Reverse three-pointers

I cannot help feeling that the Quicksilver water speed record jet boat...

http://www.quicksilver-wsr.co.uk/intro.html

...is overcomplicated and overweight compared to the Crusader...

http://www.lesliefield.com/personalities/john_cobb_crusader_photo_gallery.htm

...run by John Cobb.

It seems to me the Quicksilver team would be just as likely to succeed (or fail) with either a scaled down version of the Crusader using a lightweight jet engine (such as the General Electric J-85 or Pratt & Whitney J-60) or a same size version using a more powerful engine such as the General Electric J-79.

J-85 Jet Dragster
http://www.jetwebb.com/content/frames/jetwebb.asp?link=http://www.misstafire.com/

J-79 Jet Truck
http://www.jetwebb.com/content/trucks/xtreme_machine.asp

J-79 Land Speed Car
http://www.americanjetcars.com/arfons/art/art17.htm

J-79 Dragster
http://www.americanjetcars.com/arfons/art/art68.htm

 

Overcomplicated and overweight, perhaps. But slick and determined. 500+ km/h is not easy to reach. And the complexity may be part of the team's attempt to make it possible to keep the darn thing going flat and straight, which as many other record challengers have proven is not an easy task. Bear in mind that the Crusader was much slower than the current record attempts, and that it did fail (it crashed, disintegrated, and killed its captain).

 

Crusader & Quicksilver

Like the Crusader, the Quicksilver will depend solely on hydrodynamic lift with no support from air traps or other aerodynamic lifting schemes.