ERIC COLBY

Earlier this year, a Skater 32 Race Pleasure peaked at 119 mph. However, the powerboat was not running on standard boat engines. Ilmor Engineering (734.456.3600, http://www.ilmor.com), which builds engines for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team, had equipped the Skater with something special. Twin models of the MV10-S, virtually the same 550-hp V-10 engine that powers […]

The Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats 37 GTX is the seagoing equivalent of a Shelby Cobra. With a pair of 500-hp Mercury Racing HP525 EFI bullets, the $400,000 boat runs in the mid-90-mph range. The driver and four passengers are wrapped in comfort by supportive high-backed buckets and protected by a quarter canopy. The throttles are positioned […]

For years, Fountain Powerboats has built machines that specialize in performance. The company acknowledges, however, that its models usually did not feature similar excellence in amenities and accommodations, emphasizing speed and power instead. “The performance was always there, but we knew the customer for a boat of this caliber would have high expectations for the […]

One of the most popular and successful names in performance boating and racing has been discontinued, at least temporarily. Wellcraft Marine recently announced an indefinite halt to its Scarab high-performance boat production, but the company will continue to build Scarab center-console fishing boats at its Sarasota, Fla., factory. Wellcraft may have grounded its go-fasts, but […]

When you’re skimming across the water at 90 mph in the best of conditions, the line that separates you from mayhem is ultrafine. Add some 5-foot waves, and the line all but vanishes. I learned this firsthand recently while driving Drambuie On Ice, the 40-foot Skater speedboat that won the latest American Power Boat Association […]