1990 Four Winns Purchase

bjarnold1

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Nov 12, 2005
Messages
136
I'm looking at buying a 1990 Four Winns Freedom 170 17' bowrider with a 2.3 OMC Cobra Ford I/O. The hull is in fair condition but has a couple small cracks in the gelcoat but the floor is solid. The seats need re upholstered and the engine turns over but has not been started in 3 years. The outdrive is in excellent condition and still has all the original paint and decals. The guy wants $500 for it and that includes the trailer. Would it be a good deal even though I have no idea about what shape the engine could be in?
 

Bondo

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Staff member
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Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,465
Re: 1990 Four Winns Purchase

I'm looking at buying a 1990 Four Winns Freedom 170 17' bowrider with a 2.3 OMC Cobra Ford I/O.
Would it be a good deal even though I have no idea about what shape the engine could be in?

No,... It's $500. Too much... Parts are almost Non-existent for that motor,+ the drive ain't much better...

Run Forrest, RUN...
 

RotaryRacer

Lieutenant
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
Messages
1,361
Re: 1990 Four Winns Purchase

I always hate to disagree with someone like Bond-o. However, I think for $500 you may have a ok deal. If the trailer is decent and the hull is solid you can always repower and re-upholster. You need to think of it that way. Assume the engine is junk and will need to be replaced. If you do replace it it would make sense to update to a Volvo or Mercruiser. If you do that you can sell off the OMC stuff and recoup your oringal investment of $500 pretty easily.

Before I bought a boat like that, there a few things that need to checked:

- I would make sure I could afford a repower.
- The boat needs to be checked very carefully for rot. Those boats have a lot of wood it them that can rot if not taken care of.
- Make sure all the paperwork for the boat is in order. If you can't title the boat in your name easily it will be nothing but problems.
 
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