LIGHTNING STRIKES

Fountain Powerboats debuts an old favorite— updated and modernized, but with the classic lines and powerhouse performance.

story by Brett Bayne • photography by Mark Spencer

Fountain’s 42' Lightning is back. With a vengeance. Shortly after the model debuted 30 years ago, it had become a symbol of excellence, not only around the offshore race courses of the world, but among enthusiasts with a thirst for high performance. For three decades, the 42' has been front and center in Fountain’s drive to recreational and racing glory, thanks in large part to founder Reggie Fountain’s super-ventilating bottom design. (In 2004, Reggie and Ben Robertson made history, setting a V-bottom speed record of 177.359 mph in a 42' Lightning with twin 1,500-hp Sterling engines.) The Lightning platform heightens the pursuit of exhilarating speed with its potential to align with and thrive under seemingly limitless horsepower—an admirable trait, whether you like the front position at the poker run or merely the sensation of a controlled entrance into an exclusive performance realm.

When Iconic Marine Group purchased Fountain in 2016, the center console market was exploding, and its core business had become its sport and fishing boats. Consequently, the Lightning brand—notably the 42' and 47'—went into hibernation. However, IMG has been gradually beefing up its high-performance offerings within both its Fountain and Donzi brands; their plan has been to reestablish the company as a major force in the high-performance stern-drive segment, and that goal has now fully become a reality. IMG’s lineup of I/O-powered vees now includes Baja’s 24', 27' and 36' models, Donzi’s 22' and 38' ZRC, and the Fountain 47'. And their 34' Thunder Cat is a pulse-pounding thrill ride, pushed by a pair of Mercury Racing 450R outboards.

After reviving and freshening up the 47’ Lightning, Fountain announced in April 2020 that it would be relaunching the legendary 42'. Another milestone has arrived: IMG recently invited Speedboat’s editors to its North Carolina headquarters to take a ride in the first new 42' Lightning out of the mold (sold to customer Greg Knutson of Portland, OR). Our lingering question: How do you improve upon one of the ultimate power-sport experiences—or at least set it apart? As company president Jeff Harris says, “It’s probably the greatest-running, allaround vee bottom hull. It’s set a lot of kilo records over the years, winning multiple National and World titles. No other hull in its length has had a winning record in offshore racing as the 42.” (And he should know—he’s had plenty of success racing them himself.)

In revising the model, Team Fountain hasn’t tried to re-engineer the bottom of the boat they’ve sold so many of over the years; it’s just the latest iteration of the bottom that existed before IMG purchased the company, according to Harris. “We’ve digitized it, made it really symmetrical, and built all new molds,” he says. What has been changed is the deck of the boat. It’s an all-new design that simultaneously sports a new look while retaining a throwback to the model’s legacy. They’ve kept a lot of the lines the same, especially on the foredeck, and retained the wraparound windshield

(originally part of a late-1990s redesign). Our test boat, owned by Knutson, features a white gelcoat with a “legacy stripe” look that he requested (he also owns a Fountain 38' Fever with the same classic straight stripes). But Fountain can give you any kind of multicolor gelcoat or graphics package that a customer might desire.

Ergonomically, it’s very easy to get in and out of the boat. The interior features some molded-in steps on both sides of the rear seats leading up to the engine compartment for easy access to or from the transom, a super-usable step-down swim platform and a pull-out ladder. It’s extremely user-friendly.

Sitting in the starboard-side driver’s seat, you may notice that the controls are on your left side, but the new design allows you to order right-hand controls. “Some legacy Fountain customers wanted the throttles on the left, because that’s the way Fountains were built all those years ago,” Harris says. “But some customers never liked that—they wanted throttles on the right side, because that just feels right to some people. So we’ve designed the dash so you can do it either way. In turn, we can put the cupholder on the right or the left, depending on what you want to do.”

The sleek, updated dash features Livorsi gauges and a Garmin screen, and although Knutson didn’t order them, optional Vessel View screens may also be placed on the backs of both front bolsters for the passengers in the rear seats. Other cockpit features include Shadow-Caster LED lighting, cool stereo system and luxurious upholstery hand-crafted in house.

The cabin, which is still accessed by a sliding door, has sculpted to accommodate anything from mild to wild, depending on the customer’s wishes. Numerous amenities are available, including an enclosed head with flushing toilet, wet bar, holding tank, air conditioning, etc. “Or you can keep it basic to keep the boat light, if you’re looking for the ultimate performance,” Harris says. “The lighter you keep the bow area, the faster your boat’s going to run.”

Even though Knutson ordered a fairly elaborate cabin, the 42' still runs incredibly well. Powered by Mercury Racing’s dual-cal 1100/1350 engines, the boat’s performance was outstanding. It idles very smoothly, got out of the hole quickly, popped onto plane with ease and ran straight as a string as we cruised comfortably first at 22 mph as the motors’ twin turbos purred quietly. In 1100 mode, you can steer the Lightning with one finger; switch over to 1350 mode, and the boat can reach speeds up to 140 mph. It’s a great engine package—with its transmission system, we had no problem docking—it’s as smooth as a Mercury Racing 520. And of course, this engine runs on 91 octane fuel when the 1350-hp fob is engaged.

The evolution of the 42' Lightning continues to amaze and impress us, and that includes the boat’s vacuum-bag infusion, which makes it stronger and lighter. There’s no wood anywhere on this boat—everything is composite. With its stunning fit and finish, excellent handling and incredible updated look, we’re reminded of the many great Lightnings of the past and the new technology that drives Fountain into the future.