Hello
I have been thinking of buying 38 Lightning.I have small kids and would like to overnight some times in the boat with my family.The cabin is not very roomy and there is not much room for things or food,no normal refrigerator etc.So is there any real possibilities for this kind of boating with family or am I determined to buy some dull cruiser?

Yea, but not in a Fountain. Look at Black Thunder or a Donzi ZX for example.

There are choices in Fountain as well as Black Thunder but they are generally very large boats to trailer, much larger than the 38 lightning

Forget the 38 lightning - that is not a family boat. My friend bought a new 35 lightning for his family and sold it 5 months later. Look at the 38 sport cruiser. Pair of 496s it will run 60+ and cruise at 45 - 50 mph. Much more suited to kids, wifes and overnights. Forget the trailer - rent a lift slip, save yourself a lot of headaches.

In a nutshell. Although I went for a 400SS.

Indeed, the 38SC sounds like it would suit your needs. It is far from a dull cruiser, actually quite sporty! A set of 502's will push it close to 70 MPH.

I recently looked at a 42 Lightning and was very displeased with the cabin space.

How about a nor tech or an AT.....? They have quite a bit more room and stand up than a fountain....and they are real sport boats compared to a SC...... 39 nor, or 37 at is the way to go.

38 is pretty small for a family to overnight. Active Thunder and Sonic, have all the aminities you need and still run faster than a Sport Crusier. Check them out as well as above mentioned.

Be sure to look at them in person. I was interested in a sonic because they advertised "stand-up" cabin. Then I got in one. The only true stand up cabins that I've seen are the 46 Black Thunder and the Fountain sport cruisers. The express cruisers which replaced the sport cruisers are not trailable (too wide). I bought a used Fountain 47 sport cruiser which was in the showroom right next to a Black Thunder. They had very similar cabins. The only thing is that I wanted a trailable boat because where I live there are several choices for boating on any given weekend. It has been a great boat. There are drawbacks. Insurance is dramatically higher than a traditional cruiser and if you choose to get a slip, they usually charge by the foot so you'll pay as much as a 47 Azimut or similar which are like a house inside in comparison.

Fortius,

I am going to look at a 38SC this weekend for many of the same reasons as you (except my kids are grown). The wife wants more of the creature comforts. It seems the Sport Cruisers have features while still holding onto some of the performace aspects as well.

Glad to hear your input 35 Fountain.