Bush speedboat is being auctioned off for charity

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — 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 38foot 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 2011model 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 miles per hour. 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.