2002 Four Winns 348 Vista

[Boaterdan278michigan]

Looking for someone who has knowledge of this boat. We are interested in overall opinion of seaworthiness and room. We intend to sleep in the foreword berth. We are curious if it has adequate head room and if it can be accessed (is there viable steps) on both sides of the berth. TIA

 

[mr 88]

Googling it , shows bed more of a side berth than V berth . Head ,feet and one side are touching something . Enter from one side that is also shorter than the length of the bed . Hull is cored and bottom is solid , so it will be worth it to have it surveyed for a host of reasons , if insuring they may want a Accredited surveyor . Things like through hull fittings , bonding wires , belts , clamps , hoses , AC and DC circuits, along with stringers ,transoms and moisture content , etc . Are checked out , a lot of stuff that the average Joe may miss . Also used for negotiation of price if stuff isn't 100% . You can look at a boat, do a sea trial and make a offer based on it passing a survey. Then take it from there , no reason to have survey before trial in case you don't like it for whatever reason.

 

[tpenfield]

Are you able to get aboard one of these boats (presumably for sale)? That may answer a few of your questions.

Have you checked the Four Winns owner's forum (ifourwinns.com) ? That will be your most concentrated source of direct experiences.

Ride quality and rough water handling are very subjective and there will be a wide range of opinions.

If you end up buying a boat (any boat), be sure to have a marine survey done as a contingency to the sale. IIRC, you are looking at 20 year old boats . . . have the surveyor do a thorough check of the structure in the engine bay.

 

[Boaterdan278michigan]

Googling it , shows bed more of a side berth than V berth . Head ,feet and one side are touching something . Enter from one side that is also shorter than the length of the bed . Hull is cored and bottom is solid , so it will be worth it to have it surveyed for a host of reasons , if insuring they may want a Accredited surveyor . Things like through hull fittings , bonding wires , belts , clamps , hoses , AC and DC circuits, along with stringers ,transoms and moisture content , etc . Are checked out , a lot of stuff that the average Joe may miss . Also used for negotiation of price if stuff isn't 100% . You can look at a boat, do a sea trial and make a offer based on it passing a survey. Then take it from there , no reason to have survey before trial in case you don't like it for whatever reason.

 

[Boaterdan278michigan]

Thank you! This is great information. Did you acquire all the info, ie cored hull and foreword berth layout, from one google inquiry?

 

[Boaterdan278michigan]

Are you able to get aboard one of these boats (presumably for sale)? That may answer a few of your questions.

Have you checked the Four Winns owner's forum (ifourwinns.com) ? That will be your most concentrated source of direct experiences.

Ride quality and rough water handling are very subjective and there will be a wide range of opinions.

If you end up buying a boat (any boat), be sure to have a marine survey done as a contingency to the sale. IIRC, you are looking at 20 year old boats . . . have the surveyor do a thorough check of the structure in

 

[Boaterdan278michigan]

I've not found one in my area yet. I searched IFourwinns, no meaningful returns. Thanks for the advice on a survey, it's an absolute part of my plan. I have a moisture meter, so I'll do a bit of crawling in some bilges. Shopping for a used boat is a grueling process.

 

[mr 88]

Thank you! This is great information. Did you acquire all the info, ie cored hull and foreword berth layout, from one google inquiry?

Yes , punched in your info , and a bunch of info came up. Just looked at one " site " and a layout along with the hull lay-up info were shown . Moisture meters for a boat are a crap shoot , unless you absolutely know how to use them . Example, boat recently pulled and bottom paint will affect readings . A good surveyor will use a hammer and supplement it with a meter .

 

[Boaterdan278michigan]

I would assume that if you get wet readings they're accurate? I'd be inclined to walk away from a boat which showed wet readings in transom, stringers or deck. If I don't read moisture, and I wanted to purchase, I'd pay for a survey.

 

[mr 88]

Have you ever used a moisture meter ? Have you ever taken a hammer and tapped a transom or stringers ? Have you ever removed screws from a transom or stringers and used a pick to see if you have dry shavings . If the boat cost more than 10-15 K , I highly recommend a survey , after you've taken a sea trial , and you have poked around a bit . They will spot stuff that isn't even on your radar .

 

[tpenfield]

Thanks for the advice on a survey, it's an absolute part of my plan. I have a moisture meter, so I'll do a bit of crawling in some bilges. Shopping for a used boat is a grueling process.

The moisture meter that the surveyors use will most likely be the Tramex Skipper. It is designed to check the moisture through fiberglass.

A contact-based moisture meter (like the ones for about $50) require access to the wood substrate and are not effective in most marine applications. Although, on my boats, I have drilled small holes in the fiberglass so the contacts of the moisture meter could touch the wood core.

Shopping for a used boats can take quite a few months. In my experience it has been 6-10 boats and 3-6 months. My current boat - I started searching in June 2021 and took possession in November 2021.