Fountain 47 Lightning and the Lightning Family, a Buyer's Guide

Fountain Lightning, a name built on the race course

Reggie Fountain founded Fountain Powerboats in Washington, North Carolina in the late 1970s and built it into one of the best-known names in American performance boating. Fountain raced and set speed records with his own boats, and that racing work fed directly into the production models. The Fountain Lightning series became the flagship line of offshore V-bottoms, offered over the years in sizes that buyers still search for today: 35, 38, 42 and the largest, the 47.

The company has had a turbulent history, including a 2009 bankruptcy reorganization and several ownership changes. Today Fountain is part of Iconic Marine Group, still headquartered in Washington, North Carolina, and it has announced a redesigned 42 Lightning for 2027 that keeps the race-proven bottom while updating the deck, transom, cabin, cockpit and dash.

The 47 Lightning sits at the top of that family. Bigger, heavier and more expensive to run than its siblings, it was built for owners who wanted to run offshore at high speed with a real cabin and enough fuel for long runs to the Bahamas or along the coast.

35, 38, 42 and 47, how the Lightning sizes compare

Buyers shopping the Fountain Lightning family are usually choosing a size before a specific boat. Each step up adds length, cabin room and rough-water ability, and each also adds fuel burn and maintenance cost.

The new 2027 42 Lightning gives a useful reference point for the family's proportions: 42 feet long, an 8-foot 4-inch beam, 23 degrees of deadrise, around 13,400 pounds dry and 250 gallons of fuel, with twin Mercury Racing 1350 power. By comparison, Boating magazine's 2020 test lists the 47 at 47 feet 3 inches with a 9 foot beam, a 2 foot 11 inch draft, 22 degrees of transom deadrise, about 17,500 pounds and 297 gallons of fuel, rated for up to 3,100 hp.

• 35 Lightning, the entry point, trailerable and affordable to run
• 38 Lightning, the most popular size and the easiest to resell
• 42 Lightning, the classic offshore size, redesigned for 2027
• 47 Lightning, the flagship with the largest cabin and longest legs

What the 47 adds over a 42

Length is the single biggest factor in offshore ride quality. The extra five feet of the 47 lets it bridge more waves and run faster in rough conditions than a 42, which is why offshore racers have traditionally favored longer boats. The 47's extra beam also brings a more usable cabin, with room for a proper berth, a head and seating that makes an overnight trip feasible.

The cost is weight and fuel. A 47 needs more power to reach the same speed, and it burns more fuel doing it. It also makes trailering harder, since its 9 foot beam exceeds the 8 foot 6 inch standard road width, so most 47s live in a wet slip or high-and-dry storage.

Twin or triple engines and what they deliver

Fountain 47 Lightnings were built with twin or triple high-output Mercury Racing sterndrive engines, and the exact specification varies by hull and by year. Many boats have been repowered, so the engines in a listing may not be original. Always confirm the make, model, horsepower and hours of every engine.

Speeds depend heavily on power. Well-powered twin-engine boats generally run in the 70s to 80s mph, while triple-engine or high-output boats can exceed 90 mph in good conditions. Cruising speeds of 50 to 65 mph are typical for offshore runs. For a modern benchmark, Boating's 2020 test of a new 47 with staggered Mercury Racing 1350/1550 engines averaged 117.5 mph at the top running in 1,350 hp mode, with GPS runs of 125 mph on light chop. Fountain did not publish consistent official figures across the model's life, so use GPS on a sea trial to establish what a particular boat actually does.

Expect fuel burn of roughly 60 to 90 gallons per hour at a fast cruise, depending on engine count and output. That makes fuel planning essential on longer trips.

A cabin you can actually use

The 47 Lightning's cabin is one of its main advantages over smaller performance boats. Most have a forward berth, a seating area, a small galley or refreshment center and a head, enough for a couple to stay aboard overnight. Air conditioning appears on some boats.

The cockpit has bolster seating for the driver and co-pilot, plus additional seats or a bench for passengers. The engine compartment takes up much of the stern, and access for service is good but can be cramped on triple-engine boats.

Running a big Fountain without going broke

Plan for $30,000 to $75,000 per year excluding depreciation, with the higher figure for triple-engine boats that run hard. Slip or storage, insurance, engine and drive service, fuel and periodic rebuilds are the main costs.

Performance engines and drives need disciplined maintenance. Regular oil changes, drive inspections and adherence to rebuild schedules are essential, and owners who skip them face very expensive failures. A good performance boat mechanic is the most valuable relationship a Fountain owner can have.

Survey priorities on an older Lightning

Structural inspection is critical on any older performance boat. Stringers, the transom, engine mounts and hull-to-deck joints take extreme loads, and cracking or delamination can be costly to repair. Look for gelcoat stress cracks that might indicate deeper problems.

Then focus on engines and drives: compression and leak-down tests, drive inspections and a review of rebuild records. Check the electrical system for corrosion and amateur modifications, and test all trim, steering and hydraulic systems.

Not the Lightning sailboat

Searches for the Fountain Lightning often turn up the Lightning sailboat, a 19-foot one-design racing dinghy with a long class history. The two are unrelated. If you are looking for a high-speed offshore powerboat, you want the Fountain Lightning; if you want a classic one-design sailboat to race, you want the Lightning class.

Listing sites also lump different Fountain generations together under the Lightning name, so ask the seller for the exact length, model year and hull identification number before comparing prices.