29 twin vs 27 single
 

Im wanting a fountain bad and have already passed on one because i was scared of it. im currently looking at a 27 single 540 with a bravo 1 outdrive and a 29 twin with 454s with prob bravo 1's as well. what do you guys think? theyre both on ebay. which would you choose? what would be the difference in fuel usage. Thanks alot

Honestly after owning a 27 HO boat I would save money enough to buy a 29 with a 500HP. If I were to ever go back to a single it would probably be a 29 with a 525. As far a fuel usage I have no idea never really cared and it cost money to run these boats no matter what you have. I always just plan on a gallon a mile with twins and mile and a half with a single

Sounds like you are looking at older Fountains?
I would get a single 29.

I am looking at older fountains (90 29 twin vs 93 27single) and would love a 29 single but cant afford it. Im looking at spending 20,000. so what would you do or what do you think? living on a budget here guys, sorry.

If you are on a budget buy a boat with a single...Twin big blocks will cost you some serious coin at the pumps, will have twice the maintenance and potentially can have twice as many things go wrong. You also potentially will need a bigger truck to tow the larger boat with the twins.

that 27 will smoke the 29. Its newer. Cheaper to run, easier to trailer and more sea,worthy. 27 twins of that,era are low in the rear.

so you would go with the 27 over the 29 is what im haring. will you guys check them out on ebay and tell me what you think. twin is in jackson tn single in irvine ky

Twins will cost alot more to maintain because it is two of whatever you want to up grade to on the boat, carbs ,exhaust whatever... Also thay just don't build boats that small with twins any more because there is too weight in the rear and you can get a single to run just as fast if not faster in a boat that size. So I say single..

So pretty much everyone would choose the smaller boat with a single? I appreciate the input

Not everyone. But it does seem to be the general consensus that most agree on. That choice is most times money driven I believe but I could be wrong.

Seems to me the singles are harder on drives, especially with a 29. But even with that the twins are definitely more expensive to maintain.

I decided on twins because thats what I wanted for my own reasons and wouldn't go back to a single ever again unless 27ft or smaller. Sounds like with the budget you have chosen and unless you are set on having twins like I was, the single 27 is probably a smarter choice.

You can always sell and go bigger later if thats what you decide. Without knowing your situation (so no offence meant), keep in mind having a boat you can't afford to run or fix is no fun.

Twins ride much better in my opinion. I have also heard that the 27 is a handful with power. And if your worried about fuel, go outboards or get a canoe. Have fun, boat shopping is a blast.

Try to find a single 29, they are balanced very well. The 29's with twins are pretty heavy in the rear and if you ever catch any air.....

There were 2 29's on Ebay on Friday. 1 was a single with a 540, and 1 was twin 454's. both early 90's and both around the same $$$ I was really tempted to bid on the single, but not ready to commit just yet.

1 was in Henderson, TN, and 1 was in KY.

Just my 2 cents...The way I understand it, when you start talking about big power 500HP+ those are very expensive motors to maintain and VERY expensive to repair compared to stock 454's. That is why I went with a twin 29. Maintenance has been a non issue to this point other than winterizing and fluid changes. That is not a big enough expense to make a difference IMHO.

stock twins use less fuel than a big single. my 502mag efi's use way less than my 700hp 548 single... and it runs 10 mph faster... oh and when you splatter a drive with a big single your a sitting duck til someone pulls you in.. and way better cruising speed. big singles are ticking time bombs and what you will spend keeping a big single running will be more than routine maintance on stock twins.

in a 29 I wouldnt want a single after having mine. You put a single 454 in a 29 60ish is about all your going. Personally two stock 454s is less heache all around than one big engine in a 29. That big engine will probably use more fuel, cost just as much maint, and if you have to replace that big engine that will probably cost more than to replace two 454's

I catch air all the time in mine and I have no problems. I do keep the fuel tank full and that tends to offset some of the engine weight in the rear towards the cockpit and keep the CG in a better spot. Even near empty on fuel you just get used to it. Kinda of like jumping a dirt bike you get a feel for having the boat at the right attitude.

I would never get a single engine boat again as long as I can afford a twin engine setup that is what I will own. Money can be a discriminator in the single vs. twins choice for sure.

x2 have gotten plenty of air. Although I wouldnt say that was or ever will be a buying/selling point for me.

Exactly why I went with Twins in my 29.

Theres a guy up here that sells undressed 454's rebuilt for 2500 bucks with a core. Now trying buying some rebuilt 525 or 540 for even twice that.

The cleanest 27 single you will find is for sale in Henderson, KY. (not mine). It's more than your budget, but it looks like new - inside and out.

another consideration is how much of the work on your boat you do yourself and
how much of a pain it is to work on a twin engine boat. Since your on a budget like me
you probably do your own work so find a twin engine one and see if you would like to work on it yourself.

Given your situation, I'd go with the 27. or if you can find a single 29 - with good power - that would be better.
No need for twins. especially in this size range.

Alot depends on the type of boating you are going to be doing. I have a 27 with a single 502. I had to be dragged in twice last summer (impeller, and fuel pump belt). When I bought the boat I had aspirations of taking weekend trips to the islands but after last summer I'm not getting to far from civilization. This is my first performance boat and maintenance was why I went with a single. I wish I would have gotten twins for what I wanted to do.

I have a 27 newer with a single. It's been great. I use it on a fresh water lake (not great lake). I would not buy a 20k performance boat unless I could work on it myself. If you change the impeller every 3 years you don't usually have problems with those. Even if you have twins and one goes down you are not going to be able to plane the boat with one engine.

yeah, boats break whether you have one engine or two. He lives in Kentucky so prolly not boating the ocean regularly. Even if he did, that's what gps and smart phones are for!

+1 for twins. I do my own winterizing/maintenance and have had a single before. for handling around the dock and performance and having a back up motor in case one goes down, I love the twins! My boat is altogether different than the ones you are looking at, but if this is your first performance boat, you may want to consider going a single for 2 reasons: learn what you like with minimal investment and learn what you really want in a performance boat. If you have a performance boat, strike the last point :)

Good luck in your search! Like stated earlier, boat shoppin can be a lot of fun,

tom

3 yrs? Your a brave & apparently lucky man!!

Yea but you'll crawl home free!:whistle:

How much is the one in henderson and what year ? thanks

I only put about 20 hours a year on the boat. Last one I pulled out looked like new. I use the boat alot but there really is no place to go.

Is it cleaner than mine? Is it over 45k?

I had a friend with a 23' performance boat with a single 454. He put a powder-coated bracket on his swim platform for his 15 h.p. outboard. He always took the outboard along on long trips. An option for you if you get a single engine boat.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o45185-en.html Looks like a nice clean older fountain!

Not sure, haven't seen yours. But this 2000 is very clean and the dude takes extra care of everything he owns. ....probably still has THE first pair of Air Jordan's in the box! Ha!

How much does he want for it? havent seen it on craigslist or ebay or anywhere. Im sure out of my price range but still have to ask

Thanks. I was just curious if anyone remembered me having mine for sale back in Jan. Trying to get an idea if my opinion is consistent with what others think.

tried to renew my classified ad but this site has so many frustrating issues I gave up on it and just listed on EBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...84.m1558.l2649

Nice boat and engines but I think hes about 3-5 high. A nice 20-23 boat not sure about 26

A guy last year had a like a 2004 or 5 27 fever from canada dude was selling cheap for like 23 grand, boat was mint I almost bit but the guy was like 27hours away in northern canada somebody bought the boat on here I beleive. Guy just wanted it gone.