Am I crazy?? Thinking of buying a Fountain go fast...

Jus Cruisin said:
They have always liked the looks of cats but have never even been on one to see if I'd really like one.
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The outward lean in a sharp turn is a bit unnerving. I did a fishing charter once in a cat. Really smooth in the waves at speed. And really stable at rest. But in a turn you feel like it will flip over or flip you overboard.
 
Cats have some odd traits. Some of them sneeze a lot in chop which can be unpleasant. The outside lean in corners is different. Oh, and if you run fast in the rough you risk a backflip, or stuffing the fork, both of which can be very deadly.

Having said all that. I love them. They require far less power to be fast, ride up on top of the waves, and are shockingly smooth in light chop. Very fun. A 30-35 foot cat with a couple huge outboards can be an honest triple digit boat and be quite reliable and cost effective to own and run. And the quiet for the performance is kind of cool.

All that said, a 42' Fountain with twin staggered 1,200hp plus big blocks on number 6's... priceless... in every respect.
 
I owned a smaller World Cat compared to what's mentioned above but I must say, I really enjoyed the ride at speed but a hard turn at speed was a little unsettling. I am a fisherman and it was great to be able to run hard in the 2-3 ft chop of the gulf to get out to our spots and not feel beat up but then if we were trolling, the hull slap, if trolling into the chop, was maddening. Also if anchored on a little rougher day the on-coming chop would slap the hull so you continually felt that shock and heard the slap.

A time or two we were out on days when the afternoon winds picked up and the wave height got to the point we could not run on top and had to slow down and let the hull settle-in. The sharp bow entry of the hulls did not provide enough bouyancy to lift the bow up when meeting an oncoming wave until the flat part of the hull met the wave. This caused us to take water over the bow regularly and since the boat was a dual console, that water was not welcome. It never became dangerous on those occasions but I found that if a person got caught in some really serious water conditions it could get unpleasant.

I had the boat two years and sold it. I do miss it some days.
 
Weren't the cats or the fast class of offshore racing though I thought they were the fastest and most stable when they used to hold the races. They held one up here on Cape Cod before but only for 1 year
 
I have been tempted my the cat option. There have been a few 28-30' twin OB powered ones for sale that claim 100mph+. I'm not so sure that's a wise choice for a first time go fast purchase. Ideally a 29 Fountain Fever with a single but who knows if it'll actually happen.
 
SeaNile said:
I have been tempted my the cat option. There have been a few 28-30' twin OB powered ones for sale that claim 100mph+. I'm not so sure that's a wise choice for a first time go fast purchase. Ideally a 29 Fountain Fever with a single but who knows if it'll actually happen.
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Yep, a Fountain would probably be your best bet for the Chesapeake.
 
Scott215 said:
Weren't the cats or the fast class of offshore racing though I thought they were the fastest and most stable when they used to hold the races. They held one up here on Cape Cod before but only for 1 year
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Yes, due to the hull design and ability to pack air to create lift makes the cats the fastest pound for pound. Mildly rough, they ride way better. But as it gets rougher, the monohulls have the advantage. In the rough, they are safer and faster.

Number of years back, a good friend had a 42' Lightning with big HP motors with number 6's, staggered, of course. And he definitely knew how to drive it.

We were at Lake Powell with it one year. Over the course of several days, a 36 Skater with number 6's went by our campsite a few times. He always opened it up a little, I suspect seeing the Fountain among our boats at the beach was the impetus. We figured we'd give him a run at some point. Depending on the HP he was running, we knew given the water conditions, he could definitely be faster. The rooster tail was the give away he was running surface drives and the pitch of the motors told us he was for real. After you cross about 800 honest HP, they begin to sound very different.

We eventually came across him in one of the biggest open areas of the Lake. He was going the opposite way... fast. We U-turned, but I didn't expect we could pull him in. We had made a number of high-speed passes over the several previous days in the hi 90's to low 100's, but never all out. I figured we were pretty close.

The owner/driver (Kris) pushed the throttles all the way up and worked the trim. With a bunch of open lake (minus a couple lazy S-turns), we caught them, and passed them handily. GPS with the current (tiny) and wind both in our favor showed 122.

A few days later, one of our crowd ran into one of theirs at Dangling Rope Marina. Said they were shocked when we passed, and that they were running 104 when it happened.

That Fountain at 122 was absolutely incredible. Oh, and the motors both dyno'd a little over 1400hp.

So, yea, I get it when someone says a go-fast might be fun...
 
What are number sixes
 
So the 8s would be the newer ones
 
Do you want to share your shopping parameters? I need to shop for someone else, because I’m trying to avoid buying myself a new car.
 
jmauld said:
Do you want to share your shopping parameters? I need to shop for someone else, because I’m trying to avoid buying myself a new car.
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My parameters? Well, my point of reference is about 22knts so there is zero reason for a 100mph boat. I really think the 29 Fountain Fever with a single 525 blue motor is ideal. Of course it's gotta be the deal of the century. I'll use NADA to my advantage which is not in line with reality. Figure 30k max. They can ask 50k but when NADA says 20k then I think there is some room for negotiations.

This is all due to wintertime blues. This thought and obsession makes no sense at all, but I can't help entertain the idea.

I like this boat because of all the wrong reasons. First, the bottom is painted!! What a mistake by the owner but a total bonus for me.

 
Here’s a twin engine on Facebook.

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looks hard to work on though.

how fast were the old sea Ray pachangas?
 
jmauld said:
Here’s a twin engine on Facebook.

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looks hard to work on though.

how fast were the old sea Ray pachangas?
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I have always LOVED those old Pachangas. 22, 27, and 32. All of them. The hull design was actually very good. They are fast, efficient, and ride and handle extremely well. They weren't built as tough as a Fountain, though.
 
My friends Pachangas.
Unfortunately, stringers and transom rotted out and boat scrapped.
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Figured it's a sign if I've been thinking about a go fast for going on 3 years now. Decided to buy a 29 Fountain last night. It'll be very interesting to see how much we use this thing. Could be the best or worst decision ever. We will find out in a few weeks when spring finally arrives.

Boat will be here sometime next week, just in time for the extremely cold weather. It'll be too cold to even sit in it while it's in the driveway.

Passed the survey with essentially zero issues and the previous owner is a pilot to the records are extensive to say the least.
 
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