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Fountain powerboats industries, inc..

Fountain Powerboats Industries, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Fountain Powerboats, Inc., is one of the premier designers and manufacturers of ultra high-performance speed boats, sport cruisers, sport boats, and sport fishing boats. However, the company is no ordinary recreational powerboat manufacturer. As Ferrari and Lamborghini are to the automotive world, so Fountain is to the world of powerboats--a firm that is at the pinnacle of its industry. Having produced and sold some of the most expensive powerboats in the world to such customers as the late King Hussein of Jordan, the company recently has entered into numerous defense contracts with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Customs, and the U.S. Coast Guard to make high-quality, custom-designed rigid inflatables. In addition, the company has gone on an acquisitions campaign to vertically integrate its production process. Although the company's state-of-the-art production plant and headquarters are located along the Pamlico River in Washington, North Carolina, its network of distributors is worldwide.

Early History

The founder and owner of Fountain Powerboats, Reggie Fountain, was born and educated in Tarboro, North Carolina, and from his early childhood he was fascinated with speedboats. He entered his first boat race at the age of 14, and from that time onward was increasingly involved in competitive speedboat racing. Yet he found time to earn both an undergraduate degree and a law degree from the University of North Carolina while he developed his skills as a speedboat racer. In 1970 Fountain entered into professional competition and, one year later, was honored as the Outstanding New Driver at one of the most prestigious speedboat racing events of the time, the Lake Havasu World Championships.

The skills he had developed during his earlier years paid off immediately in professional competition. In the second year of his career, Fountain set two world records and earned three national closed-course championships in one day at Marine Stadium in Miami--thus assuring himself a place in boat racing history. As his skills improved and the accolades continued, Fountain was soon a dominant force in speedboat racing. One of the most admired and vaunted teams in speedboat racing, the Mercury Factory Team, asked him to drive with legends Bill Seebold and Earl Bentz, and by 1972 the three men had become the winningest team in the history of tunnel outboard racing.

Fountain's success continued unabated during the entire decade of the 1970s. In 1973 he won an astounding 20 out of 31 races entered, and in 1975 he won a total of ten out of 19 racing events entered. In 1976 Fountain reached the top of his career in tunnel racing, when he won 15 out of 23 races, the most important including the famous St. Louis OZ World Championships. In 1978 the now legendary speedboat racer once again won the St. Louis OZ World Championships, among numerous other prestigious races around the globe. When he retired from active competition in 1979, Reggie Fountain had achieved a reputation and status in speedboat racing comparable to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio in baseball and Mario Andretti in automobile racing. In short, it was not likely that another speedboat racer would equal Fountain's record-setting accomplishments for a long time.

The 1980s and Corporate Success

After retiring from active competition, Fountain contracted with Mercury Marine to design and manage a comprehensive research and development testing program. Before he could actually start the testing program, however, Fountain required a high-performance boat. He decided to purchase a 31-foot V-Bottom speedboat from Bill Farmer of Excalibur Boats located in Florida. As he became more and more involved in the testing program, Fountain came up with the idea of altering the boat to suit his purposes. At first the changes were relatively simple and small, like sandpapering the running surface to increase the overall speed of the boat. But as time went on, Fountain's alterations became noticeable and dramatic, such as the hand-crafted putty strakes added to improve handling and control of the boat, and the redesign and improvement of the stern drive height meant to improve acceleration.

Within a short time, Fountain had significantly improved the performance of his test speedboat. Recognizing that he could enhance its performance even more, he devoted himself to redesigning and improving both the hull and deck configurations. By the time he was finished, Fountain's alterations had changed the boat so much that it was virtually a new boat. As this alteration and testing process continued, Fountain discovered that there was a clearly identifiable market for the highly customized test boats that he was producing. A little marketing research, mostly consisting of discussions with speedboat enthusiasts and other speedboat retailers, convinced him that he could design, produce, and market his own boats, with less overhead and more customization than anyone thought possible.

With his own money earned from real estate investments over the years, the enthusiastic entrepreneur opened his business, Fountain Powerboats, Inc., in late 1979. Situated in an abandoned used car dealership in Washington, North Carolina, near the shores of the Pamlico River, Fountain's new firm grew rapidly. The first year of operation began with a 10,000-square-foot facility, eight employees, and sales amounting to $515,000. One year later, although his design and manufacturing facility remained the same size, both the number of employees and sales figure doubled. Fountain had discovered a niche in the recreational boat market, one that emphasized highly customized designs without concern for the price.

Throughout the decade of the 1980s Fountain Powerboats flourished. The success of the company was in large part due to the hands-on management style of its owner and the meticulous attention Fountain gave to the quality of his boats. From the beginning of the design and production process, Fountain insisted on using the best materials available for their construction. His company was one of the first in the boating industry to use space-age laminates, heralding a breakthrough in boat design and performance. Fountain was also a pioneer in using bidirectional, tridirectional, and quad-directional glass to improve and enhance performance, as well as paving the way for the use of lightweight coring material in constructing speedboats. One of his most impressive revolutionary designs involved the reconfiguration of the underneath of his boats by utilizing a notch transom, pad keel running surface that significantly improved the handling and performance of his speedboats. By the time the decade had come to a close, Fountain Powerboats employed more than 100 people and was selling millions of dollars worth of boats to people around the world, including some of the most notable celebrities and personalities in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

The Challenges of the 1990s

During the early and mid-1990s Fountain Powerboats was confronted with a series of challenges that tested the commitment and talent of its owner. A recession affected the fortunes of the company adversely, with many of the customers to which Fountain would ordinarily sell his boats unable to pay his higher prices because of setbacks in their investment portfolios. Compounding the matter was the government's imposition of a ten percent luxury tax placed on all boats, airplanes, and cars with a sticker price of more than $100,000. Consequently, the demand for Fountain's speedboats and new line of fishing boats dropped precipitously. To keep his boats before the public eye, and to raise money to sustain his company through this difficult time, Fountain decided to return to the professional offshore racing circuit.

Fountain's return to the racing circuit was an enormous success. He designed, built, and drove his own boat, the only V-bottom boat in most of the offshore races he entered, and dominated the competition. In 1990, at the start of his return, Fountain overcame overwhelming odds and predictions to the contrary to beat the entire field of unusually designed catamarans operated both by professionals and celebrities. Fountain was particularly vindicated by his victory, since it was widely regarded that V-bottom boats were not competitive with catamarans in smooth water. In 1992 Fountain won the OPT World and National Championships in open V-bottom boats, as well as the APBA World Championship. From the time he returned to the end of 1992, Fountain remained undefeated in all major offshore racing competitions.

In 1992 Fountain introduced a revolutionary design for his high-performance boats: the Positive Lift, a new type of boat bottom that increased acceleration, improved handling and cornering agility, and reduced consumption of fuel. With the government's repeal of the luxury tax in 1993, Fountain Powerboats seemed poised for a financial recovery. Yet the company's capital expenditure for retooling its production line to incorporate the new configurations for the Positive Lift boat bottoms, in concert with a complete overhaul of the firm's production process and facility, delayed prospects for an immediate and full economic recovery. By 1995, however, Fountain Powerboats was in the driver's seat, so to speak, with sales increasing dramatically and demand for the company's powerboats skyrocketing.

The year 1997 was a mixed one for Fountain Powerboats and its owner. Fountain had set eight world speed records in offshore racing competition since his return to the professional circuit in 1990 and was at the peak of his ability and performance as a speedboat racer. Fountain formed a partnership with Fabio Bruzzi, another veteran racer, and the two men designed and developed a unique surface drive for high-performance speedboats that was soon incorporated into many of the designs used for boats at Fountain's company. During the same time, however, Fountain had decided to merge with Mach Performance, Inc., a manufacturer of propellers for speedboats and various other types of boat designs. Unfortunately, the deal went sour when Fountain brought suit against the owner of Mach Performance, Gary Garbrecht, for fraud. Fountain argued that he had arranged a merger with Garbrecht in good faith, but that Garbrecht hid the true nature of his company's financial situation and prevented auditors from inspecting its inventory, consisting of equipment at the time of the merger that was obsolete and even defective. Even more distressing to Fountain was the suit brought against him and his company by the most famous basketball player in the world, Michael Jordan. Jordan and his lawyers accused Fountain of infringing on his trademark "Air Jordan" by using the phrase "Air Reggie" as part of an advertisement showing a powerboat surging in the air above the water.

Luckily, both of the lawsuits resulted in favor of Fountain Powerboats. The merger with Mach Performance was rescinded by the courts, at no loss to Fountain Powerboats or its operations. The suit brought by Michael Jordan against Fountain Powerboats for trademark infringement was settled out of court, also at no cost to the company, since there was a mutual agreement that the company would not use the particular phrase under discussion again in an advertisement.

As of mid-1999, Reggie Fountain maintained a 55 percent ownership of the company and was the driving force behind its continued success. Sales exceeded $50 million in 1998 and showed no signs of slowing down. Clearly, Reggie Fountain's hands-on management of the company, including his ability to incorporate revolutionary designs for the improved performance of his boats, placed Fountain Powerboats in a class by itself.

Source: International Directory of Company Histories , Vol. 28. St. James Press, 1999.

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The King of Offshore – The Reggie Fountain Story

‘King of Offshore’ is the definitive story of powerboat racing legend and world renowned boat builder Reggie Fountain. From his boyhood days of chasing fishermen on North Carolina’s Tar River through his rise to creating a global powerboat empire, King of Offshore is the definitive story of powerboat racing legend and world renowned boat builder Reggie Fountain. Told by Reggie and the men who were there, King Of Offshore documents all the high speed action, danger and behind the scenes drama that made offshore racing the “original extreme” sport. The program features never before published footage from the personal archives of Reggie Fountain, Earl Bentz and Bill Seebold, known as the Fearsome Threesome of Mercury Marine’s original “Black Angels” racing team. King of Offshore follows the evolution of today’s 200 mph race boats from the early days of Karl Kiekhaefer’s  experimental Mercury outboard engines to the father of high performance V-bottom boats, Don Aronow and the mantle of performance passed on to Reggie Fountain. King of Offshore is the most comprehensive visual history and narrative of modern offshore racing produced to date.  King of Offshore combines an extensive array of historical footage from the early days of offshore racing in a chronological narrative with one-on-one interviews with the men that influenced the performance boat industry throughout the years. The one hour documentary program is targeted to be broadcast on a national sports network in March, 2015. This program is more than just a television documentary. It’s an opportunity for fans and high speed boating enthusiasts and companies  to become a part of the story. The producers have launched a Kickstarter page that provides various opportunities to receive a personalized autographed copy of the BlueRay version of the program up to discounted national commercial exposure for your business through a national sports network reaching over 40 million households in the US. Check out the King of Offshore..Reggie Fountain Story Kickstarter and learn more about this once in a lifetime opportunities to be a part of Offshore Racing History. For more information visit  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1224199093/king-of-offshore-the-reggie-fountain-story

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FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS - IN A CLASS BY ITSELF

FOUNDED IN 1979, BY RACING LEGEND REGGIE FOUNTAIN JR., FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS HAVE BEEN DESINGED TO RUN FASTER, FARTHER AND BETTER THAN OTHER BOATS IN THEIR CLASS. 

Fountain Powerboats is one of the premier designers and manufacturers of ultra-high-performance speed boats, sport cruisers, sport boats, and sport fishing boats. The company is no ordinary recreational powerboat manufacturer. As Ferrari and Lamborghini are to the automotive world, so Fountain is to the world of powerboats—a firm that is at the pinnacle of its industry, having produced and sold some of the most expensive powerboats in the world. 

The founder, Reggie Fountain Jr., entered his first boat race at the age of 14.  He eventually moved into the professional world of boat racing and by the second year of his career, Fountain set two world records and earned three national closed-course championships in one day - thus, assuring him a place in boat racing history.  From that time onward, he created the most innovative, high-quality, powerful boats know across the world.

A POWERFUL VALUE PROPOSITION Fountain boats carry an image and history that retains value over decades of time.  Whether you’re fishing, cruising, profiling dockside or setting the pace at a Poker Run, Fountain's time-tested hull design delivers amazing efficiency – at any speed.

DESGINED AND BUILT BY SKILLED CRAFTSMEN  Fountain powerboats are designed and constructed by the best of the best in the marine industry. Highly skilled and trained men and women touch each component that goes into a new Fountain boat. With racing technologies, such as the Super-Ventilated Positive Lift Hull, they deliver the best performing, safest rough-water ride; your boat has been built to win. With a unified 4-step construction process – heavy-duty marine adhesives; top-grade fiberglass; thru-bolts with lockdowns; rub rail screws – you are assured the best assembly of your new baby. And most importantly, a trouble-free day on the water.

POWER MEETS STYLE A Fountain hull is designed to take on the most powerful engines available today.  With race-proven designs, count on race-proven power.  Engine options are available up to triple 400-HP; you choose just how powerful you want to be on the water.  Be assured, your engines are instrumental in getting you to the fishing hole first and back to the weigh-in on time and without issues.  Be sure and consult your Fountain retailer to match the perfect power with your style.

LUXURY MEETS PERFORMANCE Fountain's NX Series is a new type of center console. Designed and built for a new type of boater who appreciates the functionality and performance of a center console but enjoys the refinements and features of a luxury sport boat. 

BLUEWATER SERIES Whether you opt for a Center Console (CC), an upscale Luxury Seating Interior (LS), or the new Tournament Edition (TE), Fountain's 34' and 38' Bluewater offerings are time-tested, and competition proven. Take to the water knowing that inch for inch no rival compares when it comes to every aspect of performance. 

THE WORLD'S HIGH-PERFORMANCE LEADER Based on the heritage of the Fountain brand they have begun another chapter in Fountain history, expanding model offerings back into the thrill seeking, poker run participating, race proven sheer speed, performance arena.  All the while built with the famous Fountain running surfaces that have proven they build the fastest, smoothest, safest, best handling boats on the water.

Because Fountain powerboats made with the same care, diligence, and attention to detail that have characterized their production since their inception, the Fountain brand, says COO Joe Curran, has "the ability to transcend generations."

A Fountain Powerboat will take friends and family everywhere with speed, style, plenty of seating for guests and room for anglers to move. Best of all, the boat will retain its value and stay in demand.

For more information about a 38' 2021 FOUNTAIN 38 CC  available through Tampa Yacht Sales contact Sean Fitzpatrick 727.773.3943 for more information or view our current listings.

Have a questions? Let us know!

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THE PERFORMANCE SERIES

In the high-performance boating world, nothing rivals Fountain. Whether you prefer Outboard or Stern Drive, V-Bottom or Cat, we offer it all. Our latest 43SCX flagship and its predecessor, the 38SCX, combine speed and luxury in an unmatched way. For those seeking Fountain's renowned performance at a great value, check out the 38SC and 34SC. When it comes to muscle boats, the legendary 42' Lightning remains the pinnacle of stern drive V-bottoms. And with the 34’ Thunder Cat, Fountain brings its expertise to the thrilling cat boat market at perhaps the best dollar-to-mile-per hour ratio in boating. 

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Powerboating History Being Made! Fountain Powerboats Kilo Run

Powerboating History being made!

Watch the Recorded Breaking Fountain Powerboat Kilo Run

Be a witness to history and join Iconic Marine Group and Fountain Powerboats for their Kilo World Record Celebration, broadcast from the home of Reggie Fountain . This Saturday, February 24 at 9:00PM EST, log onto  www.powerboatnation.com  and join the celebration. See the new 42 Fountain race boat break the all time World Kilo Record and hear from the legend himself, Mr. Reggie Fountain and the IMG team members that made it happen! Throttled by veteran offshore racer, Jeff Harris and driven by Reggie Fountain III, the next generation of the Fountain legacy, you do not want to miss the unprecedented event!

A Production of American Performance Media presented by Powerboatnation.com

Kilo Promo 2 from American Performance Media on Vimeo .

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Fountain Powerboats Industries, Inc. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Fountain Powerboats Industries, Inc.

P.O. Drawer 457 Washington, North Carolina 27889 U.S.A.

History of Fountain Powerboats Industries, Inc.

Fountain Powerboats Industries, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Fountain Powerboats, Inc., is one of the premier designers and manufacturers of ultra high-performance speed boats, sport cruisers, sport boats, and sport fishing boats. However, the company is no ordinary recreational powerboat manufacturer. As Ferrari and Lamborghini are to the automotive world, so Fountain is to the world of powerboats--a firm that is at the pinnacle of its industry. Having produced and sold some of the most expensive powerboats in the world to such customers as the late King Hussein of Jordan, the company recently has entered into numerous defense contracts with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Customs, and the U.S. Coast Guard to make high-quality, custom-designed rigid inflatables. In addition, the company has gone on an acquisitions campaign to vertically integrate its production process. Although the company's state-of-the-art production plant and headquarters are located along the Pamlico River in Washington, North Carolina, its network of distributors is worldwide.

Early History

The founder and owner of Fountain Powerboats, Reggie Fountain, was born and educated in Tarboro, North Carolina, and from his early childhood he was fascinated with speedboats. He entered his first boat race at the age of 14, and from that time onward was increasingly involved in competitive speedboat racing. Yet he found time to earn both an undergraduate degree and a law degree from the University of North Carolina while he developed his skills as a speedboat racer. In 1970 Fountain entered into professional competition and, one year later, was honored as the Outstanding New Driver at one of the most prestigious speedboat racing events of the time, the Lake Havasu World Championships.

The skills he had developed during his earlier years paid off immediately in professional competition. In the second year of his career, Fountain set two world records and earned three national closed-course championships in one day at Marine Stadium in Miami--thus assuring himself a place in boat racing history. As his skills improved and the accolades continued, Fountain was soon a dominant force in speedboat racing. One of the most admired and vaunted teams in speedboat racing, the Mercury Factory Team, asked him to drive with legends Bill Seebold and Earl Bentz, and by 1972 the three men had become the winningest team in the history of tunnel outboard racing.

Fountain's success continued unabated during the entire decade of the 1970s. In 1973 he won an astounding 20 out of 31 races entered, and in 1975 he won a total of ten out of 19 racing events entered. In 1976 Fountain reached the top of his career in tunnel racing, when he won 15 out of 23 races, the most important including the famous St. Louis OZ World Championships. In 1978 the now legendary speedboat racer once again won the St. Louis OZ World Championships, among numerous other prestigious races around the globe. When he retired from active competition in 1979, Reggie Fountain had achieved a reputation and status in speedboat racing comparable to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio in baseball and Mario Andretti in automobile racing. In short, it was not likely that another speedboat racer would equal Fountain's record-setting accomplishments for a long time.

The 1980s and Corporate Success

After retiring from active competition, Fountain contracted with Mercury Marine to design and manage a comprehensive research and development testing program. Before he could actually start the testing program, however, Fountain required a high-performance boat. He decided to purchase a 31-foot V-Bottom speedboat from Bill Farmer of Excalibur Boats located in Florida. As he became more and more involved in the testing program, Fountain came up with the idea of altering the boat to suit his purposes. At first the changes were relatively simple and small, like sandpapering the running surface to increase the overall speed of the boat. But as time went on, Fountain's alterations became noticeable and dramatic, such as the hand-crafted putty strakes added to improve handling and control of the boat, and the redesign and improvement of the stern drive height meant to improve acceleration.

Within a short time, Fountain had significantly improved the performance of his test speedboat. Recognizing that he could enhance its performance even more, he devoted himself to redesigning and improving both the hull and deck configurations. By the time he was finished, Fountain's alterations had changed the boat so much that it was virtually a new boat. As this alteration and testing process continued, Fountain discovered that there was a clearly identifiable market for the highly customized test boats that he was producing. A little marketing research, mostly consisting of discussions with speedboat enthusiasts and other speedboat retailers, convinced him that he could design, produce, and market his own boats, with less overhead and more customization than anyone thought possible.

With his own money earned from real estate investments over the years, the enthusiastic entrepreneur opened his business, Fountain Powerboats, Inc., in late 1979. Situated in an abandoned used car dealership in Washington, North Carolina, near the shores of the Pamlico River, Fountain's new firm grew rapidly. The first year of operation began with a 10,000-square-foot facility, eight employees, and sales amounting to $515,000. One year later, although his design and manufacturing facility remained the same size, both the number of employees and sales figure doubled. Fountain had discovered a niche in the recreational boat market, one that emphasized highly customized designs without concern for the price.

Throughout the decade of the 1980s Fountain Powerboats flourished. The success of the company was in large part due to the hands-on management style of its owner and the meticulous attention Fountain gave to the quality of his boats. From the beginning of the design and production process, Fountain insisted on using the best materials available for their construction. His company was one of the first in the boating industry to use space-age laminates, heralding a breakthrough in boat design and performance. Fountain was also a pioneer in using bidirectional, tridirectional, and quad-directional glass to improve and enhance performance, as well as paving the way for the use of lightweight coring material in constructing speedboats. One of his most impressive revolutionary designs involved the reconfiguration of the underneath of his boats by utilizing a notch transom, pad keel running surface that significantly improved the handling and performance of his speedboats. By the time the decade had come to a close, Fountain Powerboats employed more than 100 people and was selling millions of dollars worth of boats to people around the world, including some of the most notable celebrities and personalities in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

The Challenges of the 1990s

During the early and mid-1990s Fountain Powerboats was confronted with a series of challenges that tested the commitment and talent of its owner. A recession affected the fortunes of the company adversely, with many of the customers to which Fountain would ordinarily sell his boats unable to pay his higher prices because of setbacks in their investment portfolios. Compounding the matter was the government's imposition of a ten percent luxury tax placed on all boats, airplanes, and cars with a sticker price of more than $100,000. Consequently, the demand for Fountain's speedboats and new line of fishing boats dropped precipitously. To keep his boats before the public eye, and to raise money to sustain his company through this difficult time, Fountain decided to return to the professional offshore racing circuit.

Fountain's return to the racing circuit was an enormous success. He designed, built, and drove his own boat, the only V-bottom boat in most of the offshore races he entered, and dominated the competition. In 1990, at the start of his return, Fountain overcame overwhelming odds and predictions to the contrary to beat the entire field of unusually designed catamarans operated both by professionals and celebrities. Fountain was particularly vindicated by his victory, since it was widely regarded that V-bottom boats were not competitive with catamarans in smooth water. In 1992 Fountain won the OPT World and National Championships in open V-bottom boats, as well as the APBA World Championship. From the time he returned to the end of 1992, Fountain remained undefeated in all major offshore racing competitions.

In 1992 Fountain introduced a revolutionary design for his high-performance boats: the Positive Lift, a new type of boat bottom that increased acceleration, improved handling and cornering agility, and reduced consumption of fuel. With the government's repeal of the luxury tax in 1993, Fountain Powerboats seemed poised for a financial recovery. Yet the company's capital expenditure for retooling its production line to incorporate the new configurations for the Positive Lift boat bottoms, in concert with a complete overhaul of the firm's production process and facility, delayed prospects for an immediate and full economic recovery. By 1995, however, Fountain Powerboats was in the driver's seat, so to speak, with sales increasing dramatically and demand for the company's powerboats skyrocketing.

The year 1997 was a mixed one for Fountain Powerboats and its owner. Fountain had set eight world speed records in offshore racing competition since his return to the professional circuit in 1990 and was at the peak of his ability and performance as a speedboat racer. Fountain formed a partnership with Fabio Bruzzi, another veteran racer, and the two men designed and developed a unique surface drive for high-performance speedboats that was soon incorporated into many of the designs used for boats at Fountain's company. During the same time, however, Fountain had decided to merge with Mach Performance, Inc., a manufacturer of propellers for speedboats and various other types of boat designs. Unfortunately, the deal went sour when Fountain brought suit against the owner of Mach Performance, Gary Garbrecht, for fraud. Fountain argued that he had arranged a merger with Garbrecht in good faith, but that Garbrecht hid the true nature of his company's financial situation and prevented auditors from inspecting its inventory, consisting of equipment at the time of the merger that was obsolete and even defective. Even more distressing to Fountain was the suit brought against him and his company by the most famous basketball player in the world, Michael Jordan. Jordan and his lawyers accused Fountain of infringing on his trademark "Air Jordan" by using the phrase "Air Reggie" as part of an advertisement showing a powerboat surging in the air above the water.

Luckily, both of the lawsuits resulted in favor of Fountain Powerboats. The merger with Mach Performance was rescinded by the courts, at no loss to Fountain Powerboats or its operations. The suit brought by Michael Jordan against Fountain Powerboats for trademark infringement was settled out of court, also at no cost to the company, since there was a mutual agreement that the company would not use the particular phrase under discussion again in an advertisement.

As of mid-1999, Reggie Fountain maintained a 55 percent ownership of the company and was the driving force behind its continued success. Sales exceeded $50 million in 1998 and showed no signs of slowing down. Clearly, Reggie Fountain's hands-on management of the company, including his ability to incorporate revolutionary designs for the improved performance of his boats, placed Fountain Powerboats in a class by itself.

Additional Details

• Public Company
• Incorporated: 1979
• Employees: 331
• Sales: $50.6 million (1998)
• Stock Exchanges: NASDAQ
• Ticker Symbol: FPWR
• NAIC: 336612 Boat Building; 326199 Boats, Inflatable Plastics, Manufacturing

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New Parent Company Buys Fountain, Donzi, Baja and Pro-Line

• By Eric Colby
• Updated: May 26, 2016

Custom Marine Group (CMG), a new partnership formed by the Ross and Wortley families, has purchased Baja Marine LLC, taking over ownership of Baja Marine , Fountain Powerboats , Donzi Marine and Pro-Line Boats . The Wortley family has been active behind the scenes at Baja Marine and Fountain Powerboats since the companies declared bankruptcy. The addition of the Ross family gives the company the resources it needs to reinvest, bring back employees and ramp up production.

The president of the company is Carol Price, who had recently been named to that position at Baja Marine. She had been with Fountain Powerboats and then Baja Marine for 29 years. “I’m proud to enter into a successful journey with Custom Marine Group and excited for great things to come,” Price says. “Our possibilities are truly endless. This is just what our employees, local community, vendors, and current and future dealer partnerships need.”

Fountain recently showed a new 38-foot center console model at the Miami International Boat Show and Palm Beach International Boat Show . Price says there are models from all four manufacturers in production on the floor, including a Donzi 35 ZR midcabin. All the boats under the corporate umbrella will be built at the former Fountain Powerboats factory in Washington, North Carolina, and each company will retain its own brand identity and website ( www.fountainpowerboats.com , www.bajamarine.com , www.donzimarine.com , and www.prolineboats.com ). Visit each manufacturer’s website for more information.

• More: baja , Boats , donzi , fountain powerboats , Performance Boats , powerboat by boating , pro-line

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First Fountain Dual Console Delivers Performance And Aesthetics

A Fountain Powerboats man from the earliest days of the Washington, N.C., company, Jeff Harris knows Fountain history. That’s because Harris, the current chief operating officer of the high-performance center console and sportboat builder, was there for much of it. From the earliest days, he worked alongside company founder Reggie Fountain, Jr. He saw many of the highs and even a few of the lows.

The 39DX isn’t just Fountain’s first dual-console—it’s a true performance oriented dual console. Photos by Mark Spencer copyright Fountain Powerboats.

“Fountain has a long history of trend-setting,” said Harris in reference to the 39DX—the company’s first dual-console model—which will debut for the public next week at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show . “In 2000, Fountain created the first world-class, high-performance offshore tournament fishing center console with triple outboards on the transom. It literally ran circles around everything else.

“Nobody has done a true high-performance dual-console boat,” he added. “Until now.”

For the uninitiated, a dual-console is a hybrid of sorts. Blend a bowrider that has a walk-through between two consoles with a traditional center console and you have a dual-console.

The layout is far from new. Builders from Grady-White to Robalo have offered dual-console models for decades. But they have leaned more toward utilitarian and functional rather than spirited and sporty.

Fountain has not abandoned dual-console utility with its 39-footer, Harris emphasized, far from it in fact. The company has simply injected performance and style into the equation.

“Our buyer is that Mid-Atlantic customer, say from Jacksonville, Fla., to Baltimore, Md., who wants to boat year-round,” Harris said. “A center console in the winter there doesn’t make for a fun boating day because there’s no place you can truly get out of the elements. With a dual-console, you have easy access to the open-bow area but you can close that off completely. The glass in the 39DX goes all the way to the top and you can completely close off the cockpit. One console holds a complete cabin, the other holds a complete head locker. The cockpit even has as 16,000 BTU heat and air-conditioning system.

“We’re not looking for the ‘ultimate speed’ with it either—it’s designed to be a family boat,” he continued. “With triple Mercury Marine 400 Verado outboards you can cruise at 44 mph and get one mile per gallon. That means you can go darn near 380 miles on a tank of gas.”

Enjoy more images of the new Fountain 39DX.

But the 39DX is no slouch either. The boat tops 70 mph with the aforementioned power.

“That’s a lot of speed for that big of a boat with that power,” Harris said.

The 39-foot, stepped-hull model also will be offered with everything from triple Mercury Racing V-8 300R outboards, V-10 400R outboards and even V-8 500R outboards. One buyer, in fact, has already ordered a 39DX with a triple 500R propulsion package.

Harris asked the customer if he really “wanted to go that fast.” It was a reasonable question.

“He told me, ‘No, not at all, I just like to hear what people will say when I pull up to the dock with 1,500 hp on the transom,’” Harris recalled, then chuckled.

Fountain spent two years developing the 39DX, which is available with several seating configurations. The boat’s hard-top has a power sunroof and its “glass goes all the way to the top,” Harris said. Fountain will offer the same range of customization for the dual-console performers and it does for all of its models.

He described boat’s exterior styling right out of the factory as “second to none.”

“Our list of options is voluminous,” he said. “”Fountain offers a level of customization that you simply cannot get from any other major builder. And from the right-sized cabin to the C-Zone switching system at the helm, our designers did a remarkable job.”

Harris paused, then smiled.

“Just this morning, a customer who owns one of our center consoles called me,” he said, then chuckled. “He said, ‘Dude, if that thing is under a million dollars, I want one.'”

And just like that, some four days before its unveiling next week in Fort Lauderdale, another 39DX is sold.

Night or day, the 39DX is a dual-console beauty.

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NauticStar Purchased By Fountain Powerboats & Donzi Marine Group

Iconic Marine Group, which owns both Fountain Powerboats and Donzi Marine, has acquired NauticStar boats.

The acquisition comes just weeks after MasterCraft Boat Holdings, who have owned the NauticStar brand since 2017, announced they were discontinuing production and were actively looking for "strategic alternatives" for the longstanding brand.

That process yielded quick results, as IMG swooped to add NauticStar to its growing portfolio less than six weeks after the MasterCraft announcement.

This marks IMG's foray into more recreational-oriented boats -- their other brands are predominantly performance focused with Fountain , Donzi , and Baja in their lineup. NauticStar currently offers an array of deck boats, bay boats, and hybrid boat designs. They also offer two offshore fishing models - the 24 XS and 28 XS.

All of their existing brands are based out of North Carolina, while NauticStar maintains its manufacturing facility in Amory, Mississippi.

In a company statement , IMG Managing Partner Fred Ross stated “We moved at breakneck speed to acquire NauticStar. From the time we got wind of a possible deal with previous owner MasterCraft, it took less than 45 days to put it all together.”

“This was a high priority for IMG," continued Ross. "NauticStar has an experienced manufacturing team, a solid dealer network, and an outstanding line of boats, Their 19 boat 2023 fleet extends from 18- to 28-feet which fits perfectly with Fountain and Donzi that rank as top tier brands in the 32- to 43-foot size range."

Despite the turmoil with NauticStar, the company is generating stable fiscal results, having posted sales of over $70 million last year with a large network of over 100 dealers including One Water and MarineMax . As of mid-August 2022, NauticStar maintained stable performance on the NASDAQ, with a price of $26.61 per share, a 2022 low of $20.25 and a high of $29.69.

When asked about IMG's future plans for expansion or additional acquisitions, Ross didn't provide specifics but did say, "Stay tuned. We're not done yet." #news #products #nauticstar #fountain #fountainpowerboats #donzi #donzimarine #baja

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