29 Fever input needed.
 

Hello everyone and thanks for reading as this is my first post. Im brand new here, and to the high performance boat market. I have quite a bit of boating experience, fishing and pleasure, and have been and still am a member of The Hull Truth. This forum has got alot of recognition from THT as the "Go Fast Boat" forum to be at, so here I am. Like the title says im in the market for a 29 fever. Here is what I have come to believe I want in the boat. Early 2000 model, 500EFI not the 525(don't want to deal with the header issues). I have inquired into about all of them for sale east of the Mississippi and I notice most have the Bravo XR drive. There is on for sale at Pier 57, looks nice in the photo's, but does not have the XR drive, just a Bravo 1. Is this a concern to anyone? I am also looking for any first hand info on the 500EFI that I should be aware of, and also the 29 fever itself. From all the research I can do this seems to be the power to have with the boat unless one becomes available with the 575SCi. I am looking to run this boat in the GOM probably 100% of the time, so my other question is with regular maintenance and allot of fresh water cleaning after each use, how will the boat and motor hold up for the long haul? I clean and service my CC thoroughly after each use, eight years old and it still looks and runs new. I am hoping for the same quality reliability with the fever with the same care. In short if anyone can assist me I thank you in advance.

Jim,

Tampa Florida

welcome ! the 29 fever is a really cool boat imo . i considered a 27 before i got my 25 AT . from the little i know of the 500hp , i think you need to make sure the top end is gone through around 250 hours . that may not be the right amount of hours but someone will correct me if its wrong . i would make sure a mechanic does a compression test before buying it . as far as the drive goes i think it should be fine with a 500hp . just curious what other boats have you considered buying ?

The 29 can be hard on drives, baby it out of the hole... I've got one with a 575. One major failure but other than that all good. You could be fine with a normal B1 for the power, but it's a weight problem, there is a lot of load on that drive with this boat. Plus where I'm able to baby it out of the hole, Im able to do that with the 575, you might have to be a little harder on it with the less powerful engine. But then again it will also depend on your set up. Side note- I've been in one with a 500 and top speed was 75.

You might want to post in the Fountain forum to get some more responses. 29 Fever is a nice boat; stable with a nice ride. If it were me running in the GOM, I'd be looking for a boat with twins... just sayin...

As for the 500EFI, it's a solid motor but will typically be paired with a Bravo I X, not an XR drive. You will see XR's with 525EFI's and 600SCi's. On the 500EFI, you want to be checking valve springs around 250-300 hours if the boat was not run WOT all the time, sooner if the boat was run harder. You should still seriously consider a 525 boat. The 525 is a solid engine and there's ways to manage the risk on the headers... flush and drain religiously, pressure test at least once per season; check spark plugs every so often for signs of water intrusion. The 525 is still a production engine while the 500EFI is not; the 525 dyno's higher than 525HP, I've heard some as high as 570HP. Resale value on the 525 will be higher than the 500 for sure and the 525 will be mated to an XR drive.

As for longevity, if you're diligent with maintenance, you can still keep a salt water boat in good condition. Try not to leave in the water overnight. Be VERY diligent with flushing the raw water cooling system after every use, 5-10 minutes minimum. You can also use salt-away when flushing and an engine guy I know recommends flushing a second time using the salt-away canister filled with WD40 to inhibit corrosion. Make sure you wash everything down...

P.S. You should absolutely get the boat surveyed including compression and leak-down tests on the engine.

500efi isnt fresh water cooled so you may want to add that if your salted all the time.

Thanks. Twins a re a dog on this model... And twins sooooo not necessary in the GOM. I take my single CC 30-40 miles out all the time and never a problem with sea tow, or CG. It looks like a wal-mart parking lot most of the time on the reefs and wrecks at 20-30 miles out most days. This boat will never be out of sight of shore.

Nice sled BTW

one thing about the 525,it has a closed cooling system and that,s a real plus in salt water.

You might want to check this one out. Clean doesn't come close to describing it. BTW, the trailer shown in the pics is not what comes with the boat.

http://suttersmarina.com/boat/newest...tain-captivity

Oh yeah...forgot about that too.. the 525 is closed cooled. I think you can add closed cooling to the 500 which you should really consider if you're in salt.. still think you're better off with a 525...

I owned a 1998 29 Fever and would not recommend it for Gulf/Bay use. The boat is not a good rough water boat and you will take a pounding. Quality-wise, I have nothing but praise for Fountain - excellent fit and finish on the boat. Ride-wise... not so much when it comes to the 29.

The single may be a little slow out of the hole - mine had a 525SC and we nicknamed it "bog-o-matic". We eventually swapped out the short k-planes for the long ones and swapped the standard lower for a -2 IMCO and improved things a bit. Not a cheap solution though. Running a 30P Bravo labbed prop, we saw a best of 78 - 79 mph but the boat ran a consistent 75.

If I were looking for a single engine 27 - 29ft boat for use in the Tampa Bay area, I would strongly consider a 28 Pantera. I have never owned one, but the few I have been in impressed me.

Interesting... I have always known the fountains to be a good ride but have never been on a 29 fever. Thanks for the input, I will take it into consideration.

Jim

Remember, the 35' and up Fountains had a 23 degree deadrise bottom. The 32' and below Fountains (except for the 24') had a 21 degree deadrise bottom.

There are two boats in my area for sale....

a 2000 27' Fever with 502

a 2004 29' Fever with 525

Both very clean. If these interest you, I can forward you contact details. Located in Western Kentucky.

Welcome to OSO.

There's a good chance that ANY motor of that vintage is going to need some attention ($$$).

There are two boats in my area for sale....

a 2000 27' Fever with 502

a 2004 29' Fever with 525

Both very clean. If these interest you, I can forward you contact details. Located in Western Kentucky.

The 29' with 525 is extremely clean and worth consideration - 100% fresh water. I've seen it and believe it is one of the cleanest you will find.