Boat buying 101
 

I have a 97 classic 35. I love the boat but with the current prices being low I wanted to get a new 2002. I've been trying to purchase a 2002 35' classic since mid November. The only hold up was I wanted the ITS boxes. I spoke with Steve Harrelson at Fountain about pricing on the ITS. I was hoping that Fountain would give me a break on the price since they have not used it on any of there boats yet. I was supposed to be called back the next day. After waiting three days I started to call the factory but could only get Steve's answering machine. I have left a number of messages and never gotten a reply. :mad:

I went to the Chicago boat show this past Thursday and talked with my Fountain dealer.
He gave me the final figure that Fountain gave him. I told him to tell Fountain to keep it. It was a difference of $1,500.00.
About an hour later I'm passing the booth and my dealer pulls me back into the booth and introduces me to Tony Esposito, a sales manager from Mercury. I told him my story about getting the ITS and Fountain not really wanting to use it. He has a chat with my dealer. The dealer comes back and says I'll make your price work, call me tomorrow and we will finalize things. Cool I've got a new toy, WRONG! I call the next day to find out that mercury won't put the ITS with 496 HO's only the 500's and the 575's. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
It would have been nice to know this up front.

End of story, I wasted 9 weeks trying to make a deal happen that wasn't meant to be. This is not my dealer’s fault. I consider him a friend and would buy another boat from him, probably not a Fountain. My original plan was to buy this 35' keep it for 5 years and then buy my dreamboat, a 42' with staggards. Oh well.

On a good note, My wife and I fell in love with a 38 Sonic at the show. Sonic isn’t afraid to put some wild paint on the sides of their boats. I plan to compare the Sonic to the 37 Active Thunder and go from there.
Sorry for the venting,
Dan

BTW, We need an Active Thunder dealership in Chicago.

Follow-ups, and accurate information! Its to bad to here them drop the ball. You wonder sometimes how people get to there professilonal positions. Not to mention in a somewhat soft economy, you better chase every lead possible in the big ticket market. What is the real connection between A.T. and Sonic? I always thought they must have some combined heritage do to their similarities. And it must be nice to be sizing up new, thats cool, I think I'll need another 10 years.

It just dawned on me that it was you who knew my boat. That article scared me from changing the name, I miss a step, and it will be the Baja revisited. Your out of St. Joe? If so, are you doing Smoke on the Water? Were out of Grand Haven.

MIdnightRider,
We launch out of Hammond marina and also Alsip, IL, which is on the river connecting to Lake Michigan. We do most of are boating from Chicago to Wells St. beach. We also try to make it over to St. Joe, Michigan City and New Buffalo a couple times a year. I don't think I'll be able to do Smoke on the Water this year. I am way to busy that time of the year with business. I didn't splash the boat until July 4 Th last year. :mad:

I was looking to put a little money with my boat and pickup a new boat with warantees and all. Now I'm thinking stupid thoughts with the low interest rates. Hopefully I'll come to my senses.

A good friend of mine is removing a nasty name from his boat. It should be a great time. I don't know if he is going to rename it.

I may make it up to Coast Guard Fest this year. Everyone says it's a great time.

I don't believe there is a connection, except for appearance, between AT and Sonic. I like the side walkways there like the classic Fountain's. The cabin in the 38 Sonic is fantastic. It does get a little claustrophobic towards the nose. Do you remember a hot pink AT called "Running Hot"?
Bobby use to beat that boat in 8 footers and never had any structural problems. They are very strong boats.

Dan

Hey Midnight, We do boat out of St Joe....well, we put the boat in in Benton Harbor, what I like to call the "ghetto drop" rather than "boat launch". LOL!

I was thinking of doing SOTW this year, and wanted to talk to them in Chicago about it, but I'll try to read up on the website on that. It's pricey for a run, but it's close to home.

You just bought a 42, right?

The owner of AT used to work for Sonic. The way I heard the story was in 1988 or so, he was in Chicago area and went for a ride in an Active Thunder and liked it a lot, and bought the company.

Candyman,
I'm in the same "boat" as you, but not at this time. WE'll be looking to move up, and nothing Fountain has anymore appeals to me, and my wife and I have done much more trips to South HAven, New Buffalo, Ludington, etc. for weekends in the 32 than we did in our 27 Baja. So, we're looking for more cabin space. So far, all I've seen, I'll be looking at Sonics, AT, and maybe Cigarette if we hit the lotto :)

Couple 32' AT's around here, and those things do ride well, and when it's 3'ers and bigger, they love to run. We're a couple years away from moving up yet, but I'd likely wind up with a 37 AVH, cause you can still go with 490HO's and run 78 or so. Cant' do that in the Sonic. You need 500's in the 358 to get that speed, not sure about the 386. Both nice boats, though. I'm not sure pricing differences in the two, but not going with 500's is easy to do with taht huge price difference, and you have to double it with twins. Ouch.

Mark

Dan, that SONIC has your name written all over it. Something told me you would be interested so I snapped a few pics for you.

You can see them here !

That is a sweet boat. I love the interior as well, very bright, big, well layed out etc. Ahh, the v-berth isn't that bad.

Go for it.

Jeff

Candyman, the 4th last year, dam I was already putting in my second motor of the year. I like the sonics, Ron that owns manning trailers has a 45ss and it's really nice. The paint jobs they use are also cool, less money to spend later.

Coast Gaurd festival in GH has basically become a religous holiday for me. X-Mas, C.G, Thanksgiving etc. The second weekend is the best, it falls the last weekend in July, first weekend in August. The Boardwalk mooring area is packed, 6-8 boats out(you raft out till the cops tell you to stop). Then Saturday is a party from like 10am till daylight. Its the best weekend of the year, well SOTW is battling for the best.

Smoke on the water is absolutely a great time. I've been to some half assed poker runs, this is top notch. The food and parties are great, lots of good people, and those full page add magazine advertising boats, ie tom cat, houist, sourcerer, 900sc Jaguar skater, cat can do, f40, on and on. That motivated me to buy a new boat. Though my boat is a hoopty on a run like that. We were in my buddies 90' 42 signature last year and it was like an 78' sleekcraft there, LOL. But we had as much fun as anyone. In fact we were going to pay the $500.oo for four us to ride in sourcerer, but he broke a cam saturday. This year I'm running with six, three couples, we just split the cost, its like $650 a couple with gas, worth every penny. The article was just in the last PRA, if anyone wants it, I scanned the pages to disk.

Hey Jeff,
Thanks so much. I now have new wallpaper. The only downside to the Sonic, besides the V-berth is the power necessary to go fast. With the 500EFI's you’re talking 75 on a good day. Dustin would like to see me buy it. I don't want to be broke and still need to buy Whipple chargers. Any luck on that 34’?

MIdnightRider,
Where is the best place to stay for CG fest?
You may have saved me allot of money. For $500.00 for 4 on the "Sorcerer" who needs a boat. :D

32fever,
I forgot about Pat working for Sonic originally. I met him at one of the Thunder Runs. I was actually thinking about the 32' after seeing what Running Hot use to do to his boat. : Eke: Pat was moving from Chicago at that time and could only broker the boats. I had two boats at that time. BIG Mistake! I couldn't sell either so I was trying to find a dealer that would take both as a trade in. I've always loved the look of the 35' and with the wife's full support we took the plunge. Tim and Terry at Riverview to the rescue.
I still love the boat and was planning on putting in 540's, boxes and XR's. After researching the project and searching the Internet I found a left over 2001 35 at Raymond's. For some cash and my boat I would have a new boat with warranties and no worries. I called Tim at Riverview and told him what I was doing. He specked out the same boat except a 2002 that I could build the way I wanted. The only extra thing I wanted was the Mercury ITS.
So now I'm just Hot at Fountain. I still like the boats but am very disappointed by this experience.
Dan

BTW, I think we need a Midwest dealer for Active Thunder. Any ides Tim?

Why would you want the ITS on a 35 lightning. Fountain specifically states that the will not put extension boxes on the boat and external steering is standard.

GATORONE,
Welcome to the board. A 99 35' single step boat with Stellings boxes, 500EFI's and large tube headers ran 92 out of the box from Fountain! This was his second 35 Fountain. The owner said he thought the handling also improved. The down side with the stellings boxes was the extra strain put on the drives. They loved to eat the top caps on the Bravo's.
The ITS only has a 7" setback so the effect won't be as great. Unlike the Settlings they still use the engine coupler which will be easier on the drive train. They look great and thought it would be neat to try. It shouldn't be this hard.
Dan

BTW, I have seen allot of larger Formula’s using the Stellings up here in Chicago. I don’t know what kind of effect they have on them but they look great!

Fever Mike,
I don't know if Fountain has tried boxes on the twin step.
They spent allot of money developing there own in house external steering. If the ITS works well with the boats customers would opt for them. From that aspect I understand Fountains position on not using them. To this point Fountain has not tried the ITS on any of their Boats. It's probably just a question of dollar$ and cent$.
Dan

BTW, The Stellings work really well with the staggered 42 classics also.

We have allot of time, but when Coast Gaurd is rolling around, I'll give some updates. I go out on Thursday before to get a good spot along the "Wall". I have "hatteras" fenders so I dont mind rafting. If you like to party and listen to some music you are welcome to join us. It's usually myself, my bud with a 25 checkmate, another 42, and a Top Gun. I've gotten a little anal about just letting anyone tie up over the years. I get tired of explaining that my "NO SHOES" decals do apply to everyone, and that also includes Cowboy Boots, yes I had a guy once walk accross my Baja, then my buds 42, then over my friends Apache, to get to his friends boat who I did not know, all with his Cowboy Boots on. "You can't fix Dumb", that goes along with the boating tee shirt my fiance' bought me, "I see dumb people".LOL

Dan,
Hey, DO NOT encourage Tim to carry AT. I'd rather be able to buy one from the factory. Cheaper that way, less people in the markup line :) Actually, there is a dealer here in our area that was thinking about carrying them, but he just took over a business and I think the cash flow is tight to do so now. Maybe I'd help him with his first inventoried boat if I got 50% off. LOL!

I know two guys in our area with 32 AT's and they ride better than my 32 Fountain, but it's s different ride, too. it feels more solid, although my Fountain rides nice too. They're both good, just the AT feels like it enjoys it more :) In 3' and larger chop, the AT does better, though.

But, I don't know about you, but is a stepped hull a big factor? I like mine. That's why if I did an AT, it would have to be a 37AVH. My wife lets me run as fast as I want on flat water, so I like to take advantage of the steps. When the chop kicks up, she wants a flatter ride, so we slow down and run tabs. Bor-ing. LOL!

We were thinking of doing SOTW this year, but were not keen on not being able to approach anyone at the chicago boat show to ask questions. That's disappointing. Do I want to give them a grand when I can't ask them in person about the run they put on?

Mark

MIdnightRider,
I've seen fellow boat owners with black sole shoes walking on their decks and we wonder why there boats look like hell. I've had construction guys with mud on there boots ask if I mind if they take a look around the cabin. Bottom line, people are clueless! :mad: Once you get your spot for the CG Fest are you stuck there? Which Apache does your friend have? We will have to get a fun run together for the spring.
It would be great to get a bunch of OSO members cruising in a pack.
Dan

32fever,
The 37AVH is what we are going to look at. I like step hulls. My trade-in is the only reason I would want to purchase through a dealer. It makes it so much easier.
I still love the 35 and was looking into purchasing another.
My wife’s biggest complaint about our 35 is the handholds and footrest. There is no good place to anchor your feat in the 35'. Zoomnfun and Miss Cig, are former 29 Fever owners. Her favorite thing about the Top Gun is the handhold being right in front of the passenger seat. Also they have good footholds for the passenger. I plan to also look at Cigarette, just not from National. We are not sure which direction to take. We aren't in any hurry. It gives me time to save some more cash. Another solution for me is to purchase a good used 42' and rack store it somewhere. I just wish they had the Headroom of the others.

I talked with BoatMe, Marc and John, on Thursday night. I had never met him before. He showed us the boat and gave us the sales pitch on SOTW. They are
real nice guys. I stopped back there three times on Saturday and was never able to talk to them. Saturday is a bad day for the show. I wish I could make the run but can't make any commitments that early in the summer because of my business. I didn't splash it till July 4th last year. : Mad:

What day did you go to the show? I saw someone with the leather Fountain Racing Jacket at the show on Saturday night. Have you posted any pictures of your 32 yet?
Dan

WE went Friday to Chicago. I have pics on the web of my boat, but old ones, when it was still at Riverview on a nasty old trailer. I have new pics I want to scan and put up, and then I'm good to go:-) (my new trailer makes it look SO much better) We also have some running pics to add.
I didn't wear any boating stuff to the show. I guess it's my way of seeing how they treat me without knowing what type of boat I have ;)

Buying boats is tough. YOu can go out looking for a Tahoe and buy an Escalade. NOt unheard of. Costs more, but what $20k? You don't go looking for a Powerquest, Baja, etc. and say, ah, I'll just get the new Outerlimits or Cig. Cause it can be $100k plus more.
:eek:

Candyman-First my Fiance's TWO biggest complaints are, " Isn't enough that all you do is talk about boats, now your addicted to that computer, and your going to sit there every night typing about boats", "YUP". I just made a boat payment on Monday, this is as good as it gets for me right now.

My buddy DID own an 89' 42 the last 3-4 years, he'll be in a Fountain or Cigarette this year. I loved that boat, he always tried selling it to me, but way to much money, those are like 120k-140k.

We definately have to get a run going, were tired of just sitting in GH. Were doing the Smoke Run, the 4th in Chicago, Traverse Bay the 16th of JUNE, Put In in August, and the Venecian festival up north. Thats on my itinerary so far. Plus like memorial, labor, and CG are great in GH. If Construction continues its recent rebound this year, I want to bring the big dog to florida for the winter and do two or three runs. It would be nice to meet some new couples to run with once in awhile.

MIdnightRider,
That sounds like my wife. Solution is to get a second Confusser so she can get on line too. Is your better half into boating as much as you? Mine use to boat all the time. She went back to school to finish her degree and has been taking summer courses, which kills the summer. Hopefully she will be finished after two more semesters and I can get her back out there.

I noticed you’re from Grand Rapids. Back in the good old days I did the show car circuit. When we did the Grand Rapids show we would bring police barricades to stake out are parking spots on the bridge over the river. Don't tell Troutly! You couldn’t find parking anywhere there were so many people. We had a lot of fun in Grand Rapids.
Dan

Kris likes boating, but she is not at my level. She sees the money I spend and thinks maybe it would be better saved, LOL. We met again, we went school as kids, at the lake, but I live to boat, I'm an ex national jet-ski guy. I learned to ski while I was a kid boating with my parents, went through that, and came back to boats in 95'. Hey, I just bought her a brand new house, all she need do is pay for her car and half the house, thats it. The rest is mine, and I love it, want it, and can afford it,Boating. I do wish she could fully understand what I did. I say, "you do know that's a 42' right?", she says , "You know, without that boat, we could have bought a bigger house." You never win. :mad: