I just finished watching the episode about the twin turbine powered offshore powerboat Miss Geico. Did you know that in 1976 a Rabco 28 named Spirit of 76 was equipped and raced with a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter turbine? We built it in St Petersburg FL and Randy Rabe raced it. Randy also won a production class title with Black Max, a 28ft with triple Mercury Black Max motors.

Niether was The Spirit of 76! The first turbine powered boat was the U-95 unlimited hydroplane powered by a Lycoming T-53 built in 1973 and first raced in Miami at the Champion Spark PlugRegatta in 1974. Check out the history here (http://www.thunderboats.org/history/history0183.html) I was at the seafair race where it sank. Second they say offshore boats are the fastest and only boats that use turbines WRONG they have been in use in hydros for years and hydros own all the unlimited propeller driven records check here (http://www.abrahydroplanes.com/index.php?option=com_search&Itemid=99999999&searchword=records&searchphrase=any&ordering=newest) Thanks guys from a life long hydro fan, Pyglit P.S. Discovery should do some research in thier own shows because they did an episode on Modern Marvels about speed, cars or boats and mention all the above.

I completely agree with Pyglit's post. Off-Shore boats, while impressive are NOT the fastest boats on water! An Unlimited Hydroplane is. (as all records are in fact done in these boats) Discovery Channel should definately set the record straight by stating this fact! On the lighter side, if Danny Forster wants to see a boat that looks like something from space - check out an Unlimited Hydroplane!

I too have enjoyed watching all the turbine powered hydros over the years. And they ARE th fastest. But my passion lies in teh offshore world and that is what I was referring to with Spirit of 76. All in all, a pretty good show, though.

I loved the show!!!
Anything about Offshore powerboats is great for me.
I'd also like to see more things about the history of Offshore, and the boats. Like the smuggling years in the 80's.
I like the show in general, but having it about Offshore boats was great, and I think it was done very well, it wasn't condescending to the viewers that know something about the boats, yet it wasn't too over-the-top for the average viewer.

Just finished the show. Got my blood pumping. Want to learn more about these types of boats.

Wonderful show. Even my wife was really interested! Hope to see more about offshore racing.

The Miller boat at one time used AVCO Lycoming T-55 or TF-30 engines-the '55 is the ch-47 powerplant and the '30 is the industrial/marine version of the '55. I really loved the in-shop segment of the show-I worked at AVCO-Lycoming in Stratford , CT for 20 years and, as an expeditor, was familiar with, and responsible for, virtually every part in all programs. the $1/4 million price tag was a bit of a shock-as of the plant closing in'97 it was going for almost half that. I would like to know why the mfr. name was not given in the show-do either AlliedSignal (who bought, stripped, closed and dumped Stratford Lycoming) or Textron (who retain the parent Lycoming facility in Willaimsport, PA) not allow it? BTW, the '53's ruggedness is an Army Aviation legend-it will indeed run with major damage. During 'Nam, we had a '53 out of a Huey Slick on display in the caffeteria-it had at least 3 heavy caliber rounds through the compressor module and still made it back to base. Amazing the way the stators and rotors had bent and distorted, yet still rotated-never mind the air bleed through the holes! I was, and am, proud to have been a part of the team that built that engine. BTW, it is a direct descendant of the Junkers JUMO jet that powered the ME-262 in WWII-Junkers designer Dr. Ing. Anselm Franz was it's designer-and a Lycoming test pilot in the '53 program was none other than Rudi Opitz, who was a Messerschmitt test pilot-notably on the ME-163 rocket fighter.-John Marganski

In addition, racing boats aren't the only turbine powered boats. The Italian manufacturer Bala (not Baha) has been using them in their mega cigarett yahts for almost fifteen years now. And the military has been useing them far longer than that in the Pegasus Surface effect ships.