Craigmri
New Member
Prior to writing the check I got to sea trial the new 2008 Four Winns H180 this morning. This boat was outfitted nicely with the optional 4.3 Liter 190hp Volvo Penta powertain. Other niceties included a fantastic extended swim platform as big as I've ever seen on a small bowrider. The ladder build into the swim platform was also the best I've seen. it provided 6 steps all the way down to the ground when on the trailer. Easy on from land or water for sure and it was very nice quality. The boat had many more optional features such as satellite radio, upgraded steering wheel, optional graphics, upgraded trailer, flush pop-up cleats and full cockpit and bow covers. MSRP on this boat was $26,000.
We launch the boat and it looks fantastic in the water no doubt. In fact, the swim platform sits about 5 inches off the water and just looks fantastic! The boat fires right up even as its the carbureted model. No stalls, no hicuups. It was a hot day so that may change if the weather was cool. We idle away and was pleased how quiet running this boat is at idle. At speed I'd say engine noise was a little quieter than the Utopia. Since this boat hasnt been broken in and was its maiden voyage the rep from the dealer wanted to break it in easy for the first 20 minutes and eventually run us up on plane and varied speeds for another 10 minutes before handing the helm over to me. I now get to play and notice how nice the hull performs on the Four Winns. Their design is called "Stable V" and its not just marketing BS....IT WORKS!!!! Even in choppy conditions it slices through the slop well but most impressively, when in hard turns and high speeds the boat stays remarkably flat in the turns. Even more than the jet boats. I was shocked....This hull works! Top speed was about what I expected. We got 49.8 on the gps with three adults and a light fuel load. We tested this on the calm end of the lake so it was a real number. I may have been able to squeak another mph or two if I played more with the trim???
OK, what didnt I like? For short...The holeshot. Annoying bow rise for the first coupe of seconds and not jet boat-like acceleration. I tried a few different trim settings and nothing would eliminate it. I suspect with a four bladed prop and a set of smart tabs I could help this condition. No way in hell would I ever buy a 3 liter engine. In addition, some qualities of the boat I did not like such as a wobbly passenger bucket seat and a glove box door that squeaked real bad when opened because it impacted the fiberglass surround. These kind of QC issues and cheezy construction kind of turned me off.
So with that all said....I'm still boat less.
Craig
We launch the boat and it looks fantastic in the water no doubt. In fact, the swim platform sits about 5 inches off the water and just looks fantastic! The boat fires right up even as its the carbureted model. No stalls, no hicuups. It was a hot day so that may change if the weather was cool. We idle away and was pleased how quiet running this boat is at idle. At speed I'd say engine noise was a little quieter than the Utopia. Since this boat hasnt been broken in and was its maiden voyage the rep from the dealer wanted to break it in easy for the first 20 minutes and eventually run us up on plane and varied speeds for another 10 minutes before handing the helm over to me. I now get to play and notice how nice the hull performs on the Four Winns. Their design is called "Stable V" and its not just marketing BS....IT WORKS!!!! Even in choppy conditions it slices through the slop well but most impressively, when in hard turns and high speeds the boat stays remarkably flat in the turns. Even more than the jet boats. I was shocked....This hull works! Top speed was about what I expected. We got 49.8 on the gps with three adults and a light fuel load. We tested this on the calm end of the lake so it was a real number. I may have been able to squeak another mph or two if I played more with the trim???
OK, what didnt I like? For short...The holeshot. Annoying bow rise for the first coupe of seconds and not jet boat-like acceleration. I tried a few different trim settings and nothing would eliminate it. I suspect with a four bladed prop and a set of smart tabs I could help this condition. No way in hell would I ever buy a 3 liter engine. In addition, some qualities of the boat I did not like such as a wobbly passenger bucket seat and a glove box door that squeaked real bad when opened because it impacted the fiberglass surround. These kind of QC issues and cheezy construction kind of turned me off.
So with that all said....I'm still boat less.
Craig