Who is the OG of performance power boating, the founder of gofast? Gar Wood, Ray Hunt, Jim Wynne, Don Aronow, Art Carlson and Larry Smith immediately come to mind, and all were certainly influential. But only one builder put his name on the fastest, safest and best handling boats in the world” Reggie Fountain Jr. designed, built and raced the boats that bear his name, and made a staggering impact on the sport in the process. His influence started in 1980 with the creation of the Fountain 10 Meter Executioner, 33 feet of go-fast sizzle that rocked the performance world. This is the story of how that first boat was created, how it came back to Fountain, and what it took to repower a 43-year-old performance boat.
The origin story
In 1979, Reggie Fountain Jr. had earned a law degree, was a successful Northwestern Mutual insurance agent, was investing in real estate in his hometown of Washington, North Carolina, and was a national and world champion tunnel-boat racer as a member the Team Mercury factory effort that dominated the sport. When Mercury disbanded the race team during the Arab oil embargo, it was racing-team manager Gary Garbrecht who suggested that Fountain consider building offshore-style performance boats powered by the same Mercury high-performance engines he was supplying to Cigarette.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August/September 2023 من Boating.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August/September 2023 من Boating.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
AFFORDABLE SATCOM
Communications devices using satellite technology are more abundant today than any time in the past. What's more, many are portable, ultra-compact, affordable relatively and designed for boating, dispelling any perceptions that you need a big, expensive dome antenna aloft to access satellite communications.
IN THE BEGINNING
REPOWERING FOUNTAIN HULL NO.1
NAVICO GROUP FATHOM 2.0
Engine charging at 48 volts could be a game-changer.
PROPS FOR INNOVATION
Sharrow MX3 propellers live up to most of the company's performance-improvement claims.
MERCURY RACING 500R
Supercharged power for a variety of boats.
FLIPPING THE SWITCH
Much reporting focuses on reasons why one might choose electric marine power. The issues of range, speed, noise levels, winterizing and ethanol challenges, lake restrictions, environmental concerns and more all must be resolved on an individual basis. Little gets said about how a boater choosing to repower with electric actually gets that accomplished. Is it DIY? And if not, how does it get done?
TOW-VEHICLE TECH
If it's been a while since you bought new tow vehicle, you might be surprised by the many built-in advancements in trailering technology. New tow tech ranges from integrated weight scales and adaptive suspensions to systems that automatically back up your truck to hitch up your trailer. Here are a few examples to look for. -Jim Hendricks
MONUMENTAL TIPS FOR BACKING A TRAILER
Three Boating greats offer advice for a perennial reader query.
STICKING POINTS - Anchoring alternatives, and why you will always need a traditional anchor.
My brother-in-law likes to fish offshore reefs, and the process once entailed navigating to a mark, dropping a float, and idling upwind or up-current to drop the anchor in hopes the set would drop us back to the float.
FOR WANT OF A CLAMP
When 100 miles from shore, home and help, this boater’s preparedness prevented potential catastrophe.