Andy McCutcheonFour Winns 378 - Review
September 7th 2007 00:54
Four Winns 378
Four Winns 378
The legacy of C. Raymond Hunt, the creator of the Deep V hull lives on, as design of the Four Winns flagship hull proves a worthy testament to his pioneering efforts.
Brett David, owner of Gold Coasts Boatarama and premiere dealer of the Four Winns product in Australia is admittedly one of the hardest blokes in the boat business to get a hold of and after a recent test aboard their new 41’ express cruiser I can now understand why.
The current stock of 378’s are moored in at Runaway Bay Marina where I had arranged to meet Brett and a courtesy call to let me know he was conducting an interview gave me an opportunity to talk with a recent buyer as well as go over the boat with a fine tooth comb.
When you look at the Four Winns cruisers in the water, their distinctive sexy lines and sporty good looks would certainly suggest that, “youth is not wasted on the young” and while awaiting Brett’s arrival I introduced myself to Bevan, an elderly gentleman wearing a Boatarama hat who I had assumed was hired as a detailer to wile away his post retirement years doing something he enjoyed.
I couldn’t be further from the truth as Bevan proudly exposed he was Boatarama’s most recent client and owner of the 348 model moored two boats down the jetty. When I asked how he liked it, he replied, “mate, I’m wrapped with it,” “I wanted the 378 model, but my jetty was two feet too small.”
The pre-conception of the boats demographic was the first of many surprises aboard the 378.
As I kicked off my Sperry’s and stepped onto the swim platform the warmth of the flexiteek sole felt so inviting as I opened hatches and peeked behind doors. The transom of this boat has a myriad of cleverly concealed spaces for storage of fenders, swim ladder, safety gear, drink storage and an optional stainless rail makes an excellent base for a BBQ and tank.
Another bit of forethought places a secondary stereo control unit on the port side so you don’t have to track salt sand and seawater from the transom to the helm in order to turn up the tunes.
When I felt as though my feet were already in heaven walking on the flexiteek, they were soon transcended to a higher place as I entered the aft lounge area and walked on the patterned 40oz carpet that snaps into place by the use of domed fasteners.
The boat as tested had an enclosed aft deck with bimini clears extending off the forward raking arch and moulded fibreglass hardtop. A two-tone L shaped rear lounge that converts to sleeping accommodation pulls double duty as an open air dining facility with the help of a pedestal table.
Opposite the lounge is a prep area that housed a sink and pressure water, fridge, icemaker and bin and with a corian styled granite look countertop gave it that up-market feel.
Moving forward of the aft lounge area starboard brings you onto the helm with dual bolster seating behind the wheel and an adjacent moulded lounge complete with head and footrest perfect for removing unwanted tan lines.
The helm itself is well laid out and symmetrical with a stylish wood grain and chrome steering wheel. To the left on a canted panel lies the brain’s of the operation housing a Raymarine C80 combo unit that provides for all your navigational needs.
The remainder of the tiered helm station boasts a compass, engine gauges, bow thruster, rows of rocker switches and the Mercruiser Smart-Craft electronic throttles.
I have become a real fan of electronic throttles lately and their velvet smooth operation takes maneuverability in tight spots to a whole new level as I discovered when Brett arrived and we were underway.
As I cast off the lines and we edged her forward, I thought I might have to put Vaseline on the rub strip to get the 378 out of her berth, but Brett made it look easy as we made a series of 90 degree turns to get us into clear water ahead.
Once out in the Broadwater and giving the pair of Mercruiser 8.1L 375Hp engines a bit of a warm up we began to put the 378 through it’s paces, the most notable of which was the standing start where the application of full throttle rocketed this 9660kg boat onto the plane within two boat lengths.
Because of the metamorphosis of the deep V hull and channeled contours that camouflage the props and drive shafts (quite unique to see when on the hard stand) this boat is extremely well behaved in questionable seas and while at cruise, feels like a 50 footer.
Despite it being windy on the day, we never once picked up so much as a drop of wind spray and swell, chop or the wake from other boats gets pushed aside effortlessly. At the time of testing the boat wasn’t fitted with a fuel flow meter and so I was unable to discern the consumption at its cruise speed on 24 kts.
As we rounded the bottom of Wavebreak Island at cruise speed, the boat carved around the navigation markers like a hot knife through butter and the smallest movement from the wheel elicits a response from the rudder. It handles like an absolute dream with a sports car feel about it.
Unfortunately, I was pressed for time with a pending meeting in Brisbane and had to cut the ride short so we headed back towards Runaway Bay. As Brett took over the controls and took it from cruise speed to wide open throttle I found my arms reaching to steady myself as the added throttle caused me to stumble backwards.
After easing the 378 back into her home berth I continued through the boat with Brett who pointed out some of her features. One thing that had puzzled me when looking through the boat prior to his arrival was access to the engines for maintenance.
I had spotted a panel in the floor where I knew the engines should be, but on top of that panel was a fixed pedestal table and a rear lounge seat making it difficult if not impossible to access, or so I thought. My fears were laid to rest as the push of a button lifted the floor, table and rear lounge aft to reveal a well laid out engine room.
Down below with access to port is an L shaped galley in a polished timber finish with the same corian style granite look countertop, microwave, two burner cooker, double wide fridge and sink. When attempting to open the fridge doors, the catch is right at the top of the door.
Miraculously your fingers will fit in to open the catch but as you attempt to open the door from that position you are in danger of losing some skin and you are forced to change your hand position to the side. Perhaps I had opened it wrongly to begin with and some might call my comment somewhat pedantic however the problem is easily rectified I feel by the use of low profile handles on the door front.
The galley opens into a generous split lounge area that has you looking around for a stone fireplace and a mounted deer head over the mantle. The Four Winns patented aquaflex lounge covering has the most realistic, rustic deep-grained leather look and feel about it and when combined with other soft furnishings has an unpretentious casual luxury that reminded me of a cappuccino bar come library come cigar lounge.
Everything in the 378 seems to have an alter ego and the split lounge that resides under the helm station is no exception. With a hidden curtain that runs along a track it wasn’t difficult to ascertain that it doubled as a berth but what was surprising is that by operation of a push button, the bed practically made itself, sliding out from the lower section.
When not in use for sleeping accommodation a moveable table and two pull up stools provide comfortable seating at mealtime or to enjoy a movie on the flat screen TV flush mounted on the angled corner of the galley cabinetry. 40oz carpeting over FRP floors in the main saloon, provide a great deal of sound deadening against slapping waves at night.
Adjacent to the main lounge is the head to port. As you open the door you are drawn to it’s vast size relative to the size of the boat allowing the feature of separated shower stall and vaccu-flush toilet.
The sink is a nice touch too, owing the design of the bowl shaped glass vessel to trendy modernized up-market homes. Another feature applied to the home away from home is the use of both central-vac and central air making it at least comfortable to tidy up the day after the night before.
Forward of the head is a double wide opening that accesses the forward cabin. While space is beginning to be at a premium at the leading edge of the deep V hull, the 378 still manages to pack in an island bed with poly foam mattress and under bunk storage, a hanging locker and marginal additional storage for your personal bits and pieces. The clever positioning of mirrors provides a visual optical illusion that seems to open it up somewhat throughout.
Above decks, access to the foredeck is made possible by way of a moulded step just left of the helm through an opening windscreen. The deck surface is coated in non-skid that makes navigating your way to the snap-on, snap-off sun beds easier.
The low profile stainless rail that follows the lines of the boat amidships is augmented by a set of intermediate lines providing a greater degree of safety for little mates aboard. Flush mounted deck ports provide both airflow and ambient light while limiting the chances of stubbing your toes when looking at the talent on passing vessels rather than where you should be looking.
Anchoring is a breeze with use of an anchor winch that is hidden below an access panel and the anchor itself is equally hidden beneath a self- guiding bowsprit. Above the bowsprit on the stainless rail is a powerful floodlight for maneuvering into tight anchorages at night or during questionable weather.
Overall I highly rate the boat and while it has lots of style and panache combined with functional spaces and exhilarating performance, it lacks somewhat overall in useable storage. Then again, it is an express cruiser and designed primarily for weekends away for which there is ample room to fill with champers and caviar, I mean seriously, how many cossies do you need for a weekend away?
Although there is rumored to be a 50’ Four Winns in the cards I wish Brett and his team all the best with the 378 in Australia. Anyone looking for boats in the 40’-45’ range and who want change from a million dollars can’t go past the Four Winns 378 that retails for $430,000.00 and a fierce competitor in the mid range cruiser market.
Text by Andy McCutcheon 
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