zz28zz

I'm looking at a 29' 1990 Fountain Fever with fresh 502's.

This would be my first twin..

My concerns are:
Rotten stringers? Did Fountain stop using wood at a certian year?

How much more do 502's weigh over the 454's it originally came with?
I haven't seen many 29' Fountains with twin 502's. Is there a good reason for that?

How's it going to handle at top speed? I've heard a 29' with 400hp+ BB's can be a bit squirlly. Most of my boating is on fresh water lakes.

Thx in adv
John C.

Pwraddr

Post in the Fountain section, may have better luck there....welcome to OSO.

sr73z

no real world weight diff with the engines, wouldn't think that would be an issue. I would rather have the 502's. get a survey and that can give you an idea of the stringers shape, and overall boat condition.

zz28zz

Saw a message that said "You must have a Gold, Platinum, or VIP membership to start new threads in this section." Being I'm a new member, I figured I would post here instead.

tim brown

spend the money and join , good money spent , lots of info here. welcome.

wannabe

The 454's and 502's are similar in weight. They are both Chevy big Blocks, no appreciable weight differnce. Which outdrives is more important. TRS or Bravos? I HIGHLY advise a survey- worth the $ to save you from buying a boat that is junk.

Wannabe

BRET

I had a 29 with twin 502's.
Boat is not squirley at speed. Ran straight and flew level.
It handles fast as it is relatively low in water. Makes a better sit down boat than a standup.
It is a nightmare to work on. Engines are shoehorned in.
It is a small 29 ft.
Mine was a straight bottom and I could only get 74mph out of it.
It runs better with a single 525.
Also, the extra weight of two motors made them prone to sinking at the dock.
That is why they stopped making twins in the 29 and 32 Fevers.

Just my .02.

Wildman_grafix

Just a small clarification, you could order twin small blocks in a 29 till the end, it's just that a single BBC was more balanced.

Never put a single in the 32's but it would be interesting to see one with a 700 in it.

Oh yea, working on them is a huge PITA.

zz28zz

Thx for the repiles!
Glad to hear they aren't borderline uncontrollable at speed. I hear a lot of talk abt "balance" related to twins and was concerned abt it skidding-out if I was forced to make a sharp turn at speed.

I knew the eng access would be an issue. I'm planning on carb swaps right off the bat, so plug access would be nice. I wouldn't mind pull the engs once a season, but any more than that would be irritating.

The sinking issue is most concerning of all. I knew they sat low, but wasn't aware they actually sunk at an unusual rate. I'm assuming those that sunk had bilge pump issues..

A buddy has a older Cig abt the same size that came with 350's and he swapped-in 502's. If more than 5 people get onboard, he has to start deciding who can stay and who has to leave. Last time I spoke to him, he was considering a 3rd bilge pump with a dedicated batt, just in case..

1fastlx

I have an 88 29 fever with twin bbc and trs drives. Yes they are shoehorned in but you can do most anything you need without removing an engine. Long arms help or call a really small friend who can get in the bilge! I love my boat and it is rock solid and stable at speed.