I have been wanting a boat for probably 10 years and have always been on the lake just never had my own boat. I finally decided to buy one and of course have always wanted a fountain. I looked at bajas and donzis but just didnt think I could get a nice fountain for the money im looking to spend. Well I found this 1995 27 fever with a nice interior but the motor scares me because its a blown 540 with dual carbs and the drive is an imco but not sure what kind. My issues are with the reliability of a supercharged motor, the fuel economy with that much power and dual carbs ( I know it will be bad at wot but was wondering more cruising at 45-50). And if the drive can handle the power, there is 46 hours on the motor and 0 hrs on the imco refreshed drive. Any input is greatly appreciated and sorry so long.

My option would be pass! First off you would be better off with a 29 fever over a 27. A 27 with that much power is a scary ride. A blower motor is hard on drives. Witch explains the rebuild. Dual crabs on a blown big block is nuts. My buddy has a mercury racing 540 bulldog and it'll go through $200 of fuel in 3hrs. Your best bet for a first boat is to stick with a boat that has stock power.

Yeah id rather have a single 29 fever but dont think I can get a good one at the same price. I was just hoping that if i didnt go wot too much that I wouldnt use that much fuel. I dont really ride that much anyway but definitely want the option.

I think in a 29 you would rather have a twins, two 454's are not going to suck any more fuel than a huge single in that boat.

As for the 27 you could always buy it, find another engine thats not forced inducted say like a 502, if you got the boat cheap enough sold that engine for parts and bought a 502 you wouldnt be out that much money.

A 27' Fever with a stock 496 would be easy on gas (as easy as any high performance boat would be) and low on operating costs. As you go up in horsepower the number of hours you can run before maintenance increases. I asked my dealer about the number of hours before the 525 h.p. motor needs a touch up (valve job and new valve springs). He said around 250 hours to be safe. I have no experience with supercharged motors but owners on this forum will give you their experience.

I have one for sale- check your PM's

Your boat looks nice but as you said its not fast. I feel like your boat and this one are on total opposite ends of the spectrum. Just wish I could find one in the middle. Thanks a lot though.

Here one for you....

http://www.performanceboats.com/boat...-fountain.html

Nice boat built right with a real strong drive to back it up. This boat is as turn key as it gets and is sitting in my garage as always.

As a first boat? RUN. IMO boats like this are only for DIY'ers that know boats in and out. You don't want to lose your boat for a month over a little issue that you can not fix your self. And you don't want to destroy your ride because you learned something the hard way. That drive might be fresh because it is not enough for the engine, do you have $8-10k to change a drive once a year? Not to mention the speed of this boat in novice hands....you say you won't go fast, history shows once you feel it you won't stay off the sticks

Seeing that you are new, buy something stock that goes the speed that you want. Not saying it will be bullet proof, but more than the boat above. And fixing will be easier for a marina or even your self with a simple google search. Having modern tech with knock sensors, and alarms will help keep you from destruction. Would you buy a T-bucket with a blower motor to drive to work every day? Don't start a new hobby with the etremes

That is a beautiful boat!