In 2007 when John LoRusso bought his 1990 35 Fountain he couldn’t of imagined where and how it would all end up. For about three years after getting the boat he ran around Lake Erie and had a great time. But as things sometimes go with only a few hours on the motors according to the hour meters one of the engines let go and needed to be pulled.
This is where as some projects go, they grow into something much more than we may have initially planned for. First the engines came out. John Montgomery of Performance Boat Rigging from Erie, Pa got the nod to do the rebuilds. The naturally aspirated 502’s that made about 385 HP in stock form were torn down. Upgrades included new Mercury 500 EFI Cams, Dart Iron Eagle Heads, Brodix Intake, Crane Roller Lifters, Hex Adjust Timing Chains, 950 Pro System Carburetors, and Mr. Cool closed cooling system. Also added were new MSD distributors and ignition as well as all new Stainless Marine Exhaust. The starters and alternators were rebuilt. TylerCrocket Marine Engines in Ruby, Mich. provided engine specifications for assemble and all the parts. John finished the engine builds bringing the power to 563 HP on the dyno.
Now you could just throw the boat back together but after all that work and fresh engine paint why you would want too. John took the time to go through the boat, a complete redo of the bilge was in order; they stripped, sanded, grinded, primed, and painted. All new hoses,wires, brackets, clamps, bilge pumps, blower motors, everything! New Hardin Marine Sea Strainers and Eddie Marine Battery Boxes were added. Since the boat didn’t come with hydraulic steering, all new IMCO hydraulic steering was installed. At the helm a new Latham Helm was installed but not before rebuilt gauges and new Latham Throttles were re-rigged on brand new Innotech dash panels that was finished off with a new steering wheel.
The cockpit interior was in great shape so just the addition of some cup holder upholstery pieces was added. However the old windscreen was wrecked and needed to be completely redone. Calls to Fountain went nowhere, and calls to everyone else brought zero reasonable options. So what does a creative guy with a background and skill in construction and finish carpentry do? Well hell he buys all the tools and materials needed to rebuild all the acrylic parts himself. John made all the parts, he has an oven to heat the material and shape it to the exact size, dimension, and form to be just like the original. So now for everyone else who needs the same or similar service John can provide it. Working out of a new shop area set up at BrandX Hi-Performance Marine here in Pompano Beach, Fl John has everything set up to provide new designs or complete replacement for just about any windshield. For now he cant do compound curves but in about three months his new oven will be ready and he will have the capability to do full wrap windscreens for cats and v bottoms.
Oh I almost forgot. Why stop with the boat. The trailer got lots of attention with new center bungs, tool box’s, spare tire holders,bow stop, winch, and a drive guard.
Contact info for the marine acrylic shop @ Brand X is johnl@bxpmarine.com.
