Fountain printed a performance test sheet which I have for the 1997 38 SC stating they tested top speed for this boat with 500hp/470 prop.hp to be 75 mph turning 25 hydros @5300. After calling the factory, they say 70mph with 425hps turning 24 pitch. The paper says 3 percent variation possible but these speeds seem more like 5 mph too fast to me. Does anyone else find similiar discrepancys ? I found my previous boat companys [Formula and Searay] were more realistic with their numbers?

I found mine was rite on

Back in 97 they used water for speedo now we have GPS

Mines right on, but I wonder if they just don't have a standard form for each model and hp, then just fill in the weather and date. All similar models of same power should run right at the same speed at the same weather. If not, then there is something not consistant in the build process. I think the test run is more of a shake down run to test the hardware.

Don't forget that boats are still prob 90% or so built by hand. Two boats from the same factory from the same employees are actually different. No way around it.

Hence, they will have variances.

I took one of my boats down to the factory and we ran it on Fountains "marked course". It ran 3-4 mph faster than I ever saw it run, and I had a lot of seat time in that particular boat. Some things to consider are that they are at "zero" feet above sea level, maybe brackish (salty) water, it is a river close to the ocean so there is some current (didn't take notice if there was tide effect, or not), and there were no other boats around so no distractions when driving and no boat wakes to maneuver around. My boat ran within 1 mph of what their performance sheet said with 2 of us in the boat and more than 10 gallons of fuel ... I was pleasantly suprised.

This is interesting... I guess that at Paamlico River (it is a river), there has to be some current, and that can make a difference. Also, engines are quite different in power from each other. Merc has a tolerance of about 5% if I remember right.

The boats are always slower in Europe because US gas has more "guts" in it.

Very interesting stuff! Based on your experiences,my set up has been underperforming a little. My 1997 415hp engines were possibly in decline with lower than ideal compression when I purchased my boat 4 yrs ago which could easily make up 1-3 mph? Repowering this spring with 425hp/496 mag hos so it may get a little closer to the Fountain speed specs which is great!

I also wonder if gps speed is a little lower than the actual speed since it is measuring a straight line. Could be a factor?

Mine's right on as well with the box stock props that came on the boat, I have run better with labbed ones.

GPS is speed over ground, river bottom in this case, so current can influence speed if running down stream. Up here on the St. Lawrence River the current runs from west to east, the wind generaly blows the same way and my boat runs it's best with it's nose into the wind. So most often it will run the same number either way. My all time best speed was up stream and into the wind, figure that one out. Must be the aero effect of the Beak.

Now just wait for the bashers to come in and say the "Reggie Reports" are all made up by the janitor at the factory and mean nothing, just another brainwashing tactic.

One of my boats was quoted to run 114.8. I ran it and got 114.7. Very close.