Four Winns New V408 Redefines and Raises the Bar
When Capt. Steve saw the Four Winns V408 at the Ft. Lauderdale boat show, it was virtually “love at first sight”. Capt.
Steve is probably our grumpiest captain, but he was actually smitten with the V408.
In fact, the more he toured the clever innovations that this boat had to offer,
the harder he fell for her. But being Capt. Steve, he still managed to find one
thing he didn’t care for! How did this guy ever manage to find a girl he wanted to marry? So what’s wrong with this beautiful-looking boat?
Capt. Steve Says…
In this economy, the old phrase of “lead, follow, or get out of the way” simply
will not cut it anymore. Nowadays it’s more like "lead or die”. Four Winns doesn’t
just take that as a simple
business model. They take it as a challenge. And it seems
that they are not only driven by challenge, but manage to succeed in a world where
change is hard to implement for a laundry list of reasons. The V408 is a shining
example of just how much cleverness one builder can fit into a 43’ package if it
tries very hard.
 You can stand at the helm with the sun roof closed. Note notch in the overhead that opens for the walk through to the bow. |
The Windshield Done Right
When I walked up to the V408, I immediately noticed that this boat was taking care
of my number one complaint...isinglass. As soon as I look at a boat, especially
a weekender, and see a windshield that goes up half way to the hardtop and the rest
of the space filled in with isinglass, I shake my head, and sometimes walk away
right then.
Nothing against isinglass, mind you, its just that I don’t like having my vision
distorted for no good reason, nor do I care for a windshield frame right in my line
of vision. These are the sort of things that make me grumpy. This boat was all glass,
so I stepped aboard. And from that moment on my head kept nodding up and down like
one of those dogs in a car rear window.
Bring on the Party
It’s not just the sheer size of this cockpit, but also the features and innovations
that really are impressive. And they just keep coming. Even the swim platform can’t
be just a swim platform on this boat. It is much more, a whole entertainment venue
in itself. There’s an electric grill and removable table there. The aft end of the
platform is also hydraulically activated to submerge making it ideal for launching
a PWC or a boat tender, or just turning it into an onboard submersible beach. Small
children will love sitting on it in a few inches of water, and maybe Mom will, too!
  The transom is a great place for Dad to cook up some steaks while at the same time keeping smoke out of the boat. The backrest of the lounge moves fore and aft. |
There’s also storage in its deck for two large fenders, but Four Winns couldn’t
even make it “just a storage compartment”. It also makes a great wading pool and
they even made the bottom see-through acrylic, for underwater viewing! And these
are all standard features. Add the optional underwater lighting and you’ll have
an unbelievable show.
Moving Down Below
Large hull side windows let in an incredible amount of natural light. The tables
are removable to increase the roominess. There’s a galley settee that converts to
a bed, two staterooms with
sliding pocket doors, an L-shaped galley, and you know
how I always complain that there are no fiddles around stoves to keep the pots in
place… well this one doesn’t have any either. It does have pop up holders in the
corners of the burners, so you can still have the look and ease of cleaning with
flat surface, but safety of sea rails when cooking.
And the List Goes On
I’ll save the rest of the features for an in-depth test but trust me when I tell
you… it’s not a short list. I was impressed at every turn. And you will be too.
But if the boat was all that great and loaded with features, was there still
something that I didn’t like. Well, yes, and I had to go all the way up to the bow to find
it.
 View looking aft from the galley in the salon below. Large shoji screens to the left are doors to the VIP stateroom with en suite head – and optional washer/dryer! |
There the bow rails don’t come together over the anchor as you would expect. They
are separated and have a platform between them. This makes too much of an attractive
seat for my taste, and while underway, the thought of someone sitting there gives chilling ramifications. But to spend this amount of time on a weekender and find
only one complaint, well, that says a lot coming from me. Who knows…maybe
if I had this impressive boat for the summer I could come up with one or two more.
[Editor’s Note: Capt. Steve obviously didn’t read the review we wrote of this boat
six months ago in the 11-26-08 newsletter where we said we liked bow safety rail
treatment. We said, “…the V408 has an opening in the bow pulpit so you can actually
dive off the bow. If you’ve
never done it, you don’t know what a thrill it can be.”
Of course, we meant at anchor. Capt. Steve has a good safety point, but we would
assume that everyone would be shooed off the bow before the boat got underway.
]
Read Editor’s review of the
V408…
Check out our video
review of the V408.
Schedule your V408 tour by clicking here.