PDA

View Full Version : I bought a 42 Fountain Lightning



45calibur
12-13-2013, 10:28 PM
7718677187

I recently bought a 42 Lightning , it was a very clean fresh water boat with low hours (at least that's what they led me to believe)

it has some stripes on the hull that I don't like and I will be removing them over the winter

it also has some stripes on the interior that I hate but I already have that being addressed :)

I haven't been on this site in a while but I figured I would come back and chat about boats

7718477185

45calibur
12-13-2013, 10:32 PM
I already started having the interior re-done


before and after sunpad , from stripes to all white

7718877189

45calibur
12-13-2013, 10:37 PM
.


getting rid of that ugly purplish color









77193

77192

45calibur
12-13-2013, 10:38 PM
the interior and the hull will be all white for spring , 100% white , all white err thang :)

fund razor
12-14-2013, 12:02 AM
Sweet. Congrats!

Ratickle
12-14-2013, 12:47 AM
Cool, what power and drives?

old377guy
12-14-2013, 12:48 PM
Nice boat - congrats!

fund razor
12-15-2013, 01:34 PM
I'm not a fan of the style and weight distribution/attitude of the shorter Fountains, but when you take that design out to 42 feet, it really works.

45calibur
12-15-2013, 01:59 PM
Cool, what power and drives?

it has very WEAK engines and drives

it isn't fast by any stretch of the imagination , it just touches 80

it has stock 502 carbureted blue motors and bravo one drives , probably the weakest package available

my last boat was a 45 Excalibur that barely broke 50 so having a boat that barely breaks 80 isn't so bad for me


77199

45calibur
12-15-2013, 02:00 PM
.

it has a nice comfy useable cabin that I have "used" a bunch of times already :)

77200

45calibur
12-15-2013, 02:06 PM
I'm not a fan of the style and weight distribution/attitude of the shorter Fountains, but when you take that design out to 42 feet, it really works.

it might not be a great boat but it is a good boat

I only had the boat since the weekend before labor day but I managed to put over 50 hours on it

the boat isn't fast but it handles ruff water nicely

I do a lot of runs where I go out of one inlet into the ocean and go about 10 or 15 miles to the next inlet and it rips over sloppy 4 to 5 foot mess varying speed from 50 to 75 + like nothing

it also runs over nasty wind blown bay chop mixed with boat wakes with ease

its a good boat IMHO

Ratickle
12-15-2013, 11:54 PM
It should be a really good boat. I believe the 42 and the 35 were the two best Fountains built.

It must seem a tad bit shallow after your Excalibur....

cdail28590
12-16-2013, 02:27 PM
80 mph seems like a nice number with 2 reliable 502 500hp motors. I know everyone is used to hearing 150 mph cat speeds and 100-120 mph v hull speeds but 80 is still plenty fast especially in the wave conditions you are describing.

Buoy
12-16-2013, 03:18 PM
80 mph seems like a nice number with 2 reliable 502 500hp motors. I know everyone is used to hearing 150 mph cat speeds and 100-120 mph v hull speeds but 80 is still plenty fast especially in the wave conditions you are describing.

I agree.
I really think the "100+" club in a pleasure boat is a bit much.
There is only a percentage of drivers that know how to SAFELY operate a boat at those speeds.

Ratickle
12-17-2013, 01:33 PM
I kind of see your point, but I have this unwritten "Man" rule that says you have to own a car that goes over 200 and a boat that goes over 100 sometime in your life. Preferably both at the same time.....

45calibur
12-17-2013, 05:43 PM
It must seem a tad bit shallow after your Excalibur....


it is definitely a step down , my last boat had 2 bedrooms and a full shower and I could stay on it for days , but after having it for 5 years its a nice change to have this fountain

I plan on keeping it for at least 5 years

45calibur
12-17-2013, 05:45 PM
80 mph seems like a nice number with 2 reliable 502 500hp motors. I know everyone is used to hearing 150 mph cat speeds and 100-120 mph v hull speeds but 80 is still plenty fast especially in the wave conditions you are describing.

when I was shopping I came across much faster 42's for good prices but this boat is easy to insure and I want reliability , the season is too short here in NY to be waiting for repairs all of the time

45calibur
12-17-2013, 05:58 PM
I kind of see your point, but I have this unwritten "Man" rule that says you have to own a car that goes over 200 and a boat that goes over 100 sometime in your life. Preferably both at the same time.....

also a lot of people have things just as a status and never even use it to its potential , I use my stuff and I get real used to it quickly and would want more no matter what , so I don't worry about it too much and try to make the best of it

a few boats ago I had a 23 cougar cat that ran 115 on gps but after a few rides I was used to that speed and it was boring , if a boat goes 60 , 100 or 160 I am going to get used to it and get bored with it pretty quickly anyway , its all a matter of perception

more speed would be great but you gotta go with what works for you , price , reliability , able to insure it etc etc

whatever power my fountain could have I would get used to it and be bored with it very quickly lol

I had a turbo hayabusa that pulled from 60 mph to 200 mph so quickly that it makes any pleasure boat feel boring to me , I can usually get more thrill running my 300 hp jetski into the wind over a close 2 foot bay chop than any boat I have been in

basically what I am saying is , yes I get bored riding this boat at cruising speeds varying from 50 to 70 mph the whole time but even if I could cruise it at 100 , I would be used to that speed/feel so fast that it would be boring too

Ratickle
12-18-2013, 12:30 AM
Of all our current boats, the 24 is definitely the most fun, even though it only goes in the low 80's. If that 115 mph cat had been a 23' Vee, you'd not have gotten bored. I'll modify my car rule to include bikes. When I used to race bikes, I had a KZ 1100 with a 1300 kit, kerker exhaust, 42's, etc. 184 was the best I saw on it, but that was in 1981. Killer bike for back then. Lost too many friends, got out of bikes. Had the vette modified to go over 200, it shifts into 4th over at 167 and pulls hard, but I've never pushed it past that (173 is what it hits when you lift immediately after the shift). I'm positive it will hit the 200, but that's not the point.

I think a 70mph cruise in a comfortable boat like your 42 is the perfect answer. You can actually relax and have fun, but get everywhere as fast as if you were in your car.

Your jetski has to be a blast. Our XP's used to be a blast when we lived on Gun Lake, but when we moved over to the big lake we sold them.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get bored in a 160mph boat though, unless it was a mystic or something else over 50'.:)

45calibur
12-18-2013, 08:05 PM
I feel like the smaller boats are more fun anyway

I am goanna buy a small hydrostream or stv or something similar soon and make it run over 100 just to blast around on a few times a week and get the speed trill and not spend too much on gas

cdail28590
12-19-2013, 03:46 PM
I'll trade you straight up my 22 Velocity with new motor, floor, and interior for your 42 Fountain.:D

45calibur
12-19-2013, 11:36 PM
I just found this pic taken in Oklahoma where I bought the boat


77222

Ratickle
12-21-2013, 12:03 AM
Grand Lake ?

Bobcat
12-21-2013, 08:10 AM
Nice boat. That was a bit of a drive home !

45calibur
12-21-2013, 07:15 PM
.

it was in afton Oklahoma , not sure of the name of the lake

I paid a guy to tow it back


here is a pic of the boat and the tow guy arriving in ny at tanner park to launch it :)


77228

45calibur
12-21-2013, 07:19 PM
I really dislike the stripes on my boat

over the winter I am having them removed

I want it all white like the one in the pic below


(I think this one might be a 38 Lightning but it shows the look I am going for)77229

Blue Oval
12-21-2013, 08:13 PM
Long time friend bought a Formula from Arrow Head Marina , Grand Lake. He went with me, I took Heidi's Excursion. Had to laugh, it was 999 miles there!

fund razor
12-21-2013, 08:52 PM
I have a very heavy 28 with similar power and bravo ones. I've had good luck with the combination, I just don't do hole shots.

I don't see why you won't have good luck too. Not like you will be racing.

I'm not known as a Fountain guy, but I really like your boat. :cheers2:

Ratickle
12-22-2013, 08:30 PM
I really dislike the stripes on my boat

over the winter I am having them removed

I want it all white like the one in the pic below


(I think this one might be a 38 Lightning but it shows the look I am going for)77229

Have a name picked out for a completely whited out boat? You'll be like a Penn State game whiteout

45calibur
12-23-2013, 12:18 AM
Long time friend bought a Formula from Arrow Head Marina , Grand Lake. He went with me, I took Heidi's Excursion. Had to laugh, it was 999 miles there!


that is where this boat was kept , too funny , he kept it under the awning/garage setup in a slip on a lift

does the background of the pics below look familiar to you ?


7723677237

45calibur
12-23-2013, 12:19 AM
I have a very heavy 28 with similar power and bravo ones. I've had good luck with the combination, I just don't do hole shots.

I don't see why you won't have good luck too. Not like you will be racing.

I'm not known as a Fountain guy, but I really like your boat. :cheers2:


thanks bud

45calibur
12-23-2013, 12:29 AM
Have a name picked out for a completely whited out boat? You'll be like a Penn State game whiteout

I am keeping the name that was on my old boat

G- Spot

everyone loves the G-Spot :)

77238772397724077241

fund razor
12-23-2013, 08:03 PM
Heck, I like your old boat, too.

Ratickle
12-24-2013, 06:10 PM
We looked at the Excalibur 45's and the only issue was the speed wasn't what I was looking for. Terri actually liked it better than the BT.

You were really talking about the boat, right?

fund razor
12-25-2013, 06:43 AM
If you mean me, yes.

But heck, I like Grand Banks trawlers too.

45calibur
12-25-2013, 11:22 PM
they aren't fast but they are fast for what they are

mine only had 502 415 hp stock and it hit 51 on gps

fund razor
12-26-2013, 06:36 PM
That's smoking fast for a full-on cruiser.

old377guy
12-27-2013, 11:19 AM
There's a couple of Formulas in my area - 370SS and a 400SS, and they both seem to hit around 60.

Bobcat
12-27-2013, 04:48 PM
I'm thinking huge wake !!!!!!

fund razor
12-27-2013, 07:05 PM
There's a couple of Formulas in my area - 370SS and a 400SS, and they both seem to hit around 60.
That's fast too. :)

rschap1
12-27-2013, 07:56 PM
540s+ and arnies

I have seen vids.



I think that was the combo:)

Ratickle
12-27-2013, 08:11 PM
There's a couple of Formulas in my area - 370SS and a 400SS, and they both seem to hit around 60.

You need to see the Formula up in Charlevoix!!

Ratickle
12-27-2013, 08:13 PM
Uploaded on May 31, 2011

http://youtu.be/x9xA99w--Uw

Formula FX 8 Super Sport
Twin Ilmor V 10 725 HP engines with Ilmor Indy ® Drives
about 73 MPH

Ratickle
12-27-2013, 08:21 PM
Ian looking happy


http://youtu.be/K_cQGiOGVAY

Ratickle
12-27-2013, 08:23 PM
Anyway, sorry for the hijack. The Fountain is a great boat for decent speeds with minimal power in a 42'. I cannot wait to see it completed in the all white version.