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| Speedy Prototype |
 David Borman of International Maritime Flight Dynamics has been building his dream: He wants a boat that can go from Fort Myers Beach to Key West in an hour and a half and reach speeds in the hundreds. A boat builder since piecing together his first boat at 12, Borman has been building them for more than 30 years and thinks he's hit on a new innovation.
Called the Sea Phantom, Borman's dream has been visible to locals for years as he's tested 30 foot black prototype after 30 foot black prototype. The prototype has achieved speeds of more than 70 mph and Borman is now looking to the big time - making it yacht size and then into a passenger boat.
"A 48 foot could carry a dozen passengers from Southwest Florida to Key West at a comfortable 120 mph on less than 1,400 installed horsepower," he told Southwest Florida's News-Press. "I can envision dozens of them, up and down the Florida coast."
The boat gets its speed from an aerodynamically designed body that makes it lift up like an airplane wing at higher speeds. This also means the boat will not be subjected to bumps and rocking of the waves and that reduced friction will result in lower fuel costs and higher speeds.
At an opening asking price of $1.2 million for the 48 foot version, Borman sees his first customers as wealthy yachtsmen looking for a thrill. "There are probably only 100 billionaires in the world who could spend that much money on a toy," Borman said. "The market for passenger boats is in the thousands."
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