Fountain revamped the 35 Lightning to great effect with a sweet new cabin and fresh graphics.

Fountains are known for their fast, efficient hulls, not their plush, finely wrought cabins. But to Fountain's credit, the builder has continually upgraded its interiors. And based on what we saw in our most recent encounter with the 35 Lightning, they can give anything in their class a run for their money.

Of course, a Fountain without strong top-end for the power and exceptional handling wouldn't be a Fountain. Our stepped 35-footer delivered all the exciting performance we expected from a boat constructed by the Washington, N.C., builder.

To top it off, the sleek 35 Lightning was dressed in special graphics from Fountain's recently renovated in-house paint shop. The boat was, in the words of one Test Team member, among the "nicest Fountains we've ever seen."

INTERIOR

Fountain sculpted the 35 Lightning's rear bench with three distinct passenger positions. Grab handles on the backs of the power dropout-bottom bolsters for the driver and co-pilot were within reach of the outer seats on the bench. To give the cockpit, the sole of which was covered by welted snap-in marine-grade carpet, a more finished looked, the builder installed sliding acrylic doors to close off the gunwale stowage trays.

By design, the co-pilot's dash, with a locking glove box, was narrow. That enabled Fountain to create a wider-than-average cabin entrance and a generous station.

Set up in the classic Fountain style for the driver, Livorsi Marine throttles and shifters were on the left side of the dash. All gauges were arranged in a horseshoe pattern around the Latham Marine nontilting steering wheel. Mechanical indicators for the drives and tabs were to the right of the wheel, and rubber-booted toggle switches were to the left of it.

Finished with strong attention to detail, the cabin had a galley with wood-grain cabinetry and a Corian countertop. Under the countertop, which flipped up on a hinge, there was a stainless-steel sink and a removable cooler. A mirrored section above the counter had a shelf for glasses with a retainer. Opposite of the galley to starboard was a head locker with a porcelain toilet.

A V-berth and a standard U-shape lounge filled in with cushions to make a second berth comprised the cabin furnishings. High-quality carpet protected the sole, and a suspended headliner covered the ceiling.

"This isn't just the best-finished cabin I've seen in a Fountain," said our lead interior inspector. "It's one of the best cabins I've seen in a 35-footer, period."

WORKMANSHIP

As it has with its interiors, Fountain has done a great job upgrading its paintwork. The models painted at the company's in-house shop we've seen in recent years have been custom-quality, and that applied to the graphics on our test model. It certainly didn't hurt that the painters had a flawless canvas on which to work, thanks to the boat's clean hull and deck tooling. A black vinyl rubrail with a stainless-steel insert protected the slick package.

The builder used smoked acrylic panels to form a simple-but-effective low-profile windshield. Additional hardware included a solid deck cleat and six retractable cleats, a combination of plain stainless-steel and black powder-painted handrails, and a retractable ladder in a locker on the swim platform.

Each section of the two-piece engine hatch was raised by a screw jack. To keep fenders out of the cockpit and cabin, the builder included a pair of fender racks in the engine compartment.

Installed in a staggered configuration, the boat's Mercury Racing HP525EFI engines were on offshore mounts and through-bolted L-angles. Wiring harnesses held in place with aluminum cushion clamps were evenly spaced. Though the rigging wasn't quite custom quality, it was better than that of the average production-manufactured performance boat.

PERFORMANCE

Fountain estimated that the 35 Lightning would run 105 mph with the provided propulsion setup. That setup included a Mercury ITS system with 1.5:1 reduction Bravo XR drives and Sport Master gear cases. The boat's six-blade Hering propellers featured extended diffusers.

Neither of our test drivers could get the boat to hit 105 mph, but they did get it to 101.1 mph with the engines turning 5,200 rpm. Not the builder's estimated top speed, but not exactly shabby.

Without question, the 35 Lightning was set up for speed and that cost the boat in the acceleration department. With its 380S K-Planes down, the 35-footer took 10.1 seconds to come on plane. From a standing start, it reached just 50 mph in 20 seconds. Midrange acceleration was acceptable with the boat running from 30 to 50 mph in 7.5 seconds and from 40 to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds.

We'd rather go with a more conservative setup, likely in the form of lower-pitch propellers and lower drive heights, that would improve overall performance. The few miles per hour the boat would probably lose up top would be worth it.

Needing no improvement in the handling department, the 35 Lightning was simply perfect in turns. Agile yet predictable, the hard-carving stepped V-bottom earned raves from test drivers Bob Teague and John Tomlinson. It tracked well and felt connected, even at top speed. Though we couldn't find much rough stuff beyond the odd 2-footer offshore, the boat provided a solid ride.

OVERALL

Having done an excellent job dialing in its stepped hulls in recent years, Fountain has turned its attention—at least in part—to creature comforts and cosmetics. With a plush cabin and an attractive, well-executed paint job, the 35 Lightning is an excellent example of today's Fountain. But like yesterday's model, it's also plenty fast. It is, after all, a Fountain.

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