With the first models rolling off the production line in Washington, N.C., Reggie Fountain tells the Baja nation why they’ll love the new models.

Originally published October/November 2008

By Gregg Mansfield

On the Pamlico River outside his factory in North Carolina, Reggie Fountain is putting a 26 Outlaw through a series of turns and touting the boat’s improved handling to a passenger.

“The Baja nation is going to recognize these changes and be appreciative of it,” he said.

It has been less than two months since Fountain’s company acquired the Baja Marine line from Brunswick Corp., and already Reggie Fountain is in full sales mode for the boat brand. After watching the first two boats come off the production line at the company’s Washington plant, he really likes what he sees.

“The Bajas we’re going to be building are running faster than they’ve ever run, they’re going to handle better than ever before and they’re going to be stronger than ever,” Fountain said.

From outside appearances, the 26 Outlaw sitting in the water looked identical to any other Baja. Go beneath the surface, though, and Fountain has already put his own touches on the boat.

The most notable improvement, Fountain said, has to do with the boat’s handling thanks to full hydraulic steering from Latham Marine. After installing the steering system on a prototype, Fountain decided to make hydraulic steering standard on all new Baja by Fountain models.

“It was such a core part of the performance that we couldn’t go without the Latham steering,” he said.

To improve top speed on the conventional V-bottom, Fountain raised the boat’s X dimension and switched to a four-blade propeller instead of a three-blade, which was used on older models. They also changed the Bravo One X drive to a 1.65:1 gear ratio instead of a 1.5:1.

Fountain said those changes, combined with weight savings, have added 2 to 3 mph to the boat’s top end. With a MerCruiser 496 Mag HO under the hatch and three people on the 26-footer, the Outlaw reached a top speed of 69 mph. The setup didn’t come at the expense of time to reach plane, and the midrange acceleration was typical of a sport boat equipped with a 425-horsepower engine.

The Next Generation

Outside a building at the Fountain facility sits more than 200 hull, deck and part molds that had recently arrived from the shuttered Baja plant in Bucyrus, Ohio. There are far more models among the green molds than Fountain plans to build when full production starts in October.

Currently, the company plans to build nine models. Those making the cut include the 23-, 26-, 30- and 32-footers in the Outlaw series; 24- and 27-foot Islanders; 24- and 28-foot models in the Performance series; and the 22 Hammer X. Fountain said they will build the 40 Outlaw if a customer orders one.

One thing the new Baja by Fountain boats won’t have is stepped bottoms. Fountain said he does not plan to add steps because the design costs and new hull molds would run into the millions. Instead, he’s been focused on trying to keep the brand affordable, especially to attract the first-time performance-boat buyer.

But when Fountain is adding Latham full hydraulic steering to boats and plans to continue using top-shelf hardware such as Livorsi Marine gauges, how does he expect not to pass along significant price hikes?

Right now he plans to increase the prices by 5 to 6 percent over the models that were being built by Brunswick.

Fountain contends the company’s build processes will save money, and because of the performance upgrades, buyers can opt for inexpensive, lower-horsepower engines and still get the same performance.

“It’s big changes for itty-bitty dollars,” Fountain said.

Behind the Gelcoat

Fountain has made several changes in the construction process that will create stronger and lighter boats. Most notably, the company is using a grid stringer system instead of a liner stringer system that was previously used by Baja.

Gary Baltz, Fountain’s vice president of marketing, said their technique ensures that the stringers are mated to the hull. The stringers are set on a glass of Plexus and glassed in. Where the stringers come in contact with the hullside, high-density foam core is used, and according to Baltz, acts as a shock absorber. It also allows the workers to properly spread the glass.

To build the previous generation of Bajas, the entire hull section was cored with balsa. Fountain switched to high-density foam and is using a technique called “sectional coring.”

“We core the hullsides and the lifting strakes in the pad area, leaving those areas between the lifting strakes for flexibility,” Baltz said as he led a tour of the plant.

Another change is how Fountain mates the hull and deck. On previous Baja models, the builder would use Plexus and screws, Baltz said. While the technique is standard in the industry, Fountain wanted to take it a step further.

Workers screw the hull and deck together to hold it in place and then Plexus is used to bond it into place. After that, the sections are glassed together and then bolts with nuts are installed every few inches around the entire boat. Rubrail screws then complete the mating process.

But the change in building techniques required a different approach to constructing the cabin. When the Bajas were built in Bucyrus, the cabin was completed before the deck was mated to the boat. In Fountain’s case, that will be done after the mating process is completed.

The one drawback is that the process won’t allow for a smooth finish inside stowage compartments. “Some parts are finished in (smooth) fiberglass but we would carpet them anyway,” Fountain said.

Fountain also is switching to a vinylester layup and will no longer do graphics in the gelcoat on the Bajas. While they will spray solid colors for the hull and deck, intricate graphics will have to be done either in paint or vinyl.

“It’s extremely difficult and time-consuming to do that in the mold,” Fountain said. “And it does nothing structurally for the boat.”

Several Baja dealers got an opportunity to see the prototype boat at the Fountain facility in early August. One of those was Tim Smith of Sportboats Marine in Fort Myers, Fla. The dealership is the oldest Baja dealer in Florida.

“It felt more substantial,” Smith said. “Reggie seemed pretty happy with what he had.”

Fountain acknowledged the changes were done to help standardize production between the Fountain and Baja lines.

“Not that Baja made a bad boat, we’re just trying to make a better one and make it like a Fountain,” he said. “I thought it would be better for our lamination and building system not to build boats two different ways.”

Energized Company

With the addition of the “Faja” line, as some jokingly refer to it, Fountain seems energized by the prospect to grow the performance division of his company. Brunswick made an offer to Fountain that he couldn’t refuse.

Fountain purchased Baja’s assets for $4 million with a loan that was financed by Brunswick. If the company meets its obligation to buy engines and other products from Mercury, the loan will be forgiven in 2020.

Meanwhile, there is a growing demand for new boats from Baja’s 80-plus dealers. Brunswick stopped production of Bajas in March and the new owners hope to have boats coming off the production line by October.

Fountain said they have tentative commitments for 300 Baja boats. And that comes on top of the production of Fountain center-consoles, cruisers and sport boats.

As the day that turned into night wrapped up, Fountain asked the writer to deliver a message to Baja supporters.

“Tell the Baja nation they’ll have everything they had before and then some,” he said confidently.

If you like what you're reading, get more by subscribing to Powerboat magazine here.

Click to enlarge.