Boat Test: 2024 Four Winns H9 OB

Overview

In the ’80s, Reinell Boats launched a new runabout style with a bubbled-up bow dropping to the forepeak over a long, upward-sloping stem. The design offered added headroom. It took off and influenced boatbuilding for decades, until boaters wearied of the trend. Then manufacturers tweaked the design, offering sharper edges and faceted surfaces—a nod to the stealth fighter planes, and, heck, Cadillacs with sharp edges.

Then, again, boaters grew restless, looking for something fresh.

Fast-forward to today, and along comes Four Winns’ new H9, an outstanding example of the newest trend: a square stem, bringing up tall vertical sides to meet it. The result mimics wave-piercing military cruisers while adding interior depth forward for confident family excursions.

But the new H9 does more than just bring a new look to the water. It also brings a refinement to the emerging demand for expanding the cockpit’s recreation platform with hinged sides that fold down, adding more than 100 square feet of sundeck fun. For lovers of shade, the H9 sports an enormous hardtop, also hinged to raise and lower at the touch of a button. Four Winns further refined it with a supporting structure that allows the skipper to run the vessel at sea with the hardtop lowered, nearly to the windshield. In places such as the Great Lakes or during the summer in ­Florida, where rain squalls can pop up from nowhere, boaters will value this ­sedanlike protection. 

Square stems can be tricky. On some boats, without significant bow flare and a stem without sufficient upward slope, the wave-piercing ­appearance can actually stab into oncoming seas, throwing buckets of water over the boat. Not in the H9.

We had surprisingly calm days in Charlevoix, Michigan, so piercing the seas wasn’t necessary. But finding out how the H9 would handle them was, so we rolled the boat into hard-over turns, circling back to the wakes, doubled up by our maneuvers, and the bow of the H9 lifted over them smoothly. The stem never seemed to come into play. Instead, the hull bottom with ­prominent strakes lifted over each wave and let us settle smoothly, without drama, on the other side.

The number of square stem designs are mounting in this emerging trend. Monterey’s smaller Elite 30 ($200,172 base price with test power) was released simultaneously. The Elite 30’s base price is substantially less than the H9, but it doesn’t offer terraces or the retractable roof, and the joystick is optional. Priced comparably is the Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard ($259,325 with twin 250 Verados), and Chaparral’s 280 OSX ($258,000 with twin 250 Yamaha outboards) is another comparable boat. Both the Sea Ray and the Chaparral stick to the traditional design that the H9 has leapfrogged, adding substantial value to the latter. Neither the Sea Ray nor the Chaparral are available with two 300 outboards like the H9, and neither offer foldout terraces or hardtops or standard joystick maneuvering like the Four Winns H9.

Interior and Accessories

All of these boats offer convertible aft seating that provides forward and aft lounging positions by adjusting the seatbacks. The Four Winns H9 sticks to tradition at the helm, mounting it on the starboard side. Dual navigation displays include sonar, integrated engine data such as speed, rpm, fuel level, etc., but the displays also give access to digital switching, which has proved reliable and convenient in more than a decade of use. The biggest surprise on the helm is the standard joystick, and Four Winns had it tuned to operate exactly to expectations.

Aft of the helm is an entertainment ­galley with a sink and an Isotherm refrigerator. A jump seat aft of it ensures comfort for still another ­passenger.

The H9 offers luxurious cockpit seating, including a spacious passenger lounge, and it includes a special feature: a tilting seatback on the passenger side seat. Move this seat all the way forward to provide an aft-facing lounge chair. Stand it up to provide back-to-back seats. In the vertical position, access is also provided to the changing room in the portside console. It’s an ingenious and functional execution of design.

Forward seating in the H9 is deep and luxurious, inviting guests with both spaciousness and utility. There is a cooler under the center seat; under the helm, a drawer pulls out with two more Igloo coolers. The chill factor is high, to say the least. Most boaters want to keep their drinks cold for a day, not a week, so the lighter Igloo coolers offer that advantage without ­having to lug the heavier supercoolers.

Read Next: Four Winns TH36

Four Winns has been in revision mode on its bowrider series ever since the company was acquired by Groupe Beneteau. The H9 is their most ­advanced revision yet, speaking to the most modern trends in design and construction, plus the popular terrace cockpit. Buyers in this segment should schedule a trial.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin Mercury 300 hp
• Props: Mercury 14.6″ x 21″ 3-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 40 gal. Water on Board: 0 gal. Crew Weight: 400 lb.

High Points

• The entire deck is on a single level, eliminating tripping points.
• A sterndrive version will be available soon for those seeking an unobstructed transom.
• The through-stem anchor and windlass are standard.

Low Points

• The changing room is accessible and useful, but entry is a little awkward.
• Needs a more prominent brow over the helm displays for better sun deflection.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation