Offshore V-Bottom of the Year

Without question, Fountain Powerboats has felt a push from custom V-bottom builders. Also without question, the Washington, N.C., company and its ever-competitive namesake have responded beautifully. The proof of this is the 47 Lightning we tested in Key West, Fla., which is one of the finest Fountain offerings we've had the pleasure to evaluate.

Fountain hulls are well known for speed, efficiency and excellent handling manners, and the 47 Lightning had all of those attributes. With its staggered Mercury Racing HP1075SCi engines turning 6,000 rpm, the stepped-V-bottom reached 114.5 mph. The 47-footer made great use of the 2,150 horsepower.

Tall Hering 37"-pitch six-blade propellers cost the boat a bit out of the hole, though not too much as the 13,000-pound V-bottom came on plane in 7.4 seconds and hit 75 mph in 20 seconds. The propulsion package, which included Mercury Racing No. 6 dry-sump drives, also did well by the boat when it came to midrange acceleration. The 47-footer ran from 40 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and from 40 to 70 mph in 8.9 seconds.

In the handling, tracking and rough-water-ride departments, the boat was an ace. It leaned into turns and did not provide any unpleasant surprises. On the contrary, the boat was completely predictable. The soft-riding model crushed 2- to 3-footers.

When it came time to apply paint over the 47 Lightning's smooth mold work, Fountain didn't mess around. The company sent the boat to The Art of Design paint shop in Elkhart, Ind., and the results were astounding. We've seen some impressive work come out of Fountain's own paint shop, but The Art of Design, to borrow from chef Emeril Lagasse, kicked it up a notch.

Fountain did a bang-up job rigging the boat. Logical, well-organized routing of wiring supported by evenly spaced stainless-steel cushion clamps and billet fender holders were a couple of the highlights in the engine compartment. Of course, the cockpit had some highlights of its own including six power bolsters. Plus, the boat had a full cabin.

All of that came in a boat that ran nearly 115 mph. No doubt about it, Fountain's 47 Lightning can run with the best of them.

Fountain Powerboats 47 Lightning
Performance Test Results

For the Performance Report on the Fountain 47 Lightning, see "The Big Show," February 2006, Page 92.

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