The Most Dangerous World Record That’s Never Been Broken

One man built a jet boat in his backyard and drove it faster than most planes take off. No team of scientists. No million-dollar lab. Just raw guts, a wild dream, and a workshop behind his house. What he did has never been repeated. Not because people stopped trying, but because they kept dying.

His name was Ken Warby. He wasn’t a rich daredevil or a world-famous athlete. Just a regular guy from Australia with a massive obsession—to break the world speed record on water. And he did it in a way that sent chills down the spine of every racer who heard about it.

In 1978, on the Tumut River in New South Wales, Ken Warby reached 317.58 mph (511.09 km/h) in a boat he built himself. Think about that for a second. That’s faster than a Ferrari, faster than a bullet train, and on water. At that speed, water becomes as hard as concrete. If anything goes wrong, there’s no second chance. No do-overs. No safety net.

And things did go wrong—but not for him.

Over the decades, at least seven other racers have died chasing that same record. Some were professionals. Some had access to better tech. But none of them made it out alive. Every attempt ended in wreckage, heartbreak, or silence. The record is still standing—not because no one wants it, but because no one has survived long enough to take it.

Warby wasn’t just fast. He was smart. He understood the boat better than anyone else. He didn’t just design it—he lived it. Every bolt, every panel, every calculation came from his hands. His boat, the “Spirit of Australia,” now sits in the National Maritime Museum, still holding the title over 45 years later.

What makes this story so insane is how real it is. This isn’t a Marvel movie or some YouTube stunt. This was one man with a plan, risking everything. No stunt doubles. No fancy backup systems. Just one shot at rewriting history—and he nailed it.

Ken Warby didn’t just set a record. He created a line that nobody’s crossed since. Not because they haven’t tried, but because the price of failure is death.

Even today, the record still stands. Untouched. Untamed. Unbeaten.

His son, David Warby, has been working to break the record in a new boat, Spirit of Australia II, but even he admits the risk is staggering. One mistake at those speeds, and it's over in less than a second. Every test is nerve-wracking. Every run is a battle against physics.

This isn’t just a story about speed. It’s about obsession. Fear. Precision. And the kind of confidence that only comes from knowing exactly what you’re doing—even if everyone else thinks you’ve lost your mind.

Key Facts That Make This Record Unmatched

• Ken Warby is the only person to ever break the 300 mph barrier on water.
• He built the boat entirely by hand, using a Westinghouse J34 jet engine from a fighter aircraft.
• No one has come close to breaking his record since 1978.
• Guinness World Records still recognizes his achievement as the official world water speed record.
• Every known challenger who pushed past 250 mph either backed out or died in the attempt.

People talk about living on the edge. Warby didn’t talk. He just built a boat and went for it.

What sticks with you about his story isn’t just the speed. It’s that he did something nobody else has had the nerve—or luck—to do. You don’t see that kind of guts every day.

This isn’t just about a man who went fast. It’s about someone who proved that you don’t need a big budget or a famous name to make history. You need skill. You need courage. And sometimes, you need to be just crazy enough to pull it off.

Whether you’re into speed, world records, or human stories that feel too wild to be true—this one checks all the boxes.

And here’s the wildest part. That jet boat? It’s still out there. Still holding the record. Still unbeaten. And for now, it looks like it's staying that way.

If anyone wants to break it, they better bring more than horsepower. They’ll need nerves of steel and the kind of clarity that only comes when your life is on the line.

Until then, Ken Warby remains the king of the water. Not because he claimed the title—but because no one has been able to survive taking it away.