Four Winns H 200 Frenzy Edition

By Captain Tom Shackleford

Watersports are all the rage these days. Wakeboarding and waterskiing have seen a tremendous resurgence in popularity of late. Leave it to Four Winns to put together a boat that meets the demands of the consumer pro skier as well as the novice enthusiast. The H 200 Frenzy Edition has got all the features already on board.

That consumer pro…well he’ll notice those features. And the novice need look no further for the boat to get on board…the wakeboard, that is!

Neat Ski Arch

The length is 19’ 8” overall, and the length of the gunwales is the setting for some pretty snazzy “splash” graphics, one of the features that sets the Frenzy Edition apart from other H200’s. Also notably different from stock 200’s is the ski arch. This brushed aluminum assembly is collapsible, comes with board racks and has a tow pedestal mounted at its apex. Also at the top is a covered twin Bimini top. One folds out forward and of course, the aft Bimini folds out to the rear.

In an all knowing move, the Frenzy Edition of the H 200 has been equipped with a swim platform covered by a non-skid textured rubber mat. This is definitively a ski boat after all.

Comfortable Bow Seats

Up front, the bowrider has padded backrests to make for comfortable seating, but at the very front of the bow seating area is also a back rest to assist in a passenger facing astern to keep an eye on skiers. The two bench seats are hinged and open away from the centerline revealing carpeted storage below. The two backrests immediately in front of the operator and passenger windshields also flip upwards to access even more storage. Trick feature that! Equally tricked out is the two form fitted pads stowed in the ski locker (located at the cockpit sole) to put in place of the bow seats and create a brilliant forward sun pad.

Stainless steel hand rails are lengthy – running about a third of the bow gunwales – and provide a large area to grab a hold of in their recessed configuration, not just a one hander that you have to aim for. Here in the bow you also find a couple of stainless cup holders and two of the Sony stereo speakers. The pop up cleats are stainless as well.

A walkthrough windshield is seriously raked back. Man, does that look sporty. It is incredibly functional, creating an impressive air foil over the cockpit area and definitely over the operator and forward passenger. No neck fatigue at speed on this ski boat for the helmsman.

Control Station Features

Speaking of the helmsman, he and his front passenger will ride along in comfort in their adjustable ComfortRide bolstered bucket seats. At the helm, Faria gauges are displayed left to right as such: depthfinder; tach; speedo; a quad gauge showing fuel level, voltmeter, water temp, oil pressure and then the trim indicator. Rocker panel switches have been changed to half-moon brushed stainless two way push buttons lending a neat aircraft appearance. Red LEDs below each indicate operation for the horn, blower and bilge as well as (2) accessories and the courtesy lights. The tri spoke steering wheel is also made from stainless and tilts being Formula One in its appearance.

To the port side of the helm is a small cubby. No ordinary cubby, inside is a single 12 volt outlet and a port for your MP3 player or iPOD. Of course that’s when you’re not using the Sony Stereo with its Sirius Satellite reception.

Cockpit Features

The glove box in front of the forward passenger is pretty darn neat in its own right. Inside is an acrylic base that can be removed to access a cooler. Room enough for a handful of drinks and ice, the through hull drains over the port side. The gunwales alongside here sport two more speakers and cup holders logically stationed low to the sole should there happen to be any spillage. Equally of note is that the gunwales are padded for the length of the cockpit.

The starboard cushion of the aft seating unsnaps to reveal a nonskid surface used in concert with the starboard section of the sun pad/ motor cowling which happens to hinge open underneath of which is carpeting. The beauty here is that there is a completely slip free path from the water across the swim platform and into the cockpit. No messing up any of the vinyl en route either. The middle cushion lifts to expose a 30-quart Igloo cooler and the starboard stern cushion hides a boxy storage compartment.

Sun Pad and Engine

By lifting the aft seat 45-degrees as one unit and pulling it forward it lays down as yet another sun pad, this one being protected from the wind by the efficiency of the windshield. As previously mentioned, that sun pad is actually the top of the motor cowling. This can easily be lifted with one hand by reaching under the center of the cowling and depressing the handle. A gentle lift up and the two hydraulic lifts will complete the yawn open for you.

Below the hood is the MerCruiser 5.0 liter MPI engine. A 1.62: 1 ratio and the standard 13 ¾ Vengeance prop round out the power delivery of the model tested. To either side of the engine are window shaped acrylic panels. Instead of panes of glass, there are vinyl enclosures that easily snap into place or removal. That way the operator with equally great ease can check fluid levels and components before leaving the dock. With the vinyl panes snapped into place the port and starboard basins are now available for storage.

Stepping over that non-skid sun pad set-up to the swim platform, the rubber padded platform makes all the sense in the world when considering the ski motif of this 200 Frenzy. Swimmers and skiers will be in and out much more frequently than a standard vessel. On the starboard side, a tri-fold swim ladder has four wide steps and stows hidden flush with the platform when not used. In all honesty, your grandmother could climb out of the water and back into this boat with little effort.

So, maybe you are one of those consumer pro skiers that have been making do with a standard styled boat for your watersport forays. Or, maybe you are a novice at wakeboarding and waterskiing. In either case, it’s time to make the step up to the Four Winns H 200 Frenzy Edition. After all, what more could you ask for?

Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions