coronacross

hey everyone,, just joined... i have a question, and b4 i ask,, i want to say im not new to boating, however, i am new to fountain>>>. ive wanted one since 200 when i bought my 1st boat,, it was a nice 21ft rinker captiva, with a litll v6.. it was perfect for me at the time, however as time wore on , ive went bigger and a litlle faster.. foutain boats were just way out of my budget,, as im a blue collar guy, i work hard and long hours, but boating is so in my blood.. as luck would have it,, the marine corps finally paid me for a serious injury i suffered while in iraq,, so im able to purchase the boat i would like to have.. that bein said.. i have a question, a question some of you owners will laugh at, but i just cant find someone to give me the awnser.. would someone plz tell me the difference between a fever,,, a sport-cruiser, .. and a dominator??? i know the fever-dominator are more race ready,, but im not looking to race, im looking to go to my heaven and go fast, but have fun.. im currently looking at a 38sc.. but the dealer cannot awnser my questions as he is not a fountain dealer.. it is an older boat, but what i can afford.. its a 96 38sc with twin 502s (415hp).. plz advise,, sorry for the long post,, and i really am sorry for sounding silly to the pros that may read this and laugh.. be blessed..

triple 300s

Uhhhh....wow

Crude Intentions

iTrader: (1)

My personal opinion not knowing your finances or anything but if you need a settlement to afford it, I don't see how you'll maintain or fuel it. Fountain is my dream also. I'm gonna get a 38 lightning just not there yet. I currently have a 27 formula with twin small blocks and 1 tank of fuel is in the 600 dollar range. A 38 sc which is a sport cruiser. Bigger heavier than other fountains will suck a lot more fuel and prolly have at least twice the tank I do. I do not know the exact burn rate or capacity but it will not be friendly. Always be prepared when buying an older boat to work on it. May get lucky and find a well maintained boat but I don't buy older without the expectation of a repower.

Don't know what you have now but crossing into go fast territory with twin big blocks is a whole new ball game. Nothing compared to 21 ft boats. That's why I haven't done it yet. I love boats been on em since I was a kid and dreamed of a fountain since I was 9. Diesnt even sound like you've done enough research to know what fountain you want. I would spend a lot more time researching repairs, maintenance, and looking at sea trailing different size model and power set ups to see what fits your needs or if it is affordable after boat purchase.

What fun is the boat if it has no fuel? Or doesn't run?

sonicss42

You need to know waht you can afford to buy, use, and maintain first. Once you have that in place shop ,compare and research. Now get a proffesional marine survey, make an offer, complete the deal and enjoy. Last but not least don't forget to break out another thousand.

Fanatic

I think you should look at a smaller boat maybe a 27 or 29 with a single engine and see if you like it first. Also, look at fuel, storage, insurance and maintenance costs and make sure you can swing it.

Thank you for your service and your immense sacrifice.

MER Performance

I have a 10 meter here for a steal. It was #12 built, it was completely de-rigged all wood removed and rebuilt with 5 bulkheads, built with composite materials, new fuel tanks, this was done as a sit-down version, newer dash layout, blueprinted bottom, with new gelcoat, it is a bare hull on a trailer. This boat is a project boat that can be finished to your liking.

I thank you also, for the sacrifice you have given for the freedom of our country. I myself gave service to my country for 4 yrs, but was fortunate enough to have missed conflicts of war.

Wes Burmark

Coronacross, I suggest you contact Scott Shogren at Pier 57 (one of the supporting vendors on this site). I bought my Fountain from him but not before picking his brain. He is a good dealer and you will not have any surprises. I flew back to his place of business to look at the boat before I made my purchase. It was everything he said it would be, actually nicer. Good luck and thank you for your service. PS AS others have mentioned, ownership is expensive (example: insurance over 1k per year - $500 fuel could disappear in a day).

soldier4402

a 38ft is a big commitment to hang your hat around. But if thats what you can afford go for it. But like others said you must look into not just buying it but maintaining it and to run it. A lot of people can scare people on here and rightfully so as there have lots of big eyes with small wallets float across these boards. But As others have said I would start with a 27-29 Fever in which most of these boats can be had for 20-30 for something 1990 or newer. Get your feet wet. Also with a 38ft boat do you have a diesel to pull it, where you going to store it or slip it? Might want to check insurance rates on different sizes and years first as well. Also where what are you boating on water wise?

But I dont know how you can put 600 bucks of fuel in a 27 Formula.

carcommander

I had a couple of big cruisers like that that were about 4 years old. I worked on them all the time. It still cost me about 30K a year all in. and that was only a couple of thousand dollars for fuel.

4bus

iTrader: (4)

Take your money and re-invest in your future. Search around for a small healthy business that is forsale, something you can grow and bring revenue for the rest of your life. Maybe rental property.

Take the income you earn with your investment and then buy a buy you can afford on a tax deductable loan

A 96 boat with twin engines is no place for a novice boater IMO. That style of boat may be the worst on gas vs all of them. There are about 100 things that cost $1000 to repair that are common on a boat of that age if you are paying to have the repair done.

The things that most of us learned on our single engine perforamance boats make boating enjoyable and affordable on our now bigger rides. I too agree that boat is too big, too old, and too expensive for someone on a limited budget. I've been boating for 3.5 weeks so far this season and have spent over $2000 in fuel.