Tennessee man spends 3 years building world's first Tesla-powered jetboat and it took serious engineering to be able to pull off

This man spent three years building the world’s first Tesla-powered jetboat, and believe us, this was no easy feat.

Tyler Fever, a self-described ‘aspiring mad scientist’ and YouTuber, invested a ton of his time into this project.

With no prior experience with EVs, he took a Model 3 and converted it into a high-powered boat.

It took some serious graft to get this done, but he rose to the occasion magnificently.

Turning a car into a boat isn’t as rare as you might think

It sounds like a concept ripped out of a comic book or a sci-fi movie, but aquatic cars are something that we’ve seen before.

Shaquille O’Neal is the proud owner of such a creation, namely a Chevy Impala that has been given a boat makeover by Effortless Motors.

But it’s not just him who has an appreciation for waterborne cars.

Cristiano Ronaldo was spotted ‘driving’ one off the coast of Portugal a few months ago.

Even US Presidents have gotten in on the aquatic fun, as Lyndon B. Johnson demonstrated with aplomb back in the 1960s.

Joining the crew of aqua drivers is Tyler Fever, the host of YouTube channel Prop Department.

This man had spent three years creating a Tesla-powered jetboat

You may recall that Fever is the guy who made a remote-controlled Tesla Cybertruck.

That gives you some sense of his skill level.

“We are going to be building the entire boat from scratch. Fabricating the hull, modifying the electronics, and solving huge engineering challenges to make it all work together,” Fever said.

“I’m starting this project with no EV experience, just a goal to learn as much as possible.”

Sourcing parts from a 2021 Tesla Model 3, he wedded those parts with an aluminum mini jetboat kit.

There was a lot of work that went into this, including rearranging the battery modules to fit inside laser-cut aluminum boxes.

Then an external EV charging port was fitted into the side of the hull.

“This may be controversial to put it on the exterior of the boat, but I really want to be able to pull up to an EV charger and plug it in like a regular car,” he explained.

How would this jetboat handle out on the water?

When it came time for the maiden voyage, there was some understandable apprehension.

“I have no idea what’s going to happen. I’ve never had it on the water. I’ve never even had it out of the shop before,” he said.

But after floating without leaks or electrical hazards, it passed the first ‘test’.

“It doesn’t sink. It doesn’t [catch] on fire. It stays dry. It doesn’t burn to the ground. I’m pumped, dude,” Fever declared.

There were still some issues that needed to be ironed out, like the engine cutting out under heavy throttle and the water pump failing mid-test.

He would go on to address these hiccups in a subsequent video.

The second time out on the water would be much better, as the Tesla-powered jetboat ran smoothly and quietly, reaching speeds of nearly 50mph.

“Working on a project in the shop for 3 years and then the first time you take it out properly, you have to turn your hat backwards ’cause it is that fast,” he declared.

“Finally, after three years of working on it, it is functional. We officially own a Tesla-powered jetboat.“