Fountain-less
 

Well after two fun-filled years of owning a beautiful 35 Fountain I now find myself without a beak boat. I came into the year just a little bored with my 35 - not that it wasn't a great all around boat - just that I was feeling the need for a little more excitement and a better ride. I debated putting my boat up for sale and buying a 38 but I wasn't about to waste the summer trying to sell a boat in this chity mkt.

So about a month ago I found a great deal on a pair of brand new engines. An OSO member had ordered a beautiful new Gladiator with 525's and was pulling these zero hour Merc engines to put in some big power. So before I knew it I had purchased these engines and was making arrangements to have them installed in my 35.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/a...chmentid=83592

However, before I got them installed I started to second guess myself. "Was going 4 or 5 miles an hour faster in my 35 really worth the money that I had in these new engines?" My wife gets a little uneasy at 80 mph in the 35 so how was she going to feel at 86?" All this time I had my eye on what looked to be a very low-hour beautiful 38 fever in the NC area. The owner described it as being in Like NEW condition. From the pictures the owner had sent me it looked like it had just left the factory. I have wanted a 38 since the first time I stepped foot in one last year.

Around the same time another OSO member on the Fountain board said that he was looking for a clean 35. So I thought what the heck and emailed him some pics. Not expecting anything to come of it the next thing I know he had bought my boat. So now I'm all psyched up because I am free to buy that beautiful 38 Fever that I have been dreaming about for the last 7 months.

So on my wife's birthday we leave our place on Lake Cumberland for an 11 hour drive to North Carolina. We stay in a hotel and get up early the next morning to go look at what I am certain is my next boat. Turns out that the boat he had described and priced as a 10 was only an 8 - 8.5. And despite the fact that he neglected to to disclose stains on the interior, rust on the chrome fittings, and fading in the hull, the owner wasn't willing to come down even a $1 off of his price. On the plus side the Smokey Mountains are still very beautiful and the fudge in Gatlinburg is as good as ever.

So although I still have the pontoon and two jetskies, I am sitting here Fountain-less with a third of the boating season left. I still have the 525's but they just aren't near as much fun when sitting in crates.

Well, if anyone has a clean 38 Fever, I am in the market :)

Re: Fountain-less
 

good luck to you. Those motors was the guy in Washington? His new paint got wrecked with transport co. How much did you get him down to?

Re: Fountain-less
 

Yes, those are the ones. I have $48,500 in them after shipping. Now I am just looking for a 38 Fever to drop them in to.

Re: Fountain-less
 

Although it sucks not having a boat, your're in great shape, its defiantly a buyers market out there, especially for big iron like a 38......doug :) :)

Re: Fountain-less
 

Yea, it sucks not having a boat but I really have my mind set on a 38. I'm trying to keep my chin........ errrrrr beak up :)

Re: Fountain-less
 

Drives?

Re: Fountain-less
 

$23500 per engine plus shipping. No drives - I've been told by several dealers that that is their cost on the engines.

Re: Fountain-less
 

wasn't thinking, if your buying a newer boat its going to atleast have Bravos, fine for 525's

Re: Fountain-less
 

I will sell a triple 42 minus motors plus brand new manning trailor and interior. Tom

Re: Fountain-less
 

Don't forget when you find a ride, you'll have used motors you can re-sell and then drop in the new 525's. They should be easy to sell on the board.

Re: Fountain-less
 

I thought I had read on another thread you sold it?

What's next?

Re: Fountain-less
 

I have not sold the 42, trying very hard to sell my 46 Sea ray, so I can finish my fountain like I want it. Tom

Re: Fountain-less
 

I know the 42's are great but I just don't want to go that big yet. I think that I've settled on getting a 38 Fever - unless someone want's to just give away a 38 Lightning or (dare I say it) top gun.

Re: Fountain-less
 

Whirlwind has an 04 38 for sale and asking $205,000. dump the motors and give him a call!

Re: Fountain-less
 

for my own info, what is the reason you would choose the Fever over the Lightning (assuming fairing to fairing). I hate the windshields. :D

Re: Fountain-less
 

Windshield man here. I like the 38 Fevers because they have a huge cockpit. We have a big pontoon and jet skies and just found that when we have friends down at the lake we tend to go out on the pontoon and jet skies because the cockpit in the 35 was just too cramped. I just got tired of saying "excuse me" and "could you stay there, I'm gonna come in the back" when I simply want to walk aft in my boat. You can have 5 or 6 adults on the 38 Fever and walk around without bumping into one another.

I also like the fact that it has the smaller steps. Yes it may give up 4 mph to the new steps, but I like to turn my boats and I don't want to worry about spinning it everytime I make a sharp turn.

Re: Fountain-less
 

I have actually seen them with the large steps. Seems like there is one on boattrader.com with the large steps and I think it is a 2003 model. Must be something that was special ordered? Why did they drop the 38 Fever? I also prefer the Fever to the Lightning.

Todd

Re: Fountain-less
 

Here's the story on that 03 with the big steps - at least what I was told by a dealer. I guess a guy with big bucks says he wants a new fever. Reggie says that he doesn't make them anymore. The guys say that he doesn't care what it costs, he wants a new fever. So reggie breaks out the mold and makes the guy a new fever with the bigger steps.

So this guy is both a very experienced boater and an experienced fountain owner. Troube is he's used to driving Fountains with the smaller steps. He takes delivery of the boat and the very first time out he spins it, throws himself and his passanger out of the boat with damage to both him and the boat. The guy says #uck this, and give it back to the dealer. I think they repaired it and sold it for $170K-ish.

I guess the steps are safe if you know how to drive them - and can bite you if you don't.

Re: Fountain-less
 

I dont understand these people spinning out these stepped boats. I have boated extensively,and poker ran stepped Fountains,Top-Guns,Hustlers,and Nor-Tech,and others,and just cannot figure out what these guys do to lose control of these boats.Do they yank the wheel like they are trying to miss a dog in the street,that might do it. Do they try to go into a turn after six beers like the pros do and lose it? That might do it. Insurance rates are climbing fast because of people that seem to have more money than brains and probably have no business driving a 90mph boat with passengers in the first place. Thats my two cents worth,who did I piss off ! Dave B

Re: Fountain-less
 

U are sooo right,,, you nailed that,,, we just did a all day p-rn and 90 % of the boats had steps there was 103 boats and no one spunout!!!!
i believe 13-15 broke, but they didnt crash either,, there where v bottoms as fast as 120+ mph WITH STEPS..
i am so tired of people saying the boat is dangerous its the knucklehead holding on to the wheel and sticks that has issues, unless there is a failure. or freak thing,,,, its not the boat!!,

Re: Fountain-less
 

Didn't piss me off. I think the whole problem is cranking a hard turn-period. What is the purpose of doing that except to show-off?

Re: Fountain-less
 

Exactly

Re: Fountain-less
 

Don't get me wrong, I am not slamming the big stepped boats. Like I said, they are fine as long as you know their limits and stay within them. Remember, one of the reasons Fountain dominated racing in the 90's is because their boats were famous for their ability to be taken extremely hard into the turns. And as far as I am concerned there is nothing wrong with turning a boat hard as long as the boat is capable of handling that turn - which the older fountains and the single stepped 35's are certainly capable of doing. Fountain ads have claimed for years that Fountain boats are the best handling boats in the world. Fountains didn't get that reputation because you had to baby them in turns.

So now take a guy who is used to turning his old fountain like sob - just like it was designed to do - and throw him in a new super ventilated hull and ....... once in a while it ends badly.

Is it the boats fault? NO Is the boat defective? NO Is it the drivers fault? Yes, he should know the limitations of his boat.

Can you turn a new big stepped Fountain as hard as you can an older style without steps? NO

Re: Fountain-less
 

I will take the speed and normal turns with todays bottoms,still dont get the need to turn hard enough to lose it,never happens in my world.

Re: Fountain-less
 

You guys should talk to my buddy that got throw from a 2002 Top Gun, He takes turns real slow now. Their is a difference on driving tabs, drives ect ect.