Fountain 29
 

Looking at a 2005 fountain 29 with a 496ho. How's she out the hole, mid range and top speed. Looking to at least hit 70 without taking a year to get there.

Thanks

Don't think it will happen. I have a friend with a 29 with a 525 in it. Takes him a mile to get on plane and runs mid 70's. Breaks a drive every year being over propped to get that speed.

The 29' Fountain is actually faster (with the same power) than their smaller 27'. They also ride and handle rough water much better. That said, they are pretty slow out of the hole. Dropping the tabs all the way makes a huge difference and I wouldn't recommend whacking the stick in an attempt to get it up any quicker. It'll come up on plane, just not like it's tail was on fire. As for 70 MPH with a 496 HO, it'll be close. See if the seller has the original Water Test Sheet that every Fountain came with from the factory. That'll show what it did when brand new and tight.

The obsession with top end speed is madness. I have the obsession too but maybe to a lesser degree than some. Doubt that boat will make more than honest mid 60's with people, fuel and gear onboard. Dump the fuel, drinks, food, and your friends and you might get closer but it's pretty lonely with no friends and no beer!

Whenever I read the computer scans that tell us how many hours at different rev ranges, I am amazed just how few hours running time we do in the top end rev range. Its a very very low percentage.

Doesn't matter what you do and how much you spend, there's always gonna be a faster boat nearby, don't let it bother you. Someone else will see you're boat and say "Damn that Fountain is fast". For me, the reliability and ease of service at sensible cost is worth more than the little extra speed from a blue motor.

Consider how much extra $$$ those extra mph will end up costing you and how many times you will actually use it. A 29 with a 496 sounds like a very nice all round boat to me. Good luck, hope everything goes well.

RR

[ATTACH=CONFIG]546854[/ATTACH]I have a buddy with a 29 that runs 80 plus that is for sale for 30 grand. 1999 model. Great fast boat for small money. It's on OSO in the classified. Doug

I just looked for it, can't seem to find it, can you post the link

Looks an awful lot like a 27' (not a 29') to me.

It is definitely a 29. I guess that it is no longer advertised on OSO. Still available. It is a former race boat so it has no finished berth. I will get it relisted. Sorry. Doug

I used to read the same thing about the 29 being faster then the 27 with same power, but I have seen this to not be exactly true. They are pretty close in speed with the same power, but the 27 is a little faster, atleast in my personal experience.

To the OP, it should be pretty close to that number

As said above 65 most days with a real load of people and fuel. Resale on a 29 with a 496 is gonna suck also so you better get it cheap. Too many good deals on 500 boats out there

Go with twins....

Of all of the 29' Fountains we sold, we only sold one with twins - twin Scorpion motors as a matter of fact. Not as fast as all of the others that went out the door with 500's and 525's. BTW, we never sold one with a single 496.

29's fuel capacity is more than double the 27, I believe. With a big tank and single motor you can cover a lot of ground in a 29. The 27's tank will keep you close to the fuel dock.

I had the same experience. Fuel tank was too small. ...but now, I think the tanks on my 35' are too small too! :eek:

Very true. Extra fuels tanks.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e6...psa3nkyzzx.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e6...psjbpbaoar.jpg

Total derail but where did you get the bilge light bases they look to be metal?

I figured that's how they came. They are metal.

I bought the boat off my friend/mechanic. He built the tanks so if it's not factory, I'd say he made them.

Not factory, they are plastic and break. If you can get more I want some! lol

How many gallons are each tank?

They are close to 15 gallons each. He installed them right, look factory.
When I get low on fuel, I open the spare tanks and pump them into the main tank.