A pair of 5.0L Volvo-Pentas with DP drives powered our test boat, which was a little sluggish out of the hole. Four Winns says the 5.7Ls from Volvo are a better fit for the 298.

Four Winns owners gave their boats high marks in PBR’s September 2002 Used Boat Survey. Sitting on a pile of kudos and accolades from readers, we wrote in the survey article’s conclusion: “If we were to change personalities and suddenly start preferring cup holders to rod holders, we’d seriously look at a used Four Winns for its combination of creature comforts, user-friendly design, both below and on deck, and its better than average handling characteristics.”

Well, what about a new Four Winns? The boatbuilder’s financial woes in the late 1990s prevented us from testing one of its popular express cruisers. We couldn’t very well feature a Four Winns if its owners…