All too often when searching for a boat, we can find ourselves feeling like Goldilocks. We search through one, two, three or more options before (hopefully) finding an option that we can truly connect with. This search may take some time, and sometimes we just have to wait for the right boat to be produced before we can actually find it. Some are too big, some are too small, some are too wide, some too are too tall. But sometimes, one hits us juuuuuuust right. The Four Winns Horizon 350 OB is something like the Baby Bear’s style of boat, if the three bears had had aquatic aspirations instead of an affinity for porridge.
The bow has ample room for lounging guests and friends to hang out and enjoy the voyage. In fact, the 350 OB has three almost completely separate spaces for groups to organize. So a few people can be playing cards together, while another is whale watching, while the third happens to be doing a fantasy football draft, and no one will be annoying anyone else. The wrap around seating, armrests and built in coolers add the perfect accouterments to each and every social situation.
The head compartment and cabin can be accessed via the port console. There is a wonderful amount of privacy head users will find thanks to its location below deck, unlike some other lesser vessels will allow. The cabin is appointed with exquisite upholstery and warm wooden surfaces that also happens to adorn the cockpit as well.
The captain is also privy to a solid-feeling steering wheel, as well as a host of toggle switches to operate various mechanisms on the boat. There is room for two, and possibly even three navigation and/or infotainment screens. There is also an optional Joystick Piloting that is worth its weight in gold when it comes to docking and tight quarters.
The Horizon 350 OB is not too big, with a length overall of 35 feet and a beam of 10’ 10”. But it is not too small, as evidenced by its Yacht Certified seating/weight capacity and actual dry weight of 13,300 pounds. Despite being basically the exact same boat as the sterndrive Horizon 350, the OB changes things from the transom back. There are two big outboard motors attached to the transom, which makes for a host of benefits over the original 350. The outboard version is extremely quiet by comparison to the sterndrive, as well as being noticeably less vibration-laden. The outboard variant also offers more corrosion resistance than its sterndrive-powered sibling.
The other big advantage of having the motors out back is the additional space that it provides. Even the transom platform is fairly spacious, despite seeming somewhat contradictory due to the engines location. There is an electric ram that allows access belowdecks once the aft seats are lifted out of the way. Without any pesky sterndrive engines down there, there is a cavernous amount of space that can be utilized for just about anything. Big floatation toys? Sure. Fishing equipment? Go for it. Large coolers for beer, or maybe some porridge? All yours. Or if you just can’t leave home without your collection of children’s story books … pile them in and get going. It doesn’t matter how you decide to use the space, the point is that it is there for you to be able to decide what to bring at all.
The Four Winns Horizon 350 OB is not the biggest yacht out there, nor is it the smallest. It isn’t the most expensive (starting just over 300k), nor is it the cheapest. It isn’t any one extreme or the other, but somehow when it comes to maximizing comfortable space for passengers, and providing a luxury feel thanks to a quieter setup free from excessive noise, vibration and harshness, the 350 OB seems to be just right.
