35EX vs 38
 

OK, so heres the deal, we have a Formula 292 fastec now and it is a great all around boat but i have been looking and wanting to go to either a 35 or 38 for awhile now and well the wife brought it up the other day about lookinbg for a new boat so I guess its game on!:evilb:

Formula makes a great boat but I am planning on joining the Fountain family mainly due to them being a little lighter, faster, etc.

I looked at a clean 2003 35 EX today with 496's and she rides great, seemed to have plenty of power, impressed with the handling and it didnt hurt that the wife was diggin it!

I am however a little on the bubble here since I dont want to regret buying something after the fact.

We mainly boat here on Lake Lanier in GA and we do tend to trailer it around from time to time to other inland lakes.

We stay on it overnight maybe once or twice a year at the most.

This all being said, is it really worth my time to search for a 38 with bigger motors, more weight, more expense, etc or is the 35 EX the best option?

I have had a couple guys that have had 38's in the past say they would go back to a 35 since they are more nimble for docking and trailering, cockpit area is roughly the same, speeds are good, etc.

i have a 3500 so towing either isnt an issue there.

Just looking for some of the pros and cons of each for reference to help us in making the decision.

Thanks
Jason

If I was deciding between those two, and in the 2003 EX year range for the 35, I would look into a 2000/2001/2002 35 Lightning twin step with 500 EFi's. You get the "new" deck style with swim platform boarding ladder (wife would probably like that "alot"), most came with bimini top (2000/2001), BLUE engines that are nearly bulletproof (may need to add pressure relief valves if the drives only have LWP), anchor locker (should have a SS anchor in it- it was std equip on those boats), more freeboard/deeper cockpit than EX, and ~ 84-86 mph boat. I think you may get bored with the black 496HO's, in the long run. I loved our late production 2000 35 twin step with 500 EFI's, shore power, bimini, etc. My wife and kids really liked the integral swim platform boarding ladder ... that became a "must have" on all of the other Fountains that we owned.

Didn't most twin steps also have pump out heads in those years?

I think one advantage of the 38 would be staggard motors. I know when I step up that is one option I want, biggest reason the ease of working on them.

All of the twin steps (except one named Ms Nette, that I know of) in that time frame had a Vacu-Flush electric head on the starboard side and a refrigerator and small closet on the port side. The side-by-sides do present a challenge to work on ... just try to change a bilge blower in one of the 35 Lightning 35 side-by-sides. :picard1:

I already know we would need to mount a ladder of some sort under the platform.

I agree staggered would be alot easier than side by side again but even with the 496's in the fountain are easier for me to get into versus my 350 mags in the 292 right now! Thank god my son is 7 and I can cram him down in there from time to time!:lolhit:

I owned a 292 with 6.2's, full hydraulic steering, and Silent Thunder, for a short period of time ... didn't care for the boat. Had to change the raw water pump impellor on one of the engines while I owned it. Nearly had to stand on my head to do it ... and I don't have the right "physique" to be trying to stand on my head for any amount of time! :eek: Also didn't care for the amount of plastic parts on those engines, that, in my opinion, shoud have been cast metal.

As many have said... consider blue motors. They 496 Fountains can be bought right... but they seem to continue to tank in value harder and are more difficult to sell. This is just my opinion, but it seems to hold true in most instances.

I hear ya! Good thing I am 6'3" with long arms! Idred that every year when I change them now!

What are realistic speeds with 496 package vs 500 EFI packages?

Also, what is normal water pressures for 496's? The boat has 115 hrs on it and it looks like it needs an impellor on the since the water pressure supposedly drops when running WOT.

I have not witnessed this my self but I did tell them I would want full engine and drive serviced as well as new impellors in both motors.

If I go with the 496 package, is there anything else out of the ordinary I should look for on them or are they good reliable motors like my 350 mags I have now?

Out side of an oil pump a few years ago, my 350's have been pretty much trouble free for having 670 hrs on them.