Mike.McT

Hi - I am looking closely at the 27 fever and possibly the 29. Most likely new, or nearly new. I have demo'd the 27 with the 496HO, and was surprised to see the GPS go past 70 (~72). Test conditions were in the Pacific - sheltered, dead calm (unfortunately) Tacoma, WA., 3 adults and full tank of gas. Can anyone tell me top speeds for the 27 with any of the bigger engines, and for the 29 with twin 350 Mag MPI's? Looking at the current hull design and current engines. Thanks!

Mate 229

I have a 27 with Procharged 502, Stainless Marine exhaust runs low 80's . I agree with 105, if you can go for the 29. The thing I really don't like with my boat is the small fuel tank. The 29 has a much larger tank and a couple more feet of boat of course. I suggest looking at a 29 with 500 or 525 single much better balanced boat than twins and faster. Good luck I'm very happy with the performance and quality of my 27.

Alli-Runner

I have a 27 Fountain with 496 HO Mag and will never see 70 with three adults and a full tank of gas. Not even close! Have anymore info on this 27? I would say 62 at best!

Jana

I'd say get the single if you go for a 29. My 1996 29 w/HP500 runs in the mid to high 60's with a full tank in Houston summer and handles great. The new ones should be a bit faster.

fountain27ho496

A 496 ho loaded with gas and people 72 on gps?
Please give me more info on this freak.
Mine ran 69, (67gps) the other day.
I lose a mph for every body.
I would agree, 29, 525, you get the closed cooling
an extra foot in the cockpit, Between the bolsters
and the back seat, And an extra foot in the cabin.
The 27 is small, my 25'6" Advantage was bigger
in the cabin and cockpit, I still like the Fountain
better. good hunting,JC

29Fever

Even though I sold my 29 I would still recommend it to anyone. I had a 1998 with a 500. I would see low 70s with the occaisonal 73-74. They glide so well in the water. Just spend some time shopping and you'll find a 29' at a 27' price.

Mike.McT

Thanks for all the feedback - I know the numbers I stated for the 27 seem too good to be true, but I assure you I had my eyes on the guages (with the company's claims in mind...) and I saw what I saw. Having said that, the dealer told be that he was getting lower speeds on fresh water lakes further inland at higher elevations (and lower air density). I recall reading an article about differences in top speed - had to do with temperature, air density, water density etc., so perhaps these are factors that can explain some differences, especially since I am in the Pacific Northwest - the test day was clear, high pressure, cool, maybe 55 deg F, however I am by no means an expert on this. Secondly, the dealer mentioned he had been experimenting with different props - so who knows the reasons. By the way the dealer is Powerboats Northwest -www.powerboatsnw.com. I also met the Fountain rep. both at the Vancouver Boat Show and later at the dealership- I think his name was Monty??? and had a very good impression of Fountain overall. By the way, I will be keeping whatever I get on a trailer - so any comments on towing/tow-rig issues would be appreciated as well. Cheers!

Mike.McT

Fever Mike (Nice Name!) - Thanks for the offer, but the low windscreen is unfortunately out. I must have the full wind-shield - besides the cooler weather and rain we get around here in the winter especially, it's also a condition imposed by my wife. Incidently, it was the Fountain 27 test-drive with the full windshield that solidly converted her to the merits of offshore performance boating in the first place. :=) She was a bit skeptical when she saw a lot boats with the low profile set-ups. I still am taking my time on the research though. My post on Hot Boat's forum has led to a ton of leads on some indie custom builders on the west coast to check out - which further complicate things, but given the money involved, worth looking into. I also am looking at the 28 Donzi and 27 Formula, FYI. I also think patience might yield some other benefits - especially now that the US gov't is indicating it wants a lower $US moving forward (read lower cost to me in the exchange rate), and the pricing on new (especially big-ticket) items is getting fairly competative. due to the slowing US economy. Fountain in particular seems to be very aggressive right now with new boat prices... M.

rjcardinal

I love my 27 with the full windshield. Its a '99 and has a one year windshield I think. The newer ones are more rounded in the middle. Mine is flat across the top in the center of the boat. At first it didnt look as sleek from the side as the ones with the plastic windshield. But now I think it looks great. Its great to be able to get out of the wind or rain on long trips. You can stand up and look over the windshield, sit down and look through it or, my favorite position, put your feet foward and lean back into the bolster and position your head so that you can just see over the windshield while all the wind goes over your head. Its great to be able to carry on a conversation while going flat out.

As for the speed. Mine has a Mag MPI 415 and will do 65 GPS with a full tank and two people. Burn some gas and it will go faster. I have seen 67 GPS but I am prop testing and the 24" Bravo porpoises above 64 GPS so Im sure I am scrubbing off speed. Put CMI's on it this spring and it feels stronger but I havent put the Hydro prop back on for top speed testing. The Bravo planes so much better and has a much better cruise speed so its hard to go back to the Hydro. It was tough to plane the boat with 4 adults and a full tank with the Hydro. The Bravo does it in half the time.

rjcardinal

another pic