I own a 38' Lightning, and I came from a 38' Scarab AVS. I've never owned a 42' Fountain, but I can make one statement. I love my Fountain to death, it rides excellent, and it's capabilities far far exceed my needs and abilities. However... my first impression after buying my Fountain is that the boat does feel "light". It just doesn't have the mass that my Scarab did, so crashing through some nasty stuff definitely can jar you a bit.

Again... I'm sure there are some setup things I could do to make the boat ride even better in less than favorable conditions, however, I can see the added weight of the 42' alone as being beneficial in the snotty water. No matter how bad it's gotten, I never felt like I was in too small of a boat though.

Just my 2 cents.

my triple 42 fountain is the best riding boat I have owned....loved the way it rode....never got wet

Just be sure whatever one you buy has staggered engines. That pretty much means a 42. Thats the difference you'll notice every time you service, repair, or enhance your boat.

a staggard is also a better balance , lower center of gravity and faster

Went from a 27' Mirage to a 38' Fountain. The ride in the 27 was way better! The 38 has never scared me. Or does that mean the 38 rides better?

When I launch the 27 I'm scared I'll die. When I launch the 38 I'm scared my drive will die.

Tied up at the dock the 27 would move all over. The 38 stays steady during a ride.

i would have to agree anything that large is not going to get up and go as fast as a smaller boat, but then again top end might different. But I cant imagine a stock 38 is that much faster than or faster than a stock 27 with a 502

38 w 525 early to mid 90's

Race boat not with a cabin?

My 2007 38 Lightning w/525's ran 93 at the factory bone stock.
BTW: 38's have been available with full stagger since the 2007model year. The stagger does make a significant difference in overal performance

John

no full cabin. the later 38's come out of the factory between 90-93. i have a couple of changes i make to get them to runbe tween 96 and 99. i havent been able to break the 100 barrier yet.