What Is the Fastest Boat How Fast Can It Go?

Fastest Boats and Routes

• The fastest boat is the jet-powered Spirit of Australia hydroplane. In 1978, it reached a record speed of 317.59 miles per hour with a 3000 horsepower Westinghouse turbojet engine. This record still holds over 40 years later.
• The second fastest boat is the lithium-ion battery powered electric speed boat. Its efficient 3,456 cell battery can store power at 400 volts and provides a maximum current of about 6,000 amperes.

Speed Measurements

• To Americans, speed measurements may need conversion from nautical miles. A boat traveling at 40 miles per hour equals 34.8 knots (nautical miles). To convert, multiply the land miles per hour by 0.87 to get the nautical miles per hour.

Boat Records

• For ranking the fastest boats, the Guinness Book of World Records only considers one transportation mode – speed in the water.
• The alternative fuel powered Earthrace, an innovative 78 foot wave-piercing trimaran, briefly held the record for fastest circumnavigation of the globe in 2008.

Boat Routes

• Crossing the Atlantic along the North Atlantic Current is the fastest boat route. This 2,880 nautical mile path follows the westerlies from Ambrose Light, New York to the line between Lizard Point, Cornwall and Ushant, France.