2005 29 fever
 

hi gang. just purchased a 29 2005 fever. it has the 496 HO, 26 pitch 4 blade bravo. never had a fountain before. looking for anything on it. how they plane, top end, cruising speed, any quirks etc.... thank you for any input.

I have a 1990 29' w/454 mags so I don't have any personal experience with a single eng 29. From what I've gathered, they are a little slow to plane-out especially with a full load of passengers/coolers/fuel/etc. Top end should be around 70 MPH with that power. Should cruise nicely at 45-50 MPH. The singles do have a reputation for flying a lot flatter than a twins do. Like abt any boat with a stepped bottom, you have to be careful about turning too sharp at high speed. They can spin out.

Very nice/reliable boat overall, especially with the 496. Congrats!!

Everything I've read concurs with the above ^^^^.
Slow to plane is a feature of any boat that size with a modest hp single. I had a 27 Donzi and to get her up and running, tabs down, drive in and ease the throttle all the way. Nose high, when you feel it about to drop down, get ready to pull the throttle back a bit. Bring your tabs and drives back to neutral and learn from there. I needed 4500 revs to get the Donzi on the plane with a moderate load on board.

Stepped boats do feel different to a straight hull. Avoid high speed turns until you're used to the handling. Even trim, or up a touch, is the best position for turning, don't trim it down. Same applies to the tabs. My boat did not like much positive trim, only a little above neutral.

Good idea to check your tab indicators and trim gauge/indicator. When the boat is out of the water, use a straight edge to line your tabs up even with the bottom and also your drive at even level. Note where your indicators are, maybe mark it on the dash with some tape until you're used to the feel of the boat. Don't automatically believe the indicators or gauge are accurate, check them first.

Sounds like a lovely boat, congratulations. (Don't be shy to post pics, we love boat pics :))

RR

If you have the original owner's manual, read pages 51-60, a great explanation of stepped hulls and how to drive them. If you don't have the hard copy, there's not much you can't find on the www.......

https://media.fountainpowerboats.com...-27ft-47ft.pdf

RR

thank you for the input. yes, they straight edge thing is good idea to. ill keep ya posted. again thanks!!!

hi gang! welp, made the fountain voyage yesterday. way to much wieght on boat. full tank and 5 people. got rid of 2 and it ran very nice. does anyone know why the warning lights sometimes blink on and off? just had tune up etc..... just curious. they did not stick on just blinked. when i had a lighter load, they didnt flicker.... thank you fellow fountain people. i think im going to enjoy this boat..

Make sure your gear lube bottle has the correct amount of oil

welp, i had three quarters tank of gas and 4 adults running at 4800 rpms and about 50 mph. is that about right for that load of wight on that boat? was trimmed out nicely also...

Should run a bit faster at those revs.
I think the limiter is about 5150 rpm's but load and conditions will have an effect. It'll also take seat time to learn the optimum trim settings plus the last few hundred revs and mph can take a decent run to get there.

if everything's running well, keep enjoying the boat, you should see a bit more speed when you're more accustomed to the running quirks.

If it's any reference, I've read many claims of 70 mph (and even more) from a Donzi ZR27 with the 496ho. That must be on a downhill lake with a tailwind because I never saw more than about 66. Don't worry too much about what other people claim!

Rr

Is this speedometer or gps speed? 50mph at 4800rpm's is not good (if you have a 1.5 ratio drive).

it was on the speedo. i think i had the drive trim set at around 4 and my tabs set at around 2.5. still playing with it. never had a stepped bottom boat.

hi gang. hey my 2 dashboard warning lights blink 2 yimes after a whlie every like 60 seconds. anybody know if thats a code? all temps are good and pressures are good. cant find it in the online manual.

No way to tell without getting it scanned.

4500RPM should be like 55-60mph with some stick left. Wide open should run 5000-5100 and around 67mph

hello gang. its the first time fountain owener again with a few questions...... my warning lights keep flashing at higher rpms and even start beeping. all guages are normal but one. the needle on the oil TEMP guage is not wprking and the red light in the middle of the guage goes on. would that make warning lights go on? and should i just disconnect it for now, and if so, where is it on the motor? also speed vs rpms.... it runs about 50 mph with half tank and 2 people.at 4500 rpm. im trimmed at 5 on the drive and 2 and a half on the tabs. i can get about 60 out of it with the same trim at WOT. any thoughts would be appriciated. thanks again. spark issue maybe?

hi guys. hey, can anybody tell me the correct prop to be spinning on the 29 fountain fever? its got the 496 HO and im running 5100 RPMS and getting about 55 out of it. it all trimed up and everything.....

You should be getting a good 10mph more.
Boat doesn't need much trim, stepped hulls run best with minimal trim, use the power to push the boat forward rather than upward, the step will generate the lift.

Revs are right at 5100. Is your speedo accurate? Is it a gps speedo or a pitot tube? Something's not quite right. I'm assuming your prop is in decent shape, it'd have to be pretty ugly to lose 10mph.

I'm not 100% sure but I think the standard prop is a Bravo 26" (4blade). Also the drive ratio is 1.5. Hopefully someone else will jump in here and confirm or correct me.

RR

Mercury prop slip calculator......
https://www.mercuryracing.com/prop-slip-calculator/


34% slip is too much, half that would be excellent.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a16a899d4.jpeg

ya. welp, as per the owners manual, at WOT im trimming the drive to number 5 and the tabs to 2 and a half. im getting the RPMS out of it but no speed. had a guy drive it yesterday who oewns on and with the drive not trimmed up at all and tabs up he was only getting like 47 out of it. maybe it is the wrong prop they are pulling it today......thanks for the stuff!!

As far as I know most fountains run hydromotive props. My friends Single 500hp 29 would run 74mph with a left hand hydromotive. Unfortunately I don’t recall the pitch.

Look at the tag on the side of the drive. It will have a ratio listed. A lot of late model 27 & 29 Fountains came with a 1.65 ratio instead of the standard 1.50 ratio. If yours is a 1.65 than you will need a 28p or 30p prop. I have a feeling this might be your problem.

hmmm ok ill look. if thats true, would the boat run as good with those gears or would it be better to replace them to the 1.50? i just have a feeling putting a 28 on there i wouldnt get up on plane very nicely. or would it? thanks.

the guy i got it from did tell me the drive is brand new as of last year. maybe youre correct...

Check that your tabs are not dragging. It sounds like you are using too much trim to get rpm but have excessive slip. Once you are on plane, raise your tabs so they are out of the water and then graduallly raise your trim until the speed stops increasing. If your speed is not in the low to mid 60’s, you have lack of hp, wrong or damaged prop, or your bottom needs blueprinting. Good luck. If everything checks out, add hp. A 575 should run around 80 and a 600 should run close to 85.