RIB boat drag race: Battle of the Airborne's

Imagine this: You wake up with free access to your favourite RIB boats for a day. What would you do? The inner speed demon is probably shouting to have a drag race. And let us tell you, it was just as fun as you might expect.

​

Now, let’s talk about the boats.

The different RIB boat setups

​

Our flagship RIB, the Nordkapp Airborne 8, packs a serious punch with the V10 Mercury Verado at its disposal, delivering 350 hp. That’s an impressive 191 hp per ton. To put that in perspective, that’s about the same power-to-weight ratio of a Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, meaning you’re getting sports car performance on the water, with room for up to ten people.

​

The Airborne 7 entered the race running 225 hp with its V6 Mercury FourStroke, instead of the available 250 hp V8. Even so, it brought a strong 159 hp per ton to the competition.

​

The Airborne 6.3 is the lightest in the series (until the release of Airborne 5.4), fitted with the new 150 hp V6 Mercury Racing engine – delivering 140 hp per ton. On paper, the least powerful of the three but this agile RIB with the Mercury Racing engine was a serious contender and a favourite for many leading up to the short-distance race.

The common ground

​

These RIB boats have steep none-stepped V-hulls focused on driving joy, combined with a traditional bow delivering impressive straight-line speed and even more impressive control in high-speed turns. An extra layer of speed comes from the asymmetric tubes that narrow towards the stern, leaving them above the water's surface and reducing water resistance. Improving numbers on the dash, both in terms of knots and fuel efficiency.

The race

400 metres of racing lay ahead. The boats were ready, and so were we.

At the signal, the engines roared, launching the boats seamlessly into plane, each driver with a clear view up front. In the first 3 seconds, the lightweight Airborne 6.3 leapt a boat length ahead, just as we predicted. “Sheesh, she’s going!” someone shouted over the roaring engines. It kept surging ahead while the others scrambled to respond. Laughter and excited yells crackled through the radios.

The Airborne 7, which was fighting with one arm tied behind its back, was the slowest off the line and was still losing ground in the first part of the race, feeling every single one of the 25 horsepower left on the reseller floor. But it was closing the gap. The heavier Airborne 8 was finding its rhythm, gaining momentum as the seconds ticked by, but would they have enough time to catch up to the lightweight Airborne 6.3?

Having fallen behind the leader, the Airborne 8 pressed on with relentless intent, marching forward but seeing the end of the race track nearing at a breakneck pace. The gap to the Airborne 6.3 diminished with every rotation of the propeller. The Airborne 6.3 was fighting with all its might, the taste of victory within its grasp. With 100 metres left, the smallest and largest siblings were neck and neck. And with a final brotherly noogie, the Airborne 8 soared past towards a decisive victory.

The Airborne 7 was closing in on the Airborne 6.3 from behind, given enough distance the middle-child would surely pass, but not before running out of race track. The Airborne 6.3 managed to hold on long enough to take home the silver medal.

The final standing:

Winner: Nordkapp Airborne 8

Second: Nordkapp Airborne 6.3

Third: Nordkapp Airborne 7

​

A look across both shoulders and a quick turnaround took the drivers safely back to the start line, where engines shut off to make room for some obligatory post-race banter. All in agreement that the Airborne 8 earned its keep as the series's flagship.