# Questions about those power boats with all the engines **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 20, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-those-power-boats-with-all-the-engines/966510 "2022-06-20T15:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2022, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-those-power-boats-with-all-the-engines/966510/21 "2022-06-22T11:39:25Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > With a redline that can be as high as 9500 rpm, Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light. Including the burnout, the engine needs to survive only 900 revolutions under load. That can’t be right. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2022, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-those-power-boats-with-all-the-engines/966510/22 "2022-06-22T12:38:50Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > That can’t be right. Do the math: **[A top-fuel dragster can complete a 1000-foot run in as little as 3.62 seconds](https://www.google.com/search?q=top+fuel+dragster+1000+foot+record+time)**. 9500 revolutions per minute = 158.3 revolutions per second 158.3 revolutions per second \* 3.62 seconds = 573 revolutions As @jnglmassiv mentioned, there’s additional run time for idling before the run, as well as the burnout, but full power output really only happens in less than 600 turns of the crankshaft. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-those-power-boats-with-all-the-engines/966510/23 "2022-06-22T13:04:24Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Do the math: I had. I put in 95000rpm instead of 9500 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-those-power-boats-with-all-the-engines/966510/24 "2022-06-22T18:24:07Z")
Wow! I remember being pit crew for a Chevy Camaro at the drag strip one year and thought that was pretty cool, the stuff in your link though, holy crap! that is really awesome in the classical sense of the word. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-those-power-boats-with-all-the-engines/966510/25 "2022-06-22T21:09:07Z")
The 200 MPH headstart is a amazing spec. Even for someone who isn’t into motorsports, watching a few Top Fuel races is a spectacular thing to experience. It really smacks all of your senses. They don’t even run quarter mile races anymore. The speeds got too dangerous and runs are now 1000 feet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-those-power-boats-with-all-the-engines/966510.md?page=1)