FAIRFIELD — Nearly 50 powerboaters from across the country or abroad have come to Fairfield this weekend to race in the 3rd Annual HydroFest on the Kennebec.

Powerboating is a motor boat racing sport that originated in the early 20th century, and has become wildly popular in the United States, with many regattas organized by local clubs and sanctioned by the national American Power Boat Association.

Organizers in Fairfield said 44 racers competed Saturday across 10 classes, a turnout that was smaller than in previous years due to inclement weather.

Boats are divided into various classes according to their weight, length and engine power.

The free event on a dreary Saturday drew dozens of central Mainers, who watched from the banks of the Kennebec River as racers tore across the river, their engines roaring.

Organizers said they hope HydroFest on the Kennebec fuels local interest and becomes a community fixture that draws many more people to Fairfield.

“We could grow this thing massively,” organizer Joe O’Connor said Saturday.

O’Connor, who lives in Kingfield, is a leading member of the South Shore Outboard Association, the local club that organized HydroFest on the Kennebec.

He said the races at Fairfield have been a hit, drawing participants from as far north as New Brunswick, Canada, and south as Florida.

O’Connor said for the event to continue to grow, changes need be made to the Hinckley Boat Launch, near where the event has been held.

The launch is a ramp, rather than a beach, which organizers and competitors said can be dangerous.

“The river is beautiful, the bridge is nice and you know the course is great,” competitor Tim Noury said. “But the ramp is quite challenging for us. It’s pretty small.”

The South Shore Outboard Association is in talks with Fairfield officials to fill part of the riverbank near the boat launch with gravel to create an artificial beach there, O’Connor said.

“If we could get this ramp thing sorted out, we could grow this thing massively,” O’Connor said. “We want to grow this event. People like it.”

O’Connor said there is a small but enthusiastic community of powerboaters in Maine. Although there is no money to be made in competing, people participate for the excitement, to keep up the tradition of motor boat racing and for the camaraderie within the powerboat racing community, according to Noury, who traveled from Bow, New Hampshire, for the event.

“It’s like a family,” said Bruce Nichols of Pembroke, Massachusetts, who is also an event organizer with South Shore.

Nichols is 76 years old and said he has been racing for 60 years. The youngest racers on the water can be 9 years old, he said, and South Shore hopes to run a junior class for local children who want to learn the sport.

“The racing is really tough. You’re side by side, separated by a couple inches, supported by a cushion of air,” Nichols said, fresh off the water. “You’re like a cat on a hot tin roof. You’re constantly moving.”

The weekend’s race results, Nichols said, are expected to be posted Monday on South Shore’s website — www.southshoreoutboard.com.

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