Can someone post some pics and thought of a 35 fountain lightning???
 

I have been entertained with the purchase of a 2000 35 lightning recently. The purchase wouldn't take place for another year but I figured I would go ahead and do my research before really thinking about it. Couple of questions

*Could someone post some pictures of their boat so I can make some comparisons (I already searched all classified here)
*Right now I am running two carbed 454's. A 45 mile round trip at cruising speed (55-60 MPH 4300-4500 RPM)<--- Yeh I know I gotta keep up with the big boys. Will cost me about $80 a weekend. How would the 500's due compared to the 454's. I should be able to run lower RPM's and acheive the same speed which should help. But would operation cost be much higher?
*I have rode in this boat before several times and it just rides like glass compared to my 30ft sonic but I don;t want to get into a boat that costs tons of more money to operate. I am only 25 years old and have a newborn so spending 4-500 a month on gas just for my boat right now is about the top of my budget for now. I would appreciate any information. I have researched all the threads and seen great things about the lightnings. Just want to make sure I look into the deal well before I purchase.

I would stay with the Sonic. It has a deeper cockpit and is a heavier boat. The Fountain will be faster but it is lighter. Gas usage will be about the same since both have have big blocks. The Fountain will have an EFI engines since it is newer. The Sonic is more family friendly with a taller cabin and deeper freeboard.

Wannabe

Someone once told me "if you have to ask, you probably can't swing it". I'd stick with your sonic. It is a more family friendly boat.

LOL. Well I know financially what I will be making in another year due to a raise so I have some room to play on this. My son will also be getting out of day care which is costing me $500 a month and I will be paying off the 05 f250 which is another $450. So our family plan is to upgrade at that time even if it is just to a bigger sonic. We goto LOTO and other large lakes often enough that I want something that size to feel "safe" in. I ahve just never ran the 500s and wasnt sure how they were compares to my 454's. I know guys with 496's that get waaaaaay better gas mileage than I do.

The 35 will only be about 2-3' longer than your Sonic and the cabin will be much smaller.

This is where you lose me. You are considering locking yourself into a payment based on a raise. I don't care if you work for your family, you cannot move foward on speculation and promises.

Keep the Sonic.

What is it that you don't like and do like about your SONIC?

Write them down and then compare what you will get with a 35 fountain. Might not be what you want, if the cabin is a concern,,,,,,,,,,,, forget the Fountain.

The other thing, what fountain 35?

No Step, Single step, twin Step side by side, or twin step staggard?

no I'm not investing or locking into anything until these things happen. I am an accountant and deffinitely know how to handle my finances. I also ran and sold 2 successful companies outside of my familys business so I am not dependent on that. I understand your concerns but I have a child now and will always make sure he is taken care of first. The goal of this post was not to focus on my financial status. I was requesting information about a boat since this is a boating forum and how the newer motors operated compared to my old 454's. I don't have the privelage of living in an area where I get to see a ton of big performance boats so I depend on this forum for information like that. I always praise this forum to every boater I know and this is the first time I have had someone attack a personal descision rather than focus on the boating question at hand

if it was not meant that way I am sorry. No hard feelings that is just how I interpretted the post.

what is it I don't like....

*the motors will barely push 65 and have to be wide open to get there
*if I went to replace these motors with some 496 mags or 502. First I am not sure they will fit because it is a very tight space now and secondly it would cost me 15-20k to buy motors and I would maybe be able to get 6-8 grand out of my 454's still holding full compression in all cylinders
*the interior amenities are dated, no electric bolsters ($3k to upgrade), no generator, gauges need to be updated ($3k),

Don't get me wrong I like my sonic alot but I would love to have a little more space and power. A newer boat would also give me the confidence of a newer stronger hull and less things to go wrong sooner. I know that part is kind of if'y because on boats anything can go wrong at anytime. So basically I could drop another $30k in my 89 boat or sell it and spend $80 on a newer boat that already has these options. I wouldn't get my money out of the older boat but a newer boat would hold that appraisal value and already have the options from the factory.

The fountain I was speaking of is a single step side by side. But as stated it is just an OPTION

Have you spend any time in the 35 or even been in it at all? Like Griff said, it's not going to really be any bigger than the Sonic. It will be faster and newer if that's your goal.

Yes I have been in it once or twice. I just made the comment at a barbq the other day we were looking at upgrading in a year or 2 and one guy said he was looking at getting out of his 35 lightning so I said maybe we would talk some more. Where is the extra 5 foot going from my 31 to his 35? Is it engine comparemet, cuddy, cockpit? I do like the styl of the 35 cockpit but wasn't sure if it was larger or smaller than mine. I have always trusted griffs info on here so I assume he is correct

The 496/502's would drop in where your 454's are. If you think the Sonic is tight in the engine room the Fountain is tighter, or no bigger.

Consider upgrading the 454's with roller cams and new intakes. Which model 454's are they? 330, 370?

The Fountain 35 does not have a generator available.

Wannabe

It's been a while since I've seen a 31 Sonic but I remember the cocpits being pretty small in them. The 35 Fountain single step will have a larger cockpit and larger engine room. The cockpit is plenty deep IMO, not a low boat at all. Are the 500s carb or efi? The carb 500s were pretty thirsty. Ran good though. The boat should top out around 80 or a little over depending on props. By the way, in 2000 the single step 35 was called the classic, not the lightning. Good luck.

I have never known how to tell Which model they are. I beleive they are the 330 but not sure how you know which generation they are. I have heard you can look to see if the ports are oval or square but I haven't tore the motor apart. The 454's just suck fuel and I think over the long run some stock 502 or 496 would save me enough on fuel ,and what it would cost me in parts and labor to upgrade the 454's, that I would be better dropping some newer motors

I had a quote to do cams and some head work, rocker arms, etc and I think it was 10gs. The math showed it would get my sonic up to mid 70's. So I figured spend 10 grand to get 10 mph.

45mph round trip at $80 bucks seems like a cheap weekend to me. Also, the 35 really isn't a 35 if you take off the beak.

I'd look into a 35' Sonic with the 500's or 525's. I love the room in our 35. With the HP 500 EFI's we get low to mid 70's and the ride is fantastic, tons of room in the cabin and out back. We stay almost every weekend on the boat with two kids. The cabin in the fountain will certainly be smaller than in the 35' Sonic.

You lose 2 feet because of the molded in swim platform.

Some people will tell you you lose 2 feet in the beak, but I don't think we want to compare bow angles. If so, the 49 century I restored when I was a kid is the only true length, the bow was vertical.

Given that, I measured mine for fun once, at the most you will lose another foot. The low deck causes you to lose a lot of space.
So at the most you gain 2 feet, not that much really. Depends on if you are concerned about a cabin, do you use the cabin on the SONIC?

No gen option, may or may not have a pump out head in that year, pretty rare for pump outs. Most of the newer twin steps had pump out heads, shore power and a small refig.

The single steps have a low profile, so the cabin will be smaller then the SONIC. As someone said, the side by side will be tight, but almost all are. There will be room in front of the motors, that will help when working on the motors.

I think you boat on the OHIO which doesn't get very rough unless it is real windy, the ride shouldn't be a problem.

BTW
Fountains are not light boats, they are pigs. My 32 is 7200 lbs, and it is a small boat. From fountains web site for the single step.

LOA:
35' / 10.67 m

Beam:
8'6" / 2.6 m

Weight, Dry:
8,500 lbs.* / 3,855 kgs

Fuel Capacity:
160 gals. / 606 L

Freshwater Capacity:
13 gals. / 49 L

Draft w/ Drive Down:
35" / 0.9 m

I find it interesting that the title of this thread is "Can someone post some pics and thought of a 35 fountain lightning???" Two pages so far and nobody posted a picture.

Lmfao!!! I was thinking the same, this thread from start to finish so far has been somewhat of a soap opera. I agree with Kyboy tho, leave the man alone about his financial decisions. My .02 cents: If performance is number 1 on your want list then get the fountain for sure, if comfort for your family is number 1, followed by performance, I would stick with the sonic or something with a bigger cabin. I love my fountain but sometimes wish it had a little more room in the cabin. I am 6'3 so getting in and out of it is sometimes a pain. Good Luck!

a friend of mine has a 31 sonic and he is working on a 35 fountain (single step) in his garage right now. the boats are sitting next to one another. the sonic has a great cabin! the fountain has more engine room, and more room in the cockpit, but the cabin is smaller with less head room. to be honest they are similar in size, the fountain looks just a touch longer. personally its going to come down to what revs your engine!! you know what you have in the sonic, i think he 31 is one of the best all around boats. go look at a 35, touch it, feel it, ride in one, then make your decision... no doubt that a fountain is a sexy looking boat.

The 330 mercs are meant for cruising between 3000 and 3500 rpm. Above that you open the secondaries and they are not efficient above 4000 rpm. You may want to look at changing your ignition system first as an inexpensive way of improving your fuel usage. Getting a 35 Fountain does not mean you ar going to save much in gas though.

Wannabe

The fountain hull is going to be much more efficent than the sonics, he's going to have bigger motors running less rpm's to attain the same speeds he's deffinately not going to be spending more gas $$$$.... That's if he can help staying outta the throttles

This was my single step 35. It used to be called a lightning before the twin steps came out in 2000. With HP 500's it would run a tick over 80 - 81. The twin step version with the same power would run 84 - 85ish, although Reggie got 87 out of them at the factory with no load or fuel.

Im glad to read your reply. I wasnt sure if I was going to get bashed for posting that or what. I just find it ridiculous that people dont simply read the questions and reply with a simple answer.

He also asked this I think people that didn't have pictures were just trying to give him "information".

No harm no foul.

I appreciate all the info. I have never ridden in a 35 sonic. We may try to hunt one down close and check it out. I had several people send me PM's and offer me some ride time in their 35 fountains close to here. Even though I have ridden in one it is nice to get in others to compare amenities and ride quality.

i love mine 1996 35

Hey Robert, wasn't wasn't my boat!:D And sure as chit it ran those numbers!

Now this replacement Biotch is a whole different animal!!!

Either version, single or twin step Fountains are fantastic boats. Have worked some for a marina that sold Sonic for a few years, nice boats, but when it comes to performance and handling it's Fountain! Hands down!

Hey Peter, I'm pretty sure my 35 EX was a little better looking and a we bit faster than yours, but maybe that was just my imagination :)

Did you ever settle on a final winner on your prop search?

It's your life, your deal, your decision. Don't let someone here derail your dream! The comment about taking care of your son first speaks for itself. Whatever you decide to do make your son a big part of it. The best boating moments of my life were with my son at my side.

Not meant that way at all, just one young guy to another.

As far as the boat goes, you seem like someone who likes to have lots of friends on the boat. To me, the 35 Fountain makes a great hot rod for 4. I have gone through the same thoughts of going to a 42 Fountain from my 40. When I looked at what I do with my boat, I decided that the 42 Fountain is smaller in every aspect. It would run he same speed with less power but in the end I would have less boat and a boat payment.

Good luck.

I don't know about that, I'm real good with a buffer. And I tagged 83 + something with the fresh motors! Opps, and the labbed props.

Prop Wizzards are like whores, tell you what you want to hear, take your cash, get you all fired up about what is to come (no pun intended), then get creative with the excuses why it didn't quite work out for you.

But I'm talking to a new one now, may be the one!:drink:

Robert,

Here's what she looked like when she went down the road. Damn good lookin' boat, Ya think!

You betcha!
In terms of balance between economy and performance, I think nothing would get close to a Fountain 35' like this one, with full staggered 496 and XR+SSM.
But I guess you can only find pretty recent boats with such configuration, hence rather expensive (also aside this particular one, whose asking price is also driven by the fact that she's in Europe).

Everything about that paint job fit that boat to a T. One if not the best looking paint scheme ever on a 35 ex. Beautiful. Lorrie still misses that boat.

Hey kyboy1020... here is some more info for you. Prior to buying my 03 31ss, I shopped around a lot. I used to own a 96' checkmate 253 and was limited to 70mph and got the crap beat out of me on a regualr basis since we ride lake michigan. So, the hunt began. I have tested fountains, baja's, sonics, hustler, and cigarette. By far, (in my price range) the sonic is what won me over. We wanted something that was fast and comfortable. I wanted to be in the middle of the pack versus the end when it came to running at loto when we head that way. If it were just you and your GF, then yes, a fountain would suffice, but since seeing some of your pics and knowing you have a infant son, go with the sonic, you wont be disappointed... by the way, you can get speed of them.... see attached pic...

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/452/dsc02665e.th.jpg