New 29 fever owner with questions...
 

Just took delivery of my new 29 Fever with twin 6.2's and was very pleased with the boat and purchase. The factory test showed 71mph on the gps speedo 92 degree day and a light load...driver and 60 gallons of fuel. I was able 69mph with a full load of fuel and three adults on board. This is my first Fountain and I could not believe the handling and performance! I do have some concerns however. I put 12 hours on the boat in two days and came up with several problems. The main issue is the drivers electric bolster seat. It appears to have been damaged when I came down hard off a wave at about 60mph. It was a pretty good hit but not the worst I ever had. The seat made a snapping sound and dropped about two inches and now will not return to the full up position. I looked at the linkage and seat frame and cannot see any obvious damage. Anyone had a similar experience? Also, I am turning about 5300 rpm with B1 26" props. I figure it could use 28's but would hate to lose the response and incredible mid-range performance. I also noticed the drive fluid levels dropped from full to just above add in that same 10 hours of use...normal? I added fluid and will keep an eye on it. Only other problem is with the Gaffrig gauges fogging up on 5 out of the 10 two inch units installed, again any ideas will be most welcome. Other than that, I hope to enjoy the experience and hope I do not have the trouble with the factory that some other have had. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Check the pins that the seat pivots on. Last poker run I did, one of crew tried to put the passenger seat down with fenders underneath it and one of the pivot pins came out of its hole.
Congrats on your new ride! I'm sure once you get these little things worked out, you're going to love her. (I have a '96 29 Fever single, BTW.)

Thanks Jana, I will take a look at the pins...I assume you run your 29 in the Gulf...yes?? Enjoy the rest of the season, probably longer than ours up on Long Island Sound!!!

Not usually the Gulf - Galveston Bay. She's just about perfect for the Bay, but a little small for the Gulf (my opinion, anyway). Yes, our season is a good bit longer. I have fond memories of winterizing my little Donzi after a too short summer on Raritan Bay, NJ and not seeing her again until May. Where in Long Island, BTW? I went to college in Glen Cove.

I'm on the north shore in Stonybrook, about 30mi east of Glen Cove...very familiar with Glen Cove Harbor, however. Just started brushing up on my winterization list...season is just too short, especially with a new boat!

Ciao

By the way, the dealer is checking with the factory about my problems...I will let all you Beaksters know the results.

Good luck with your new toy. I've been very happy with my boat and still looks new after 6 yrs of use.
Jana I grew up fishing on Raritan Bay in a little Boston Whaler.

Small world!

Lets see here, First congrats on your new ride you need to post some pics:D

Next, for your gauges fogging up I have no idea mine never have 2001 27???

As for the drive oil yes it is common for it to drop a little at first and a little everytime you change the drive oil, air bubbles are working out..

For changing props, I would wait until you find a set that are used, check this site and e-bay, and go for it, with twins you shouldn't loose much mid range.

WILL:p

First, congrats on the new boat.

Second, the RPM range for the 6.2's is 5200 so you have a problem if you are turing 5300. My guess is you are right under the rev limit with the 26's and that is right where you should be with a normal load.

28's would probably get you in the 4900-500 range, you might think about getting a pair of lab finished 28's and see where that puts you.

Reggie for all his criticism usually knows how to set his boats up for top end, you can probably get a little better cruise with some prop changes but I am guessing there isn't a lot more to be had at the top with out spending some real $$

B1 props should give you the best overall performance, but hydromotives might give you a mile or two at the top but you will see a drop off in the fuel economy. If you can find a set of Mach 1's used that is what was used before the Hydro's and then the b-1's. They are kind of an inbetween prop as far as blade shape.

Overall I think you are in pretty good shape already, but as with the rest of us you can't leave well enough alone :D

I have had the same problem with the seats. The thin plates on the sides of the seats underneath are bent. On my boat I ordered an extra set and double upped the thickness of the brackets. Had no problem since. Steve Harrelson In Fountain Service knows about the problem and can help you.

Thanks for all the replies, you have all provided some very good insight to my 29. I did hear back from the dealer with regard to the seat. Fountain recommends running out the rest of the season and sending the entire seat back to them for repair. I will mention the beefing up of the sidewall...seems to me that should be on their nickel...again, I was surprised that this could happen on a Fountain...we shall see. I have been away on business for the last week and am looking forward to putting more time on the 29. I read in another thread about someone having questions on the close quarter handling (twins) with prop that turn in. I did have some problems around the dock but chalked it up to not having a twin for some time. Any input? I decided to put the props on hold until next season. Much as I would like to fine tune the top end, I need to learn the characteristics of the 29, especially with the twins and weight in the stearn, definitely takes some experience. I notice that the 29 K-Planes have a collar that limits the tabs up to 3 on the indicator. Is this the same on the 32's and up?? I guess that they want to keep that bow down...regards to all.

Congrats!!! I have an '02 29 with twin 350's. I've had the exact same problem with the seat. My dealer called fountain and they sent out a new bracket and motor, covered under warranty. As far as the trim tabs go, I took the stops off (it's very easy to do) so I could bring the tabs all the way up. It will give you a little more speed. A couple of my gauges fog too, I just live with it. I also had the same problem with the drive fluids, I was told that is normal.
Lefty

Lefty,

Sounds like we have had similar problems. I am going to remove the tab collars and see what happens speed and handlingwise. Any info you care to pass along about cruise speeds and other problems or benefits I would be very interested in hearing. I will let you know how I make out on the seats, etc. BTW, what kind of speed, rpm, props are you seeing with the 350's. Just curious to see what the difference is between the 350/6.2. Also, where do you run the boat...offshore or inland WW? Talk with you soon.

Heard back today from Steve Harrelson with regard to the seat issue and guages fogging up. Again, Steve said they will repair and beef up the seat frame so this will not be a problem in the future. The gauges fogging is also a recurring issue. He says they will gladly replace the units but it will most likely happen again if and when they get wet. I will live with it for now and see what happens. Another interesting thing concerns the graphics on the side of the boat. I noticed that the entire side is painted from the water line to the bottom of the rubrail. He is checking to see if this was necessary due to the graphics package...since this is "splash lite", the most simple graphic, I find it odd they would have to use a full paint. I am concerned about getting more scratches, etc., with the paint than the gel coat. Any ideas??

FM,

I am too unfamiliar with Fountains to answer that question, Steve Harrelson said they only have had three instances of similar failures in the whole lineup. BTW, do you have twins or single in your 29...be interested to hear how you run.

G-