Snprhed

So im looking at a Fever 29. It has twin 6.2L anybody have an idea of the performance of this boat, top end etc

How would it compare to twin 5.7L?

Thanks for any input

zz28zz

They plane-out quicker than a single (except maybe a 575), get decent gas mileage and top out around 70 or so.. Maint is a bit easier than with the BBC's and they sit up a little higher in the a$$ end compared to their BBC's brothers. Takes a lot of $$ to make them faster.

I would have got one but I ran into a deal I couldn't refuse..

Snprhed

Im just tired of 70MPH boats that are actually 60MPH boats. I would think the twin is better at holding MPH with a load. Cooler, wife, dogs etc.

There are a few with the 500 EFI, but I would think the twin 6.2Ls would be a bit faster

ttuton

Do a search on this topic it has been gone over several times. But the jist of it is that a single with 500-525 is a few mph faster.

29Fever01

I have a single 500efi. My boat consistently runs above 70. I have seen as high as 76 with just me and a little light on fuel but not empty by any means. I can recall a time last year where I was at least 3/4 full of fuel, and had 6 people in the boat, and still hit 70. These are all GPS numbers. I believe I have a 132 gallon tank.

soldier4402

my 29 with 454s does a solid 70 so i would think the 6.2s would easily be 70. Now I would not buy SBC twins for two reasons, one they are going to be slower unless you have some newer juiced up ones. Two on resale nobody wants those.

Wes Burmark

Not true that nobody wants a 29' with twin 6.2s! 70 m.p.h. is a real number with 3/4 tank of gas (that's about 100 gallons) and just one passenger. I would guess an extra 2-3 m.p.h. would be available with labbed props. Mine turns standard Bravo 1 26" pitch props to 5300 r.p.m.s. It gets up on a plane easily loaded or not. The single 525 h.p. powered 29' has a 5+ m.p.h. top end advantage. Let me know if you have specific questions.

soldier4402

what I meant is on one wnats 5.7 SBC. I know if they powered right and because of the weight savings, I have heard of guys getting good numbers on performance. But still doubt anybody thats looking at 30ft boat and a fountain is much going to 5.7s in it.

bob_t

Snprhed,
Here are a couple of things to think about with the 29 (which ever power package you choose).
Fuel economy, in general is a function of horsepower, so a pair of 6.2's (640 hp combined) will burn 51.2 gallons per hour (gph) WOT, and in that 29 you will go ~ 69 - 72ish mph. A 525 EFI will burn 42 gph and in the same boat you will go 76 -78 mph. The 500 efi or HP500 will burn 40 gph and in the same boat you will go 70 - 73 mph. So, based on WOT fuel economy, the 6.2's will burn more fuel (it is basic stoichiometic principles for fuel burn in a NA engine). I can show you a couple of Fountains' factory reports to back up these numbers, if you need "real world" proof (the later year boats have fuel economy listed as a function of rpm on the reports).

The 6.2 is a basic Mercruiser "utility engine", (like the 7.4L and 502 mags); nothing special and has lots of plastic external parts. The 6.2 is known to eat IACs, so if you get a boat with them, buy a couple and put them in the glove box .... its not "if" you will need them it is "when" you will need them. Also learn where they are and how to install them (its pretty simple on those engines.) The seawater pump on the 6.2 is unique to that setup and a "standard" bravo seawater pump kit that fits every other bravo boat, other than the 496, which is again different than any other, won't work. Its best to just go buy 2 of those kits and keep them handy - a lot of places don't stock the "nonstandard" seawater pump impeller kits.

Sure, the boat with the pair of 6.2's or pair of anything (maybe other than the 5.7's) will get on plane quicker than the 29 with a single, but I spend most of my day "boating on plane", not "getting on plane", so, over the course of the day, the extra 20 seconds savings getting on plane, is insignificant. Same with handling around a dock, the twins are great, expecially if there is any wind ... a single 29 around a congested dock can be a handful, in wind, but again, I don't spend most of my day "docking".

The most unreliable boat I had (engine wise) was my 292 Fastech with a pair of 6.2s. Search the formula forum for 6.2 IAC problems and you will see why. Also, changing seawater pump impellers, is not fun ... there is marginally more room than the same boat with a pair of BBCs, but you can't just "sit" next to the engine to work on it like you can with a single. I guess I'm not sure what the facination is for a 29 with twins. Fountain made many, many more 29s (later model, ie 1998 and up) singles than they did twins, but especially now that the Fountain 29s are becoming more scarce, you mostly only see the ones with twins for sale (maybe a reason ???). Also, when it comes time to change fluids, it is cost X 2, same if you want to mess around with props.

Just some things to think about - hope it helps. Over the past 15 years I have owned a variety of fountains . Included in those were 29 Fever singles with 500 efi, 575 SCi, 525 efi, and also a comparable fastech 292 with a pair of 6.2s. The 575 boat was the quickest on plane, and the fastest of that bunch of boats.

oksunny

With a twin if one engine dies you can always get home! Something else to think about