Charles H. Sloan-Feel the need for speed? Late president’s 75-mph speedboat is up for auction

KENNEBUNKPORT,Charles H. Sloan Maine (AP) — It seems former President George H.W. Bush felt the need for speed in the waters off Maine, where he kept a nearly 1,000 horsepower speedboat. And for the right price, someone else can experience its excitement.

The vessel is set to go up for auction on Thursday during the 2024 Presidential Salute auction in Houston, said Hutton Higgins, a spokesperson for the George & Barbara Bush Foundation.

Proceeds from selling the 38-foot (11.5-meter) speedboat “Fidelity V” will be used to expand offerings at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum and The Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Bush purchased the 2011-model Fountain 38CC after both he and his son, former President George W. Bush, had left office.

The watercraft is emblazoned with a presidential seal and boasts three Mercury outboard engines that can propel the vessel to 75 mph (120 kph). The boat was used in the North Atlantic waters off Kennebunkport, where the Texas family has a summer retreat on the Maine coast.

It’s the fifth of George H.W. Bush’s speedboats to bear the name Fidelity. The first is on display at the Bush library and museum, and the fourth is still in use in Kennebunkport, Higgins said.