Looking to get a newer boat and really like the 29 Fountain Fever around 2003-2004 model year. Been looking at several and some have the 500HP, 525HP and even the 575SCi. What do you guys have in your boats of this size and what MPH's are you getting with the stock power in these engine choices?
Had a friend that had a 29 around a 1998 with the 500HP with a B&M mega blower done by Tyler Crocket and I GPS'ed it after we rebuilt the motor at 92mph and ran out of lake (cold day). Fast boat but was always rebuilding the Bravo 1 outdrive. I guess the XR is better?
Want to go 78+ on GPS on a summer day.

Thanks in advance for your input.

My personal opinion is get the 525. They dyno at around 540 HP. A friend just sold a 575 boat and now is now looking for a 525.

Why did he sell the 575?
I have read the 525HP runs very well in the 29 but a lot of different reports on there top end speed.
Did he have any problems with the 575?

I have a 525 in mine. It will run 77.6 in the florida summer with a load using a 26" prop. I have recently had the engine re-done with a goodie or two and once it's dialed in, it should be just as fast as a 575 powered machine. We're thinking about 85 or so. It's an 03 that looks absolutely brand new and I am looking to sell it. I do have it in boattrader right now. Let me know if there is any interest and I can tell you more about it. Here is the link and my phone number is in there. The drawback of a 575 is supercharger maintenance, plus the 525 uses anti-freeze so no raw water goes through the block.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/20...Fever-91719983

Here is a vid of it running

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gKbP1jyh-Ak

Gregg

What kind of goodies did you put in and how many hours on the boat?
My current Checkmate should be sold in a couple of weeks.

UNSANE maybe pm me at [email protected] with all the info.
Have several in mind just have to pick.

Just emailed you with all the details and the ancient chinese secrets to its power

5hrs on motor

40 on outdrive

200 on hull

My 05 29 with 575sci does mid 80s with hering 28p 5 blade. The 575 has better midrange power. The advantage of the 525 is it runs on 87 octane insteade of 92.
Rick

29's with single 500 EFI will run around 72 mph most days, closer to 73 on its *best* day. Our 2000 29 with 500EFI ran 72.7 on gps on really cold day, just me in boat, and light on fuel. 2002 29's, and up, weigh 350 lbs more than 2001's and older due to new deck, so some trade off, but newer one's have about 2 inch higher X dimension, depending on year. 2000 had 17.5" X, our 2002, and many of the Fountain test reports I have looked at, list X now at 19.5 inches. Most of the fountain test reports show the 500 boats at ~75 mph, but only show the 525's at 76 - 77 mph, using gps ???. Don't think a 500 boat will run 75 mph on gps unless you have a strong current, salt water, and cold, near sea level condition. 500 boats are slow to plane, too, with significant, and prolonged bow rise, unless you really hammer the throttle. Just sea trialed a 2002 500EFI boat last week and reminded me alot of our 2000 500 boat. Top speed was only 68 mph and outside temp was ~ 40F. Boat had too small of a prop on it (24P B1, should have had 26 B1). Our 2002 575 boat planed much better, almost instantly, with very little bow rise, but it was spinning a 30P B1 prop, too. The factory said our 575 boat tested at 83 mph. Best I ever saw was 81 on gps and that was really cold day, and almost out of fuel, and maybe a tailwind. Boat speed with the 575 was very temperature dependant. In hot summer day, 76 -77 mph was best it would see, but once it cooled off, you could see 79 mph, consistently. Sold the 575 boat because our kids like playing behind the boat, and that is not a good "play behind" boat. Went looking at 21-23 foot bowriders with SBC motors, but just can't bring myself to buy one! Don't even bother with the new 29's with twins, unless you desparately need twins. Top speed is 72-73 mph, plane slightly better than 500 boats, eat lots and lots of fuel, weigh ~1000 pounds more than single engine boat, and there is 2 of everything to break and need maintenance. Hope this helps BTW ... We have had 3 -29's, 1-35 twin step, and 1-27 single step in the last 7 years. Probably should have just kept the 27 or the 1st 29 and been done with it! The 29 with twins was the most disappointing of the 3 29's. The 35 was by far the best, but, right boat, wrong timing. Our 27 with carbed HP500 ran 76 mph gps, but had scary chine walk above about 74 mph. The 29's we had didn't chine walk.

Bob

We had a 98 29 single with the 500 HP and its best was 74 mph with a 25" left handed hydro. I still have the spare prop, but the boat has been long gone.

Agree with Bob_T, that the new two engine 29 is a fuel hog.

We have a guy with 2003 29 with a 575 on the Potomac and he says 93 MPH, but that doesn't check with earlier posts on this thread. May be the dreaded speedo vs GPS problem.

I think the 525 is the way to go unless you know you're going to need more speed. Don't need that $3.50 a gallon high test and don't have to check the valve train.