VIDEO: The US Navy has poured $2.5m into a revolutionary unsinkable motorboat
Trials are being carried out of a new plastic power boat which flexes to give a softer ride for its crew.
The prototype, which is 7m long and carries a crew of two, is powered by a 250hp inboard diesel engine and has a top speed of around 40 knots. If the trials are a success, a larger 11.8m version is in prospect.
Stan Widmer, a former powerboat racer, developed the double walled boat which is constructed using a thermoplastic polyethylene crosslinked material.
The boat’s trials on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin are being monitored by the US Navy, which has put some $2.5 million into the project.
“This plastic boat is unsinkable,” said Mr Widmer, “so it would save lives”.
