The 2024 Guntersville Hydro-fest drew a large crowd hoping to see some of the world’s fastest boats in action and attendees were not disappointed.
HydroFest features a 2.5-mile oval course that has recently been named the fastest in the world. Boats, powered by helicopter engines, exceeded speeds of 200 mph. There were several different classes of craft taking part in this year’s event including H1 Unlimited, Grand Prix America, Pro Lites 5 Litre, Marathon Stock Outboards and vintage class.
“It’s just mind boggling a little bit how fast they can go,” said Haley Butland, Communications Director for Marshall County Tourism and Sports. “It’s just interesting to see how they took that engine and put it into this hydroplane boat.”
Dustin Echols, driver for Bucket-List Racing, praised all that Hydro-fest offers competitors.
“We always look forward to coming down here,” said Echols. “The water is fantastic. The race course is big. It’s one of the fastest we ever run on and so we all look forward to coming down and see how fast these things will go.”
