Originally Posted by SS930

I've been reading posts on here over the past few months about guys building new boats with monster power. My fear is we are starting to get to the point where things are going to start ending badly in the not to distant future.

Boat manufacturers are building lighter and lighter boats out of high tech composites, and using aero techniques to increase boat speeds (such as widening tunnels, etc), but at the same time modern engine management systems are making monster engines almost practical to live with on a daily basis. With turbos starting to replace superchargers (it took long enough!), the amount of power that is starting to be made, and being made available in high performance pleasure boats, is almost disturbing. So while the boats are getting faster on their own, the power being offered in the not to distant future will at some point become a real concern... if we haven't already started to cross the line.

While I know some folks are thinking, "180 mph+ is nothing, I want to go faster... you're being a wussy, blah blah, blah..." The reality is I'm a speed junky, but think about how fast 180+ mph on the water is. That's really, really moving considering the surface you're running on is dynamic in nature and that many of these boats being built are open top pleasure boats!

The some open top boats being built this year are going to be offered with 1500+ hp engines... and I'm sure 2,000+ hp engines are out there waiting to be tested for customers to buy. Any customer with enough money can buy them.

Think about that. Any Rodney Dangerfield with a big wallet and no boating experience can walk into Skater, MTI, etc and buy a boat that will run 200+ mph these days. All it takes is money. Add in some ego, maybe a couple of drinks for good measure, and we have the possibility of reading some tragic headlines. Sadly, chances are this guy will likely be taking others out with him... And I dont see this being an isolated tragedy either, it's only going to become more frequent as the boats get faster and the engines more powerful.

Are we at the point where we need to start being concerned or even policing ourselves? Personally I think we're really close, if not already there. I fear we'll be reading some disturbing headlines in the not to distant future.

Originally Posted by Smarty

I commented about this a year or two ago when Mr. Big Check-Writer, comes a boat builder writes a check for 135mph V-Bottom, then rolls it injuring and or killing an innocent passenger. I do not blame the operator, on all these occassions when an accident occurs that is too simple of an explanation as doesn't hold water with me, and I don't buy the bullsh*t that the boat is built safe, because ejecting passengers isn't safe, so sell that line of sh*t elsewhere. If I am the plaintiffs attorney in one of these cases, I would win, but I practice criminal law, not products liability law.

Originally Posted by Catmando

Ever heard of rev limiters in cars? They have them.

As for "guide aids" I would assume he's talking about all wheel drive, electronic stability control, traction control, ready alert braking, rain brake support and things of that nature which even the Chrysler 300 offers now, not to mention Audi, Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce etc etc...

Originally Posted by thirdchildhood

Every motorsport is dangerous. I'll bet a lot more people die in snowmobile crashes every year than in boat accidents. Stupid thread (IMO).

Originally Posted by Philm

What ever happened to personal responsibility? The freedom to buy what you want knowing full well the risks involved and owning up to it when something happens is what used to make this country a great place. Now you can buy what you want and when you screw up you can blame it on someone else who wasnt involved at all.

Maybe I wasnt seeing the sarcasm in your post and you didnt mean what you wrote, if so, I apologize.

Originally Posted by thirdchildhood

I make sure they know what they're getting into before they go because goddammit I don't want someone telling me to slow down when I might be spending $200-$400 for gas and I have invested nearly $100,000 in my boat and I can't drive it fast?

Originally Posted by C_Spray

In my younger days when I raced them, they were known as "enduro Karts", and ran on full-size race tracks. With only 11 hp (100cc stock McCulloch) they would run in the 90's. With twin modified 135cc engines, well...

Originally Posted by BenPerfected

Here is another perspective. In ideal conditions with the right set up and experieced crew, I would say the top manageable speed is about 3 MPH per foot in a vee and about 4 MPH per foot in a cat.