29' Fountain Diesel

Double Z · Dec-11-2004, 07:07 PM

Yep, more stuff about a Fountain. We (the family) took the 29'er out for a demo today and I'll try to keep this brief. I was driving out of the harbor, and George (salesman) tells me to hit it. I roll on the throttle, and he tells me just to floor it. Why not, he's paying the bills at this point so I do. The thing rolls back like it's starting to come up on plane. Not all that fast I might add, and then nothing. It just kind of sat there. It finally rolls forward, and we are doing about 15mph. Meanwhile, the 330 (I think it's really 310) yanmar if cranking out 4k rpms. This thing just keeps crawling forward and picking up speed real slow like. I'm looking at George and telling him, I ain't impressed. AT ALL! My friends would laugh me off the water if I showed up with this thing. We tried a couple different things with the drive and nothing changed. George thought we had spun a prop but when we got the thing out of the water, it "looked" ok. I guess it could just be starting to spin, but I don't know how the things work. We went back into the harbor and tried to put the thing on the trailer.

I think the thing is WAY under propped. I think the diesel was spinning right through the prop and it lost drive through cavitation. I'll call the guy Monday and see what's up. If he has to re-prop anyway I'll see if I can get one for more speed. I like the idea of idling at trolling speed. Until I try to put it on the trailer anyway.

This is the funny part. George is backing the trailer into the water and I'm standing on the dock. This trailer is a thing of beauty right. All aluminum and stainless. The next thing I see is the tires stop spinning and the trailer is still going into the water. No shit, the thing was floating. I about shit. We had to tie a rope to the thing to keep it in line with the truck. I can't believe I'll have to add weight to my trailer, if I buy this thing, just to keep it on the bottom.

I'm supposed to go out again, next week. It did ride well, even at 40 mph. It was also a day where your could go 65 if you wanted. The boats supposed to do 51-53mph and he did show me the gps speedo with the memory from the demo. Who knows, maybe he took the reading while he was driving down the freeway.

?? fisherman · Dec-11-2004, 07:17 PM

Thats said to be a somewhat common problem with some aluminum trailers being that they are soooo lite the bouancy (SP?) from the air in the tires will float the trailer.

Now you know why the aluminums trailers are called float ons

JK.

FishWiz · Dec-11-2004, 08:05 PM

Is it at a broker in Mission Bay?

Double Z · Dec-11-2004, 10:36 PM

For trailer question, I plan on putting whatever weight I need to add to keep that thing on the ground. I figure a few lead dive weight's will do it.

As for the broker, no, it's not in mission bay. I don't know of any Fountain dealers in that area.

Double Z · Dec-12-2004, 08:22 PM

Just as an update, I looked at the 2601 stripper with the diesel. Nice. I think I finally learned why you don't see all that many Fountains out here. The stipper is only $66k and has a dual prop Volvo that hardly smokes. That Yanmar was a stinky noisy pig.

FishWiz · Dec-12-2004, 08:38 PM

Basic premise for East Coast vs. West Coast boats is: Weather.

On the East Coast, they make fast boats to rush out to the canyons fast (lots more tournaments), and get home fast when the weather turns. West Coast boats are made for more comfort and I think range. Weather doesn't often turn into a hurricane or whatever here.

I have a Volvo Penta Diesel w/ Duo Prop and like it.

out of reach · Dec-12-2004, 08:41 PM

That Yanmar was a stinky noisy pig.[/QUOTE]

Maybee something is wrong with the Yanmar. I had one for awhile and it was quiet and barely smoked.

Double Z · Dec-12-2004, 11:06 PM

"barely smoked"??? What exactly does that mean? Is that based on an old engine that would puff black smoke? I have only seen smoke come out of my cummins once. I was pulling a hill at night with my 13k trailer behind me. There was a car behind the trailer and I could barely see a hint of smoke in my mirrors as I pulled away. With the Yanmar, I saw smoke at all times. It is new, and I know diesels take some time to break in. Will it clean up? I doubt it. Was it a problem? Depends on if you have Asthma or not. One of my passengers did. While underway, it would not be a problem. Trolling downwind it would just plain suck! Diesel gets on everything. It stinks...Period.

I still want a diesel, just not that one. Way to many other problems with that boat to list. Taking a new boat out for a test and having it go the way this one did is bad. We'll see how the next one goes.

Quiet is also a relative term. We could carry on a conversation across the engine box. It was not THAT bad. Just more noise than I was expecting. My Cummins is very quiet. The 2002's were noisy. From '03 on they got quiet.

out of reach · Dec-12-2004, 11:21 PM

i'm no expert

good luck

Waterpup · Dec-13-2004, 03:13 AM

George Derrick = lying asshole

Kurt · Dec-13-2004, 08:06 AM

Only diesel I saw that smoked really bad was one the turbo was taking a shit on.

Double Z · Dec-13-2004, 08:25 AM

Don't take it the wrong way. The thing smoked. I did not say really bad. It was not the thick black smoke like the old days. It was a well tuned diesel. Diesel have come A LONG WAY IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS! The Cummins that Dodge uses is up to 310+ hp and 600 ft lb.s of torque, stock. Add a TST box and you'll add up to 200 more horsepower and 400 more ft lb.s of torque. In stock form, you can pull 15k lb.s. all day, everyday. In stock form, no smoke and 19 mpg on the freeway at a decent speed. I think the Yanmar is just behind the times on the diesel technology. It was a very strong motor.