 

[Jimmy Jam]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

No one??????? Anyone.

 

[Dakota47]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

I would not buy it. it has the dreaded 470 mercrusier. keep looking, better deals out there to be had.. check craigs list,, remember to always test drive the boat first and inspect it real good.

 

[Maclin]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

That particular engine has been problematic for Merc. Do a search here on 470 or 3.7lx and see what comes up.

Do not buy the boat (ANY BOAT) without an hour or so trial on the water. Look at the oil in the engine before and after. Look at the bilge area before and after. Have them stop for a few minutes in the water then start it up again. Make them throttle it up above 3500 rpm for a period of time, watch the temp gauge to look for steadiness versus fluctuations, make sure the boat feels fast enough for all the work the engine is doing. Turn the steering several times, listen for noises from the back of the boat. Ask questions about funny noises or water in the boat. Pretty on the outside and nice interior can be very beguiling, ignore the cute stuff and concentrate on the hardware.

Four Winns can be nice boats, and $3k is not exorbitant but it can cost that much to fix some things that you don't know about now but would know about after the trial. If the owner balks at any of that then walk away OR pay the money but have another $3k ready to fix the stuff you did not check out and that they may be hiding and that you WILL learn about later. Find out why they are selling it. Ask a couple of different ways at different times to see what they say and compare. If more than one person is around ask them the same questions and see if it jibes.

The soft spot in the floor bothers me. That can mean so much more than just a floor/decking issue.

 

[Jimmy Jam]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

Thanks guys! That's just the info I was fishing for. On another note, as far as owning and maintaining a boat goes which is least costly an i/o or an OB?

My guess would be an outboard. Someone school me.

I have an old Larson w/ a '76 E-Rude 85 thats having problems and the dealer can't diagnose (without a complete teardown...CA-CHING!!!!) why one of the cylinders is cutting in and out.

 

[Maclin]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

Have you posted anything under the "Johnson & Evinrude Outboards" forum here? Some pretty savvy outboard veterans hang out there.

An outboard does not have a big hole in the transom at the bottom like an I/O does. There is a mandatory schedule of maintenance right there to keep the sealing components in good working order to keep it from sinking. There is more winterization involved with an I/O as well.

I can do all of the maintenance and winterizatin myself on my I/O so I do not mind the extra. I like the I/O layout and the more familiar engine layout and components for tuneups and things. I also like the full swim platform across the back, not sure how I would do without one of those now.

Outboard engines tend to be more compact and specialized in their layout and type of components and may need to see the dealer more often even if a person can do their own maintenance.

 

[danond]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

A teardown because your engine misses occasionally is a screwjob!

If you're handy with tools, I/O's are a good choice. If not, then it doesn't matter. Both are expensive to pay someone else to fix.

 

[Jimmy Jam]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

Have you posted anything under the "Johnson & Evinrude Outboards" forum here? Some pretty savvy outboard veterans hang out there.

An outboard does not have a big hole in the transom at the bottom like an I/O does. There is a mandatory schedule of maintenance right there to keep the sealing components in good working order to keep it from sinking. There is more winterization involved with an I/O as well.

I can do all of the maintenance and winterizatin myself on my I/O so I do not mind the extra. I like the I/O layout and the more familiar engine layout and components for tuneups and things. I also like the full swim platform across the back, not sure how I would do without one of those now.

Outboard engines tend to be more compact and specialized in their layout and type of components and may need to see the dealer more often even if a person can do their own maintenance.

Thanks. Haven't tried the Johnson/E-Rude forum yet. Maybe someone there will be able to diagnose it.

 

[Jimmy Jam]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

A teardown because your engine misses occasionally is a screwjob!

If you're handy with tools, I/O's are a good choice. If not, then it doesn't matter. Both are expensive to pay someone else to fix.

I'm extremely handy with tools and love to tinker. Personally, I think I'd be able to do a lot of the upkeep and maintenance of an i/o. I'm cheap....or shall I say, frugal! I hate paying someone to do a job I could probably do myself. I know my limits and if it's something that appears to be beyond my capability, then I'll seek a specialist.

 

[danond]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

You should be good, then. If you can diagnose stuff like fuel delivery, spark issues, timing, etc, you'll have no problems keeping an I/O running *IF* you purchase the service manual to go along with it.

There's lots of weird stuff that you need to know when working on a marine vs. non-marine engine that only a service manual can tell you.

Plus the drives are their own animal. There's lots to know on those suckers.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

If it has a soft spot on the floor, even a small one, then the stringers are suspect. If the stringers are rotted than it's a major project. Beware.

 

[Jimmy Jam]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

Alrighty then how about this one....????

http://burlington.craigslist.org/boa/714781314.html

I mean as far as power plant & outdrive?

 

[pod184]

Re: 85' Four winns Horizon 190

Got a chance to pick up a really nice used one. Guy agreed to let me have it for $3K.... for the boat & trailer..... It has the 3.7L 4 cyl 170HP Mercruiser. Worth it or not? Never owned a stern drive before.

It has new tops, new prop, & a really nice interior and hull. One tiny slightly soft spot on the floor right in front of the motor cover.

What should I be on the look out for....things to avoid????

Don't wanna make $3k mistake if ya know what I mean.

I have this boat (or at least the same year/model). I have had it for a couple years. It has been pretty reliable. That motor has a few quirks due to the design. I still have the original stator based charging system, though this may change after this season. The engine is VERY easy to winterize as it is fresh water cooled. I believe the 4" heat exchanger was standard on the 3.7 in '85 (mine has it at least) so that is one thing less to worry about.
I had a water leak thru the exhaust that dumped water on the starter last summer. It worked fine for the rest of the season but was rusted pretty well this spring. Got it rebuilt for $92.
One thing I noticed is that Four Winns has absolutely fantastic customer service. I called them to find out if they could ID the original vinyl so I could replace some weathered areas. They did not keep those kind of records back then, but tracked down the original manufacturer for me and gave me the contact info I needed. They were very helpful and even though this took several calls about a 20+ year old boat, they treated me as if I bought it new. I am very impressed, great service.

This boat is rated for 10 passengers as well if that is an issue for you (I wouldn't want 10 fullsize people onboard, but kids are a different matter)

Like anything used, look it over closely and ask questions (and do some reading here). The 3.7L should not be an automatic dealbreaker as long as it was maintained.