Fountain's V-Bottom Super Boat Rio Roses Fountain Mercury - Called "The Cat-Killer" - Leads the Pack at the Jacksonville River Rally Poker Run

June 13, 2006 - WASHINGTON, NC - As the next step in its mission to build the fastest boat on the water in any kind of competition, Fountain Powerboats entered its new offshore Super Boat Rio Roses Fountain Mercury in the Jacksonville Fire & Police River Rally Poker Run, held in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 10. Fountain sport boats were well represented in the fleet of 120 hot boats, which also included a group of big high-powered catamarans boasting speeds of 140 to 180 mph. "We wanted to make a good showing for our customers," said Reggie Fountain, CEO of Fountain Powerboats. "There were a lot of real fast boats out there. We don't want to dispute the speeds they were running. But clearly and without question we were faster than they were. We have it on video."

David Knight was on the throttles and Ben Robertson was at the wheel of Rio Roses Fountain Mercury, a Super Vee Unlimited-class offshore racer based on a Fountain 47 Lightning Positive Lift stepped hull, with twin 1,500-hp Sterling motors. "The way we built that boat is the way we build the boats for all our customers, with the same lamination schedule," Fountain said. He calls the big V-bottom boat "The Cat-Killer" because of its ability to outrun, out-handle and outlast the Super Cats, especially in rough water.

The rally took place along a 150-mile course on the St. John's River. Event organizers divided the fleet into two groups, with the 100+ mph boats starting first. The Fountain team was waiting for the pace boat to signal the start when, according to Knight, about 16 boats jumped the gun, gaining a half-mile on the rest of the boats. "We were the seventeenth to start," Knight said. "Within the first several miles, we had taken over the lead. When we came to the first card stop, there was nobody within half a mile of us." After Rio Roses Fountain Mercury returned from the checkpoint, Knight reported, "All the big cats were waiting for us at the end of the canal like a street gang." Due to no-wake zones, the lead changed hands several times, and the big MTI cat Speed Racer gave Rio Roses Fountain Mercury a serious run for its money. But the Fountain pulled ahead every time. "That was the story of the day," Knight said. "We totally dominated the entire fleet of one hundred and twenty boats."

"I think our boat is set up very well for acceleration and top speed," he said. "We're experienced drivers and we know how to get the most out of the boat." Part of Fountain's strategy in entering Rio Roses Fountain Mercury in events like the Jacksonville River Rally Poker Run is to gather information to take back to the Fountain engineering department for further R&D work. "We're an engineering-driven company, always trying to push the technology bar to its highest limit," says Knight, who also is executive vice president at Fountain. "We will then integrate all this into the boats we build for our customers."