Originally Posted by On Time

Great! You are going about it the right way. I will say one thing though. The 42 was not my first performance boat. My first was a 21' Formula, then a 24' Formula, then a 33' Baja twin engine, and finally the 42 Fountain. I learned a lot with each step up including handling around docks, which has not been mentioned yet but can be pretty tough in the wind with a staggered 42 like I have. It's a long boat with the drives very close together and people who are used to maneuvering a twin engine boat around the docks with the shifters only will not do well that way with a 42. You must throttle and use the shifters to maneuver it well and this is a skill in and of itself especially since the props turn in. Are you experienced with any other type of boat? I am of course thrilled that you like Fountains but let me say this: The 33 Baja with 496s is a very, very good first choice performance boat and extremely easy to maneuver, and might be cheaper than a 35' Fountain. It has fine performance, an excellent ride, and goes 70-72 with 496s and labbed props. We pulled ours everywhere for the 4 years we had it with a 2001 Yukon XL 4WD no problem whatsoever. Another fine choice is the Active Thunder 32, similar to the Baja (but I think the Baja looks better...) A friend's 35 Fountain rode rough in 2-3' chop unless he was going pretty fast. The 33 Baja was a lot smoother at usual cruising speeds.