Indy

Baja, more room, ok performance, rebuilt drives, 496's are great motors, if you're not into eeking out the last bit of performance then IMO you're better off with the Baja for the comfort.

getrdunn

iTrader: (7)

If you knew for certain the fountains didn’t have stringer rot that would a little more difficult to decide. Although I own a fountain I’d lean towards the Baja. Those trips in rougher water would be much nicer also. Just remember on several fountain years all the stringers were laid out and built basically as a whole and then glassed over as a whole. When water finds its way in under one it finds them all. I had water in the forward cabin also. From the cockpit bulkhead all the way to the V berth bulkhead - all the stringers were rotted. When looking the backside of your hand will tell a lot.

The Baja speed would irritate me though! 😂

edit: don’t get me wrong re: the fountains as all boats can have their problems. How they are maintained is key to them all. Btw my water came in through leaky deck hatches and pop up cleats. (Bought this way) but I was prepared for the worst.

ubet28

yes all work was done by Midcoast Marine on the efi fountain

ubet28

Thank to everyone who has chimed in. I appreciate it. I’m not a experienced used boat buyer that’s for sure. And I have no experience with fountains at all. I’ve owned a Baja H2X and a 25 outlaw. Haven’t owned a boat since 2009.

me and the wife both like the fountains the best but I’m also Leary and even more Leary now after reading some of these posts. I plan on having boat surveyed.

my thoughts are like what people have said the Baja will be slower but the 496s are great motors. So how much slower are we talking 70 in the Baja if I can get 75 that’s good. Is that a lot of hrs 569? This boat is only 185 miles from me.

the black and pink fountain fresh 500hps but there carbed and no paper work. The cabin with water. The boat sat in storage for 7 years with the motors out person that owned ran into money problems so now the boat is getting put back together. The guy that has it has been confirmed to be a stand up guy. By independent people. What would this boat run top speed 82? This boat is in TX so 1k miles from me.

the Black and Tan fountain all paper work fresh efi motors but it’s been in salt water for the last 4 years should I be concerned about that? Top speed 85? This boat is located in NY so 1k miles from me.

F-2 Speedy

iTrader: (6)

Boat test in the 342 with the 502 mag @ 70 and change so the 496's should be a little faster.

https://boattest.com/review/baja/2_342

DrFeelgood

496s, if cared for, should easily do 1000 hours before a rebuild. There's many out there that have done 1500+ without being opened up as long as manifolds/risers are replaced proactively. I would not shy away from a clean pair with <600 hours, but I would do a compression test just for some peace of mind.

Interceptor

Take a long hard look at the vinyl upholstery and replacement cost for whichever boat you're considering.

RaggedEdge

Slow it down folks. What I see here are two single step 35 Fountains. One , the '99 would have been referred to as a Lightning and one the '01 which would have been referred to as an Executioner. These are the exact same hull out of the exact same mold. Different model years but the same boat. Study your Fountain 101 book. The Baha is a whole different creature and I will leave that to the Baja experts. Back to the Fountains,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Buy the one that the seller can prove is what they say it is. Make them document their claims and be cautious of anything that has been in the salty waters.

ubet28

OK so here are. Mine and my wife's feelings.

Most important to both of us is ride quality in rough water and safety so basically which boat is less likely to chine walk feel more secure at cruise speed.
So is the non stepped 24 rise baja safer then the 23 rise stepped hull of the fountain? Safety over speed
Turn Key reliability very important but I'm not afraid of pulling motors at 300-500 hrs and having the refreshed. is 550hrs. best fuel mileage is pretty important

we both love the look of the fountain
we both agree that cockpit space while nice is not crucial in our choice we will mostly have 4 people if its not just us 2 and our 19 yo son
Mainly me I would like a boat that can go run 75 ish but most importantly cruises at 50 or so.

RaggedEdge

As I said both Fountains are the exact same hull, power may be different, condition of boat may be different. I would say that the Fountains and the Baja would be "Safe" boats. My opinion would favor the Fountains in ride quality. I have been past 110 in a single step 35 Fountain and it was on rails. Have been118 in a 35 Twin Step 35 Fountain and was same deal. My suggestion here would be to do the homework on the condition of the boats , take a test run in all, and decide the one that you and yours fee the best in. My bet is that one of the Fountains will win out. Having owned the hull you are looking to buy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Believe me it is the real deal!