Retained Value 2008 35' Fountain vs 2011 32 Sunsation
 

Need all you gear heads to chime in on this one. What is your honest opinion on retained value in these two boats. Will a 2008 stag 525's lightning hold better value than a 2011 Sunsation 32'. Both boats are mint. I am wondering what will be a better retained value 4 or 5 years down the road? Thanks in advance!

FWIW, I'd say the Fountain because of their reputation over a longer period of time and also they still build sports boats (but not many) whereas Sunny have gone all CC. Just my opinion, everything I've read says they are both great boats.

Personally, any high performance boat is a real wild card in this market and you could potentially lose a bundle but if re-sale was very important, nobody would ever buy a boat.

RR

The Fountain 35 Full Staggered boats have a following and sell for a good $ currently. The Sunsation your talking about is a nice boat but doesnt have the following, brand identity, or performance of the 35 Fountain, compare all the current market offerings of these 2 boats and that will give you a real assessment of values and speculating.

Check the OP's signature

Some of that value will depend on how outdated the paint design is regardless of everything else being equal. For me the simpler paint on an older boat raises value.

Just my opinion but my thought is the Fountains are a dime a dozen with so many built. I think there are way less Sunnys out there which may make the value better. And now they're not being built anymore so that makes them even more prized.

Doh! ...thanks buddy.

Tough putt. Sunnys values are holding if not having gone up a tick because of the limited production.

I'm a bit brand bias... but the cockpit, build quality, and designs are awesome on Sunny. Original owners says a lot to me.

Also, the 525s are great power but may squeeze your addressable audience for resale. Especially based on hours unless you knock out the refresh. Based on hours a buyer (you or someone else) need to plan on a $15k+ spend for the valavetrain. Those are a few of my personal thoughts as I myself have tossed around the idea of stepping up.

15k on valve train? Seems a little on the high side to me. Typo? Did you mean $1500?

If your asking which one will sell quick and for more money? Answer= The one you keep up and Have all records for..

When I was boat shopping last time, I specifically stayed away from Fountains. Not because they don't perform well, or that they aren't nice boats.....I just wanted something different. I also personally think the lines on the Sunsations are better than most of the Fountains (my exception is the 42 PR.....so hawt). Can't deny that those Reggie Rafts are fast though....but the Sunnys aren't slouches either.

I've owned a 33 fountain and a 2007 Sunny. Both great boats! I keep my boats in meticulous condition with an open cheque book. I appreciate everyone's non bias opinions. I'm in a decision of purchasing either or. Keep the opinions coming. I'm buying one or the other in 3 weeks.

Being a Fountain owner this comment may seem skewed. But if my retirement fund was to be based on the future value of either of these fiberglass toys ..................... My money would be in the Fountain.

Not that either would be a smart place for ones money. Boats are toys, and as such should be a place where one parks discretionary funds that one neither needs, nor ever expects to get back. Aka..... Funds that one feels one can just pizz away. Feel free to share if you disagree.

Some good points but when you are talking the staggarded 35's those are a bit different then the other 35's they made.

They have been holding their value if not going up. I see them now with 200 hours for sell at the same price you could buy them new when everything was crashing in 08/09.

And I don't believe they made a bunch of them. As for build quality, years ago there was a 32 sunny and a 33 fountain at a show. We went back and forth between the two. At that time I would say the build quality was the same. I did like how half the seat lifted on the sunny but if you are talking stag 35 the split hatches and stag motor wins.

Full staggered 35 Lightnings are NOT a dime a dozen and there were def more 32 Sunny's made than the aforementioned Fountain. A 2007/08/09 35 Lightning will always bring more $$ than a comparable 2007/08/09 32 SS or SSR. And the cabin appointments aren't even close between the two. Not busting on the Sunny - it's just a different boat. More comparable to the 33 Lightning which is very rare with less than 25 total made.

Thank you.

$15k+ for full top end rebuild or valvetrain at the minimum.

Please call me when you are ready for service!

If I'm off base for a pair let me know. I'm just going off memory for what it costs to correctly do the 300hr service.

Blue motors are awesome. But rebuilds and popping drives have me gun shy. I like my black motors and AADS drive simplicity.

I think the number is high. Top ends aren't that extensive. In reality it's mostly springs but even on the high side if you upgraded valves and lifters you're only about $2500 in parts or so. Maybe a few in hundred in machine work to clean up heads if you're all in. Then labor if you don't do your own work.

I will catch some flack for this but if merc didn't use crap springs and mediocre valves I don't think you'd have to even do top ends until 500hrs. I have a friend with blown 454s with 800 hours on stock 454/420 bottom ends. If you read those site very very few bottom ends wear out. Most are rebuilt due to catostrophic failure. Dropping a valve, water ingestion or improper tune/detonation.

Headers are a whole different story. Later models I heard were much better. Stay diligent in pressure checking them. Put drains so water doesn't sit when the motors are off. Or switch to stainless marine manifolds. Lol

Your clueless once again. Top ends on blue motors cost about 12k and that's pulling the motors yourself. Parts alone were $6,800 from a real builder. Good luçk with your back yard builds.

Ok. So that puts me back to my original response of $15k+ for top ends as the R&R isn't something I'd tackle. I believe Teague had a 525 kit most were more than happy with.

The reality is that once a $200k boat is purchased the maintenance is something that needs to be thought and planned for. That's a lot of money in my world for the initial purchase. Whether it is a Sunny, Fountain, or whatever for the next boat. This is where the considerations of a CC start to become serious. And then I go back to my being happy with what I have.

6800.00 for parts ?, that's why I'm very hesitant to buy a boat with the blue motors

You are are tool. The largest tool on oso. A very reputable builder just did a friends blue motors for under 10k. Is love to know where you're finding magic million dollar parts. Why don't you shut your mouth and go back to the toilets in your wife's apartment complex.

Also builder did all the labor for him. So I'd say you're the clueless one.

I made an offer on a fountain with the blue motor, with 375 hours and the top end hadn't been done. told him it was a 5k job and priced the offer accordingly. he said his mechanic told him it didn't need it. I walked, it's still for sale

Also i suppose eddie young is clueless also as in a post from January he said about 3k per motor.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...air-costs.html

$6800 for just parts ? Damn. What is a top end rebuild? New heads , springs , pushrods, rockers arms etc.?

I supposed maybe you could spend 6800 per engine in parts on top end. If your a complete dildo and you buy engine hard parts thru a mercury dealer. Say like if you are into relabeled overpriced mediocre parts, or simply have no clue on how to spec a valvespring, and just want drop in pieces to make up for your (or builders) lack of competence.

He said dildo!!

525 parts from Mercury

Lifters. 113 each x 16 = $1,808
rockers. 91 Each x 16 = $1,456
Valve spring kit =$1,046
Head gasket = 176 x 2 = $352
Valve seals 7.90x 16 = $126.40
Intake gaskets 63.63 x 2 = $127.26

Thats $4,915 from merc for those parts. Or, about 1200-1300 from Summit racing. 1800 for relabled GM lifters? 1500 for Scorpion/crane rocker arms? 1000 bucks for valve springs? 350 for head gaskets? :bong:

Oops. I forgot pushrods. $42 bucks each x 16 = 672 dollars for pushrods

Thanks for posting the link. Good read. Apparently I was way off and maybe I was thinking full rebuild vs refresh. Appreciate the clarity.

No problem. Always trying to help. Even if one particular person doesn't seem to think so.

I love my old Fountain and have only ridden in a few other makes of performance boats. But having never ridden in a Sunsation I can't make an honest comparison.But what can't be denied is the decades of racing heritage R&D that influenced the design of Fountains production hulls. Sunsation admits on there website that they invited Reggie to run their new 34 ccx line of hulls and give them his input on how best to tweak it for performance. Reggies influence lives on in the performance boat industry and will for years to come. Now I have to put a Sunsation ride on my to do bucket list!

I have been in a 35 Lightning many times and I have owned an '05 vintage 32 Dominator with the shorter freeboard. The 32 will feel more like a go cart and handles the rough well. But the size difference in the 35 will be noticeable in every aspect. Room in the cuddy, room in the cockpit, room in the engine compartment, and ride. Don't get me wrong, the Sunny is a great boat and has some of the best looking lines out there in my opinion. But they are 2 different boats.

Agree, if looking at later models the 32 sunny (counting swim) and the latest 33 fountain (counting swim) would be a better comparison.

But not many 33's out there.

Or a 36 sunny and 35 fountain stag. Both not a lot out there.

Definitely not a lot of 32 Sunny 525 boats in existence. They got really expensive with the blue motor option.

The Fountain being 9 years old now is probably the worst factor (selling in a few years makes bank financing tougher). Some of those 32 Sunsations got carried away with the sticker kits and SSR paint schemes.

I am looking at a 2011 with the new 502's The owner claims it will do 87mph gps can that be possible? The boat is immaculate with 65hrs and loaded! Heat/Ac, 26 plasma, fridge, micro etc! What would this be worth in US Dollars in a honest opinion on a trailer. Thanks again folks for all the input!

I am also looking at a 2008 35' lightning with 166hrs on it.

That hull with 496HOs normally runs in the 83-85 mph range. I'd say 87 is in the realm of possibility.