I am looking to buy a 2005 Four Winns 245 sundowner with a 6.2 Merc 320HP. The boat weighs 4,700 Lbs. Is this boat underpowered? I ski, and I weigh 225 Lbs. Will I be able to ski with this setup?<br /><br />Thank you, <br /><br />James B
no i don't think its underpowered at all and you should be able to ski with it with no problem. i think that that boat has an upgraded engine because i believe you can get a 5.7 MPI in it as the standard engine. if you could find a similar boat with an 8.1 merc or volvo and you can afford it, i'd get that but i wouldnt go out of my way to find it.
HP is not the answer to performance by itself, if fact you can overpower the boat and reduce performance. Think in terms of a race car at Indy. Years back they limited the size of the engine because the cars where beginning to go "too fast" at 165 to 170 MPH. Now with smaller engins and better chassis they go 230 MPH or more and are safer.<br /><br />Boating is lite years behind the auto industry and we still look only at HP and the Prop to improve performance. How about looking at the boat hull for a change. Add Trim Tabs and improve performance more than you can imagine. In addition you will save fuel, which isn't a bad idea these days.
Just a comment re skiing, you do understand that that boat is a day cruiser not a ski boat, the wake will be horrendous and given its weight no amount of HP will compensate for that so its not likely to rip you out of the water. Fabulous boat though so I'm sure you will love it.
