Most days on the water in a boat are the best days. But sometimes a hiccup can turn those sunny, fun-filled days on the lake into a really bad day, and that’s what we have here. This is a 2,700 hp Marine Technology Inc. or MTI ZR48 Corvette Boat. There is nothing like them on the water since they began appearing in the 2000s, and there is nothing like them crashing into the woods, either.

Where did this MTI boat crash happen?

These boats cost in the neighborhood of $1.7 million, running two Mercury Marine Twin Turbo marine engines. Speed estimates range between 80 mph and over 100 mph. We don’t know how fast this open version of the ZR48 was going, but it must have been a very high exit velocity.

This happened last week at the Tickfaw River in southeast Louisiana. According to WBRZ2, five people were on board the MTI, with two taken to a local hospital. Cruising upriver, spectators said it took a sudden right turn and crashed into the shore, charging into the tree line. 

How badly was the crashed boat damaged?

As a tree mower, this thing does the business. We dare say there are at least half a dozen trees whacked off at their bases. That takes a major thrust. The hull has serious damage everywhere you look, though it looks fairly benign in the images. But it does appear to be floating after the crash in the iPhone video shot as the boat was pulled out of the trees. 

That is what one would expect of a carbon fiber boat having just clipped off tree trunks hitting the shore. And that’s the other problem. With the hull being carbon fiber, this isn’t like patching fiberglass. We’re not experts, but there might be a fine line between repair and replacement. If replacement is the answer, this is one serious accident.

Production of these muscle boats varies from one to the other. MTI, out of Wentzville, Missouri, builds no two alike. Those that hew to the Corvette theme feature a lot of genuine Corvette components, like the steering wheel, instrument cluster, and other bits in the cockpit. Some have enclosed racing canopies, while others, as is the case with this one, have open cockpits.

Is the crashed boat like the black Corvette boat?

Those boats with the racing canopies enter the cockpit through gullwing flaps at the top. For the Darth Vader-like black boat, the rear window slides back electrically. It’s the most infamous of these creations and has been shown on MotorBiscuit running away from the Coast Guard. It is a Corvette boat in every sense.

So the high exit velocity of this green MTI could be its downfall. It’s hard to imagine the owner of a boat like this not having a better handle on his navigation chores. Or maybe it was a component malfunction. Unfortunately, this is all we know. If we learn more, we’ll update this post.