If you enjoy flying across the water at thrilling speeds, taking fast turns, and sending giant rooster tails of water in your wake—you’re not alone. For many, high performance boats are the most fun way to experience the water. Often referred to as go-fast boats or speed boats, these vessels embody the pinnacle of marine engineering, offering unparalleled speed, agility, and power on the water. Designed with sleek, aerodynamic lines and equipped with high-powered engines, these boats are the epitome of thrill-seeking on the water. They are synonymous with glamor and are often painted in exotic colors with jazzy designs that catch the eyes of bystanders as they dart across the water. Let’s take a brief look at the history of high performance boats, up to today’s most famous brands.
Above: A Cigarette 42’ Auroris racing. Image credit: Cigarette Racing Team.
- The allure of go-fast boats
- What is considered a high performance boat?
- What brands build high performance boats?
- How much does a go-fast boat cost?
- A brief history of go-fast boats
- Cigarette Boats
- The world of powerboat racing
- Offshore powerboats
- Speed boat design
- Types of go-fast boats
- Speed boat engines
- Catamaran speed boats
- Fast center console boats
- What is the fastest boat in the world?
The Allure Of Go-Fast Boats
The allure of go-fast boats lies not only in their ability to cut through waves at breathtaking speeds but also in their sophisticated design and advanced technology. Manufacturers of these vessels continuously innovate, employing lightweight materials and state-of-the-art propulsion systems to enhance performance and efficiency. An appetite for speed is what drives many people to get into boating in the first place. Flying across the water at high speeds can provide a rush like nothing else one has ever experienced, and little compares.
What Is Considered A High Performance Boat?
In the world of powerboats, a vessel that can top 60-70 MPH and has been designed around speed and performance above all else, can be considered a high performance vessel. Boats that can exceed 100 MPH are often referred to as go-fast boats, while luxury sport cruisers and big center consoles may be considered high performance vessels in their categories.
Speed boats are a popular choice among boating enthusiasts who crave adrenaline-pumping activities, such as racing, or simply wish to experience the ultimate in luxury and speed on the water. These boats are equipped with features that cater to comfort and safety at high speeds, including advanced navigation systems, secure seating, and robust hull construction. The versatility of go-fast boats allows them to be used in a variety of water sports and activities, making them a preferred choice for those seeking excitement and adventure on the open water. Whether you’re navigating the tranquil waters of a lake or facing the challenging waves of the open sea, a high performance boat promises an exhilarating ride with every throttle advance. Of course, understanding the history and the nature of these vessels, as well as their inherent risks, is paramount to beginning any foray into the world of powerboat racing.
What Brands Build High Performance Boats?
Several high-performance boat builders have garnered international acclaim for their innovative designs, superior craftsmanship, and unparalleled speed capabilities. These manufacturers stand out in the marine industry for their commitment to quality, performance, and luxury. Here are some of the most renowned high-performance boat builders today:
Cigarette Racing Team
Above: A Cigarette 515 speedboat underway on the water. Photo by Cigarette.
Renowned for their iconic performance and cutting-edge design, Cigarette Racing Team boats are often considered the gold standard in the world of high-speed boating. Known for their deep-V hulls and powerful engines, Cigarette boats offer exceptional performance and handling.
Fountain Powerboats
Above: A 2022 Fountain 34 Thundercat listed for sale on YachtWorld by Big Thunder Marine in Osage Beach, MO. Photo by Big Thunder Marine.
With a reputation for setting speed records, Fountain Powerboats are recognized for their innovative hull design, which enhances speed and stability. Their boats are a common sight at offshore racing events, showcasing their exceptional performance and agility.
Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats
Above: A 2020 Outerlimits SL50 listed for sale on YachtWorld by Big Thunder Marine in Missouri. Photo by Big Thunder Marine.
Specializing in custom-made, high-performance boats, Outerlimits offers models that combine advanced technology with breathtaking speeds. Their boats are known for high-quality construction and personalized design options, catering to enthusiasts seeking exclusivity and performance.
Mystic Powerboats
Above: A Mystic Go Fast Powerboat at the Miami Boat Show Poker Run. Photo courtesy of Florida Powerboat Club.
Known for their luxurious catamarans and V-bottom boats, Mystic Powerboats stands out for their blend of high-speed performance and comfort. Their boats feature state-of-the-art technology and craftsmanship, making them a favorite among speed enthusiasts and luxury seekers alike.
Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats
Above: A Nor-Tech 450 Sport fast center console boat. Photo by Nor-Tech.
Nor-Tech is celebrated for their innovative designs and versatile range of high-performance boats, including center consoles, V-bottoms, and catamarans. They combine speed, luxury, and functionality, appealing to a wide range of boating enthusiasts.
MTI – Marine Technology Inc.
Above: An MTI V-42 XFS Center Console Boat. Photo by MTI.
MTI specializes in high-performance catamarans and V-bottom powerboats that offer both speed and luxury. Their boats are equipped with the latest technology and are customized to meet the specific needs and preferences of their clients.
Other names include Donzi, Baja Marine and Formula (although Formula has moved away from the high-end speed boat market in recent years towards more performance day boats and leisure craft). These builders all represent the pinnacle of high-performance boating, each with their own unique approach to design, performance, and luxury. Whether you’re a competitive racer or a boating enthusiast in search of thrill and comfort, these brands offer some of the most advanced and exhilarating options on the market.
How Much Does A Go-Fast Boat Cost?
One of the very first questions that many new boaters who are interested in fast boats tend to ask is, “How much speed can I get for my budget?” First off, if you’re asking that, we’d recommend you first go for a ride in an offshore powerboat to see if you really want to go as fast as you think you do. That’s a good litmus test to learn if that kind of speed is really in your DNA. Once you’ve established that you really love that kind of extreme ride, you can consider owning a boat like this yourself.
Now, to answer the question, high performance go-fast boats come in a wide variety of prices, but suffice to say these types of boats are not cheap and should not be considered entry level vessels by any means. Many serious high performance models will top a million dollars or more, with many costing multiple millions. As a general rule of thumb, there is no real go-fast boat on the market today for less than $100,000 – and we probably wouldn’t want to be behind the wheel of one that was. Afterall, these are serious machines that require advanced engineering to design and build.
A Brief History Of Go-Fast Boats
During the Prohibition Era (1920-1933), rum and other liquors were hard to come by and were often smuggled by boat into the country. “Rum-runners” were the original go-fast boats, designed to smuggle liquor aboard a motor boat. They were typically used to carry illegal shipments of alcohol from large ships offshore back into the mainland undetected, outpacing boats used by the United States government.
The decades of the 1960s, 70s and 80s were truly the golden eras for speed boat racing. During this time period the iconic and wildly popular TV show Miami Vice featured powerful offshore speed boats and caught viewers’ attention helping make high performance boats like Wellcraft’s Scarab 38 (Don Johnson’s go-fast boat), Fountain, Cigarette and Donzi household names. More on that later, but suffice to say that high performance boats earned their stripes with the public in the 60s and grew to a fever pitch into the 90s, before somewhat cooling off. Today there is still a group of dedicated powerboat racing enthusiasts keeping this industry alive and continuing to innovate and create.
Cigarette Boats: Synonymous With Performance
We can’t talk about go-fast boats without talking about Cigarette. Founded by Don Aronow in the early 1960s, Cigarette Boats are among the most famous of the genre. In fact, the brand has even become synonymous with go-fast category. Aronow thought the long, sleek look of the boats resembled a cigarette, and the name was born, eventually all but eclipsing the previous name of rum-runners. Today, Cigarette Racing Teams remains one of the most famous brands in the performance boat building world, building highly coveted performance machines.
Powerboat Racing: A Lifestyle And A Sport
Some of the kings of offshore racing circuits in the 1970s, helped to create a certain mystique and culture around the exciting world of boat racing. Don Aronow wasn’t only the founder of Cigarette Racing Team, but of various other iconic powerboat companies including Formula, Donzi and Magnum. He was the undisputed king of Thunderboat Row in Miami, which was the epicenter of offshore powerboat building during the 70s and 80s.
Dick Bertram, who later founded respected company Bertram Yachts, competed in events such as the Bahamas 500-mile (800 km) race and eventually became a racing champion, along with other notable names including Jim Wynn and Betty Cook. (the first female world champion offshore powerboat racer). Their laps of victory are still some of the most-watched videos in powerboat racing today.
Take Reggie Fountain, Don Johnson, and Chuck Norris as prime examples of the personas and swagger that have become synonymous with high performance powerboats. Some of their competitive on-the-water capers, antics and victories are still talked about today, decades later.
Even the Hollywood movies promoted and reflected this high speed lifestyle throughout the era. James Bond’s iconic speed boat chase in the 1973 film Live and Let Die featured a record-breaking jump of over 120 feet over a highway roadway. That boat was a Glastron, and reportedly 17 of the boats were destroyed while filming the sequence. Glastron was a key name in the early years of high performance boats, back when a young Reggie Fountain was winning races all around the country in his Glastron Molonari. Anybody who wanted to project a bad boy image got their hands on a go-fast boat and put their foot on the throttle.
The Elite Offshore Powerboat Racing Circuit
High performance offshore powerboats were once only owned by the very elite and driving them was considered a very dangerous sport that only few should attempt. To compete in the tournaments, powerboat racers often had to have 3 different vessels, in order to get to all the tournaments around the world on time and hence be viable contenders. This made the sport reserved for only the very wealthy, or operators that were funded by wealthy powerboat enthusiasts.
Thanks to advances in technology, many modern-day production boats available to the public can now travel at speeds of 70-80+ MPH. In fact, some of the fastest go-fast boats available to the public can even top speeds of up to 130-180 MPH.
Speed Boat Designs And Advancements
Aerodynamic efficiency underpins high-performance racing boats, so they all have a low profile. But speed boats don’t just go fast. Most new models have a swim platform for fun and frolics and a half cabin to easily store extra equipment or much-needed protection from the sun and the sea.
Boats from builders like Cigarette, Fountain and Nor-Tech also feature modern day “creature comforts” that the older go-fast boats did not have onboard. Passengers can enjoy optional dual multifunction displays, ergonomically low profile bolstered bench seats, sumptuous Italian leather, zero-effort controls, complete audio systems, twin-step hulls, and windshields for comfort and protection.
Types of Go-Fast Offshore Powerboats
Historically, go-fast boats were a V-bottom monohull with a calculated deadrise for high speed ocean racing and two or three inboard engines, depending on the length and beam. Nowadays speedboats are available in various designs and layouts to suit different needs.
Generally, today’s high performance powerboats can be broken into two distinct categories based on their hull design:
- Monohull V-bottoms
- Catamarans aka Tunnel Boats
Offshore V bottoms and catamarans between 35 and 50 feet are the most popular because they are seaworthy. Let’s take a deeper look at both of these types of offshore powerboats.
Offshore V-Bottom Monohull Speed Boats
The offshore monohull V-bottom is still the quintessential high-performance powerboat. The boat’s length dictates the waves you can take on safely and comfortably. Typically, high-performance V-bottom measures from 25 feet and up to over 50 feet. Cigarette boats are instantly recognized the world over with their long, sleek monohull design and classic V-bottom shape. Offshore V-bottoms were the first boats to get people to garner attention, with the help of movie actors such as Kurt Russell and Don Johnson, who raced them in offshore races.
Go-Fast Catamarans / Tunnel Boats
The real kings of high speed, these monstrous boats can reach incredible speeds, and as such can be extremely dangerous to operate. Only highly-trained, skilled captains with experience in powerboat racing should get behind the helm of one of these speed demons. One inherent danger of a tunnel boat is that air can get underneath the boat, between the hulls, and lead to flipping the vessel.
Fountain Powerboats. Fountain 34 Thunder Cat. Image credit: Fountain Powerboats.
Speed Boat Engines
Boaters can choose between inboard, sterndrive and outboard engines. Thanks to Mercury Racing, modern outboard motors are more reliable than ever and are capable of extreme horsepower, including the renowned 450-horsepower, 4.6-liter V8 450R racing outboard engine that is steeped in Mercury Racing DNA, the newer 500R racing engine, and the latest, greatest 600-horsepower 7.6L V12 Verado outboard (also from Mercury).
Outboard power has undergone significant development over the past few decades. Two-stroke engines that emitted thick smoke and damaged marine life were the only engines on offer, but since boaters have become more conscious of the environment. Now four-stroke outboards run cleaner than ever, reducing the impact on fragile ocean ecosystems and water quality. Four-stroke engines are cleaner because they burn pure gas. The two-stroke engine burns a combination of lubricating oil and gas, and oil is emitted as unburnt vapor.
Speed boats are not known for fuel efficiency, but catamarans are more fuel-efficient than V-bottoms. If you want a fuel-efficient boat, you should buy either a sailboat or a hybrid alternative.
Mercury Racing works at the frontier of high-performance outboards, manufacturing options providing from 250 up to 600 horsepower. Using multiple engines is easier with outboards than it is with inboard. Mercury Racing’s most powerful options are supercharged four-stroke V8 powerheads.
Catamaran Speed Boats
Catamarans are the fastest high-performance boats available. There is no speed between a catamaran and a V-hull of the same length with identical- a catamaran will always be faster. High-performance catamarans have increased in popularity over the past few years because they are becoming more powerful, lighter, and faster thanks to advancements in technology. Boatbuilders are branching out and engineering bolder designs, pioneering new ways of pushing the boundaries of scale and speed. Skater Powerboats and Marine Technology Inc. are the de facto catamaran performance boat builders. Other leading brands look at Mystic Powerboats, Doug Wright Designs and Outerlimits, Sonic and Hustler, Pilini Marine Technologies, Statement Marine, and Spectre Powerboats.
Fast Center Console Boats
Go-fast center-consoles were originally used for offshore fishing tournaments where contestants relied on speed to get them to the hot spots as fast as possible. Most mainstream manufacturers including. Donzi, Wellcraft, and Fountain build center consoles to produce high-speed fishing machines. After the Great Recession, fewer people could justify a boat purely designed for going fast. After all, most go-fast boats couldn’t accommodate more people than a runabout. Center-console emerged as a more practical alternative to the typical offshore V-bottom because more deck space is offered.
If you are interested in buying a speedy center console geared toward fishing, look at Invincible, Hydra Sports, Pursuit, Sea Vee, and Regulator. Also, check out our fastest center console boats in the world article.
What is the fastest boat in the world?
Spirit of Australia is currently the world’s fastest boat which broke a record when it hit an eye-watering 317.6 MPH on the Blowering Dam reservoir east of Canberra, Australia, on Oct. 8, 1978, driven by Ken Warby. Keep in mind this is not a production boat available to the public.
If you’re looking for the fastest production boat in the world, that would probably be a boat from famed powerboat builder Outerlimits (check out the SV50 that has reached speeds of up to 145 MPH). In close second place and runners ups for fastest production boats, there’s also Cigarette Racing Team (see the 50 AMG that has topped 140 MPH with 1,550 HP), Fountain Powerboats (an iconic builder who keeps pushing the envelope with vessels like the 34 thundercat that has topped 130 MPH), Donzi (who now occupies the same factory as Fountain Powerboats, where they build the lightweight 38ZRC that his achieved 120 MPH) and MTI (the builder’s 42 cat has reportedly reached 120 MPH).
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