Go - fast boat - wikipedia Go - fast boat `` cigarette boat '' redirects here. For the 2012 rap album, see Cigarette Boats. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2009 ) A `` go - fast '' is the preferred boat of many smugglers. A go - fast boat is a small, fast boat designed with a long narrow platform and a planing hull to enable it to reach high speeds. During the era of Prohibition in the United States, these boats joined the ranks of `` rum - runners '' transferring illegal liquor from larger vessels waiting outside U.S. territorial waters to the mainland. The high speed of such craft enabled them to avoid interception by the Coast Guard. More recently the term `` cigarette boat '' has replaced the term `` rum - runner ''. The present era of cigarette boats, dating from the 1960s, owes much of their design to boats designed for offshore powerboat racing, particularly by designer and builder Donald Aronow. During this period, these boats were used by drug smugglers to transfer drugs across the Caribbean to the United States. Contents 1 Construction 2 Use 3 Illegal use 4 See also 5 External links 6 Books 7 References Construction US Navy SEALs train with a modified go - fast boat during a training exercise in Mississippi A typical go - fast is laid - up using a combination of fiberglass, kevlar and carbon fiber, utilizing a deep `` V '' style offshore racing hull ranging from 20 to 50 feet ( 6 to 15 m ) long, narrow in beam, and equipped with two or more powerful engines, often with more than 1000 combined horsepower. The boats can typically travel at speeds over 80 knots ( 150 km / h, 90 mph ) in calm waters, over 50 knots ( 90 km / h ) in choppy waters, and maintain 25 knots ( 47 km / h ) in the average five to seven foot ( 1.5 to 2 m ) Caribbean seas. They are heavy enough to cut through higher waves, although at a slower pace. Use Reflecting their racing heritage, accommodations on these five - passengers - or - fewer boats are minimal. A small low cabin under the foredeck is typical, much smaller than a typical motor yacht of similar size. In addition to racing, most buyers purchase these boats for their mystique, immense power, high top speeds, and sleek shape. Illegal use A helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard 's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron pursues a go - fast boat during training These boats are difficult to detect by radar except on flat calm seas or at close range. The United States Coast Guard and the DEA found them to be stealthy, fast, seaworthy, and very difficult to intercept using conventional craft. Because of this, Coast Guards have developed their own high - speed craft and use helicopters equipped with anti-materiel rifles used to disable engines of fleeing boats. The U.S. Coast Guard go - fast boat is a rigid - hulled inflatable boat ( RHIB ) equipped with radar and powerful engines. The RHIB is armed with several types of non-lethal weapons and an M240 GPMG. See also Narco submarine Poker Run Surface Drives Tunnel Hull Night Train Drug Seizure, one of the largest drug seizures in history. External links Congressional testimony on technologies for detecting go - fast boats Books Don Aronow : The King of Thunderboat Row. ( 1994 ), by Michael Aronow. Write Stuff Enterprises. ISBN 0945903227, ISBN 978 - 0945903222. References Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Go-fast_boat&oldid=785167805 '' Categories : Smuggling Motorboats Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from November 2009 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 12 June 2017, at 01 : 19. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: how did the cigarette boat get its name
Answer: During the era of Prohibition in the United States, these boats joined the ranks of "rum-runners" transferring illegal liquor from larger vessels waiting outside U.S. territorial waters to the mainland. The high speed of such craft enabled them to avoid interception by the Coast Guard. More recently the term "cigarette boat" has replaced the term "rum-runner". The present era of cigarette boats, dating from the 1960s, owes much of their design to boats designed for offshore powerboat racing, particularly by designer and builder Donald Aronow. During this period, these boats were used by drug smugglers to transfer drugs across the Caribbean to the United States.