Top speed definitely gets top billing in the performance-boat world. Magazines, manufacturers and consumers focus—if not occasionally fixate—on it. But top speed is merely an aspect of performance, and it is far from the most important one. Without handling and stability, a "fast" boat is worthless.

No builder pumps up speed in its marketing campaign more than Fountain Powerboats, and for good reason. Fountain does build efficient stepped V-bottoms that make excellent use of whatever power package happens to be under the hatch. But what tends to get lost, or at least obscured, is how well Fountain offerings handle and how connected they feel when they're running fast.

Those attributes—handling and stability—impressed us above all others in the 35 Lightning we tested during the 2008 Performance Trials. After putting the 35-footer through its paces in Fort Myers, Fla., test driver John Tomlinson said, "Handling was just awesome—that was absolutely what I liked best about it."

Lead test driver Bob Teague agreed.

"It does everything right—hard slaloms, high-speed circle turns, everything," he said. "And tracking is good all the time."

With a pair of Mercury Racing HP525EFI engines providing the power, the 35 Lightning topped out at 101.1 mph with the engines turning 5,200 rpm. By any measure, that's fast for a 35-footer with relatively tame power—if 1,050 horsepower can be considered tame.

To get it there, the builder set up the boat with aggressive drive heights and tall Hering propellers, which accounted for the boat's pokey 10.1-second time to plane and average standing-start acceleration numbers. Lower X dimensions and shorter-pitch props likely would have cost the boat up top, but they'd make it far better for all-around use. We know that because we've tested several 35 Lightning models with less top-speed-oriented setups.

We've yet to evaluate one with a better cabin, though. Our test model's cabin boasted exceptional craftsmanship, from its abundant wood-grain cabinetry and Corian countertop in the galley to its porcelain head in a generous locker. Fountain's diligent effort to improve its interiors clearly showed in the cabin's finely upholstered lounge and V-berth, as well as its suspended headliner.

"This isn't just the best-finished cabin I've seen in a Fountain," said our lead interior inspector. "It's one of the best cabins I've seen in a 35-footer period."

Fountain took the same detail-oriented approach with the 35 Lightning's attractive exterior. Painted in-house with precise and vibrant colors, the boat featured smooth hull and deck tooling. Rigging in the engine compartment, which included evenly spaced cushion clamps supporting the wiring harnesses and racks for the fenders, was several cuts above production-boat standards. The manufacturer's continual push to improve build quality was not lost on any of our inspectors.

Fountain has plenty of competition in its class, and yet the builder consistently comes out on top in all regards. The 35 Lightning is yet another example. We might change its drive-and-prop setup, but beyond that the boat was spot-on.