Another dumb question from a fng; I'm in the market for my first sport boat and have been looking at 27 fevers. I live on lake Norman outside of Charlotte, NC and thats where I will be using the boat. Will I regret not stepping up to a 29 fever? I do like the extra bit of room. Have not operated one to make a comparison. Do they handle that much different, operating cost much more?

They are 2 completely different hulls. I can't post pictures anymore, but look at the step on the 27 vs the 29. Big difference. I would recommend grabbing a 29 over a 27 for several reasons:

They run faster than a 27 with the same power, but are usually powered by 500's and 525's.

They carry 130 gallons of fuel instead of 50

They're 2ft longer and some of that room into the cockpit and some into the cabin.

Even though you're on a lake, it's still a smart move to get a bigger hull of anything whenever possible.

Good luck!

IMO I would go with the 29 hands down, not saying that the 27 is not a great boat, but keep in mind that with the beek and swim platform you are losing 2 1/2 ft of usable boat.

Its been approx 10 years since I regularly ran Lake Norman, but between the shoals and traffic, it did get real choppy out there and the bigger the better.

Good luck in your search

And yeah, what Greg said!!

I love my little 27 and I'd kill for a 29 if only for the fuel capacity. Doesn't take long to burn 58 gallons.

When I bought mine the price difference was 20k everywhere no matter who you bought from. Now, I bet you can get closer pricing by a long shot.

27 is still a very nice single engine boat but the 29 is my favorite single engine boat.

29 without a doubt.

I got rocked on my 27 on the weekends there.

lkn123, how tall are you? I am 6'2", I looked at buying a 27 Fever. While standing in the drivers bolster, the top of the gunnel hit me at mid-thigh, seriously. No way would I feel comfortable in that, so I passed. Not to mention I could bairly squeeze through between the steering wheel and the seat.

No idea how much higher the sides would be on a 29, but something to consider. No joke, the interior layout of the 27 feels like a 22' boat. Beautiful boats, but very small.

There is a 27 Fever on the lift next to my 29 Formula.Its a really small 27 would defiantly look for a 29 or even a 35.If a 35 is a big jump for you hire a licensed captain and get some training and take it easy for a while till you get used to it.Good luck.

Good friend of mine runs a 29 with a 525. Perfect size for our lake. Easy to work on with a single engine and relatively efficient as far as fuel consumption. Another friend runs a 32. Pain in the butt to work on and he is now willing to sacrifice a little room for ease of maintenance and efficiency. I don't like Fountain's but that 29 is a great boat !

One is 23' the other is 25' Ha HA HAAAAA!!

Just kidding Fountain Guys...