Originally Posted by Knot 4 Me

Biggest Problem with PQ is their wiring. Everyone I've seen it's horrible. Otherwise, decent production built boats. Nothing custom about them.

Originally Posted by Wildman_grafix

Look close and you can see how I took care of the rear vent issue, glassed in and put on the side.

Also they will fly level if you want them to.

Photo credit Pet Bolden.

Originally Posted by Brad Christy

Wildman,

The vents are on the back, between the sundeck and swimdeck on our PQ, as well. I did notice that, when settling in to an idle, water would very often wash up over the swimdeck, and I noticed a fair bit of water from the drain plug hole after our first few outings after buying the boat. So, I asked Neal Wallace, the present owner of PQ, about it. He indicated that it usually wasn't an issue, as they ride considerably higher at the transom than, say, a Fountain, but it was definitely a possibility for water to enter the bilge this way. He suggested a slight throttle surge, just as the prop wash swell reached the transom, just enough to outrun it, which I have incorporated into my driving habit. The excessive water in the bilge at the end of the day has ceased since.

Thanks. Brad.
(937)545-8991

Originally Posted by Wildman_grafix

I do that since I have dry exhaust and no flappers.

That said it works fine where you boat, but down here I have left docks with a ripping tide in tight areas and sometimes had to gas it hard to get out and away from other boats,,,,,,, salt water in, blowers toast. Got tired of changing them! Coming form the Mid West it took some time to get used to 8-10 mph tides and a ton of wind, got to decide what you are doing it and when the ropes are off GO, LOL

Originally Posted by Brad Christy

Boatnt,

OH, I didn't suggest PQs didn't have wood in their builds. Sadly, most MFRs do. That's one of the things I think the industry could learn from companies like Bryant, who don't put that first piece of wood in their boats. But I haven't found that first stitch of bare wood in my boat; it's all been glassed over, even where you'd never expect any water to find it.

My dad, after selling our blower motor day cruiser, bought a 27' SeaRay, and, after a couple years, he began to miss the noise, power and speed. He had seen a couple of the PQs on Cumberland and liked their lines, so he went to the plant. After a tour, he sat down with the rep and discussed money, options, etc... Ultimately, he decided that the SeaRay was paid for, and didn't pull the trigger. But, during the tour, he got to see everything about how they were built. It could be an "era" thing, where what he saw was a snapshot of how they were doing things vs how they were doing things while you were there. I know there were different owners over the years. Who knows? But, when he was there, there wasn't a single breach of the fiberglass that involved wood that wasn't sealed with at least resin/epoxy, if not fully glassed in. It's one of the things that most impressed him about the build process. I would encourage anyone to do a simple search for rotting transoms and see how many of the various MFRs turn up. You will find PQ will be among the least common

Actually, upon a little research, I have to concede the weight issue. It would appear that PQ actually builds a slightly lighter boat than PQ. I guess the improved ride must be from hull design. I've spoken to many a PQ owner, former Fountain owners, who indicate a far more comfortable ride in the PQ, all other factors being equal.

One other thing I discovered while on the hunt for the boat we have now is how well PQ owners take care of their boats vs owners of other boats. We took sea trials on a couple Bajas and looked at quite a few. We only casually glanced at a handful of Fountains, as they were not really on our radar. There is a clear difference in the average condition of boats across the MFR spectrum. I don't know what it is, but we noticed that, on the handful of PQs that we looked at, they were far better maintained than most other MFRs, and in considerably better condition, considering for age/hours. Just a casual observation. I know the two owners of the one we bought were almost neurotically meticulous about its upkeep. I've got a MOUNTAIN of records, ranging from winterizing to replacement of parts (fuel pump/regulator, et al). I was told that the original owner never left it in the water, and they washed and waxed it every single time it came off the water. I am not a surveyor. One might call a couple, though, and see what they've got to say about it.

Ultimately, the OP probably has his sights on what he wants. I was offering up what I thought was a better option for the money, even with the disparity in prices. If $40K is the budget, then the PQ is out of consideration. If they've settled on that number, based on what they are seeing for the boats they are looking at, they might consider other offerings. In my opinion, this PQ would be worth a look.

Thanks. Brad.
(937)545-8991

Originally Posted by boatnt

so looking at my picture you do not see any bare wood?LOL
trust me when I tell you, you can NOT compare the ride, PQ is a chine walking ride, the Fountain is not.
as far as owners PQ had 3 but the the only true owner was Kevin H, he owned the company from mid 80s to early 2000s and then sold it to Jack M and went down hill from there.
My 32 fountain was all wood my 35 had no wood at all except transom and stringers LOL
I do not defending Fountain on rot, they did a piss poor job and that is the only things making me nervous about getting a 3rd.
wiring? they both suck
as far as the ride quality, the 300 PQ is the only true design twin step and it rides good, I owned 2 i should know, but they had John from mystic design it because they could not gett it right,
they tried with 2 different models before the 300 revenge and failed .
all the other twin steps started life as a V hull and they added step inserts to the molds in 1997, not a true twin step and that is the reason they had so many ride complaints they brought the 340s and 380s back at the factory and redid the rear hull/chines
I have pictures of the 280 when they were doing R/D and could not get it right , and was at Kramers Marine when the PQ rep brought the 1st one there for the owner of the marina to try and I was going
to place a order on one, but after the owner and reps water test he took it back to the factory because they needed to address some ride issues before they would let the public test drive the boat.
PQ went after the Baja , Sunsation customers, they never tried competing with Formula,Fountain etc

I understand you own one and I am not bashing PQ I am stating facts after your initial comments, who knows one day I may own another PQ .but I will not kid myself thinking I own something I dont.

Originally Posted by Brad Christy

Boatnt,

I said I hadn't found any bare wood in my boat. So far, everywhere I've looked, it's glassed over. Even the panel above the cuddy storage box, behind the stereo, where the amp is mounted, is glassed over.

I have noticed a bit of chine walk above about 73MPH, but a touch of left trim tab and it vanished. I've seen a couple videos of the 280s running in the 85MPH range, and there's no chine walk.

I can't speak to the larger hulls, but my 280 rides fantastic and handles like it's on rails. I hear the same about the 340 and the 380.

PQ never considered themselves as competitors with Baja, Their build quality was always far superior, and the price points were always well above that of Baja, and they never tried packing showrooms with cookie-cutter boats. PQ was always direct competitors with Formula. They've often bill themselves as "The gentlemen's performance boat." The build quality is pretty equal and both have sacrificed a bit of performance for a better ride and creature comforts. True, PQ never tried competing, at least in the performance category, with Fountain. Reggie was always willing to give up just about anything for that last MPH, and that was never PQ's intentions. They chose, instead, not to make the compromises necessary to run that fast. Fast enough, comfortable and sound was the idea.

Again, I didn't come here to bash Fountains. They are what they are. And they're everywhere. Something that might speak to success as a company. It just doesn't appeal to me. I can remember when the Fountains started showing up on Cumberland, and we were like, "Oh, look! a Fountain!". But now, it just, "Oh... look.... Another Fountain."

I just thought I'd offer up an alternative to the same old, same old. There are many out there who don't even know they exist. Anybody interested in a performance boat in that size range owes it to themselves to at least explore the option.

Thanks. Brad.
(937)545-8991