As a high-performance powerboat industry icon who never shied away from the spotlight, Reggie Fountain took his fair of ribbing over the years. People poked fun at him for everything from his dyed jet-black hair to his mercifully brief infatuation with wearing spandex in Fountain Powerboats catalog photos and advertisements. A self-confessed Elvis Presley fanatic, he even had a sequined jacket worn by The King himself in his office at Fountain Powerboats in Washington, N.C.
Fans of Reggie Fountain (left) have run from loyal customers to celebrities, including freestyle motocross rider Brian Deegan (right).
Fountain was a hardcore pitchman for his company’s products, which he extolled relentlessly in a thick Southern drawl. To spend a few minutes with Reggie Fountain, much less interview him, was to hear the words, “safest, fastest, and best-handling powerboats” in your sleep.