Fountain 35ft hull project.

[Zane]

Hello all

A while back i came across this boat http://www.hagadonemarine.com/resort...ecial-projects which got me drooling and wanted one like it or better.

So now i just got my hands on a bare 35ft Fountain hull. (measured from tip to transom) with the double stepped hull
My plan is to overlay the sides with mahogany, maybe 2 layers cold molded then build the top deck and aft from plywood overlaid with mahogany veneer etc etc

Now from what i see on Fountain website, the 35ft are powered by 2x 525 which is a whooole lot of money for me to spend for engines on this project now. If i go lets say two Mercruiser 8.2 HO which is 430HP each and running maybe surface drives... maybe a stupid question but what top speed range can i expect... and since the top is going to be built differently than how the original fountain is... im thinking it would be lighter than an original.. no? maybe?

I have the option to cut the hull and shorten it down... is this a good idea? power to weight ratio..

Any and all input, ideas, thoughts are appreciated.

Thanx in advance

Zane...

[FMS]

My bet is that your one-off wood construction will come out heavier than the fountain deck.

How thick a veneer are you considering for the overlay?

I would resist cutting down a well-engineered stepped fountain hull and losing the step placement.

[Zane]

The veneer will be 2-3mm thick... double layer on the sides and one layer over plywood on the deck.

From what iv gathered... a wooden cold molded boat vaccum bagged, weighs less than the same boat in fiberglass.

Ya i thought cutting the hull would change the dynamics of how the hull handles... so scratch that idea i guess.

[keysdisease]

Stepped hulld are very tricky, I would suggest you not "shorten" anything.

Your one off interior could come in lighter, depending on what you do. The molded inner liner of a 35ft boat is a pretty heavy piece of fiberglass.

You will need for some of the interior to be structural, the floors and some framing not to mention the transom and knees to the stringers. Surface drives put thrust on the transom so it will have to be beefy similar to for O/B.

Don't cheap out on the tanks, fast boats need good tanks.

Do lots of homework and you can end up with a cool project, but a double stepped hull can be a twitchy critter so study up.

Steve

[gonzo]

Why are you overlaying the hull? It will only make it heavier. Those boats only run well when they are kept very light.

[Zane]

Ok shortening wont be happening... will keep it same length.

The hull will receive stringers, frames flooring all from wood fiberglassed to the inside and the stringers will be from honeycomb/ fiber material. So on the structural aspect of the boat i have no worries.

Gonzo... its just the sides of the hull that i wanna overlay.. just for the look really. and with 2 layers of 2mm veneer on each side, its not that crazy extra weight. Im still thinkin maybe just paint the sides rather than overlay.... we'll see.

Another idea is turn it into a sport fishing boat with a walkaround center console and a closed deck :/ ideas ideas

In regards to those Horizon 8.2 HO at 430 HP each and proper proping... would u say id at least do 70mph? :s

Regards

[frank smith]

I dont think a lug rig would work very well , but if you left the engines out you could add a poop deck.

Seriously, Fountains have been set up in many ways other than racing configuration. I cant see why some of you ideas wont work , and it will still go like hell caring a few extra pounds .

[keysdisease]

Go with a center console for sure, make your life much easier and it should keep the boat lighter, no foredeck.

Steve

[Zane]

Originally Posted by frank smith

I dont think a lug rig would work very well , but if you left the engines out you could add a poop deck.

Seriously, Fountains have been set up in many ways other than racing configuration. I cant see why some of you ideas wont work , and it will still go like hell caring a few extra pounds .

LOL... i like the poop deck idea!! So i take it u dont like the wooden look!

Center console is very tempting but im leaving it as a last resort!

[frank smith]

I like the wood idea. A veneer vacuum bagged would work . You could make a call to Fountain, and run the idea by some one there.

[FMS]

Zane how is your project shaping up?

Does anyone have the weight of a factory fountain center console compared with a closed deck?

[Zane]

Hey fellaz... thought this post died... didn't seem like there was much interest.

FMS well i haven't started anything yet except putting in the stringers and some bulkheads inside the hull... I'm quite busy building two mahogany runabouts, so their taking most of my time for now..

Im gonna start on the fountain pretty soon tho. Still not 100% sure of what i wanna do with it in regards to fishing or a speed racer but i think I'm leaning more towards the sporty look.

I wish i knew how to do renderings so i can do some designs that i have in my head and see how it'll look.

I tried calling Fountain a bunch of times but no luck... always goes to voicemail.

Would anyone here be willing to do some basic rendering on different setups on that boat?

Cheers
Zane

[m3mm0s rib]

You talk about the sports deck or for fishing

[Zane]

Originally Posted by m3mm0s rib

You talk about the sports deck or for fishing

I'm talking about both fishing and sports.... Maybe a shot on the water.
You r taliking about the renderings right?

[keysdisease]

rather than renderings why don't you look up similar sized boats in different configurations