Third time's a charm? 1990 Four Winns 200 Horizon Resto/Refurb

infideltarget

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
802
Re: Third time's a charm? 1990 Four Winns 200 Horizon Resto/Refurb

DBreskin... definitely report back on how those smart tabs do. I saw them on sale and thought about ordering a set, but I dont even know how it runs without them...so I will follow your progress first.

Rhino... Thank you! I am but a little cog in a big machine. Your boat is NICE! I like the sunsport seating. I considered changing our over, but prolly not worth the cost difference. I am seriously hoping ours is not rotten. So far the signs are good, but we will see when I get home and get a little more in depth. Mine goes to the mechanic in about 3 more weeks to get all the mechanicals sorted / rebuilt / replaced. I will have him do a bit of looking while he is in there. Mine supposedly was rack stored, and cared for by the marina, so the PO stated she was solid. The guy who picked it up for me and delivered it to my home is experienced in boat buying / repairing as well, and his initial report was all is well...but he did not do core samples...so we will see. Either way it will see limited use this year, so it will have to do unless it turns out to be unsafe. If rotten, I will fix it when I get home for good.

Let me know what you like / dislike specifically about your boat, as I am curious to see opinions. Thanks again for the great pics!
 

rickryder

Commander
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
2,722
Re: Third time's a charm? 1990 Four Winns 200 Horizon Resto/Refurb

Nice rig Bro! Now get yer butt home and get on with it! :D
 

Cadwelder

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
1,780
Re: Third time's a charm? 1990 Four Winns 200 Horizon Resto/Refurb

I don't understand.....you said you were thru with project boats and I certainly understand, but now you have another one with a bad engine. You said you can fix it for 5K, and that's if there's nothing else wrong, but still a 21 year old boat, with lots of wood in it. Now you can find garage kept boats much newer and in tip top shape in the 5 - 7K range. After two rotten boats why try again? Just Curious.
 

infideltarget

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
802
Re: Third time's a charm? 1990 Four Winns 200 Horizon Resto/Refurb

I don't understand.....you said you were thru with project boats and I certainly understand, but now you have another one with a bad engine. You said you can fix it for 5K, and that's if there's nothing else wrong, but still a 21 year old boat, with lots of wood in it. Now you can find garage kept boats much newer and in tip top shape in the 5 - 7K range. After two rotten boats why try again? Just Curious.



Well...that's just the way it worked out. I had not planned on buying another project boat, but this one looked right for the money. Also, you say there are plenty of tip-top boats in the $5-7k range, well, no...not really. Most everything in my area in that range is much smaller, just as old, and / or in worse condition. I have no intention of going into debt for a boat right now, so it has to be something I can pay cash for. With all the other things going on right now, about $5500(ish) was all I was willing to spend. I needed at least a 19' boat, with at least a strong v-6 in it, and no Bayliners allowed. Those three requirements right there put me into the late '80s to very early '90s boats. So regardless of what I bought, I was looking at a boat with wood in it. Most of the running boats I looked had trashed interiors, or came with no trailer. A trashed interior on an old boat typically means lots of exposure to elements, and a very good chance of rot, and even though it would be running, I am not there to lake test, so it may STILL need engine / outdrive work. I took a calculated risk with this one, and it may very well turn out to be a rotten POS. BUT...the interior is very nice...if a bit dirty...and it has lived a very sheltered life. It has very low hours, and was maintained professionally all its life. It was stored inside. So the chances of rot are lessened somewhat. I got it for $1500. Add $500(ish) for storage and delivery and I am at $2k. The engine and outdrive refurb will run me $2-3k. I already have this quoted and lined up. So for $5k, I have a 21' boat. with a great interior, new (or rebuilt) v-8 engine and outdrive, near perfect custom tandem trailer, and ready to get on the water. That would be near impossible to buy outright. If it truns out that it needs to have some rot replaced, I will handle that myself, and have a practically new boat for what I would have had to spend on one with unknown issues passed on by someone else. As far as being 21 years old goes...who cares? I am not one that has to have the newest and most up-to-date thing on the lake. I will never be able to afford to spend $50k+ on a new boat. That pretty much relegates me to used boats. This one will do the job, and will leave enough play money to do other things. Boating is not my only interest. We also like to camp (our travel trailer is an '83 model), and I like to restore Mustangs (I have an '86 GT, and an '89 GT vert). So keeping cost down is a plus. I would much rather fix what needs to be fixed, as I can afford to do so, rather than have a payment that is going to have to be paid whether it runs or not. Besides...we as a family get great satisfaction out of doing things together. Our camper refurb has been a family project, and is nearing completion. We will have a whopping $3k in a Holiday Rambler 31' aluminum travel trailer, with all the niceties of a new one. My '86 GT only has 64k miles on it, and is my daily driver when I am home. It runs and operates like a new one. My '89 vert is undergoing a cosmetic resto as we speak. It is mechanically solid. The boat is no different. I have no doubt I will have more in it than it will ever be worth. I have no doubt there will be newer, faster, nicer boats on the water with us. If they can afford to go pay cash for a nice new boat, or want those payments every month, more power to them to do so. We will be having just as much fun, and will be doing it in a boat / camper / car that WE restored, and it is paid for. That is why.
 
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