Four Winns HD 220

Pick your power.

by Alan Wendt

In case you haven’t heard, boating is back.

Last year’s sales reached pre-recession levels and the forecast for 2017 is even better. Interestingly, 95 percent of boats sold in the United States are made in this country. One of the brand leaders, Four Winns (based in Cadillac, Michigan), is proving that “customer is king” in terms of dictating how Americans want to boat.

Case in point, the new HD 220 is offered in both outboard and sterndrive configurations. Outboards — with their fuel efficiency, quiet performance, range of horsepower and ease of maintenance — have dominated sterndrives for a decade, but last year sterndrives saw their first increase in sales in the past 10 years, thanks in part to innovation.

Four Winns is unique among boatbuilders, allowing dealers to opt for Mercury, Evinrude or Yamaha outboards, or choose between Mercruiser and Volvo Penta sterndrive engines.

So what’s the difference between sterndrives and outboards? The answer is akin to asking who is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, and the debate would take pages. I found that the outboards delivered better speed and the sterndrives had a tighter turn. One thing to test between outboard models is the car-like feel with power hydraulic steering verses cable assist steering.

The floorplan for both configurations is identical from the bow back to the aft seat, but here’s where it gets interesting: The HD 220 OB has a trunk where the sterndrive motor normally resides. We’re talking about a huge trunk — a 5- by 3-foot-plus deep storage area for hiding just about anything.

Seating is predictable for a 22-foot boat, with nice, wide bow loungers, swivel captain’s chairs at the helm, a bench seat in the aft with two armrests and built-in stainless steel cupholders, and a rear-facing seat for coving, which converts easily into a sunpad; it’s all hand -stitched Aquaflex upholstery, which is among the most comfortable seating on a boat today. In all, there’s room for 10 passengers.

Both models have an optional enclosed porta-potti head — a marvelous feature that can extend your day on the water.