Is 40 MPH Fast on a Boat? Boats’ Speed and Tips for Going Faster on Your Boat

People can have different opinions about whether a certain speed is fast for boats depending on personal preferences. But in general, is 40 MPH fast on a boat? What is the reasonable speed for boats? 

To answer this question, we will need to talk about different types of boats and our purposes for choosing a certain speed. For example, a racing boat will be expected to go much faster than a jet boat. 

First off, let’s find out whether 40 MPH is too much for boats in most cases.  

Is 40 MPH Fast on a Boat?

On average, boats go somewhere between 10 and 40 MPH, so 40 MPH is quite fast. However, this speed is not super fast because, with high-speed boats, they can go over 100 MPH. 

Just like different vehicles on land like bikes, motorbikes, cars, buses, etc,. There are also many different types of boats.

Depending on your type of boat and specific needs, 40 MPH can be slow, average, or fast. 

For some boats, 40 MPH is just the average speed, while it’s the top speed for other ones.

In the next section, we will mention some common boats and how different they are when it comes to speed.

What Speed is Fast for A Boat?

Different Boat Types Are Expected to Go on Different Speeds

Amongst engine empowered boats, Pontoon and job boats might be the slowest ones. For these two boats, it is really fast to go 40 MPH because their average speed is around 15 to 35 MPH. 

For Pontoon, it might even be impossible to reach this speed because its top speed is around 35 MPH most of the time. 

Jet boats, cruisers, and bass boats are a little bit faster as they can reach 40 MPH while going fast. They can even reach 50 to 55 MPH when they are at their top speed. 

However, going on top speed the whole time is not good for the engine. So if you want to think about boats that can get faster than that, then deck boats and watercraft are better as they are better to go with 40 MPH. 

If you want to go even faster for a while, these two boat types can go around 60 MPH or faster. 

The last types of boats for us are the most exciting ones because they are the coolest ones for speed. 

Cigarette boats are known for going over 100 MPH without any problem.

Racing boats are on another level as they can go from 150 to 200 MPH.

Besides the common boats listed above, there are many other boats and they all have different average speed, top speed, or record speed. We will list their speed on the table below:

The Fastest Boat Speed in the World in Record

Until this time, the fastest boat speed worldwide recorded was 317,6 MPH. This record happened in 1987, and since then, no one else has even been able to beat that number. 

An interesting reason that that boat could achieve that shocking speed is that it did not use a propeller like most boats, but instead, it had a jet engine.

The Best Speed for Water Tubing and Most Water Sports

If you love the thrill of being in a fast boat or just simply want to reach your destination sooner, speed might be the first thing you think about. 

However, for those who want to use boats for water sports like water skiing or water tubing, the speed must be in certain numbers to ensure the riders are safe and have the best experiences. 

For many water sports lovers, the ideal speed for water sports is somewhere between over 15 MPH and under 30 MPH. If you go over this number, it will be harder to control. 

Riders should not go faster than 25 MPH for water tubing – a more risky sport.

However, going too slow is also not a good idea. The good speed to go is around 20 to 25 MPH. 

Is There a Boat Speed Limit Law?

Land vehicles always have speed limitations on certain roads and areas, but do boats have any speed limit?

Unlike land vehicles, boats do not need to follow speed limitations. The reason for this is that waterways are much bigger than roads. 

In open waters, no country or anyone owns them, so there will be no restrictions or enforcers trying to catch you boating too fast. In these areas, you can go as fast as possible and will not violate the law. 

However, if you are in the no-wake zones, there are restrictions on how fast you can go. There are many other small boats in these zones, and they can be affected by the wakes caused by bigger boats. 

Normally, these zones are crowded by bridges, ports, canals, and other boats. 

No-wake zones mean boats are not allowed to move so fast and make wakes. They need to be as slow as 5 MPH. 

When there are not many boats around, you can go faster. But, if there are any signs of speed limitation caution signs, you should follow them.

Why Can’t My Boat Reach the Expected Speed at Full Throttle and How To Fix It?

It might be frustrating for many people while they expect their boats to reach a certain speed, the boat cannot.

Here are some common reasons your boat does not reach the expected speed even when you are at full throttle. 

Trash and Other Stuff Is Grabbing Around the Propeller’s Blades

While running, the propeller might accidentally contact trash, seaweed, fishing net lines, etc. Too much of these unwanted things grabbing around the blades will result in it working less effectively. 

So, if it has been a while since you check the blades, check it and get rid of anything sticking on it. 

Spun Prop

When the binding between the blades and the propeller prop shaft is damaged, they cannot work well together.

The lack of connection between those two boat parts will reduce the boat’s speed and stop the boat from reaching the top speed. 

In this case, the best thing to do is get it fixed. If you don’t even care about the speed that much, fixing the binding can prevent your boat from having more serious issues. 

The Boat’s Fuel Line Air is Leaked

After using it for a while, our fuel line might be damaged naturally, like rotting or encountering some sharp objects.

While it can take years for it to rot, the fuel line can have problems right away under the effect of other objects. 

When the fuel line air is leaked, it is hard for the boat to reach top speed. The best advice we have for you is to get it fixed as soon as possible for the speed and the well-being of the boat itself. 

Your Boat Carries too Much Weight

When you carry too many people in your car, it is easy to feel that the car has a harder time going faster. Same for boats. 

It will go slower if you carry too much stuff or too many people on your boat. 

The best thing you can do in this case is to find the unnecessary things on your boat and keep them off the boats. With less weight, you will see how fast your boat can go. 

Note: Do not expect boats to go as fast as cars, even though they have the same engine power:

Even with the same engine and motor power, boats cannot go as fast as cars because there is more frictional resistance while running on the water surface. 

If you try to move your hand on the water and in the air, you will know it is much easier to move in the air. 

Water is also denser and makes it harder for objects and people to move. 

Conclusion

With information about different boat types’ speeds, we hope you will know how fast you should expect the certain boat you have gone.

Is 40 MPH fast on a boat? As we mentioned, it might be a little bit fast, but it is not extremely fast. 

If you are thinking about using a boat for water sports, try not to go faster than you should as it can result in bad experiences or even accidents.