Ken Warby Website

[mark poole]

This is a little off topic cause it is not RC, but still about fast boats. For those of you not familiar with Ken Warby he holds the world water speed record of 317 MPH and is now planning to take it higher. His site has been updated and his boat has been shipped to Austrailia and has a major sponsor. This should be an interesting story to keep up with in the coming year. Several people have gone after Warby's record over the last 20 years with tragic results. Ken says his new boat is capable of 400+ MPH! Anyway there are some cool pics of the new boat and of his old boat that he set the record with in 1978 on his site. Search Ken Warby and you will get a link for it. Fact.....The record of 285 MPH that Lee Taylor set on Lake Guntersville Alabama in the late 60's is still the fastest that a boat has ever gone here in the U.S. These guys have to make two way passes just like we do to establish the records. But...their butts are IN the boats.

Mark

 

[ClayGlover]

very cool! a jet boat is like a airplane that touches the water, so it's called a "boat". it's totally insane to try and go that fast with the ground-effects aerodynamics. i wish him the best of luck. :blink:

the fastest record water-prop-driven speed is 205+ set by the unlimited hydro Miss FREEi in the USA 2000.

 

[Slideblues]

Outstanding!!!!!! http://www.kenwarby.com

All those guys have that look about them, "Steeley Eyed Stare"

Chuck Yeager was another http://www.chuckyeager.com

 

[Kevin_R_Clark]

Not sure what the top fuel Hydro record is, but you have to count these guys in. Even though they only do it for a few seconds it still counts in my book. Going fast on water just can`t be compared to anything else.

 

[TimD]

I hope the will has been updated - seriously dangerous :unsure:

 

[Spraguepsycho1]

Top Fuel Hydro's are running in the 230-240mph range so far, pretty impressive for a 5.3-5.7 sec 1/4 mile. Those would make them faster than the prop driven record posted by clay I believe.

 

[mark poole]

Yes the drags boats consistantly run over 200 MPH. For world straightaway records to be set the U.I.M. (Union of International Motorboating), which has been governing boat racing forever, requires that the craft make a pass in each direction through the timing traps. Greg Arfons may well have been going faster than anyone ever has on water when he was killed in Florida about 15 years ago. Tracking devices had the boat at 370+ MPH when it blew over on the first pass.

I have not been able to locate any pics on the web, but the outboard record is 176 MPH. Those guys used a one of a kind wooden 3 point hydro powered by a methanol burning V-8 Evinrude. Driver was Bob Wartinger.

Mark

 

[ClayGlover]

whew. this is a harsh example of a drag boats torque in this video-

http://www.dragboats.com/video/du/03_10_IH...mbert_crash.wmv