The registry
Four Winns Registry: Models, Builds & Photos
Four Winns is a Cadillac, Michigan boat builder whose roots go back to 1962, when the operation started as Saf-T-Mate. John Winn, his brothers Bill Jr. and Charlie, and their father Bill Sr. bought the company in 1975 and renamed it for the four Winns now running it. The brand built its name on sterndrive bowriders and runabouts, the Horizon, Freedom, and Liberator lines chief among them. Ownership passed to Outboard Marine Corporation in 1987, Genmar in 2001, and Rec Boat Holdings in 2010, and Groupe Beneteau has owned the brand since 2014. In June 2026 Beneteau announced that production at the Cadillac plant ends in 2026 and put the Four Winns brand up for sale.
Pick your model
From Saf-T-Mate to Four Winns
The company began in 1962 in Cadillac, Michigan under the Saf-T-Mate name. In 1975 John Winn, his brothers Bill Jr. and Charlie, and their father Bill Sr. bought out owner George Spicer and renamed the operation for the four Winns running it. The first models developed under the new name arrived in 1978, the Candia deck boat and the Marquise runabout, and the lineup filled out quickly: the Liberator 204 performance boat in 1983, the Horizon bowrider line in 1984, the entry-level Freedom 160 in 1986, and the first Vista cruiser in 1987. Cadillac stayed the manufacturing home for the next five decades.
Corporate hands, same factory
Outboard Marine Corporation agreed to buy Four Winns in December 1986 and folded it into the OMC Boat Group in 1987, with John Winn staying on to run the brand until 1995. That ownership explains the OMC Cobra sterndrives in boats of the era, but the Cobra story is shorter than most people assume. OMC built its own Cobra drives from 1986 into 1993, then moved sterndrive production into a joint venture with Volvo Penta in 1994, so a mid 1990s Four Winns usually carries the Volvo cone-clutch SX design (badged Cobra by OMC, SX by Volvo) even though OMC still owned the boat company. OMC filed for bankruptcy on December 22, 2000, and Genmar Holdings took the boat brands in early 2001 through a 95 million dollar joint bid with Bombardier. Genmar filed its own Chapter 11 in June 2009, Platinum Equity bought the assets for 70 million dollars in a sale approved in January 2010 and ran Four Winns, Glastron, and Wellcraft as Rec Boat Holdings, and Groupe Beneteau acquired Rec Boat Holdings in June 2014.
Beneteau relaunched the H series bowriders in 2022, including the all-electric H2e. Then the market turned. In June 2026 the company announced that production at the Cadillac plant, down from 2,313 boats in 2022 to 474 in 2025, ends in 2026, and that the Four Winns, Glastron, and Scarab Jet brands are up for sale. Parts and service support continues through the transition, but the factory's roughly 50 year run under the Four Winns name is closing out and the brand's next owner is an open question.
The model lines owners actually run
- Horizon: the open bow line, launched in 1984 and in the catalog into the 2000s. A 1988 210 Horizon is a 21 footer rated around 230 horsepower from the Cobra years; the line picked up the Stable-Vee hull in 1993, and from 1994 on the drives are the Volvo SX pattern. Same nameplate across very different parts situations, so date the drive before ordering anything.
- Freedom: the entry-level series, started with the Freedom 160 in 1986 and grown to the 150, 170, and 190 by 1989. A 1989 170 Freedom I/O typically carries a four cylinder with an OMC Cobra sterndrive, a drive most owners end up learning to service themselves since OMC stopped building the design in 1993.
- Liberator: the performance hulls, from the Liberator 204 of 1983, which took Powerboat Magazine's most impressive new model award, through the 211 that became the lineup's best seller in 1985.
- Unlimited: the mid 1990s sport runabout line. The 191 Unlimited, a 19 footer in the 1996 and 1997 catalogs, typically ran a V6 or small block V8 sterndrive. Those are OMC ownership years but joint-venture drives, so you shop Volvo SX parts, not vintage Cobra parts.
- Vista: the express cruiser line, running from the first Vista of 1987 onward.
What to check on the older hulls
Boats from the 1980s and 1990s used wood-cored stringers and transoms, so moisture in the transom around the drive cutout is the first inspection point on any Horizon, Freedom, or Unlimited of that age. On 1986-1993 OMC Cobra boats, shift cable adjustment is the classic weak point, and parts come from aftermarket and used channels rather than a dealer counter. The 1994 and later SX pattern drives are the easier ownership proposition, since Volvo Penta absorbed that business and kept building the design.
Asked all the time
When was Four Winns founded and is the company still in business?
Four Winns traces to 1962 in Cadillac, Michigan, originally under the Saf-T-Mate name, with the Winn family buying the company in 1975 and renaming it for the four Winns running it. The brand still operates under Groupe Beneteau, which acquired it in 2014, but in June 2026 Beneteau announced that boat production at the Cadillac plant ends in 2026 and put the Four Winns brand up for sale. Parts and service support continues during the transition.
What sterndrive does my older Four Winns have, and does it matter?
It matters a lot, and the build year tells you most of it. Boats from roughly 1986 into 1993 carry the OMC-designed Cobra drive, which OMC stopped building when it moved sterndrive production into a joint venture with Volvo Penta in 1994. Boats from 1994 on carry the Volvo cone-clutch SX design, badged Cobra by OMC and SX by Volvo. Original Cobra parts come from aftermarket and used sources, while SX drives are still supported through Volvo Penta, which took over the business entirely.
What years were the Four Winns Horizon and Freedom lines made?
The Horizon bowrider line launched in 1984 and stayed in the catalog into the 2000s, spanning the Cobra drive years, the 1993 Stable-Vee hull, and the 1994 switch to Volvo SX pattern drives. The Freedom series was the entry-level line, starting with the Freedom 160 in 1986 and growing to the 150, 170, and 190 by 1989, with boats like the 1989 170 Freedom I/O typically carrying four cylinder power and a Cobra drive.
What should I inspect before buying a 1980s or 1990s Four Winns?
Check the transom and stringers for moisture, since Four Winns hulls of that era used wood coring and the drive cutout is the usual entry point for water. On OMC Cobra equipped boats from 1986-1993, verify shift operation carefully; cable adjustment problems are the known weak spot. Gelcoat crazing and original upholstery condition tell you how the boat was stored.
Who has owned Four Winns over the years?
The Winn family ran it from their 1975 purchase until Outboard Marine Corporation bought the company in 1987. OMC went bankrupt in December 2000, and Genmar Holdings took the boat brands in early 2001. Genmar filed its own Chapter 11 in June 2009, Platinum Equity bought the assets in early 2010 and ran the brand under Rec Boat Holdings, and Groupe Beneteau acquired Rec Boat Holdings in June 2014. In June 2026 Beneteau announced it is ending Cadillac production and selling the Four Winns brand, so another change of hands is coming.
The wall
The most-documented Four Winns vehicles in the registry, every photo by the owner.
