Gonna pose the question and I KNOW I will get many opinions. How fast is too fast on the water when it comes to a bass boat? Do you consider other factors like wind, traffic, driver experience, water conditions? Reason I pose this is because I got into a discussion the other day with a good friend that does not fish that much. He said "why in the hell does someone want a bass boat that runs in the 80s or 90s"?. My response, try to get somewhere first, decrease you seat time, increase your time lure is in water and, because you can .

So, can of worms is open............................

America was built on speed hot nasty bad ass speed -eleanor roosevelt

Lol. To me at the very max 70mph. On long open water. A lot of these skinny lakes around 60 some of them 40. Lol you didn't open a can you blew it up. Imo though no one needs to run over 70. Once you get past that it turns into a whole new game. Most boats now you can react at 65-70. Beyond that way to many reactions before you get the right action. Main thing that I believe needs to happen is a driver test to get you license rather than a written test.

Don't know,but I do know there's a lot in boats that are faster than the owner is smart.

Drivers test will be just like the old drivers test. The kid takes the test and parallel parks in a Toyota Corolla so that he can pass it then gets his license and jumps behind the wheel of a huge SUV or 4x4 truck and that's his daily driver. They'd take the boating test in a 17 bass tracker with a 40 and then go to the dealership and by a 20 ft bullet with a Merc 300XS on the back of it and still not know how to drive it safely.

It is honestly shocking how many people on the water today are driving $30K-$70K rigs and dont have a clue how to properly drive it or milk it for performance. They take off with the motor trimmed all the way up and run for 400 yards with the bow sticking straight up in the air not able to see squat in front of them. Running full throttle with the motor trimmed down and 3/4 of the dang hull in the water working the hell out of the motor. Don't get me started on people that have more money than sense. The top number is 70-80 depending on the boat, conditions and the length of your normal runs. Any thing over the high 70's is overkill IMO. Then again, there are a bunch of people that think that anything over 40 is too fast. To each his own.

As fast as the driver can safely drive the boat.

By safely I mean factoring in experience, conditions, location, etc

Boats don't have brakes. It's not how fast you can go, it's how fast you can stop.

I rarely get over 65 mph. Boat will go faster, but why?

Because you can!

Fast as you can.

Ding Ding Ding

My thoughts....

That mirage will only do about 120...........................

I like to cruise about 57 -59 in the 521.

Mid to low-50s feels good. Over 60 not. But that’s just me.

Don't know how to answer that really. I suppose it's a case by case sort of thing, but there's a reason 99.999% of bass boats have a top end around 65-75 (most of them are low 70's). It's either the intended engineering of the boat (analytical engineering has proven this is the maximum speed for stability), or it's the maximum speed the manufacturer is willing to be legally liable for (which is likely based on the first factor), but I'm pretty sure it's not because that's the limit of technology. There's a reason Ranger/Skeeter/Phoenix/BassCat/(and all the others) doesn't factory-build their boats to run faster than that directly off the showroom. And frankly, the top end speed of bass boats hasn't changed in 30 years. Perhaps that's scientific engineering giving us the answer to the question. But maybe it's just legal liability. Maybe it's just the extra build cost it would take for that much more engineering/technology. I assure you if Ranger thought they could build their boats to run 80+, they would. Don't know why they don't, but I suspect it's related to the question at hand.

Can't go fast enough......

I generally run around 45-50 in my Phoenix 721 but I have the ability to run in the mid to upper 70's if I want to and the conditions are right but just never do.

The wife doesn't like to go fast so 50-55 is her Max.. But I have ran the basscat at 71-78 many times..

Just watched a 2002 with a built 300 drag hit 107 gps. If that don't give you a rush, there is something wrong...……………...Yes, it was on Neely.

As fast as water conditions allow. This includes the amount of traffic and weather conditions.

Not mine, but one of my all time favorite boat pictures. Pulled from Bass boat central.

Only thing holding that boat in the water is the weight of that guys balls. Lol

Well...ive found that i like to run bout 55-60..just to get from point a-b. I have run some uhhhh wayyy yunder quicker than that. But ive found my happy place with a big motor runnin wot trimmed up scaldin the water...its a good way to cool off as well...em boat decks get hotttt..

That's strolling for an XB03. Only broke 100 with my old one once...under ideal weather and water conditions. Got to 100.3 and that was all she had.

Was running a 29p Hoss Triton that was thin, thin, thin.

Blew that 260 up that same day. Burned up a cylinder. Was probably a little too lean on fuel for that cool of a day.

I wish I had a boat that would run 70 mph. I would drive it 55 mph.

I know a guy!

I do too, but I ain't buying nothing until the kids are out of school!

My old Venture will run about 58 when everything is perfect and I usually run about 45 and enjoy my time on the water.

45 in the skiff and 23 in the hunting boat, plenty for me!