38 v 42 Lightning
 

I was looking for a deal on a 42 and found a 38. I was kind of up to speed on the 42 - sliding door, wind shield and bottom changes and I know zero about the 38.

Can you help a guy out?

Same year (2003) & power - boating Lake of the Ozarks. How big of a deal is the 38 v 42?

curious to hear the comments...

More room, hull rated at higher speeds, 42 is Fountain's #1 selling performance boat

I have a very good friend (with a wife) that have a 38 I fell in love with there boat (I had a 35 at the time)
all I could think about was 38 with the NXT 700 package but, Scott Shogren Showed me how to drive a 42 and it was late in the day and I decided to take it home

Thank you

Scott, Greg and Bruce
(Team Shogren)


Looking forward to seeing you's guys in at the Chattanooga Fun Run May 15

Why? What was the biggest thing you liked about the 42 over the 38?

I haven't seen the boats side by side, but to me it appears the 38's stagger is shorter than a 42 and you lose some room in the cuddy. Cockpit seemed about the same size.

So the four foot seemed to be engine compartment and cuddy?

I was told ride was pretty close between the two for the most part, but the 38 had to be drove some in rough water.

Depending of the year, the 42 will have more room in cockpit. Also in 2003 I don't think the 38 had a sliding door. On a newer 38 full stagger their is NO ROOM IN COCKPIT unless you get drop down rear seat. Everything equal go with the 42. Oh but same power I guess you already know the 38 is faster. Hard decision to make with two great boats.:evilb:

I don't know what power you are talking about but I know LOTO gets rough and you will appreciate the full stagger 42 and how effortless it is to drive in any water condition. I would also argue that day in and day out a full stagger 42 would run just as fast as a half stagger 38, especially in LOTO on a holiday weekend!

I'm talking 500 EFI's in the 38.

I'd love a full stagger 42 with 700 SCi's, but it's not in the cards yet.

Your correct you can't drive any boat WOT at LOTO during a holiday weekend in the 21mm area. I like to run hard when it's safe and the waters decent. I'm not a sticks on the dash driver.

Our 33 Outlaw spent a ton of time at 3,200 just cruising down the lake. We spend a ton of time coved out on the lake, getting a bite to eat or meeting up with friends. Just wondering how big of a deal the 38 would be compared to the 42 for how we like to spend time on the water.

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I think the design looks better with the 42. It is so sleek and elegant. I has also 4 fuel tanks compared with the 38 which has only two.

But WHY doea sll 42 have 4 tanks?????? What do you use them for?

If you're serious about a 38 Lightning there is one listed here on OSO that would be worth checking into. I would put the link up here but don't know how so ........ It's an 04 with 575 SCI's located in Williston, Vermont. Owner's name is Charlie Roff. I looked at and test drove this boat a couple years back and can tell you it is in excellent condition, with a very fussy owner. Boat runs strong, has Chillers installed by Fountain when new, 100 mph rig. Would have written a check in a heartbeat for this boat had it been at the price it's at right now. Phone listed as 802-999-6071.

[QUOTE=Yamaha 225;3091996

But WHY doea sll 42 have 4 tanks?????? What do you use them for?[/QUOTE]



FUEL!:drink:




Sorry, couldn't resist.

I saw that and it's a nice boat, I'm not wanting blower motors to be honest.

Does anyone have details on the 2004 525 boat Legend has?

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o33307-en.html

The 38 & 42 are not comparable
 

The 38 is a stretched 35. The 42 is its own boat and there really is nothing comparable. Let me give you a few comparisons. We have scaled all three boats. The 38 is only 400 pounds heavier than a 35 while the 42 is 4,000 pounds heavier (12,880 dry with 700's & 6's) than a 38.

While in a poker run last summer I was running a customers 38 700 boat and it started to get really rough. The 38 700 boat runs 113-115MPH while a 42 with 525's runs low 80's. Morale of the story, I could not keep up with the 42 525 boats in -5's, they ran away from me.

If you are on a lake or do not run rough water the staggered 2007 and newer 38's are a blast to drive and run mid 90's with 525's. Even more fun with 700's.

Best Regards,

Team Shogren

www.teamshogren.com

4 tanks no more
 

Four tanks were origonally used for the triples and are great for range and ballast. The 2010 and newer 42's do not have saddle tanks anymore.

Regards,

Team Shogren

That says a lot.

I have a couple of questions, do the 42's with 525's have any drive issues, seems like a lot of weight for a bravo style drive?

From fountains web site it looks like a 525 42 uses about the same amount of gas as a 35 with 525's, can that be true?

Of course the cult members will tell you they will have the best rough water ride.:drink:

Maybe it was the driver of the 38? :party-smiley-004:

Thanks that's the real life experience I was looking for. Sounds like I'd be better off in a nice 42 then.

Having you guys in the used boat market is killing my game, if you could let a few good deals on 42 go by with out picking them up so fast it would help me out. :lolhit:

4000 lbs heavier than a 38? Thats 1000lbs for every foot longer. No wonder they cant keep up:drink::drink:

I'll be nice since today is your birthday:drink:

Fuel burn is established by Mercury, not the boat builder. It is based on a given engine at a given RPM and expressed in gallons burned per hour. This number would be essentially the same if the engine was in a row boat or a barge. Where the difference comes into play is in how many miles a given hull can cover in the hour at the given RPM. This would be where hull efficiency comes into play, a more efficient hull will travel further.

The boat at Legend has aprox 400hrs on the motors. Casey says it is clean fresh water boat. I think he told me they have a little room to move on it.

They better throw in the trailer at 400 hours. Go with a 42 and never look back.

Is there such a thing as a 2010 42? There does not seem to be any out there, lots of '09 stock, just don't see the 2010 inventory.

I keep hearing that from the guys that know Fountains.

:daz:

Keep looking Eddie, the right boat will turn up. Will let you know if any pop up under the radar.:party-smiley-004:

2010 42's
 

There are a few but they were all retail sold. The MFG switched to 2011 @ MIAMI.

[QUOTE=Team Shogren;3092456]The 38 is a stretched 35. The 42 is its own boat and there really is nothing comparable. Let me give you a few comparisons. We have scaled all three boats. The 38 is only 400 pounds heavier than a 35 while the 42 is 4,000 pounds heavier (12,880 dry with 700's & 6's) than a 38.

The way I see from fountains web site,
35- 9500lbs, 38- 9800lbs, 42- 11400 lbs, dif., from 38 and 42 dry with 525's is 1600 lbs.
Still big dif.

[QUOTE=JMPH;3094287The way I see from fountains web site,
35- 9500lbs, 38- 9800lbs, 42- 11400 lbs, dif., from 38 and 42 dry with 525's is 1600 lbs.
Still big dif.[/QUOTE]



I think the Fountain site number would be standard rigging on the 42 which would be 525's with Bravos. The number would be quite a bit more with the No. 6 drives. Big weight difference in the drives, plus the trannies etc.

Eddie
I know of a 38 with staggered 525's that maybe for sale in GA. If you are interested send me a PM. A friend told me about it this week. It is not listed anywhere but heard from a friend that it was for sale. Let me know.

True but if both boats have same power your comparing the same thing

I am really undecided on a new boat, I ultimatly want 38 with 600's 06 or newer, but the cockpit room is a killer. I am going from a 2000 35 which will has more room than a newer boat.I realize because of the full stagger. Scott at shogren has been very heplfull. So I realy think I have to go to 42, which I realy don't want to. Trailering, lift ,dock all set up for my 35 , 38 will be okay , 42 have to change everything. We boat mostly on a river so 38 is perfect. Want ot go over 100 so I feel better in a 38 than a 35.So when the right one comes along even maybe a 35 , 38 or 42.Guess I want my cake and eat it to.

Nothing wrong with that, your paying the bills. You should get what you want.......thats the only way you will be happy. Its always a trade off. Dont settle for buying something you cant wait to get out on the water with, as opposed to its ok, it meets my needs.
Have had this 38 for 3 years, everytime I fire those 700's up it still sends a chill down my spine. Enjoy!!!!!

The one thing I'm learning about boat buying, is that it's nice to have an "idea" of what you want... but don't overlook a lot of similar or comparable deals. You limit yourself to motor/drive/colors/model/years and you end up limiting your market so far that you wind up paying too much in some circumstances. I was looking for a 42, and ended up with a 38.

Too be honest, I've had the 38 a little over a month, been out in it 4 times. It's growing on me day by day. I had a 1999 38 Scarab last year, and let me tell you it's definitely apples to oranges here. The first time out in the Fountain I was unhappy. Cockpit not nearly the size, downstairs not nearly as big. But things started to grow on me and I realized that the Scarab I had is probably more fairly compared to the size of a 42 Fountain.

Either way, the 38 is an excellent all around boat. I do a lot of smaller lake boating, where the 38 is quite excessive, but also boat in a river that can get nasty quickly (same river Beak Boater boats in).

One way or another the 38 is really beginning to grow on me. Bottom line is, if you don't really NEED the 42, don't talk yourself out of 38s. I know all of us often like to have the biggest, as well as the fastest (I'm guilty as well), but keep your options open.

As a side note, I had heard that the downstairs on Fountains was a lot smaller than on my Scarab, but honestly where it matters to me the most (the head/vberth) I can't even tell a difference.

Nice thing about a lot of the guys here is that they've owned a number of different boats, and can point out the nuisances and quirks about a certain boat that you normally may not notice until a couple months into ownership.

Either way, good luck

Its nice if you have an idea of what kind of water conditions you will be boating in, how many people usually go out, will you be overnighting on it, do I have to get a bigger tow vehicle, if coming from a boat with a single, how much gas will it use and what octane does it need. These are all questions that play into the type of boat you need. Their is nothing worse than buying the boat of your dreams, and finding out its not very practical for the type of boating you do.

hey, just curious which 35 fountain is yours? i boat out of crystal beach.

Mine is all white , usualy anchored just past bay beach

Thanks and I also talked to Rob on Friday he's got a buddy with a nice 38 for sale in FL too. I'm pretty sure I want to do a 42 with the water conditions we boat in at Lake of the Ozarks. I drive all over the lake on a Saturday afternoon and don't want to worry about the rollers. Or my wife telling me to slow down :boat:


[QUOTE-slow ride]Keep looking Eddie, the right boat will turn up. Will let you know if any pop up under the radar[/QUOTE]

Ben - Marks' 35 is sold so I have him to deal with too :angry-smiley-038: Glad to know I have you in my corner :coolcowboy:

will that boat run in the 90,s and does it have a fridge Im also looking for something new ,my boat has air ,fridge and large cockpit and is not that bad in the bumps 97 mph full of fuel THEY JUST DROPED THE PRICE 20000.00 its a sharp looking boat

Beautiful boat!!!

eddie check your pm's.

Dude, Trust me when I say for saturdays at the lake on the 4th weekend you want a 42, not a 35 or a 38, a 42.

Get a 38 and you will be wanting out of it in a year or 2. You will find the right boat, just be patient. 42 is a physically larger boat all the way around and the extra weight will make a difference when the washing machine is on the agitation cycle.

If you decide to sell it down the line the 42 will move easier. That's my opinion, YMMV! PS, got any water yet, that's going to be one very long ramp out to the dock!