Who is the OG of performance ­powerboating, the founder of go-fast? Gar Wood, Ray Hunt, Jim Wynne, Don Aronow, Art Carlson and Larry Smith immediately come to mind, and all were certainly influential. But only one builder put his name on the “fastest, safest and best-handling boats in the world.” Reggie Fountain Jr. designed, built and raced the boats that bear his name, and made a staggering impact on the sport in the process. His influence started in 1980 with the creation of the Fountain 10 Meter ­Executioner, 33 feet of go-fast sizzle that rocked the performance world. This is the story of how that first boat was created, how it came back to Fountain, and what it took to repower a 43-year-old performance boat.

The Origin Story

In 1979, Reggie Fountain Jr. had earned a law degree, was a successful Northwestern Mutual insurance agent, was investing in real estate in his hometown of Washington, North Carolina, and was a national and world champion tunnel-boat racer as a member the Team Mercury factory effort that dominated the sport. When Mercury disbanded the race team during the Arab oil embargo, it was racing-team manager Gary ­Garbrecht who suggested that Fountain consider building offshore-style performance boats powered by the same Mercury high-performance engines he was supplying to Cigarette.

Fountain owned an outboard-powered 20-foot Allison Craft runabout, a boat that could hit 90 mph on the smooth waters of the Tar River thanks to its keel pad and notched transom. In the movie King of Offshore, Fountain recounts how he sought to adapt the ­Allison Craft features to a larger hull suitable for bigger waters. He partnered with Bill Farmer and Don Abel, custom boatbuilders from ­Sarasota, Florida, who ­modified the mold for their 31-foot ­Excalibur model, originally designed by Jeane Claude Simone, to Fountain’s specifications. At speed, the boat would skim along on its flat pad at the aft keel. The running surface ended short of the transom to create a built-in setback for the drives, which could then mount higher to reduce drag while keeping the props in solid water. Fountain called this exciting new boat the Excalibur Executioner.

Fountain sold 10 or 12 Executioner boats, but concluded that the flat pad slapped the water in choppy conditions. He went back to Farmer and Abel, and asked them to change the mold to add a modest V-angle to the pad. Having already cut up their mold once for Fountain, they declined to do it again. Undeterred, Fountain went back to Washington, rented an empty car-dealership building, and made his own mold by splashing one of the Executioner hulls. Helping in this project was then-17-year-old Jeff Harris, a Washington high school student who worked on Fountain’s racing pit crew.

“I can still point to the spot on the floor in that building where we cut and shaped the mold,” says Harris, who became a national and world champion boat racer himself and is COO of Iconic ­Marine Group, owner of the Fountain brand. “Reggie added some ­V-shape to the pad to stop the slap and extended the bow to add some additional flare for an aerodynamic effect, the idea being that the flare would generate lift and could help keep the bow from stuffing in some conditions. The hullsides and deck were cored with Baltek balsa, which made the boat much stiffer. At the time, I believe only Cigarette was coring a production boat.”

The pointed bow—the Fountain “beak”—became a distinctive design feature of every Fountain model. It made the boat length 33 feet, or 10 meters. The boat was powered by a pair of 475 hp ­Mercury high-performance 454-cubic-inch engines fitted with Gale Banks twin turbocharger kits and Mercury TRS No. 2 Speedmaster drives. Garbrecht arranged to have the boat dialed in at the Mercury Lake X test center in ­Florida, where it ran an impressive 88 mph. The first Fountain 10 Meter Executioner was finished in medium blue with white stripes and delivered in 1980 to its new owner, a New York investment banker. Fountain got busy building boat No. 2.

Hull No. 1 Returns

Over the years, hull No. 1 would occasionally come back to the Fountain shop in Washington for service or a refresh, and it was repowered at least once. In 1998, the owner contacted ­Reggie Fountain and asked for help selling the boat. Fountain instead purchased it and had it repainted in a red, white and blue scheme typical of Executioner models of the 1980s

“Reggie would use the boat maybe once a year,” Harris says. “It was often in the way and would be moved around the property, sometimes left outside.”

Fountain Powerboats did not survive the 2008 economic downturn, and declared bankruptcy in 2009 and again in 2012, with Reggie now out of the company. Along the way, hull No. 1 ended up on display at a Fountain dealership in the Midwest. Fred Ross, owner of Big ­Thunder Marine in the Lake of the Ozarks region, acquired the boat in 2017 before he purchased the assets of the Fountain, Baja and Donzi brands, and formed Iconic ­Marine in 2018. Ross invited Fountain to a poker-run event at Big Thunder, where the boat was displayed. After noting Fountain’s nostalgia for the Executioner, Ross gifted the boat back to him.

Time to Repower

By then the boat ran, but not well, and was looking a bit shabby. The Executioner was refinished in its current retro paint scheme and fitted with a new matching interior. A repower and rigging update were in order, and those tasks were accomplished by BAR Marine of Jacksonboro, South Carolina, a Mercury Racing dealer owned by Ben Robertson Jr., himself a former tunnel-boat and offshore racer who has worked with Reggie Fountain in the past. The project illustrates the challenges of repowering a classic sterndrive performance boat.

Robertson has rigged and raced Fountain 29- and 35-foot Factory II race boats and repowered many older Fountain boats—there are currently more than 20 waiting their turn in the BAR yard—so he knows how these boats go together.

“When we got the boat, the engines were out,” Robertson says. “There was a lot of evident wear and tear, but the boat was really solid, with no rot in the plywood stringers or the transom. We started by stripping out all of the analog rigging, as the repower would be digital. Then we pulled out the cockpit carpet, sanded down the sole, and refinished it with gelcoat.”

Next, the stripped-out engine bay and transom were scanned using a Faro 3D digital scanner. The data from that was placed in a CAD program at Charleston Composites, a business affiliated with BAR Marine. A specialized marine digital design program was then used to calculate the placement of engine mounts and the X dimension for installing the drives on the transom.

Locating the drives is the first step. The holes for the old TRS are not compatible with Mercury Racing Bravo drives, so the transom cutouts had to be filled with new plywood, reinforced inside the boat, and reglassed and finished. The original trim tabs were removed, and those mounting holes also filled. For this repower, a package of Mercury ­Racing ­Bravo One XR Sport Master 1.5-to-1 drives with an Integrated Transom System (ITS) was selected. The ITS sets the drive back about 7 inches and features ­integral power-steering cylinders for a cleaner look and easier installation. With the desired drive height depicted in CAD, the team determined it had to cut away a few inches of the edge of the deck to fit the ITS mounting plate before making the new transom cutouts with a reciprocating saw. Finally, the ITS units and drives could be installed. This determines the engine mounting height because the output from the engines needs to align with the drives.

“Next, we had to modify the stringers and make new engine mounts because the old mounts don’t fit modern engines,” ­Robertson says. “We had to add material to raise the center stringer and lower the outers, but not by much. Then we made new aluminum engine mounts in the same style as the originals.”

The CAD files are so accurate that the BAR team knew the molded carbon-fiber engine covers on top of the 8.7-liter V-8 naturally aspirated Mercury Racing 565 engines would not quite fit below the aft edge of the ­engine hatch, and each cover was trimmed before the engines were installed. It appears that a sheet of paper might just fit between the inboard exhaust headers, and Robertson explains that he tries to get the engines, and thus the drives, as close together as possible to keep the props in the best water. The centers on this rig are 33.5 inches. New Mercury Racing K-Plane 380 tabs were installed in a horizontal position, rather than the original alignment with the bottom of the transom.

Robertson says the most frustrating element of this repower was fitting the exhaust tailpipes, which must be custom-made for older boats like this Fountain. New boats typically mate the 4.5-inch headers to 4-inch tailpipes, with water injected into the ­exhaust flow to muffle sound.

“That tailpipe requires a lot of pieces, rubber boots and the water lines, and I just don’t like the way it looks,” Robertson says. “It’s not as clean as a race boat. We wanted dry tailpipes and waited months for a big supplier that just couldn’t come through. We finally went to Hardin Marine, which made up the water-jacketed pipes we wanted. It’s a little loud, but Reggie likes it.”

With all of the old analog instruments and controls removed, a new carbon-fiber dash from ­Innotech Products was fitted, with cutouts for a Garmin 8612 multi­function display and a Mercury VesselView 4 display, a Livorsi digital drive and tab-trim indicator, and Livorsi digital controls. Robertson is a big fan of MDC TrimSync programmable auto trim and installed that system on the Fountain with a control toggle next to the original trim toggle switches. The wheel is an older Second Effort unit from one of Robertson’s tunnel-hull race boats, with trim switches on each of the three spokes.

Nick Petersen, Mercury Racing prop manager, helped Robertson select 15.25-inch-by-30-inch Maximus ST Lab Finish propellers, a complicated task when ­repowering an older boat.

“Being a larger, stern-heavy boat, we typically opt for the ­Maximus over the Bravo One or Max5 prop models,” Petersen says. “The drives aren’t mounted super high, and the boat needs more bow lift at speed than some of the newer hulls, so we went with the 15.25-inch diameter instead of the full 15.63-inch model with the shorter tube. The barrel length of the Maximus is still longer than the standard Max5 and also has more blade area.”

The bottom line is that every ­repower project is unique. Robertson ballparks the bill for this project at about $335,000, including the powertrain, electronics, rigging and labor. Mercury Racing sells the 565 engine, ITS and Bravo XR Sport Master drive as a package for $79,830, so figure about $160,000 for the powertrain alone.

Read Next: Fountain 42 Lightning

Robertson’s experience and his team’s expertise played a big part in this project. The payoff was a boat that ran and handled well right off its new custom EZ ­Loader C-channel aluminum trailer.

“You could go with more ­power, but I really like these 565 engines,” Robertson says. “They are easy to install, make great torque, and run on 89-octane fuel.”

Robertson has satisfied a ­demanding customer. On April 12—his 83rd birthday, by the way—Reggie Fountain Jr. took the throttles for the first time and trimmed the repowered hull No. 1 to perfection for a 91 mph blast down the Pamlico River. Then he turned around and did it again. We were along for the ride, and it was quite a thrill.

The post Repowering Fountain Hull No. 1 appeared first on Boating Mag.

Overview

Fountain’s Chief Operating Officer Jeff Harris jumps aboard our Fountain 42-foot Lightning test boat and hurries me to hop in. As we don our vests, he plugs in the fob that changes the tune on the Mercury Racing Dual Calibration sterndrives from 1,100 horses each to 1,350 each. Whoomph—they come to life. With a lumpy-cam lope, we fast-idle away from the Iconic Powerboats dock. Spinning 36-inch-pitch propellers, the slowest idle possible is about 7 mph.

Engines

Harris eases the go sticks forward; the turbos hiss and whine, and Fountain’s trademark droop-snout bow rises and then settles as we approach 40 mph at a mere 2,500 rpm. At the most economical cruise speed, the Mercury Racing engines loaf at 3,500 rpm—but speed is a ripping 71 mph, truly illustrating that old boast, “At cruise, we’re already faster than most boats will go.”

Winds are light. Chop is just under a foot. Time to go. Harris accelerates to 5,500 rpm as we rush toward 120 mph. He nudges the tachs over 6,000, and the GPS reads 131 mph. So far, the rush of wind and the roar of engines are the only clues we’re rolling so hard; the Fountain pad is locked in tight, and the boat is stable as a rock. But now, as Harris tickles the trim, tabs and throttle together in expert fashion, my butt cheeks get tight. The stern lifts and floats, ever so slightly. The hull dances. The GPS rapidly approaches 140 mph. At a steady indicated 138, Harris finally backs the trim and throttles down, looks over and says, “There’s more, but that’s enough for today.” How much more? I’d estimate at least another 3 mph, perhaps 5, with tweaking and seat time.

Some will wonder: How fast is fast enough? Just ask! Harris notes that a few have left the plant with the more powerful 1,350/1,550 packages and can top 160 mph.

Not many owners of this boat will complain about fuel consumption with a package like this. With its 218-gallon fuel cell, you could cruise for about 223 miles at 3,500 rpm. But remember: That equals 70 mph. Chances are you’ll be cruising at 2,500 rpm or less, with occasional bursts up the speed range. Handling is exactly what’s expected from a race-proven hull: Turns are tight and G-filled, and movements are quick and responsive to driver inputs. Here’s where we must advise, of course, that potential owners understand that things come up and happen quickly at the speeds the 42 Lightning can attain, and quick inputs from the pilot are needed to avoid getting into difficult situations. Keen situational awareness is a valuable sense to have when piloting such a boat.

Planing and acceleration? Zero to 30 mph took 9.5 seconds. Accelerating with this boat is not just a “grip it and rip it” affair; the spool-up of the big Merc mills takes a soft touch until the hull is planing and the props bite. After that, the only limiter on punch and speed is your nerve. The feel is not unlike that of a multi-engine aircraft in a high-performance takeoff: a smooth, forceful rush of power.

Construction? Fountain ranks in the top echelon of boatbuilders, and the Lightning is a fine example of the company’s prowess. The hull is a race-proven, hand-laid, bonded grid structure, with its sides, deck and inner liner made from composite-core materials. The guys who lay-up, assemble and rig these boats have been at it for decades, and they know how to do it right. Close inspection reveals nothing less.

Interior and Accessories

Our tester, headed to western US waters, featured an owner-ordered clean white finish complemented by a white interior, with medium-gray accents and RGB concealed rope lighting highlighting the cockpit. Aft seating boasts body-contoured triple buckets with “chicken straps” for passengers to hold when the pucker factor gets high. Pilot and co-pilot seating features retractable bolsters, and cup holders and grab rails on the back sides for those who want to stand behind and see the action firsthand. The vinyl upholstery is well-stitched and fitted cleanly, and should stand up to many years of use.

While you’re not going to spend the summer aboard the Lightning, a night spent on the water will prove comfortable for a couple thanks to a surprisingly roomy cabin belowdecks well-equipped pretty much any way the customer can specify, within reason. Our tester featured a cedar-lined hanging locker, a pull-out refrigerator, dual sinks, a portable head, wraparound cabin seating with a center table that converts to a bed, and optional air conditioning ($11,000).

The updates to this venerable warrior make it flow with the times, and the increased performance capability is astounding considering that less than a decade ago, these hulls were typically running right in the low 100 mph range with top power.

In the V-hull, ultra-performance sterndrive sportboat market, comparable hulls rigged for this kind of performance are scarce. However, Outerlimits’ SV-43 compares at 43 feet, 5 inches long and 9 feet wide, and runs comparable speeds with the same engine and drive packages. A typical SV-43 goes for about $1.1 million.

For the poker-run enthusiast and a performance-minded family, the 42 Lightning delivers in rarified air, while also providing a comfortable overnighter equally at home showing off its mind-bending capabilities or wowing the locals at the best lakeside restaurant. King of the lake doesn’t begin to describe this dude.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin Mercury Racing Dual Cal 1,100/1,350 hp 9L (550ci) supercharged V-8s
• Drive/Props: Mercury Racing M8 racing sterndrives/Mercury Racing lab-finished 17″ x 36″ 6-blade lab-finished stainless-steel cleaver
• Gear Ratio: 1.33:1 Fuel Load: 100 gal. Crew Weight: 500 lb.

High Points

• Fountain used digital measuring equipment to redesign the hull so it’s more than capable at the increased speeds the venerable Mercury Racing mills provide.
• Hand-laid, stepped hull with a high-performance pad and a notched setback transom give the 42 Lightning solid handling at ultrasonic speeds.
• Rigging is executed in rugged offshore-racing style, making servicing easier and the engine bay a delight to show off to onlookers.

Low Points

• While the 42 is fitted for multiple crewmembers, the tight confines of the cockpit and interior make it more of a couple’s boat—although, we suspect you’ll be tapped for thrill rides.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

Fountain Powerboats – Chocowinity, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; iconicmarinegroup.com

The post 2021 Fountain 42 Lightning appeared first on Boating Mag.

Overview

Fountain’s 34TE springs from one of the oldest and most prestigious names in powerboats: Reggie Fountain. Fountain dominated kingfish tournaments, which require speed, agility and stable fishability to win. The 34TE (Tournament Edition) is an outstanding blend of all those attributes and adds family comfort as the cherry on top. The style is classic Reggie Fountain but the fishability and construction techniques are New Millennium.

Engine

The double-stepped hull is efficient, gaining as much as 10 percent more speed and fuel efficiency over standard V-hulls with similar horsepower. A pad keel adds more lift where it matters, increasing speed as the boat steps on the gas. A notched transom makes sure the water hitting the outboards is solid for maximum torque and minimum slip. While some early stepped-hull designs had a mischievous habit of spinning out in turns, the Fountain sticks while executing 180s, with proper attention to down-trim and working the throttle to maintain turning speed.

You can rig the boat with up to 1,350 hp and attain speeds up to 86 mph with triple Mercury Racing 450Rs. But twin Mercury 400s provided ample speed with rewarding fuel economy. It’s capable of making 66 mph on a light load, but we made just under 65 carrying 100 gallons of gas and 450 pounds of crew.

We also ran Fountain’s 34SC similarly powered and got similar results.

Design

While the SC is blinged-up for speed and show with cool touches like a carbon-fiber dash and an EVA Fountain-engraved hardtop graphic, the TE is serious about fishing. At rest, the hull drifted over waves with minimum roll, which would ease fatigue and discomfort in all-day tournaments.

The helm is wide, offering generous protection from spray and slipstream wind. A Fusion stereo source unit divided dual Garmin multifunction displays, and the VHF was mounted starboard. The layout left room for a VesselView gauge, though Mercury and most engine types can display on most multifunction displays. Yet Mercury’s VesselView offers both engine readouts and a backup sonar/GPS display.

Interior and Accessories

Fifty rod holders are spread out on deck, including transom shotgun holders, gunwale rod holders from bow to stern, and undergunwale rod hangers. Keeping refreshments in mind, Fountain strategically interspersed some Mate Series cup holder/rod holder units with the gleaming Gemlux rod holders.

The tackle-rigging station on the back of the console leaning post is a masterpiece. Fold down the seatback, and there’s a bench to set out tools in the plethora of compartments and drawers inside.

Deck Plan

Livewells are just as impressive. Fed from sea chests with high-capacity pumps, they are sealed with acrylic lids. An optional transom seat can fit over them for day-cruising fun.

There’s a cooler under the leaning post. The coffin-box lounger ahead of the center console is insulated to carry fish, frozen chum or cold drinks too. For comfort, that coffin box is covered with luxurious seat cushions, and has backrests and armrests.

The 34TE’s profile is distinctive with its down-turned forepeak, a Fountain signature. Our tester had a windlass on board, with a polished stainless-steel anchor in the in-stem roller that only added to its aggressive look while offering convenience for the skipper. Reggie invented the distinctive brand logo. Part wheel, part gear, it’s formed by joining thunderbolts in circular fashion. Tournament competitors who challenge a Fountain might feel it’s a buzz saw.

There’s no doubt Reggie’s reputation for designing solid, swift boats gives Fountain Powerboats an edge in brand image backed up by a heritage of speed that is unassailable.

How We Tested

• Engine: Twin Mercury Verado 400
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/Mercury Rev 4 14.6″ x 22″ 4-blade stainless-steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 100 gal. Water on Board: 10 gal. Crew Weight: 450 lb.

High Points

• Black-colored dash and hardtop reduce eye fatigue by cutting glare.
• Coaming bolsters are thick and tall from top to bottom, adding comfort whether reaching for a fish or a dock line.
• Stepped hull handles easily at high speed.

Low Points

• Pull-out Frigid Rigid cooler with seat cushion is handy for a clear cockpit but not so comfy.

Toughest Competitor

The SeaVee 340 Z is a close competitor, and it boasts a Michael Peters SVVT hull. It’s à la carte priced with a base of $277,100 with a hardtop and dual 400 Verados. Similar captain’s seating adds $7,300 plus $2,900 for the mezzanine sliding cooler. We’d select the twin bow loungers with electrically actuated backrests for $7,200. The 340 Z makes 50 to 55 mph at 800 horsepower but its 10-foot beam calls for up to 1,350 horsepower for more speed.

Both boats have a single-level deck, which means crew doesn’t stumble going forward or aft, a peril in many boats.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

Fountain PowerBoats – Washington, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; fountainpowerboats.com

The post 2021 Fountain 34TE appeared first on Boating Mag.

The Fountain 34 SC represents the evolution of the center-console, from its fishing-machine origins to a high-performance dayboat. This boat offers legendary Fountain performance presented with the latest materials and construction techniques. The result is a dayboat that can handle nasty chop, blaze to speeds over 60 mph, and look great doing it.

This boat rides a classic Fountain hull form: the Positive Lift double-step running surface, with a pad aft and a notched transom to set back the motors. High-density composite core forms the stringer grid and transom. The hull, liner and deck are bonded, tabbed and through-bolted. This boat feels solid as a rock on the water, albeit a fast rock.

The helm features a double high-back seat with armrests and individual flip-up bolsters, which are shaped to form a cushioned leaning post when raised. The flat dash is covered in real carbon fiber, and our test boat featured dual 16-inch Garmin GPSMap 8616 multifunction displays, plus a Mercury VesselView 502 display. The tilt wheel is to port, with the controls on the center of the helm. The console houses a head compartment with entry to starboard, outfitted with a porcelain flushing head and freshwater sink.

Tri-color upholstery with a quilted-diamond pattern covers all of the seating surfaces. There’s room for the entire posse on this Fountain, with a three-wide seat at the transom, the two-wide mezzanine, an extravagant contoured lounger forward of the console, and wraparound seating in the bow. The sole, transom and bow platforms and gunwales are covered in soft MarineMat material, in a pattern that matches the upholstery. There’s stowage in the sole, below the bow and aft seats, and in pull-out drawers in the console.

Our test boat raced to 64.8 mph with a pair of Mercury Verado 400 outboards on the transom, sliced through Biscayne Bay chop, and handled with predicable confidence. For more speed, you could option all the way up to triple Mercury Racing 450R outboards, a rig that Fountain says can get you to 86 mph. This is a center-console built for comfort and speed.

High Points

• Fountain’s SC Series looks as fast as the boat runs. Choose from five head-turning graphic packages and custom interiors.
• Storage cubbies atop the helm and in the hardtop are perfect for small items.
• Excellent access to helm-station wiring.

Specs

LOA: 34′2″

Beam: 9′6″

Draft: 2′5″

Dry Weight: 13,500 lb.

Seat/Weight Capacity: Yacht Certified

Fuel Capacity: 418 gal.

Price: $441,650 (as tested)

How We Tested

Engines: Twin Mercury Verado 400

Drive/Prop: Outboard/Mercury Revolution 4 14.63″ x 19″ 4-blade stainless steel

Gear Ratio: 1.75:1

Fuel Load: 140 gal.

Crew Weight: 430 lb.

More Information

Iconic Marine Group/Fountain Powerboats – Washington, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; fountainpowerboats.com

The post 2021 Fountain 34 SC appeared first on Boating Mag.

Well, thank goodness Reggie saved the molds. For the first time in more than a decade, a brand-new Fountain 47 Lightning has been launched, and it’s a fire-breathing beauty. Right now, the world could use the excitement a proper speedboat brings to the water, so we are lucky the tooling for this classic model survived the recession-induced closure of Fountain Powerboats and the brand’s revival under the umbrella of the Iconic Marine Group.

A pair of real Fountain aficionados commissioned this $1.2 million boat (including paint and trailer). The owner and his wife, who operate a specialty construction outfit in the New York City area and boat on Long Island Sound, owned a Fountain 35 Lightning and a 38 Lightning before buying a pre-owned 2009-model 47 Lightning—Fountain passion runs deep. In fact, the owner showed me a picture from 1985 of his teenage head poking out of the foredeck hatch of his father’s Fountain 10 Meter.

“We love speed, but we’ve always found the Fountain boats to also be safe and reliable,” says the owner, who was on hand for this boat test but prefers to stay anonymous. “We use our Fountains for family pleasure, and we wanted the new boat to seat seven because my daughter often shows up with an entourage, and it has to have a cabin so my wife can entertain. I wanted the latest technology and the most power available.”

And so he called Iconic and asked if it would be possible to build a new 47 Lightning. This boat is the result. Introduced in 1997, the 47 Lightning features the twin-step Super Ventilated Positive Lift bottom with twin strakes, a 14-inch-deep notched transom, and a pad at the keel—and this classic Fountain design is unchanged. The hull is hand-laminated with quad-axial fiberglass and vinylester resin. Stringers and bulkheads are high-density Coosa composite. Hull and deck are joined with Crestomer 1152 adhesive and through-bolts, with the seam also glassed. Changes to the deck include a slight update to the windshield landing, a reshaped helm to accommodate glass displays, and a new design for the side-hull intake ports.

The cockpit features four high-back seats with dropping bottom cushions, and a three-wide seat aft. The helm is up-to-date—none of the bright colors and anodized aluminum you see on older 47 Lightning models, and no traditional instruments. A single Garmin 8616 display rests in front of the black-and-chrome wheel flanked by a Mercury Vessel-View 502 display and Livorsi digital trim indicators. Mercury Digital Zero Effort controls are topped with Livorsi handles. To keep everyone on board informed, there’s a Garmin 8610 display in front of the port helm seat, and a VesselView 703 display in the back of each of the high-back seats. Audio entertainment is provided by an 800-watt JL Audio eight-speaker system and two 300-watt subwoofers.

The air-conditioned cabin is finished in white fiberglass and vinyl with black accents, a look that’s clean and classy. There’s a galley counter with sink and Isotherm fridge to port, while the head compartment with shower and sink is below the helm. Facing settees and a V-berth are located forward.

Dual hatches cover the engine bay and its staggered twin Mercury Racing Dual Cal 1350/1550 engines. Expert rigging is evident throughout, and decking makes it easy to move around to inspect systems, which include a 5 kW Westerbeke gasoline-powered genset. LED lights and a pair of Garmin cameras keep an eye on the engine bay when the hatches are closed. Mandatory 91-octane fuel is carried in a pair of 100-gallon outboard tanks. A 97-gallon auxiliary tank can be used for the 112-octane race fuel required for operation at the 1,550 hp calibration.

In this category, Fountain takes on the 140 mph, 50-foot-1-inch Outerlimits SL-50 ($935,00 base price with Mercury Racing 1350/1550 power), which seats seven and notably weighs just 10,500 pounds, thanks to its post-cured E-glass and epoxy lamination schedule. If you prefer another legacy brand, the bespoke 125 mph, 51-foot-5-inch Cigarette Racing 151 ($1.5 million with Mercury Racing 1350 power and custom paint) has a 9-foot-6-inch beam and weighs 14,100 pounds, thanks in part to its carbon-fiber deck that also significantly lowers the boat’s center of gravity.

Running in 1,350 hp mode, Fountain’s factory captain coaxed our Fountain 47 to an average top speed of 117.5 mph on sticky water. The GPS log showed 125 mph runs on the light chop that the builder says favors this hull. Whether cruising at 80 mph or running wide-open, the Fountain feels rock-solid and confident on flat water.

The owners have not run the boat with its engines set to the more powerful 1,550 hp mode, and admit that the Mercury Racing 1100 engines, which will run on the 89-octane fuel you can find at many Long Island fuel docks, might have been a more rational choice. So would a more basic paint job. Instead, they sent the boat to Visual Imagination in Peculiar, Missouri, and spent $100,000 on an intricate design topped with six hand-finished stages of clear coat. When you get to build your dream boat, dream hard.

High Points

• Unrelenting Mercury Racing sterndrive power is intoxicating.
• Fountain hull runs fast with steady, comfortable confidence.
• It’s new—this power and technology is not available in a pre-owned, pre-recession version of this model.

Low Points

• The 1350 engines require 91-octane fuel to make peak power.
• Head compartment is only 4 feet, 7 inches high, and has no port or vent.
• Heavier—by up to 6,000 pounds—than more-current competitors.

Price: $958,000 (base with test power)

Available Power: Sterndrive

How We Tested

Engines: Twin staggered Mercury Racing Dual Cal 1550/1350 engines/Mercury Racing M8 outdrives

Prop: Mercury Racing CNC Cleaver 17″ x 34″ 5-blade stainless steel

Gear Ratio: 1.33:1

Fuel Load: 200 gal.

Crew Weight: 430 lb.

Iconic Marine Group/ Fountain Powerboats – Washington, North Carolina; fountainpowerboats.com

The post Fountain 47 Lightning Boat Test appeared first on Boating Mag.

Overview

On a sticky mid-June day, I found myself in the Fountain 38SC, bolstered next to pilot Jeff Harris (legendary offshore-performance driver and Iconic Marine Group’s COO) as we roared, fighter-jet-like, down the tight channel in the Pamlico River just outside the Fountain plant in North Carolina. My Stalker radar gun and handheld GPS agreed with the boat’s VesselView screen: 94.7 mph, which we repeated several times on subsequent up-and-downriver runs. While it’s not the century mark Fountain was hoping for, in this writer’s opinion, 100 mph is not out of the realm. After all, our test rig only had a few hours logged, with no time for engine break-in, or propeller, engine-height and weight-placement changes.

For many boaters, 95 mph is more than fast enough. But some folks want more, as in more luxury, more fishability, and more downright thrilling, bragging-rights top speed. If that’s you, to guarantee it, opt for four 450Rs and you’ll hit 100 for sure.

Engine

At speeds under 70 mph, the Fountain feels almost sedate, what with the big Mercs purring at 5,000 rpm and barely breathing hard. Hammer the throttles, and above 6,000 revs it starts to fly, the engines singing a harmonious howling tune. The big, stepped-pad V-hull really does its thing with this much oomph. While it’s available rigged with less power, don’t make the mistake of buying a lesser-powered iteration of this boat.

Fuel consumption? It burns 169 gallons per hour at full throttle. Best cruise speed in this warship is a brisk 54 mph, where 40 gph equals 1.4 miles per gallon. With a 418-gallon fuel supply, range is incredible—you could run over 500 miles at 54 mph and still have 40 gallons left in the tank.

Handling is tight and precise, as should be expected from a race-bred hull and high-performance powerplants with power hydraulic steering. Planing and acceleration both proved quick—zero to 30 mph took just 8.1 seconds, and ripping from 40 to 60 mph occurred in a quick 6.2 seconds. You can really feel the smooth but authoritative push from the Mercury Racing outboards; they have seemingly limitless power, all the way to 7,000-plus rpm.

Fountain’s Victor Hudson, director of sales and customer service, describes the 38SC’s mission: “After many months of study, we realized that the slice of the market reserved for go-fast enthusiasts who don’t have a million-plus dollars to spend on a boat is still there after the 2008 recession, and it’s coming back. That’s our focus; the Fountain name and legend is still very much in the minds of performance boaters, and they are receptive to our offering. Our goal is to produce a product on par with the best out there in terms of value, features and performance.”

We think they’ve nailed it. At just over $600,000 with quad 400Rs (compare with Mystic Powerboats M38, a 90 mph boat, at $599,423 with quad 400Rs), and about $700,000 with the custom paint and interior plus options, it’s clear the 38SC delivers performance-value galore. You get a race-proven, hand-laid, bonded grid hull, with composite-cored hull sides, deck and inner liner, built by industry veterans who know how to build boats to take punishment. You also get an attention-magnet paint job on the outside and sporty-but-plush interior on the inside. One of Fountain’s specialties is high-performance customer service, and with the 400R and 450R packages, this means a special blueprinted hull, performance propellers, and a setup/dial-in plus sea trial with Jeff Harris. That’s an essential service when you’re talking 90-plus mph speeds.

Interior and Accessories

Aboard, the bow section features an in-stem anchor chute/roller with a windlass and a roomy locker, plus a bow striker plate. Just aft, the forward seating section starts, with facing loungers and a double-wide, body-contoured lounge for two just forward of the center console. The upholstery is a diamond-quilted pattern that looks great, felt cool to touch, and proved quite comfortable.

The center console dominates the layout amidships. Surrounded by an aluminum powder-coated T-top with cored fiberglass lid and integrated electric sunshade ($12,800), the console gives plenty of protection from wind and sun, with a double-and-a-half bolster seat that proved roomy for two testers, plus space for someone smaller in between. Behind, there’s a second row of seating, just in front of the stern bench. This triple-row concert seating allows giving thrill rides to a crowd. For the performance-minded family, this Fountain delivers performance in rarified air, all the while providing a comfort-laden party platform equally at home pulling up to a lakeside eatery as it is hanging out on a sunny day at the cove.

How We Tested

• Engines: Quad Mercury Racing Verado 400R FourStroke six-cylinder
• Drive/Props: Outboard/Mercury Racing lab-finished MaxFive 15″ x 29″ 5-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 100 gal. Crew Weight: 500 lb.

High Points

• Fountain’s beaklike clipper bow promises speed and performance at a glance.
• Hand-laid, double-stepped hull, hotrod outboard pad and notch-setback transom give the 38SC a performance pedigree.
• Rigging is well-done and executed toward making servicing easier.

Low Points

• Lack of a wiper made it tough to see during test-day rain. Order one for your boat.
• Underconsole head is tight quarters—it’s basically for emergencies only.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

Iconic Marine Group – Washington, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; iconicmarinegroup.com

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Fountain’s brand-new 34 TE is a tournament edition fishing boat with all of the bells and whistles. Thanks to the great hull design, Optimus 360 steering, and Mercury-powered performance, this hard-core fishing boat is a smooth operator inshore or offshore.

The post 2020 Fountain 34 TE appeared first on Boating Mag.

Fountain’s new boats aren’t just as exciting as always—they are even more so today. That’s thanks to new high-performance outboards, better components and refined integration of electrical systems. The 43 NX is a perfect example of this.

First, you’ve got the quad Mercury 400 R outboards pushing the boat to exciting top speeds. Couple that with the crisp ride of the hull and the efficiency of the double-stepped design, and you’ve got the performance and luxury on which Fountain was founded. In turns, the stepped hull showed none of the bad behaviors for which some steps are known. It stuck to the turns with just a tad of down trim and added throttle coming through. Handling was positive and smooth.

The helm’s height and breadth accommodate triple Simrad 16-inch MFDs, plus Mercury’s 7-inch vessel view and an audio controller; our test boat also was equipped with Optimus 360 joystick steering and autopilot. There is nothing missing to put the captain in command of both navigation and entertainment.

He’s flanked by crew, sharing the three-wide bucket seats with flip-up bolsters for stand-up driving. (Who can remain seated when a standing ovation is in order?)

The center-console design boasts all of the fishing accommodations for which Fountain’s center-consoles are known, but manages to give luxury rides to everyone on board. A full-beam aft bench is only interrupted by port and starboard transom doors. There’s also a starboard-side door with a folding ladder tucked under an adjacent hatch in the sole.

Forward seating includes a double lounge that we think would easily accommodate three passengers; a curved walkway around it leads to wraparound bow seating too. An outdoor galley set behind the helm seats held an electric grill, sink and wine cooler. (Fishermen might swap that for a tackle center with baitwell.) Beneath it are two electric refrigerators, tackle storage and a waste basket.

For overnighting there is a queen berth below the console, complete with a private head, shower, sink and plenty of space for comfort. There’s also a galley area with a microwave and sink.

High Points

⋅Panda Fisher genset is a low-emissions diesel generator for safety and convenience.

⋅Optional Sportmaster drives on the Mercs boost performance.

⋅Aft bench seating can be exchanged for a dual livewell and rigging for fishing.

Specs

LOA: 43′0″

Beam: 12′3″

Draft (max): 3′3″(engines down)

Dry Weight: 15,800 lb. (with quad engines)

Seat/Weight Capacity: Yacht Certified

Fuel Capacity: 500 gal.

Price: $856,900

How We Tested

Engines: Quad Mercury 400R

Drive/Props: Sportmaster Drives/Bravo 1 4-blade stainless steel

Gear Ratio: 1.75:1

Fuel Load: 270 gal.

Crew Weight: 800 lb.

More Information

Fountain Powerboats – Washington, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; fountainpowerboats.com

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The new Fountain 32 Thunder Cat is designed to make going very fast very easy. Powered by a pair of 400 hp Mercury Racing 400R outboards, the Thunder Cat can be coaxed to a top speed of 120 mph. But what makes this boat really fun is its ability to simply cruise along, with no drama, at 80 to 90 mph. At that speed, the motors are just loafing at about 5,000 rpm and return their best fuel economy. Talk about smiles per gallon.

The 32 Thunder Cat fits the booming “sport cat” segment of the ­performance-boat ­market, a sort of roadster for the water intended to be a good dayboat that’s fast and easy to own. Outboard power keeps the initial cost and cost to own under control compared to ­sterndrive power, and this boat’s 10-foot-2-inch beam and carefully considered balance make it stable and steady at speed. The hull and deck are formed from infused composite in a ­vacuum-bagged process, and the fully rigged boat weighs just 5,400 pounds. The bottom has a pair of steps, three ­pronounced lifting strakes and 15 degrees of over-all deadrise, but each surface is variable, and the most inboard pad section has a slight concave shape and allows the boat to heel over a bit into turns. Iconic Performance Group says the center of gravity and location of twin ­60-gallon fuel tanks ensure that the boat stays steady all the way to top speed.

The cockpit features a pair of bucket seats and a bolstered bench aft, with plenty of legroom. Our test boat had an all-glass helm, with a 16-inch Garmin 7616 on the center of the dash, and a 12-inch Garmin 7612 in front of the port seat, intended for use by a poker-run navigator. A Mercury ­VesselView 703 is mounted in the starboard inwale, forward of Mercury Racing Zero Effort digital controls. The motors hang on stout 8.5-inch aluminum setback brackets that are easy to adjust for height. Mercury Racing wing plates accommodate a two-piece Zeiger tie bar. The Merc 400R motors have a bulletproof reputation and are the perfect power for a boat designed to deliver carefree performance.

High Points

• Outboard power makes this performance boat reliable and easy to own, fuel economy is outstanding, and the motors are self-draining and require minimal maintenance.
• Easy to upgrade performance when Mercury Racing offers more outboard power.
• Cats always look seriously fast.

Low Points

• Merc Racing 400R outboards run best on 91-octane fuel, which is not always available on the water.
• Catamaran design offers no cabin or other amenities.

Toughest Competitor
Stunning glasswork and anything-goes custom paint and fabrication set the 34-foot MTI 340X ($400,000 to $450,000 with twin Merc Racing 400R outboards) apart from the sport-cat crowd. Top speed is about 116 mph.

Price: $399,999

Available Power: Outboard

How We Tested
Engines: Twin Mercury Racing 400R outboards
Drive/Prop: Outboards/Mercury Racing CNC Cleaver 15″ x 34″ 5-blade stainless steel
Gear Ratio: 1.75:1
Fuel Load: 60 gal.
Water on Board: 0 gal.
Crew Weight: 410 lb.

More Information
Fountain Powerboats – Iconic Performance Group; Washington, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; fountainpowerboats.com

The post Fountain 32 Thunder Cat Boat Test appeared first on Boating Mag.

First there’s the performance. Our top speed hit 70 mph — not record-breaking, unless you’re doing it with a full crew sipping cold drinks in the many lounge seating options.

Next, take the bow area. There are V-shaped seats from just forward of the center console to the anchor locker, which in this case is equipped with a windlass. Deeply set for secure riding, the boat has powder-coated grab rails all around, recessed and streamlined but easy to reach. The dual lounge seats forward of the console can’t seem to decide if they belong in an intergalactic rocket ship or on a speed boat with an equally sci-fi luxury look. Headrests and curved seat backs are as cool-looking as they are comfortable, and there’s leg room galore. Also you can tuck a few rolled towels in the easy-access compartments behind the seats — that’s convenience.

Aft seating is even more impressive. The transom lounge goes beam to beam, with an opening for a transom door. Storage and a livewell underneath remind the sunbathers that this is a fishing boat. Same goes for the rocket launchers overhead — and you can reach those more easily than on most center consoles.

The console itself is all Fountain performance — dual navigation screens, LED gauges and still plenty of room for radios, stereos, windlass controls and joystick steering if you choose it. The seats are ideal for sit-down driving or stand-up driving (with the bolsters up). Back-to-back seats give anglers a choice of spots from which to watch the lines. Tackle storage is ample, hidden but accessible. For the crew standing alongside the captain, there are grab rails styled into the hardtop structures, curved for an easy grip and exactly where they need to be.

That’s like Reggie Fountain himself — always exactly where he needs to be to keep us excited about boating.

High Points

• New leaning post options include three choices of dual livewells, a tackle station or wet bar with grill and fridge.
• Hardtop structure is blended into the console.
• Scalloped sides extend from the steps at the chine for a speedy swoosh.

Price: $565,200

How We Tested
Engines: Triple Mercury Verado 350s
Drive/Props: Outboard/Mercury Enertia Eco 16″ x 23″
Gear Ratio: 1.85:1
Fuel Load: 125 gal.
Crew Weight: 600 lb.

Fountain Powerboats – Washington, North Carolina; 252-975-2000; fountainpowerboats.com

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