Open bow?
08-14-2019, 10:46 AM
#1
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Open bow?
Has anyone ever turned a 35+ Fountain into an open bow? I have seen pictures of a 27. I'm thinking about turning our 38 Lightning into an open bow since we never use the bed portion of it. My wife is worried it will hurt the value of it, but I think if done right it won't. Just curious. Would like to see pictures if it has been done.
08-14-2019, 01:14 PM
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Quite a few manufactures made bigger sized Mid-cabin bow riders. Donzi even made a 35. I had a 27 Checkmate mid-cabin and was shopping for a bigger one when I rode in a 35 Ex. Bought the Ex and gave up on the idea of a bigger mid-cabin.
I cannot imagine how much it would cost to professionally convert a 38 into a mid-cabin. I actually think that if you had a well known shop with stature like Waves and Wheels do the conversion it would not destroy the value of the boat, although it would cost nearly as much to do the conversion professionally as the boat is worth, -like a whole lot of money - otherwise I think the conversion would look like a one-off shade-tree job and that would absolutely destroy the boats value. I think it would be cool to do though, as long as I wasn't paying for it
I cannot imagine how much it would cost to professionally convert a 38 into a mid-cabin. I actually think that if you had a well known shop with stature like Waves and Wheels do the conversion it would not destroy the value of the boat, although it would cost nearly as much to do the conversion professionally as the boat is worth, -like a whole lot of money - otherwise I think the conversion would look like a one-off shade-tree job and that would absolutely destroy the boats value. I think it would be cool to do though, as long as I wasn't paying for it
08-14-2019, 07:22 PM
#6
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Before considering value, consider how long you anticipate keeping the boat and how many hours of enjoyment are you likely to get in that time? Answer that first, then listen to the crowd here about resale value.
General rule of thumb........Never listen to your wife, it'll do your head in.
RR
General rule of thumb........Never listen to your wife, it'll do your head in.
RR
08-15-2019, 07:21 AM
#7
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I have a Donzi 28 ZXO. Love the boat for where we boat in Trent Severn Waterway. We’ve had the boat six seasons now and not once has anyone sat in the open bow. But it looks cool, is well executed and there’s not many of them around.
08-15-2019, 08:35 AM
#8
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West coast manufacturers and others (upholstery people) do the conversions all the time. MCOB's and WTOB boats are preferred out there and are more highly valued than closed bow boats, which is generally just the opposite of the east coast style boats. When I was looking several years ago for a MCOB for the grand kids, I could never find one that wasn't ugly as sin or all beat down, so I decided to buy a CB boat and have it converted. I got a very good deal on a CB boat and had it converted to MCOB. It turned out great, the boat and the conversion cost was still inline with the value of a factory MCOB and it was exactly what I wanted. On a side note: All that, and the kids haven't been out yet, but there have been a lot of med issues here, so that is another story for another time.
Depending where you take it, the cost out in AZ or CA ranges anywhere from $4500 to $8000 or so. I would suggest you contact Fountain first and see what they charge to make the conversion. The cost might not be as bad as you think. If they make open bow boats at all, they would probably do the conversion for you. They probably have a template to make the cutout hanging on a wall somewhere. I am old school and think that no one knows a Fountain better than Fountain, but there are certainly others who can do the job. Any manufacturer that produces a boat with an open bow can probably do it, but unless the cost is too high at Fountain, I would certainly think hard about letting them do it. Good Luck with it.
One other thing. Believe me, the hardest part of the conversion was getting that first picture of my boat with a big hole cut in the deck. You will doubt yourself. However, in the end it will turn out great.
Depending where you take it, the cost out in AZ or CA ranges anywhere from $4500 to $8000 or so. I would suggest you contact Fountain first and see what they charge to make the conversion. The cost might not be as bad as you think. If they make open bow boats at all, they would probably do the conversion for you. They probably have a template to make the cutout hanging on a wall somewhere. I am old school and think that no one knows a Fountain better than Fountain, but there are certainly others who can do the job. Any manufacturer that produces a boat with an open bow can probably do it, but unless the cost is too high at Fountain, I would certainly think hard about letting them do it. Good Luck with it.
One other thing. Believe me, the hardest part of the conversion was getting that first picture of my boat with a big hole cut in the deck. You will doubt yourself. However, in the end it will turn out great.
08-15-2019, 09:34 AM
#9
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I think it would hurt resale value as no ocean going buyer will buy it. I think it's dangerous to put people in the bow of a boat like this for two reasons:
1) It will negatively affect the weight distribution if you put a lot of weight up there and
2) A big wave at speed could toss the passengers out of the boat
I'd sell it and buy something else that will suite your needs better. Perhaps a center console would give you more useable space without sacrificing too much speed.
1) It will negatively affect the weight distribution if you put a lot of weight up there and
2) A big wave at speed could toss the passengers out of the boat
I'd sell it and buy something else that will suite your needs better. Perhaps a center console would give you more useable space without sacrificing too much speed.
08-15-2019, 09:57 AM
#10
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Out here on the west coast you may actually get more money for it, lol.
In my 272 Islander the bow is the first place people run to sit, and the odd thing is even at 60mph it’s super quiet up there and can talk back and forth.
The downside is in open water. When I go out past the Golden Gate Bridge no water comes over the bow but it definitely freaks out passengers. The front of the boat looks like a giant bucket.
Aerodynamics and weight distribution suck with an open bow. The same Baja model with a cuddy is a good 5-8mph faster with the same engine package.
I don’t really consider resale value that relevant to a boat. A sharp downturn in the economy can leave a boat nearly worthless. It’s not an investment item as it’s an item to enjoy so enjoy it as you see fit. But with that said you’re pretty much turning an open water boat into a lake boat.
In my 272 Islander the bow is the first place people run to sit, and the odd thing is even at 60mph it’s super quiet up there and can talk back and forth.
The downside is in open water. When I go out past the Golden Gate Bridge no water comes over the bow but it definitely freaks out passengers. The front of the boat looks like a giant bucket.
Aerodynamics and weight distribution suck with an open bow. The same Baja model with a cuddy is a good 5-8mph faster with the same engine package.
I don’t really consider resale value that relevant to a boat. A sharp downturn in the economy can leave a boat nearly worthless. It’s not an investment item as it’s an item to enjoy so enjoy it as you see fit. But with that said you’re pretty much turning an open water boat into a lake boat.
