Another First for Fountain Powerboats: A Dual Console
By Gregg Mansfield
Fountain Powerboats is introducing its first dual console boat in the company’s 44-year history at the 2023 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
It’s not a typical dual console as the new 39DX offers performance, luxury and the ability to extend the boating season in cold-weather climates. While a dual console is a departure from the center consoles and sport boats the Washington, N.C., company typically builds, Fountain Powerboats’ Chief Operating Officer Jeff Harris says the V-bottom has every bit of Fountain’s DNA.
“It has a lot of utility for a family, but it runs like a Fountain,” Harris said. “We’re in the performance business and performance matters. Performance isn’t just top speed. It’s ride performance, handling performance and its cruise performance.”
The 39DX offers remarkable customization from the graphics to the seating layouts. The cockpit layout for the first model appearing in Fort Lauderdale included a two-person seat at the helm and to port is a long bench on the gunwale.
The cockpit is protected by a full wraparound windshield and a hardtop. Fountain includes as standard a 16,000 BTU air conditioner for keeping the cockpit cool on a hot summer day. In the winter, turn on the heater and add Isinglass curtains to extend the boating season by a couple months or more, Harris said.
“Unless it’s a nice sunny day and 65 degrees out, the family probably won’t want to go out on the water,” Harris said. “That won’t be the case because the cold air won’t affect you because you’re protected.”
Harris said the aft area can be configured for a buyer, something competitors in the dual console market can’t match.
“The interior options are just voluminous,” Harris said. “You can build the boat just like you want it.”
In the bow, add a filler cushion and the bow on the 39DX transforms into a large sun lounge.
Fountain included a cabin on the 39DX, making smart use of the space. The cabin includes a small berth and a standup head. A 6,000 BTU air conditioner keeps the space below cool and is a great spot for the kids to chill on a hot summer day.
Features buyers will appreciate are a Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, which comes standard, and a dive door for easy access to the cockpit.
Fountain has built its reputation over the years on performance, and the 39DX is no exception. The first hull in the Fort Lauderdale show was equipped with triple Mercury Marine 400 Verado outboards. With that power, the stepped-hull boat cruises at 44 mph and a top speed of 70 mph, Harris said.
What impressed Harris with the initial performance numbers was the 39DX’s fuel efficiency. It averaged better than 1 mpg with 1,200 hp on the transom.
“At cruise speeds the 39DX is unlike anything in its class. Nothing even comes close to efficiency and cruise,” Harris said. “It almost has a 375-mile range at a 40-plus mph cruise. That’s pretty incredible.”
Fountain will also offer the 39DX with either triple Mercury Racing 300R, Mercury Racing 400R or Mercury Racing 500R outboards.
For a company that builds offshore boats and center consoles, a dual console is part of Fountain’s evolution under Harris and company owner Fred Ross.
“It’s a throwback to the day when Fountain used to make a sportfish cruiser,” Harris said. “The 39DX is much more refined. It’s a world of difference.”
