Club wants to hold drag boat races on Cedar River

A little thunder on the Cedar River may be in the offing late this summer if a Cedar Rapids boat club gets its wish.

The Cedar Boat Club wants to host a drag boat race on a weekend in late August.

The high-powered water craft would race along a quarter mile section of river next to the Ellis Boat Harbor.

One boat club member says this is quite a sight and would provide something new in entertainment.

"There's a number of classes of boats and the fastest might be 200 miles an hour at a peak, the slowest half that, but it's a neat thing two boats at a time," said Jim Kaas, Cedar Boat Club.

Plans for drag boat racing would require closing a short stretch of the Cedar River right next to the Ellis Boat Harbor and also rerouting traffic from Ellis Boulevard over the weekend. The boat club would like to put up a beer tent and other amenities that would bring in some income from the event. But the racing itself would be free to the public.

The city's River Recreation Commission on Tuesday endorsed the idea. However, such a plan would still need police and city council approval and it may be awhile before the boat club knows it that's possible.

By Dave Franzman, KCRG-TV9

Here's an example of drag boat racing from www.dragboats.com: