fastest boat you've ever seen

[gim]

I was fishing a big lake on Saturday and doing well on the brown bass.  Around noon, I heard what sounded like a train engine in the distance.  I thought "what the heck is that noise" but I didn't see anything and just forgot about it.  A few minutes later, the noise is still going and its getting closer.  To my right, maybe a mile out, I see what appears to be some kind of racing speed boat.  Its not going very fast at this point, but its very loud.  Louder than any watercraft I've ever heard in 25 years.  Well then it really starts firing up.  I put my rod n reel down to just watch this thing go from the northeast corner of the lake all the way to the south end in minutes - that's over 20 miles by water in my field of view...and I could still hear it once it got out of sight.

 

I found out later that its a racing boat from Lake Havasou, AZ that has twin 700 hp engines and can top out at 140 mph.  No wonder it was so freaking loud.

 

What's the fastest boat you've ever seen in person?  Other than catching a pile of chubby prespawn smallmouth, a 10 minute period when this monstrosity flew across the lake was the highlight of my day.

 

[Darth-Baiter]

i was passed in my kayak by TWO cigarette style boats.  it was daunting.  they made a surpisingly small wake.  but if we didnt see each other, they wouldnt even notice the greasy water spot i left behind.  

[flyfisher]

4 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i was passed in my kayak by TWO cigarette style boats.  it was daunting.  they made a surpisingly small wake.  but if we didnt see each other, they wouldnt even notice the greasy water spot i left behind.  

i have learned over the years that a boat on plane makes almost no wake as compared to one plowing through.  

 

[airshot]

They get that speed by lifting out of the water, many high speed boats just have a couple tiny spots and a prop touching the water....no wake except for prop wash..

[Junger]

All I think of is that it cost them $2,000 to go those 20 miles.

[Bird]

My boat tops out at 40 mph, as fast as I wanna go.

BUT the fastest I've seen or been is 68 mph on a buddies Nitro......250 Yamaha.

 

 

 

 

[Susky River Rat]

The fastest I have ever seen a boat go is maybe 80? I have never gone fast in a boat it always looks to me that they are one small bump away from losing it.

[GTN-NY]

I didn’t really see it because I was in it but 75 in a bass boat. I wish I could remember the name. It was one of the odd brands. Long and skinny

[WRB]

Fastest bass I owned was a Skeeter SF175 low 80’s but not a stable ride over 75 mph. 

Faster boat I have driven was the Mortician at 150 mph blown fuel flat bottom before the boat killed Buzz Coats. 

I watched several 200+ mph boats race.

Tom

[Motoboss]

I’ve seen many, many 200mph boats racing at the Madison Regatta which has been going on for the last 70+ years.

A lot of fun too!

 

https://www.madisonregatta.com/ 

[Catt]

Fastest I've seen is 113+ single pass & followed that up with a 2 pass average of 115+.

 

Jerry Pettefer: Sulphur, LA. 1996 Bullet 20CC ....Mercury 2.5 EFI Drag.

 

Jerry's accomplishments 

13 Time High Points Champion
5 Time National Champion
5 Time World Champion
2 Time Grand National Champion

[Jig Man]

Fastest one I have personally seen is the one that my old boss had.  It was an 18 footer with a 300 hp motor.  It ran 105 when properly tuned.  He ran it on Table Rock but could only go out right after dawn when the lake was quite and other boats weren’t out yet.

[Alex from GA]

I haven't been in it but my friend has an Allison with a 300.  He says it's a 100 mph boat.

[Mike L]

I went to the Sarasota Grand Prix off Lido Key Fla one year to watch an off shore race. Don’t remember how fast they were going but it was scary just watching them. 
 

After qualifying for the BFL All American as a co angler a few years ago, I drew a boater who warned me that he intended to open it up because he knew his practice areas will be filled before we got there. 
 

He had a 21ft Bullet. 
As we maneuvered our way to the starting position, he put on a goalie mask, reached over and slapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hold On”!!

I knew what was coming 

 

At one point I tried to look over and see the speedometer but was afraid I wouldn’t be able to straighten my neck again!!

It felt like I gained 20 yrs as every wrinkle on face seemed to straightened out. 
 

When we got to our spot I asked him how fast we went and he said 89! and it still had more!!

It took me a few minutes to collect myself before I got off the seat. 

 

This is in a boat with 2 men and all our gear. He figured it would top out at 93

 

 

 

Mike

[gim]

1 minute ago, Mike L said:

As we maneuvered our way to the starting position, he put on a goalie mask, reached over and slapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hold On”!!

 

LOL that is d**n funny

[TnRiver46]

Former Tennessee titans and Washington commanders football player Albert haynesworth used to run up and down thru Knoxville 80-90 mph , everyone recognized his boat. You could hear it coming from a long way off 

[thomas15]

My Dad built a 14 foot flat bottom skiff when I was a kid. It was quite nice, seriously very well crafted. We live on the Jersey Shore and once or twice in the early 1970s took it out in the ocean and joined the spectator fleet of Manasquan Inlet to watch the Hennesey Grand Prix off shore power boat race. 

 

One year, 1970 or 71 a couple of the open class boats got inside the spectator fleet and passed full throttle within about 50 feet of our little boat, these were 36-40 foot Cigarette/Magnums/Bertram's not the fastest boats by todays standards but it was both scary and fascinating to have a boat that big and that loud passing close enough to see the facial features of the crew. I would say they were traveling +90 MPH. We had a 8mm movie camera my Dad was filming and didn't realize just how close the boats were to us. My brother and I were frozen in the moment.

[WIGuide]

I may have seen faster, but had no first hand experience in them. My uncle owned a Gambler with a Yamaha 300 HPDI. Probably the least fishing friendly bass boat I've ever been in but wow was it fast! The high pressure fuel pump took a crap on him and it would still run mid 70's when it was missing like crazy. When it was running right, I don't know he ever learned to drive it to it's full potential, but the guy he bought it from said it'd easily run in the 103 to 105 range.  

[Bankbeater]

They use to hold drag boat races here in St. Louis back in the day.   I'm not sure how fast they were going, but they could do the 1/4 mile in about 3 seconds.

[Way2slow]

I've had a number of boats that ran in the 70's or faster with two people and gear.  My first really fast boat was back in the late 60's/early 70's was a 16' Alison with two Mercury 135BHP racing motors on it. It was timed at 83mph.  My first really fast fishing boat was back in the mid 80's.  It was a 15' ProCraft I put a 200 Mercury on, the boat was only rated for an 85.  I ran it like that for about a year before I stepped up to and 17' boat, modified that 200 and ran it a couple years.  Never knew how fast they ran but easily in the high 70's with two people and gear.  Fast enough to scare the crap out of anyone that was not expecting it. My best, most stable boat was the 20' Javelin R20DC I sold last year.  With my 325hp modified motor it would GPS 82mph with two 200+ pound men, gear and 30 gallons of gas.  Even with the 225 Ficht it ran in the lower 70s.

[the reel ess]

I saw a boat so fast it turned a sharp corner and ran into itself. (A variation on a Ty Cobb joke)

[WIGuide]

3 hours ago, Way2slow said:

My first really fast fishing boat was back in the mid 80's.  It was a 15' ProCraft I put a 200 Mercury on, the boat was only rated for an 85.

That must have been quite the sight and one heck of a ride!

[gim]

@Mike L I designated your response as the solution even though its not really the solution lol

[Captain Phil]

Living in Miami, I saw some incredibly fast ocean race boats, especially in the 70s and 80s when smuggling was the thing.  Most of those are now sitting on the bottom.  The fastest bass boat I ever owned was a Gambler with a Mercury ProMax back around 2000.   It ran in the high 70s with two anglers aboard and all our gear.  I was passed a few times, normally by  guys in Bullets.  The Harris Chain has a couple of local  bass boats that run over 100 mph.  One of them is an Allison.  Owning fast boats is a different sport than fishing.  Most guys who own fast boats aren't that good at fishing because they spend all day riding.

[WRB]

Racing was a sport I grew up doing with my family.

My dad was sponsored by Yellow Jack boats and Mercury/Keikhaefed racing engines. Our 1st boat was a 14’ Yellow Jacket with 2 Mark 55’s Quick-Silver direct drive over drive lower units with Michigan 2 blade chopper props. We raced marathons at the Salton Sea and coastal ocean events. Top speed clocked was 83 mph.

When Merc came out with the Mark 75 6 clylinder we changed to a 15’ Yellow Jacket and single Mark 75 racing engine and ran at 80 mph but could race close course events because the new boat could turn corners with ease. 

Good memories.

Tom