Mid 90s (‘95)Four Winns vs mid 90s(‘96) Monterey bow riders

ggundersen3

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
246
What’s the comparison in quality, overall general construction/resale etc between a mid 1990s Four Winns Horizon vs the same era Monterey bowrider both 20’ or under in length. Both mid/upper tier? Or not?
 

jbcurt00

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Oct 25, 2011
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Current condition is more important then build quality 25yrs ago
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
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Oct 30, 2002
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21,657
Resale/depreciation concerns went away 15 years ago on those boats.
Mid tier maybe, but means nothing if they are trashed, or have hidden damage.

Current condition, maintenance history, engine / outdrive condition and recent service are what you need to know.

Post links to the ads of the boats you are considering.
 

tpenfield

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Jul 18, 2011
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Both of them were mid-tier coming out of the factory almost 30 years ago IMO. What is more relevant today is their current condition, which may put you in the restoration forum. :LOL:
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,033
Four Winns usually had V-P outdrives. Are they still supported?

Not sure what Monterey had for power.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Jul 23, 2011
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four winns was OMC back in the early 90's.

both boats are past their prime even if they were the best boats money could buy 25 years ago.

both boats should be considered project boats
 

briangcc

Commander
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Jul 10, 2012
Messages
2,089
VP - volvo penta - is still in the US market and available as an option across most boat lines.

Now, finding a marina willing to actually work on them, at least in my area, is dicey at best. Given that and the cost of parts compared to Merc (it's easily 3x-4x over Merc) and I personally wouldn't touch them. They're nice drives and all - velvet smooth going in/out of gear as opposed to the half-baked solution in the Merc Alphas.

If the costs were comparable and the dealer network in place where I boat, then no question I would have a VP over Merc.
 
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