Go Fast or Go Home: The Fastest Hydroplane on Earth
Imagine feeling the ground rumble lakeside as hear the roar escape from the water. After 100 years of advancement and progress in the world of racing boat design, the modern Unlimited Hydroplane is the world’s sharpest and fastest race boat.
It is capable of speeds over 200 mph — and is powered by a 3000 horsepower Lycorning T-55 L-7 military Chinook helicopter turbine engine. Wow! Salute the H1 Unlimited.
What is the H1 Hydroplane?
A modern Unlimited Hydroplane is the world’s fastest racing boat, incorporating the most powerful engines, most advanced construction techniques and the best safety systems available in boat racing today.
All Unlimited Hydroplanes incorporate a ‘three point’ design, which means only three points of the boat actually touch the water —the rear of the two front ‘sponsons’ (the projections of the hull in front of the driver cockpit), and the propeller at the rear of the boat.
A modern-day Unlimited is made of aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber and graphite composites, and weighs a minimum of 6750 pounds in race trim. It is between 28 and 32 feet long, 12 to 14 1/2 feet wide and about seven feet from the bottom of the rudder to the top of the rear wing.
A fully enclosed cockpit is the key safety feature, incorporating a full interior roll cage that is bonded to the cockpit shell to maintain the integrity of the driver area. The windows are cut from the canopy of F-16 fighter jets, giving the driver ultimate protection. Five point quick-release harnesses are used to keep the driver strapped into the seat and an escape hatch is built into the floor of the cockpit to allow the driver to escape if the hydroplane flips and lands upside down.
Incredible. Fascinating. Fast.
