SEVEN POINTS OF COMPARISON
When you're buying a new boat, you're faced with a tough choice. All boats look great in the showroom. All boat makers claim to make the best boat on the market.
So how do you ensure you get the most for your money? We think the decision can be based on 7 critical points of comparison:
Materials
Running Surface
Power
Construction
Features
Trailer
Owner Protection
Choose any of these to see how Four Winns provides real value and superior performance.
1. SUPERIOR MATERIALS
The first step in building a great boat is using great materials. On the surface all boats look great when they're new; shiny and glistening in the dealer's showroom or on the dealer's lot. But how does that boat look five, six, seven years later? That's the difference... great materials.
Four Winns begins with a premium gel coat that brings shine and luster to fiberglass. In tests that simulated the weather conditions of the heat, sun and humidity of Florida; Armorcote kept that shine up to seven times longer than ordinary "buff back" gel coat. That means you have a great looking boat with no hard work buffing out faded colors.
Best of all Four Winns uses Armorcote on all fiberglass parts, not just the hull or certain parts like other boat builders. If your Four Winns has Armorcote, you'll know that every part is protected from fading or discoloring. It's even part of our warranty!
Another important difference that never meets the eye in the showroom is our use of a vinylester barrier in the hulls. You see, fiberglass, over time, can absorb water causing it to blister. We apply a vinylester barrier when the fiberglass hull is being built to keep water from absorbing into your hull.
Does every boat builder do this? Absolutely not! But if you don't know to ask, you may not realize your boat fails to include this important feature … that is, until the bubbles begin to appear long before the monthly payments stop.
If you own a Sundowner™ cuddy cabin model or a Vista® cruiser, then you have bow rails made of one piece welded stainless-steel. Look at a few other manufacturers, you'll see no stainless-steel material, or you'll see bolt-together assemblies held together by screws and sleeves that come loose and rattle after a few years of pounding. One piece stainless is the way motoryachts are built. You get it even on the Four Winns smallest cuddy models.
When you board a new Four Winns boat look at the vinyl. Heck, touch it. Sit on it. Lay all over it. Because what you're experiencing is the most advanced, most durable vinyl material in the recreational marine industry. It's called Aquaflex™, but you might end up calling it heaven.
Aquaflex is manufactured exclusively for Four Winns boats. No other boat company can provide it for you… no matter how hard you plead or hold your breath. They'll try to convince you that theirs is better or just as good. But it's not. Aquaflex marks a whole new generation of marine vinyl standards.
First of all, it's soft to the touch. You can feel that. And it's more pliable, it's more comfortable than the stiff stuff. It's not the heaviest vinyl on the market. Some boat builders will point that out to you. There is good and heavy. But heavy means stiff. Heavy means cracking over time. No. Aquaflex is not the heaviest, its just the best.
Aquaflex is more resistant to scuffing and abrasion, making it easier to keep clean. It has a stronger backing, so it resists tearing and cracking. In fact, Aquaflex is as much as 50 percent stronger than other leading marine grade vinyls on the market. That's due to advanced manufacturing processes no other marine vinyl offers.
Aquaflex means more comfort. Less care. Great looks. Better durability. Aquaflex. Only from Four Winns.
2. ADVANCED STABLE-VEE™ RUNNING SURFACE
OK. At least part of the time you're aboard your boat you are driving. Driving a boat is easy. It's a lot like a car. And then again, it is totally different from driving a car. A great handling boat is the function of a well engineered running surface … the hull design.
Four Winns set the industry on its ear when it introduced the Stable-Vee running surface. Why? It was the first hull ever designed to maximize the lateral stability in smaller recreational craft. Along the way it changed the way all boat builders designed their hulls.
The idea all began when the Four Winns hull designer took his non-boating mom boating. Oh, she liked it OK. But not being much of a water person, she was uneasy when the boat rolled from side to side when idling and being hit by rolling waves along its side. She even felt uneasy getting aboard. "Feels unsteady", she said. Boating …for everyone. "Well if Mom is uneasy, maybe others are too!" thought our designer.
That's when the idea for Stable-Vee was born. He figured out a way to minimize this lateral instability. That's the broad shoulder profile you'll notice in a Four Winns. It still seems wide at the point it breaks the water. Because it is!
And he engineered a variable dead rise to the hull's geometry. That 's techno-talk for creating a hull that handles waves and rough water smoothly, yet has a soft ride in calm water. Variable deadrise. Sounds awful, but it's a good thing. A very good thing.
He also changed the hull so it gets up on plane at a lower speed. That's good. Saves fuel. Gets the bow down earlier during take offs. And when the hull is running on plane (on the surface of the water rather than beneath it) it has less surface in the water. Less drag. Makes it run a bit faster, but more efficiently. That's due to the two pods you see at the stern.
But Stable-Vee provides even more. Our designer carved in special features within the hull, called reversed chines, the geometry of which make the boat handle very predictably. It turns when you want it to. Not sliding over the water like some hulls do. Four Winns' Stable-Vee digs in. Turns crisply and handles like a sports car. (There's that car comparison again, but this time it's true).
The best way to understand Stable-Vee is to go drive a Four Winns. Then, jump into a non Stable-Vee boat and drive that. You'll understand the difference immediately. And you'll get the Stable-Vee equipped boat and have more fun on the water because of it.
Oh, and when you do, thank Mom. She's a regular boater now, as long as it's aboard a Four Winns.
3. WIDEST CHOICE OF POWER
Everyone enjoys choices. And everyone has a different opinion of which engines and drives are the best. Four Winns knows this and offers you the widest choice of power in the industry.
Do you like Volvo-Penta with its cone clutch design, smooth shifting and engineered design? No problem. You can have it in a Four Winns. Many models can be equipped with a Duo-prop® drive if you like. And in certain cruiser models, you can choose Volvo-Penta diesel power or Caterpillar diesel power, if you like.
Or maybe you're a MerCruiser fan. It's the most popular brand of marine engine and drive system in the world. No problem again. Four Winns offers Alpha, Bravo I, Bravo II or Bravo III depending on the model boat you choose.
All in all, Four Winns offers more choices of sterndrive power than other marine manufacturers. No one else offers you so much in popular propulsion choices.
4. ALL FIBERGLASS CONSTRUCTION
If boating is truly going to be a fun experience, then the entire boat has to be designed to be easy … easy to operate and easy to maintain. That's the reason you'll find every one of our boats has a fiberglass cockpit floor. In the manufacturing biz, we call it a liner, because it's more than just a floor. It's an integrated component that adds rigidity and strength to the entire hull.
But the real advantage is that the entire cockpit on any Four Winns boat is 100% fiberglass. That makes the cockpit very easy to clean. Simply remove the high-quality diamond-pattern carpeting. Hose down the floor and give it a quick sweep with a brush. You're done.
Compare that to what other boat builders force you to do. They still use carpeting glued to marine plywood as the flooring, especially in their lower cost models. Now it's time to vacuum, brush and scrub. Carpeting traps sand and dirt and can become stained and discolored. If you need to change it, you're into a major operation to rip it up and replace it.
With Four Winns you never have to worry. Even in our 170 Freedom, one of the most affordable boats on the water, you get 100% fiberglass every time. This is, of course, a Four Winns.
5. INNOVATIVE FEATURES
One of the more obvious ways to compare one boat to another is features. If you're new to boating the hardest part of shopping for features is understanding which ones will really make a difference in your enjoyment and which won't. Some features look pretty, others really make a difference.
At Four Winns we do a good deal of homework and spend a lot of time researching boaters' needs. Sounds tough. But in boating, research can be fun. It means we take our products on the water; use them ourselves, a lot. That's just the start because we see what works and what doesn't in real terms.
We talk to other boaters, Four Winns owners and owners of other brands, as well. We want to understand what boaters want and what they truly value in their boats' features. That's why Four Winns leads the industry with so many advanced and innovative features.
Take Cross-Stream Architecture™, for example. This exciting new trend in boat design combines the best of deck boats and sport boats into one design. Four Winns invented it. Read more about this breakthrough in space design elsewhere on this web site. Go to the Home Page and hit the link for Cross Stream Architecture. See how Four Winns leads the way again.
Check out our bucket seat design, for example. Our bucket seat design in our Horizon, Funship and Sundowner lines features a suspension system dubbed ComfortRide™. It uses a grid work of spring suspension to make it the most comfortable seat in the house. Coupled with the contours of the back and arms, this is one comfortable ride. And while you're sitting, use the swivel adjust or fore and aft adjust. They're far easier to use.
Notice that all of our boats come equipped with CD-players in the stereo. CD's are in. (Does anyone still use cassettes? Why would you want one on your boat?)
And all 2006 models feature Sirius® satellite radio systems with over 60 channels of crystal clear audio enjoyment. So even in a 180 Horizon you get a CD player with satellite radio! Wow. That's Four Winns value.
The entire line of Funships and Sundowners have large transom lockers. We are a leader in providing conveniently placed and appropriately sized storage. It is the result of spending a lot of summer Sunday afternoons on the water, oh, I mean, doing research.
And if you've been aboard one of our Vista cruisers, you've probably been blown away by the DVD players and flat screen TV's you've found in the cabin. Depending on the model they are a standard or a low cost option. Four Winns was one of the first to take TV watching on the water into the 21st century. By the way, if you're a DVD user, and most people are nowadays, be sure to ask your dealer for a copy of the Four Winns Product DVD. We were the first to use DVD for customer education, not only in boating, but in any industry.
6. SURE-LOAD™ TRAILER
Boating is a funny business. Most boat makers build a boat, but forget that you need to get it to the water. Not Four Winns.
We build what we consider to be the best trailer on the market. And our customers agree.
Although not always considered by customers when selecting a boat brand, the trailer is an important aspect of the total boating experience; one you must deal with every time you load or launch your boat.
Four Winns has long built its own trailers. The differences compared to most third-party trailers are profound when you take a close inspection.
The key advantage of the Four Winns trailer design is that it is built to precisely match Four Winns hulls. The Sure-Load trailer design uses carpeted bunks positioned directly beneath the boat's stringers. Bunk trailers are easier to load and unload, even in cross winds. And they're easier to maintain. This minimizes stress to the hull while stabilizing the boat for towing. The bunks themselves are made of wolmanized marine lumber and covered with highly durable marine-grade carpeting. The bunks are through-bolted for maximum security.
The Sure-Load trailer is built with 11-gauge, structural-grade tube steel. This is chosen for its lightweight yet superior strength over channel steel. The entire trailer frame is fully welded; no clamps or bolts are used in the frame construction itself. This eliminates the possibility of bolts working loose during use, affecting structural integrity, rigidity and ultimately, safety.
Each Sure-Load trailer is color-matched to the color scheme of the boat it is built to carry. The paint process itself is a sophisticated, multi-step procedure. The trailer is chemically etched prior to priming. The paint process is a two-part catalyzed material applied electrostatically. The result is a tough, durable paint system that not only looks great, but ranks among the industry's best protection against rust and corrosion. Although the application process is stringent, the paint itself was selected with serviceability in mind. Touch-up kits are widely available for customer use when needed.
Beneath the frame is a single or tandem axle, depending on boat model, with a sealed bearing featuring Accrulube. This is a special spring system within the bearing assembly that keeps water out and provides a means for pushing out old grease every time the bearings are lubricated. The axle assembly design also incorporates available integrated brakes. Disc brakes are a standard on Four Winns Sure-Load trailers equipped with brakes.
The Four Winns trailer design lowers the center gravity of the boat load. This makes the trailer more predictable to handle when loaded and, at highway speeds, reduces drag caused by the height of the load.
From back to front, Sure-Load trailers offer more. Integrated, waterproof tail lights which are mounted in recessed housings for protection. Wheel fenders are bolted on and can be removed for repair as needed. Details in the design, such as full step pads ahead of and behind the wheel wells, as well as a non-skid appliqué on the wheel fender, make footing much more sure when climbing on or around the boat. The trailer is complete with an easy-to-use swivel jack and forward winch and nylon security strap.
The Sure-Load trailer also incorporates a self-straightening feature that helps correctly position the boat for the driver. This is an important advantage over generic roller trailers that can be hard for novice boaters when the approach to the trailer is off or cross winds are strong.
Even Four Winns tongue design provides advantages. Our smaller trailers are equipped with an innovative swing-away tongue design feature to their custom trailers. The swing-away tongue offers a unique solution to trailer storage by shortening the overall trailer-boat package without the need to completely remove the tongue, allowing the two to be stored in more limited spaces, such as residential garages. Larger trailers have a removable tongue that not only helps reduce storage space but reduces the possibility of theft.
A five-pin electrical connector disables the brakes when the trailer is backing down a launch.
The Four Winns Sure-Load trailer is of the same advanced thinking Four Winns has become famous for ... outstanding design and superior quality that leads to greater long-term satisfaction for the boat owner.
Although all trailers can seem very much alike, a close inspection and better understanding of trailer duties and requirements point to the superior performance of the Four Winns Sure-Load trailer. There's a world of difference.
7. COMPREHENSIVE OWNER PROTECTION THROUGH THE FOUR WINNS WINNING EDGE™ WARRANTY AND GENMAR FIRSTMATE™ SERVICES
The warranty coverage is a critical difference between Four Winns and some other boat makers. We feel that our owners should receive not only great coverage, but coverage that is easy to use. That's why all warranty issues are handled by Four Winns and its' dealers directly. Other boat makers refer owners to the manufacturers vendors when problems arise. Not Four Winns. You bought our boat. We want you to deal with us, regardless of who made the part that's troublesome.
In addition, we keep parts on hand longer than any other major boat maker… five years after the model is no longer current. That means if you need a part, chances are we have it in stock, perhaps even in dealer stock. That's the part of Four Winns Winning Edge™ warranty that's far ahead of others who tout superior warranty periods, but lack the wherewithall to make it convenient for you.
Our Winning Edge™ warranty on 2006 models is one of the most comprehensive coverage plans you'll find in boating;
Lifetime limited warranty on structural components of the hull, stringers
and transom.
Five (5) years coverage against osmotic blistering.
Two (2) years on non-structural components (regardless of who makes that component or that manufacturer's original warranty!).
One (1) year on the Sure-Load trailer, excluding tires and paint.
One (1) year against cracking, crazing, fading or exterior
gel coat finish.
Remaining Winning Edge™ coverage is transferable to the next owner, so it adds to the value of your Four Winns come resale time.
There it is, seven important reasons why Four Winns should be your choice in boating:
- Superior Materials
- Advanced Stable-Vee™ running surface
- Widest choice of power
- All fiberglass construction
- Innovative Features
- Sure-Load™ trailer
- Comprehensive Winning Edge™ Warranty
Look. Shop. Compare. You'll choose Four Winns.
