Experienced Foutain guys - Your advice please!
 

I am single and nearing 30 years of age and have not yet owned a power boat.

I know with toys it's all about how much you have to spend, so my budget for a go-fast boat is around 50-60K knowing that I would need to have additional funds for insurance, gas for the boat, some maintenance, potential upgrades, and travel costs to use the boat.

I have been trying to figure out which Fountain boat would be the best for boat fresh and salt water. Single/double? 29? 33? 35? Also, IS Fountain the way to go?

I entertain everyones thoughts and thank you all in advance.

Is that $50 - $60K total or per year? :)

This seems like alot of boat for the money.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/19...IN-35-94969030

Nice Marginmn - That is 50-60K total for the purchase of a boat.

Get the biggest boat you can afford, IMHO. And stock, reliable power is KEY if it's your first boat...you are gonna want to USE it!

Fountain is a great boat as far as quality...you may pay a little more for the nameplate, but not as much as you would for Cigarette.

That 35 would be a spectacular option...I LOVE mine. I started on a boat with twins with the idea that if you DID break down, you can always get back on one!

My 2ct
I would think that if you have never owned a power boat, you might want to take a small step rather than a big leap.
I know a lot of guys like the twins as i do but as for cost of ownership and ease of use like towing it finding a place to park at the docks….., I would go for a single 27/29 with newer hull and see how you like it.
I got my 02 29 w/one 575 for $61 and love it and remember one motor cost 1/2 as 2 would cost you when it comes time to have something done.
But nothing looks cooler then a twin walking sideways to park!

Ok, saying you spend the full 60K on the purchase, what is your budget to run and maintain the boat each year and how are you going to use it? Are you going to keep it at a marina and sleep on it, trailer it each time? How far do you have to trailer and what kind of tow rig do you have, and what tow rig can you afford?



All of those questions will affect your choice.

My first boat was a 33 Vyper,twin engine.... loved it. Sure its not a Fountain but...... I grew up in boating so I knew alot about it so I went with a bigger 'first boat'. If you have little knowledge about boating I would say stick to something under 30'As asked before,how do you plan on using it does make a diff.

Where do you plan on using it? I see in your avitar you say Ohio, if you are boating on the Great Lakes, your going to need as much boat as you can get. Probably no less than a 35 that would be hard to get for $50-60K unless its a project boat. On the other hand, if you are boating on a lake or river, my choice would be a 29 single. One motor, less maintance, fairly roomy in the cockpit, no Fountain has a big cabin unless its a cruiser, so if you plan on overnighting in comfort forget it. The key is to match the boat for what you are going to use it for, and what water you are boating in. Its no fun to have a boat that beats you to death every time you go out because it cant handle the water you are boating in, or you have to wait for that one perfect day. If you need more cabin, look at Sonic, Active Thunder, Sunsation or even Baja. Their is a 32 single Sunsation for sale on Serious Offshore .com for $65k. They usually wont run as fast as a Fountain with the same power, but you have to make a choice and match it to what you need.

Budget to run and maintain the boat each year is 20K. Will not sleep in it overnight. Trailer time is 10 minutes. I have the rig already - dodge ram quad cab 2500 diesel 4x4. Primarily fresh lake water (lake cumberland, dale hollow, etc) and maybe in a few years some brackish water (ICW intercoastal waterway). Plan to entertain 4-5 people, no waterskiing etc, just use it to boat and swim.

I have 10+ years of experience with a 24 foot open bow.

Good information... The only big difference in cost compared to your open bow is insurance. The performance boats cost much more to insure. Unless you want big power (blower motors, etc.) the maintenance will be similar. Even fuel consumption will be similar.
I would recommend checking the tow rating for your truck and stay within that limit for safety and legal reasons then plan to get the largest boat you can. Maintenance, insurance, depreciation, etc. will be similar from 27 to about 35 if you get a good used boat that has been well maintained.

$20K a year is more than enough to maintain and operate a stock twin engine Fountain - barring disaster. Therefore, I would recommend that you go for a 35. The 35 is so much more boat then the 32 and 29's. In this economic environment you might be surprised at what $60K cash will buy. If you can't find a great deal on a 35 this season, save your money and you should have more to spend next season, and boat prices will likely take another hit over the winter.

I went down to my Marina for the first time this season and my gawd, the people who NEED to sell their boats have SLASHED their prices to move them. And still no one will buy them. . There are deals to be had out there if you beat the bushes.

Patience pays. Go for a 35.

I'd be cautious with high performance engines and go with stock -not too high maintenance power. Like the others said if you run rough seas get a larger size but if not, a 29 would be a nice start. Survey it ,watch out for rotten stringers/water damaged hulls,and check engine compression.There are boats out there with hidden problems which can break the budget in a heartbeat. -Been there! Good luck.

Good to see you have your annual budget realistic.

Personally, I'll never again own a side-by-side twin. Staggered twin, single, or outboards for me.

It's just too much of a pain to do stuff you need to do. Look at a twin, and see what is involved in removing a valve cover, or an exhaust manifold, or a starter on the port engine, or get at the bilge pumps, or...

Staggered, no problem. Single, no problem. Outboards, no problem.

Also, EFI costs more to own than carbs, in my experience. Nobody does a decent job of debugging them when they go wrong. I've spent a lot of time with the diagnostic software, and I can see why: lots of numbers, no information. Basically, the computer takes information from all sensors, then changes everything it can, every time. So any flakey sensor or any flakey actuator (throttle, fuel, ignition) leads to engine problems. You just can't isolate the problems without spending huge $$$. With a carb, its pretty darn easy for anyone to figure out what's wrong and fix it.

It will just consume an extra, I dunno, $10K per year on the side-by-side over the staggered.


Also, EFI costs more to own than carbs, in my experience. Nobody does a decent job of debugging them when they go wrong. I've spent a lot of time with the diagnostic software, and I can see why: lots of numbers, no information. Basically, the computer takes information from all sensors, then changes everything it can, every time. So any flakey sensor or any flakey actuator (throttle, fuel, ignition) leads to engine problems. You just can't isolate the problems without spending huge $$$. With a carb, its pretty darn easy for anyone to figure out what's wrong and fix it.

So I'd look for a 42 someone really wants to sell because they never used it and don't want to pay another $6K insurance bill yet again.

You should be able to find a 38 Fever with 500hp's for that price. It is a very stable and forgiving boat.

Thanks everyone for your replies. From everyones replies so far it seems as if one with my situation should go with a single 29 now or a double 42 this winter. Decisions, decisions...

Any other thoughts from anyone?

The 35 and 38 side by sides are great boats. I've owened three power pants in them and have yet to have an issue with the side by side configuration. Your chances of finding a reliable 42 in that price range are pretty slim IMO, and for where you are boating who wants to drag a moose 42 around.

Bought my first Fountain at 26 and have never regretted it. I knew I was going to be boating for the rest of my life... so I bought something to LAST. Graduated from a single engine Scarab and was the best switch..... It might be a little daunting with twins at first but you will catch on quickly or least hope so. ( dock rash sucks ) All the other comments in this thread speak the truth, buy the longest boat you can for the money, getting a great ride out of your boat is the one thing to look for. If your not comfortable in your ride, then its not going to be enjoyable. Good luck with the search,

The best advice I got was buy for 5 years from now. I thought I had, now with number 3 on the way, I will need to go bigger. I got into a 27' single three years ago and have loved it. Ride is great. My next one will be a 35 though. The Great Lakes can get rough and a Fountain can handle it but yet still small enough to do Inland Waterway and tow around if you go other places.

There is no substitute for length(size), weight, and HP. You will always want more. Name of the game. Fountains are the best in ride, speed, and value. You get a lot for your money. My buddy has a 35 EX and he loves it. Big enough to run in fairly rough water, yet not too bad on fuel and towing. Will work on a small lake or big. If you run on Lake Erie you will need a quality ride. Great boat with 496 mag ho's or like his with 525's. Don't be afraid of twins. They just take some getting used to around the dock and then you will love them. Good luck and enjoy.

If you decide to go smaller/newer/single, this can be had for $50K.:drink:

http://yachtauctions.com/listing.php?vessel=3101

Well, does anyone have any nice 35 twins available?

just dive in and buy my 42 :coolcowboy:

Surprised no one chose to touch on this. 27 Fountain, not a chance. 29 Fountain, not a chance. 35 Fountain, boarderline. In fact, I don't know of any closed bow, go-fast style boats that are going to accomodate 5-6 people very well. Just the nature of the beast. Fountains however, probably have the tiniest cockpits (and cabins) out of any go-fast manufacturer. They are a dynamite boat; run fast on modest power, handle well, built well, look great, solid resale......but very small.

Have you actually ever been in a Fountain? The reason I ask is because I lusted over Fountains for years. Last year I decided to start looking for a go-fast (had inboard ski boats for years, wanted to hit the other end of the spectrum) and wanted a Fountain. I had never been in one other than at a boat show. I thought I had found 'the one', drove 5hrs. one way to look at it. Within 2 mins. I realized it wasn't the boat for me. Cockpit WAY to small. The seller asked, "don't you want to take it for a ride?", no thanks. I was sick, I really wanted a Fountain. Are you a big guy....or tall? This miniture layout will be amplified.

Not dissing on Fountains one bit. If there is one piece of advice I could give a potential first time boat buyer; do not shop with tunnel vision and there is a much less likely chance of you being unhappy down the road.

Use this forum, ask questions, and be open minded. Good luck!

If a big cockpit is important to you, then I suggest you look at 38 Fevers. Compared to the cockpits in the new 35's and 38's they are enormous. But what you lose in room in the newer models you make up in speed because of the full stagger. If you are looking for both room and performance in a 38ish, I suggest you look at the 39 Top Guns. Beautiful boats and a steal at $300 - 400K - used :)

I have this discussion a lot with my Formula "Pals", cockpit space, cabin space, beach friendly, bla bla. My take here is that if you are looking to buy a "Performance Boat" then shop for one that meets your criteria in terms of performance. Buy a boat that fits YOU and your wants. Forget the friends that might be along for a ride because the reality is you will spend the majority of your time in the boat without them. You are the one that is paying for the boat, buy one that makes YOU happy.

Last season I had five of us on the boat for the day, end of the day we also picked up my buddy's god-son and two of his friends, now we have five adults and three teenagers, little tight? A little! But everyone of them had a chit eating grin and had a ball running 90 mph. Never heard a complaint!

Certainly use these forums to gather some info. Base your buy on what YOU want, not what someone else wants and attempts to convince you that you also need. Buy a boat that you can afford to own and use. Nothing worse than having a great boat that you can't afford to use as much as you would like to because you can't shell out the gas money. I've seen people sit at the dock cause they were short on bucks, they were saving their gas.

Good luck in your search, buy something that puts that chit eating grin on your face every time you run it! It really is all about YOU.

You already know your budget and you want a Fountain, go find some and put your a$$ in the seat to see how much room you need and what you can handle. The 35 Ex is hard to beat. Good size and manageable. Stock power will be best to deal with as far as repairs and maint. Good Luck.:ernaehrung004:

If you want a Fountain with comfortable room for 6+ you should look at my Fountain 38TE with triple 275 Verado's. Fast and extremely reliable!

Take a look at my Fountain 35', it is perfect inside and out, has 500 EFI engines, and a new Aluminum trailer with tripple axels and stainless steel brakes. $77,500 or offer.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o28682-en.html

Dave Kahn
[email protected]
818-464-5246 cell

Most accurate post yet.

Staggard engines take up cockpit space, but give you more speed/weight distribution, better planing. Side by sides give you a larger cockpit, but slightly less speed and more weight in the stern= harder to plane. You always have to compromise unless $ are no problem. Buy what you want and are comfortable with.

I agree. I had wanted a Fountain for years but when I looked at the dealership, I couldn't believe how small the insides were. I wound up getting a 47 Sport Cruiser which, in my opinion, is the best of both worlds. Lightning hull and much taller deck (and cabin).
It is, however, a lot of boat to trail

.................... :offtopic:........................

Lets get back to the program here guys. This man started out looking for some input on a Fountain he could buy somewhere around 50 - 60 thousand. Not a 500 - 600 thou 48 Sport Cruiser.

I know east coast flightcraft has 2 nice 35 s in that price range 2000 w/500 efis and a 02 w/496s

Size:
I looked at a 27, a 29 and a 32 this past weekend. It appears the 27 has the smallest cockpit, and the 29 has a larger cockpit if not the same cockpit size as the 32.

Insurance:
Quoted me just under a grand/year. Not as bad as I thought.

Next step:
I need to check out a 35 to see the difference in cockpit space from the 29, but I doubt I will be able to find a decent 35 in my price range. Maybe someone has cockpit dimensions laid out somewhere already?

In the meanwhile if anyone has a nice reliable 29 or a 35 available from 50-60K - post links here!

I am still looking for additional input and thank everyone so far for their honest opinions and assistance!

Funny how everyone has different opinions. To me the cockpits in the single engine 29 Fountains and the side by side 35s are plenty big enough to carry six people total. Up until 2007 the cockpit in the 35s was actually pretty big. Bigger than my 29 Baja and I bring 5 people with me all the time and never feel cramped.

Your people are smaller!

Way I see it is if my 5 friends want to come, they can be cramped, I won't be. :drink:

I've said that many times and some look at me like I'm from Mars. Truth is perf boats are like sports cars, you buy them for you and your driving pleasure, not to take the neighborhood on a siteseeing trip.

Hmmmm, that must explain why I just bought an 08 vette for my daily driver.:evilb:

Very good point!