Drag racing boat clad in stars and stripes broke world record in just three seconds
- This boat was designed for drag racing
- It produces over 10,000hp
- It does 0-273mph in just 3 seconds
Published on Aug 08, 2024 at 9:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Aug 09, 2024 at 4:53 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
This drag racing boat clad in the US stars and stripes is capable of reaching 439km/h (273mph) in record time.
It recently reached that incredible speed in just three seconds – which is a world record.
Its aerodynamic design certainly helps, but the key component of this boat’s success is the sheer power it produces.
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The boat was built by Kinsley Race Cars & Marine in Texas, in partnership with Carroll-Haas Racing and Liquid Voodoo.
It is technically a hydrofoil, which means the boat can lift itself above the water as its speed increases – much like this BMW electric hydrofoil with a unique onboard soundtrack.
Todd Haas, part owner of Carroll-Haas Racing, actually calls it a bullet hydro.
The term bullet refers to the speed, but also its shape.
The incredible engine that powers this speed machine
Under the carbon fiber and fiberglass structure lives an engine capable of producing an immense amount of horsepower.
It puts out 10,000hp and burns around eight gallons of nitrogen fuel per 267m (875ft).
It can pull more than 4.5Gs of force in 1.5 seconds, which is more than most F1 drivers experience during a Formula One grand prix.
The boat recently set a Southern Drag Boat Association (SDBA) speed record for the 1,000 ft course.
It took just three seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 440km/h (273mph).
How this boat compares to other speed machines
It’s quite difficult to find vehicles that are just as fast, or perhaps even faster, than this boat.
A vehicle by students from ETH Zurich and the University of Lucerne can hit 100km/h (62mph) from 0 in less than a second.
This would qualify as a potential rival, except for the fact this is a boat and that’s a car.
Another vehicle that could be considered an equivalent speed machine for the road is the Koenigsegg Regera.
The Swedish hypercar is capable of doing 0mph to 249mph to a standstill again in just over 30 seconds.
It’s a totally different type of record, but still mighty impressive.