www.iFourWinns.com

I am really, really looking at a Horizon 240... I sold my old 20 foot Chaparral 2 years ago and am realizing how much I miss boating. I've had either a boat or a jet ski within arms reach for the previous 10 years from when I sold my Chap'....

Four Winns seems to be a top name... products seem super high quality. I've yet to meet anyone who didn't love their FW.

I'm looking at that 23-26 ft bowrider range... a porta potti for the better half is a "must have". That's not up for debate. Outside of that, the rest is pretty much up to me.

I spied a Horizon 240 at my local dealer... man that boat is kick ass. Just the size difference from the 220 to 240 is daunting. The boat at the dealer had the 5.7 GXI DP setup... said that was the best motor for the boat. thoughts on that?

Now -- fast forward... THey have 2007 in the showroom... willing to make an easy deal at about 15% off MSRP without even asking. I really want the stainless arch - but the dealer said it would be best to just order the boat if I want the arch. Adding it later is a pain and more expensive. Anything ordered now would obviously be an '08.

Pricing is slated to go up 3-4% for 08.... options are unclear at this point.

Anybody got any insight into the 08's yet? It doesn't sound like the 240 will change much for 08 in terms of layout, quality of materials, etc.... but the options could/will change a bit?

Anbody got an inside line?

I don't have any inside line, except to say that price increase would be in line with what they've done the past two years (at least) in a row. And, I can tell you that the boat does indeed kick a$$.

Many would tell you that the 280hp 5.7 Gi is just as good a fit for that boat as the GXi, and it may very well be. It'll also save you a couple thousand dollars. I have to say, I enjoy knowing I went with the biggest engine available.

The head in the 240 is terrific for kids, and usable for anyone, but it's tight for adults. I recommend a "test fit" prior to purchase. Consider whether you want or need the pumpout option, or whether you're OK or need the "manual empty" option . We have the pumpout and wouldn't go any other way, but all the lakes we use have marinas with pumpout facilities. Note, you cannot pump out marine heads at RV stations; that's a common misunderstanding.

What would you be using as a tow vehicle? The 240, with full fuel & water, dual battery option, anchors, tubes, toys, spare tire, etc., will tip the scale at 6,500# on the trailer.

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

There are a few 2008 pics here:

http://www.winnisquammarine.com/

You may want to give them a call for information.

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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

I would personally target 25% less than MSRP for a bid. I have a 210H and we really enjoy. This is our 2nd summer with it, and it is perfect for us (though without a potti, we fare ok). You can find a lot of people to put a tower on, but for me, I would prefer the OEM do it to make sure the bimini is going to fit right, etc. Just be sure to make your deal going in (i.e. don't try to get the dealer to do something extra after you have already paid for it - unless you like sarcastic laughter).

You will enjoy a FW.

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'06 Horizon 210

Thanks for the heads up guys...

Yeah - I'm not super keen on the 3-4% jump in price... and I may have a shot at more of a 20-25% discount if one of the 240's that's sitting in their showroom doesn't go anywhere any time soon.

They say the boats don't get as deeply discounted in the northwest - probably because of the number boaters out here... and they are the only four winns dealer in the area.

I'm not seeing much that would steer me away from an 07 for the 240... especially if I can pick up the 240 that they do have at an even bigger discount. I am betting I can squeeze a 20% discount... but i'm not so sure on the 25% discount... if I could get 20 and a couple of services thrown in... that's a pretty good option as well.

As for the motor -- I've heard the 280GI does run strong... and the GXI seems to run soft. The boat I am looking at also has the side exhaust - would that help the GXI at all?

If I ordered the boat, I was also thinking of the Merc Mag 350 MPI with the Bravo 3.

Anymore details on the 08's would be great...

The GXi doesn't run "soft," nor does it need help. The Gi does seem to run "strong," however. No small block will benefit from thru-hull exhaust. It's also a couple thousand dollars and another maintenance item.

The 350 Mag/BIII would also be a great choice.

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

The 240 is a great boat. I bought mine used last August and love it so far. Mine has the 5.7 Gi and it does run strong. I did some water skiing off it a few weeks ago and I was surprised how it yanked me out of the water. The boat can also take a nice chop too. Here on Long Island a flat calm day is rare. Most days I just run it at about 3k RPMs which is about 25-30 MPH, but when I do find some calm water she will do 50. Overall my favorite aspect of the 240 is the rear lounger. I'm not a big fisher, but I do like sitting on the back and tossing the line out. So far I caught a few nice blues this season. Anyway, good luck with your purchase.

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2004 230H 5.7 Gi DP - SOLD!

I would think that 20% would be pretty realistic. I bought my 220 at a January boat show, so I got some extra incentives. In the end, I ended up at about a 31% discount before trade-in, down payment, etc. were discussed. That may differ a bit depending on geography and dealer though.

I don't know much about Volvo, and will obviously vote for the 350/B3 setup. I would do a little research in your area to find out how many places regularly service a Volvo in your area. If your dealer is the only one, you may want to think harder on the Merc. Here in MO, many of the lakes outside of major cities have repair shops that look at you like you are not speaking English when you ask them if they work on Volvo stuff. With some of them, all they know is Merc.

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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 the heck do people get 31% discounts... holy cow!

I see 20% is possibly attainable.... 25% is a desperate stretch.... 31% would be insane.... unless you get things like an extended warranty or tons of accessories thrown in....

I spec'd out what I really want on the FW website... when it's all said and done, the MSRP is like 67,900...

The boat on the showroom floor is right around 64,662 msrp... They dropped to 54900 without even talking about a deal... which is right about 15%.

What are the "extras" that people end up with to get to a 31% discount? I can't imagine that the dealer is going to sell a 68,000 boat for around 47,500.... at least unless it's a year end carry over or unpopular, in stock boat that isn't moving...

But if they throw in a couple 500 buck services, life jackets for the family, extended warranty discounts, etc... I could see how progress is made towards that 30% mark...

How do you guys do it? And are any of you in the Seattle are with names of sales people to talk to? =)

I must admit that I made a mathematical error in calculating my percentage. Sorry for the confusion.

I picked out everything I did/didn't want at the show, the dealer got on the computer and had it priced out at the boat show at approximately $58K with the trailer. I laughed at this number, and prepared to leave. After some discussion, the price out the door was $42K before rebate, other incentives, and the application of my fully-refundable deposit. All incentives were locked in until delivery of the boat if I put a deposit down on the spot at the boat show. It was fully refundable if I walked away from the deal.

I just applied the rebate and my deposit to the balance to get the price down to $40K even before trade-in. I was figuring my percentage number on the $40K instead of the $42K, so the actual percentage was 27.6% off of MSRP. So, if I would have put zero down, traded nothing in, and applied the $1,000 rebate, it would have been $41K (29.3% off MSRP) before trade-in.

The other incentives:
- factory + extended warranty for a total of 6 years on the entire boat interior/exterior, engine, and outdrive (I reviewed these closely to make sure they were actual extended warranties and not some crappy guarantee of nothing). I've been told this is usually about a $1,500 item from Merc;
- Coast Guard package including 6 life jackets, 4 NICE docking lines, a very nice large plastic-coated Danforth anchor with 6 feet of plastic-coated chain and 100 feet of 3/8" braided anchor rode, and 4 LARGE rubber fenders with lines (I later priced this stuff out, and it came to $700-800 in value).

Also, I got a free mooring cover out of the deal because I was so excited that I invited my brother over to my house that night and showed him the catalog and exactly what I was buying. He went down to the boat show the next day, handed my sales guy the business card he had given me the previous day, told him I had bought a boat the day before, and bought a 220H of his own (different color) on the spot that day. The salesman was quite grateful.

So, when you figure in the extended warranty and the Coast Guard package, that is at least $2,000 that I didn't spend either. If you were to figure THAT into the overall cost compared to sticker price, it puts me well above the 31% I threw out in the beginning.

Any boat I purchase in the future will be at the boat show as well. I would imagine you might be able to take advantage of similarly motivated dealers at the model year end.

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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)

Hey Mike,

At the risk of hijacking this thresd (sorry) Your boat looks great, what do you use the wash and wax with. Do you use a buffer or by hand?

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2006 260 Horizon 8.1 Volvo DP
2007 Tahoe LT

Thanks, Mark. I've moved my registration numbers since that pic was taken, and wish I had a similar pic with them in the new location.



I use this, with a big "shag rug" sponge from WalMart:



Followed by this, every 2 years:



And this,the rest of the time:



I apply polish or wax with this:




ProperBoatCare used to sell a polisher accessory kit containing a bottle of the polish mentioned above, compounding & finishing pads for the PC buffer, etc. I don't see that kit on their site now, but it included a bunch of stuff I've never used anyway. But in addition to the links above you'd need a "gel coat finishing pad" and a backing plate, both available from them individually (I'd get at least 2 finishing pads - one will hold up long enough to do your boat 2 or 3 times, but then they start to fall apart).

In the category of "credit where credit is due," I got all this from Cincy Aquaholic, an infrequent poster to this board, who also happens to own a (black) 260. Maybe he'll be along soon and post some pics of his boat.

Hope this helps.

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

Sorry about the image links not working. It appears they only work if the link ends with a .jpg extension. Admin, would it be possible to link to images without having to create our own (duplicated) image files on a different server just to have a different extension?

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

230 Mike,

I am getting ready to trailer my boat 800 miles to Lake Havasu, I noticed your bow and cockpit covers are the same as mine, do you think it would be OK to trailer that far with the covers installed?

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2006 260 Horizon 8.1 Volvo DP
2007 Tahoe LT

Mark,

Others will differ, but I never trailer without my covers on. I've never had a snap come loose, and I like having everything covered. I've never trailered that far one-way, but I've trailered it that far two ways many times. Again I know others feel differently - including Four Winns.

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