http://www.thesunnews.com/news/breaking_news/story/1038204.html
I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner than now.
Don’t worry…Reggie has enough gold chain to last him through retirement.
“Never argue with an idiot…he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”
Reason #2,657 not to run Mercurys on your boat.
Sorry had to say that.
They sure made a fast boat, hate to see them go!
If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.
Yeah, I’m sure he’s going to “manage”. A shame tho, met and chatted with Reggie once down in FL, seemed like a good guy for sure with a wealth of knowledge about fast boats and hull designs.
Russ B.
Psalm 55:22
Not to worry. Someone will pick Fountain up and it’ll be rolling again. I just wonder why all the go-fast boats aren’t running f350’s?
Sho IZ
Cause they want to go fast:) 
Russ B.
Psalm 55:22
quote:im still laughin at that one!
Originally posted by WolakrabDon’t worry…Reggie has enough gold chain to last him through retirement.
Met Reggie in the Outer Banks couple of years ago. In spite of the “GOLD CHAIN” and purple velvet warm up suit with a “GOLD TASSLE” he was a heck of a nice guy and was very down to earth. Well I guess he was down to earth as much as you could be with a GOLD CHAIN like that one!!
Rog
“Double Trouble”
2001 Sea Fox 230
2001 Merc 200
There are a lot more major name boats on the market in Chapter 11 right now ie ranger, hydra sport, champion, stratos and many more. Seems like the ones with a contract with yamaha are staying a float? Wonder why?
From reds to marlin you got it.
2001 210 Sea Fox
2009 Yamaha F150
2010 Skeeter ZX22T
2010 Yamaha VMAX 225
TEAM BOAT
Those are all owned by one company–Genmar, who also owns Carver Yachts, which is not Mercury powered–but I agree that this ecomony is taking a lot of boat manufacturers and dealers down to the wire. Mercury’s street reputation in saltwater is apparently part of the problem, too, according to the Merc dealers in know (while they have told me that Merc is actually is the preferred motor among the freshwater guys). Sorry to see Fountain go down, but I’ve been hearing they were headed that way for a long time now. I think Jay12Clay is right that some company will probably buy Fountain out or pick up the line in some way. I hope so. They have one heck of a factory and make an excellent product. I won’t be too surprised of other manufacturers don’t survive the hard times either, though.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Not sure if anyones knows this but Reggie is a liscensed attorney in North Carolina. He might come off a little rough but he is very smart. I am sure he did this to protect himself against dealers and inventory and fountain will continue.
A Fountian with YAMAHAS? Mercury is perferred on fast boats period, salt or fresh water.
Bikem,
I agree totally. I like my Mercs just fine, and I would not want another engine on a Fountain, personally. I’ve had 10 of 'em. They work fine for me. It’s just that most saltwater fishermen prefer Yammis because some problems with Optimax engines hurt Merc’s reputation, while Yammi has a good street rep. Bass fishermen seem to always have preferred Mercs (at least per my experience), because bass boats are meant to be fast. That’s the word on the street, anyway. Personally, I loved my Optis, except for the first pair before they were fixed and I started using the right oil. I think they are sensitive, and need the proper break-in and the right oil. Lots of people hate them, though. I’m just repeating what dealers have told me (including Merc dealers). I’m not one of the Merc haters myself. I’f I bought another bass boat (had 3 of them), or another Fountain, I’d put Mercs on it, but I also like my Yammi just fine on my Scout. I don’t get into brand wars. They’re just products to me.
Fishman77,
I’ve spent some time talking to Reggie about business and boats on various occasions. He’s a lot smarter than people tend to think, and he picked up on things that you would have thought he wasn’t even hearing, and remembered every detail when we talked about it later. Some folks write him off as some sort of redneck, and of course, there’s a little redneck in any Fountain owner–including myself –but you are correct: he’s a very smart man. He’s actually a very nice guy, too. At least he always has been to us. He took us to dinner and invited us to stay at his house last time we were up to see him. Of course, we were buying one of his more expensive boats, but how many CEO’s are that personal with their customers? His factory is (was?) first class, too, BTW. I hope Fountain survives.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Gotchacovered - I agree Yamaha is perfered in most boats because they have earned a reputation for good service and reliability. Mercury also has earned it’s reputation for speed by having a separate race division and offering performance lower units and a huge prop selection, ect. I am sure Mercury racing was working closely with Fountian to make their boats fast as possible. My point is the guy who buys a Fountian does’nt say “WOW that boat looks reliable” he says “WOW that boat is bad AZZ how fast does it go” It’s just a better fit.
Roger that. And after 4 of them, I can vouch for that. They are bought for sexiness, seaworthiness, and SPEEEED. Merc is the right choice. I think what folks were saying above is that Merc got a bad street rap and caused boat manufacturers who bundled with Merc to have hard times because people were scared to buy Mercs after hearing the stories of problems. I never had problems (except with the first pair, and it was solved), but I’ve heard this from some folks.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Yeah the earlier optis sure had their issues. I have a newer opti now and love it and it,s a perfect fit for my boat, but my next boat will be a serious inshore fishing boat and will probably have a Yamaha maybe even a 4 stroke. This is a Yamaha town and most mechanics here to perfer them. I hear what you are saying about the manufactures being bundled with merc. I bet the local Whaler dealer gets tired of people asking, Can I get that Montauk with a Yamaha?
merc is still very big in florida with the salt crowd, no idea what the numbers are there, but no way Yamaha is as big in florida as here. I think merc has better corrosion protection than yamaha, but you have a hard time beating yamaha’s reliability and customer support
I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com
Haul a$$??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMfXxAB9olc&feature=fvw
I think that is safe to say! Boat spends more time in the air than the water.
If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.
That’s a cool video. Did anyone notice a difference in the way those boats were handling the water?
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862