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Tested By Capt. Bob Smith

Fresh off the line and out of the boat ramps is the leading model of Four Winns all-new series of sportboats. Four Winns is so thrilled with the response they are receiving from the dealers, they are proclaiming 2004 a “leap year” for them on more than the actual sense of the term. It is the leap in technology, styling and features that has the dealers and buyers anxious to get their hands on the new line.

I, of course, got an early look just before their dealer show in St. Petersburg, FL. Then I got another after the show because our typical liquid sunshine slowed our progress to a crawl working our way through seven new boats from Four Winns. I have to give Craig, Doyle, Four Winns’ Test Center Supervisor, and Rick Fulmer, Vice President of Marketing a lot of credit for their continued support while we took pictures, shot video, and tested these boats.

Layout

Four Winns is using the automotive industry’s cross over theme to explain how they have combined dealer input along with customer desires and design technology to develop new boats for you. The stern area converts into a huge sun bathing area using every part of the U-shaped seating to its advantage. The center pads can be removed to expose a safer center walk-through to the stern platform for swimming and boarding from the water.

A good coating of non-skid insures secure footing. Two lockers are accessible from the stern to store skis and wakeboards or other water toys. When you are ready to climb back on board and rest, you can rinse off the salt or lake water with a handy swim platform shower. The stern area had an electric lift to expose the power plant. The seating was so plush here that we had to “adjust” it a bit to keep from bending the power lift. Access to all the necessary components around the engine was comfortable. Four Winns took advantage of storage under the bench seats which was spacious enough to keep the optional canvas stored when not being used.

At the Helm

The helm and companion seats were fully adjustable. They could be slid up or back depending on the length of your legs and could be swiveled around so you could be a part of the discussion while at anchor, or so the companion can keep an eagle eye on the skier while towing. When you need to see over the bow during hole shots, flip up the bolster for a comfortable boost. The helm has complete instrumentation logically laid out, and a Clarion Marine AM/FM/CD is prepared to pump out the tunes during the ride. It’s mounted in the companion glove box where it can be safely out of the blistering sun, or in our case, monsoon rains. This year, Four Winns has included a 12-month subscription to the Sirius Satellite System delivering 60 channels of commercial free listening enjoyment.

Seating

Bow seats are hinged and reveal significant storage below. You can seat several people up here or you can have two stretched out with built-in back rests that conceal more storage in the helm and companion stations. Up front is an anchor locker and another swim ladder so you can board from the bow or from the stern with equal ease. Cup holders and grab safety bars are sprinkled throughout the layout for easy access and use regardless of your position in the boat.

Features

Our test boat had the optional thru transom Quick and Quiet exhaust which made a sweet sound and turned heads as we motored out of the marina. She also had a few other nice options installed. We had the wood grain wheel for a more up-scale look and feel, pop up cleats for a clean look, docking lights for the night approach to your slip or trailer and a remoter for the stereo at the stern swim platform. Four Winns includes one year of Genmar FirstMate, which is handy for on-the-water support and service. Want to know where the restaurants are around Miami Beach while you are boating there? Give FirstMate a call.

Specs

The H210 is 22’ long and carries an 8’6” trailerable beam. She weighs in at just 3,700 lbs dry, and has a sporty 20 degrees of deadrise for performance and handling. She has a fuel capacity of 50 gallons, so you should be able to have a great day on the water without having to check out the local fuel dock very often. They offer several options for power. Five models of Volvo power plants from a 5.0L GL 220 horsepower sterndrive to a 5.7L Gi DuoProp 280 horsepower sterndrive. If you prefer MerCruiser power, you have a choice of four power plants from a 5.0L Alpha with 220 ponies to a beefy 350 MPI Bravo I punching 300 horsepower for your thrills on the water.

Performance

I must say, first of all, that we tested in some pretty unfriendly environment. We tried for several days to find calm water, but the typical summer patterns of Florida weather kept beating us up. In some nasty 1-2 foot chop, we managed to get the 210 screaming past 30 mph in under four seconds. She was quickly on plane in just over six seconds. Cruising along at 3000 rpms, we found she used about nine gallons per hour and gave us a range of around 450 miles. Sound levels were nice. She was only registering 85 dBa at 3000 rpms and topped out at 99 at 4750 rpms and 51 mph, but remember we had some ruff water, so some of the sound was the pounding we took.

This new line of boats should be a contender in the sportboat marketplace for Four Winns. She has the amenities for a great day on the water, and the power to pull most any water action toys you may want.