Four winns oben bow/:) or :(

[danny9696]

I am looking to get an older four winns bow rider, would it be better than a bay liner, I see lots of bay liners around but very few Four winns, I want to ski and pull a tube with it, I have a family of 7, any recomends on what length and what engine I should look for

Thank you much

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Four winns oben bow/ or

How old are you looking? What is your price range?

Where are located and what kind of water are you going to be using it on?

There a lot of boats that would fit your needs. Four Winns is a step up from Bayliner in terms of quality. That is not to say Bayliners are bad and Four Winns are flawless. Four Winns I think has built a longer laster more consistent boat over the years than Bayliner.

With a family of 7 I don't think anything less than a 20' with a decent sized V8 would be comfortable.

 

[danny9696]

Re: Four winns oben bow/ or

Thank you for getting to more specifics,

I am located in Arizona and fresh water only, just like to play, maybe some fishing but not much on the boat, to many kids I can see hooks flying and thats not good. I would like to spend about 4k I have found a few that were in the 90s, I want to stay above an 87. I dont mind having to redo seats I enjoy it, gives me something to do when I cant get to the water, I am an auto mech and just like to tinker, my wife calls it danny rigging:redface:

hope that helps, please feel free to line me out, kinda new to the boating world

 

[jacknbella]

Re: Four winns oben bow/ or

Wish I could help, however, I just bought a brand new Four Winns. No matter the age, you can't go wrong with a Four Winns! Best of luck!

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Four winns oben bow/ or

Thank you for getting to more specifics,

I am located in Arizona and fresh water only, just like to play, maybe some fishing but not much on the boat, to many kids I can see hooks flying and thats not good. I would like to spend about 4k I have found a few that were in the 90s, I want to stay above an 87. I dont mind having to redo seats I enjoy it, gives me something to do when I cant get to the water, I am an auto mech and just like to tinker, my wife calls it danny rigging:redface:

hope that helps, please feel free to line me out, kinda new to the boating world

Ok. Here's a few thoughts.

In 1988 OMC bought Four Winns. At the time this wasn't a bad thing. In fact OMC had some of the best designs and had the deep pockets to keep all the designs up to date. Now, after OMC went out of business in 1996 any Four Winns that is an I/O built between 88 and 96 isn't as desireable as brands that used Mercruiser.

If you are looking at boats that are outboards then there really is no bad year for Four Winns. The OMC outboards were always good and there is still very good support for them.

With your budget I think you could find a decent Four Winns that won't need much work. I would suggest looking for anything 1987 or earlier bowrider in the 20' range with a Mercruiser outdrive and V8. In 87 there was a 190 and 210 Horizon that would probably work.

Now, my personal choice would actually be to find a boat like this:

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1994-FOUR-WINNS-190-Horizon-93442317

I personally like outboards better. That boat is supposed to also have a full bench seat accross the rear of the cockpit. There is a ton of seating for your whole family. I think that particular boat is overpriced. I wouldn't doubt you could find one like that for significantly less. 1994 was the first year of that hull design.

You could also find something similar just a little bit older. From 1988 to 1993 they built a 20' Horizon that was available with outboard power.

The I/O vs. Ouboard question is something only you can decide.

Good Luck. Four Winns did always build quality boats.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Four winns oben bow/ or

I agree with the above poster, you can find a lot of late 80s and early 90s FWs but many will be powered with OMC I/Os which will lower resale value and also are getting harder to get serviced, I have one and am lucky to have a good shop to do the repairs I can't do. If you can find an outboard powered one so much the better but they are pretty rare, I have only seen one or two and I am in a salt water area.
Whatever you do, be very careful with boats of this age, one thing common to most of them is wood cored decks, stringers and transoms. If not cared for properly (dry storage) they can have rot all over, and turn into a real money pit. I had to redo stringers and the deck on mine and it was not a fun project! But it is a great running hull, safe and stable and the OMC Cobra drive train has been reliable once set up right by a good mechanic.