Driveguy

Please dont add a spacer, add a couple inches to the prop hub, and cav plate, it will fix it IF its hard to get on plain.

ratedx

Great info! How do the 496 stock set up sound compared to the 500's?

Macklin

My buddy has a 35 Executioner with HO's. No problems getting on plane. And will run 80 on a good day. Very nice ride! If we could just get him to use it! Damn thing has sat in dry storage for 3 years now.

I would go with the newer boat. The 496's are near bullet proof, except for an occassional sensor going bad. Plus, they are close loop cooled. Big benny over the 500's. I put 400 hours on a pair, and they ran just as good the day I sold em as the day I bought em.

RaggedEdge

Never saw or heard of any on plane problems with that hull. Actually some of the earlier model years responded real well to the 2" shorter lowers, and that didn't even cause problems getting on plane.

The single step 35, the EX style, is one of the all time best hulls from Fountain. It's a fun boat at 80, and is still on a rail over 100. I've been at 108 in one and was amazed at the way it handled the speed.

rmfriday

are you running in salt or fresh? are they ho's or not? if your running in salt the 496's are prob the better choice. if in fresh i would lean toward the blue engines. how many hours on each set of engines? do you ever want to bump up hp on your engines the 500efi's will give you a lot more opions.

exhaust and ecu on the 496ho's will not get you on par with the 500efi's. you will need at least some cams to even up the hourespower dif.

Indy

Newer boat for sure. Blue is cool, but I'd take the new, if a couple of mph is more important to you then go blue, but I'd gladly trade new for a marginal increase in speed.

Now if you intend to bump the power it's much easier to do it with the blue.

ratedx

Thanks-great info-reliability is most important! so 2-3 years from now the 05 w/496 will be worth more then the 02 w/500 efi? thanks everyone!!

RaggedEdge

2-3 years down the road the age will make more difference in value than the blue paint. Where the blue motors shine is vs someone's hot rod I built 'em myself motors. Stock Merc power will always out value the home brewed engine package. In this case, buy the newer boat, if you decide to keep it longer term there are some nice upgrades for the 496's out there, from exhaust all the way up to the Raylar packages and Whipple kits.

bob_t

During 2001 - 2002, Fountain was making their own hydraulic steering parts and their own trim tab assemblies, too (or, having someone make them for them - the trim tabs had the Fountain logo cast into them and the trim tab actuators were round, not square like the K-plane actuators). Most of their boats had their steering parts, and it seemed to be hit or miss with the trim tab assemblies whether they were Fountain brand or Mercury K-planes. I've seen boats in that year range with both trim tab assemblies (obviously not on the same boat). I don't know if you can still get parts from Fountain for the Fountain steering and trim tabs (ie, seals, spacers, etc), or not. Around 2004 they switched back to Latham steering and Mercury K-Planes, exclusively, and I know you can get parts for those. Not a big deal, but just a little Fountain trivia

ratedx

Great info! Hulls on 2002 and 2005 are the same on the executioner? what speeds with 496's on the executioner?