twin242ls

I have decided to start to look into a new boat. For The lake I boat on a 271 or 292 is perfect. I realize the 271 is basically the same size as my 242, and the 292 a 272. but here is the thing. For almost 200K (more than i paid for my first house) will the 271 get much over 70 with the 525 option. And why the F cant I get a 292 with more motor? for that money I should be able to get into the upper 70's. lower 80's. Am I just better off buying another used (newer) 242/271 or a big block 272? or should I take my money to the fountain dealership?

I love my formula and am brand loyal. But shouldn't the FAS Tech be Fast(er)? these boats should all to 70 minimum with an option to go faster right?

Magicfloat

You can realistically expect maybe 73-74 from a 271/525,but the performance will not come anywhere near justifying the cost. Only way to buy a 271 is with a 496HO,if you're happy with 65 on a good day. The 271 is rock solid and heavy with a great ride,but acceleration and top end are its weak points. Depends on your expectations. The 292 was designed from scratch for small blocks,big blocks upset the center of gravity too much. The 377 Scorpions were a nice deal,until Merc pulled the plug. 6.2's work well,again,depending on your expectations. And no need to visit the Fountain dealer,the 27 and 29 are history. Smallest Fountain sport boat is the 35,until a new 32 is ready.

4mulafastech

twin242ls, I was in the same situation you are in and decided on the 292. Yes, I will have to live with 70mph for several years (used to have a 110mph Talon), but after that I plan to drop in new engines to see just what this hull can take. I like the 292 because it is a twin, but not near as heavy and long as your typical offshore rig with big blocks, so towing isn't such a big deal. It runs and rides great, especially with K-planes. I think of it as a mini-offshore rig with a whole lot of potential!

RaggedEdge

twin242ls

A friend has a 292 with the Scorpions for sale now. The boat is super clean and low hours, sits on a Eagle trailer. If this would be of interest let me know and I'd be glad to get you more specifics. It's always been on a lift in season and inside off season. Fresh water only, right here in Northern New York .

Treads

For the $$$ spent, you can't beat an older SR-1. My 91' 292 w/502's gets high 60's any day, full of fuel, 4 people. Work the props a little and it'll see 70 no problem, and alot less than a new rig.

AheTurn

Would you consider Volvo power?

I looked for about a season before buying a 2001 271 with a Volvo Penta HP525 DPX. The volvo power made me pause at first, and is viewed by most as far less desirable than the merc, but the asking price reflected this and made it hard to pass up. It will run an honest 70mph on the gps. I love it. It may not look as cool on a trailer with the duoprop drive, but on the water it's truly awesome. Also, the 271/bravo1 is quite slow to plane. The duoprop planes great with little throttle....maybe because of extra lift at the stern.

Formula sent me an instrumented test of the 271 w/ the volvo 500dpx. I don't have it in front of me, but I think it topped out at just over 68. I think the only difference between the 500 and 525 is the exhaust.

Not sure how many were built with this power. In fact the spec sheet I have for the 2001 271 lists the 500 dpx and 600dpx, no 525. So, I'm not completely sure how long it was offered.

I'm curious....anyone else out there have any experience with the 271 volvo combo? I boat mostly on lake st. clair and haven't seen another one with volvo power.

twin242ls

Ragged thanks for the offer on the scorp boat but I think I am going to have to put alot more thought into this before I do anything. I want to stay with a twin engine boat but it may be time to start looking into some other product lines.
And the truth is I really think I want another "classic" formula. these are the boats I dreamed of as a kid. A 88-90 272 with big blocks may be the ticket. I Have a set of 454's in my garage making 450hp that I built for my 242 but opted to stick with the 300hp sbc's crate motors. They would make for a 70+ mph 272 and leave me a pile of money to play in

twin242ls

aheturn, we also have a volvo duo on our cobalt. it makes for a quick plaining boat so its good for playing around, but with the same power as our neighbors identical boat with a bravo it is a bit slower

twin242ls

Magic, is there any scuttlebutt about adding more speed to the bottom half of the line? Or is this a class they rather let someone else have? especially since fountain discontinued its 27 and 29 ft line

Magicfloat

I doubt if we will see anything soon but there is always hope. Problem is the #'s are to low to spend a lot of money on new tooling. I assume the small Fountains went away because of low sales,but seems like I always saw new ones show up here and there.Who knows? But if you want a small hot rod,there are plenty around that smoke. Velocity is one,plus a lot of others from very small builders. The 29 Kyrptonite is a real hot rod,course there are lots of others. I keep hearing rumors of a lighter weight,cut down deck 271,but cannot get any hard data. Of course,no firm denials either.