This one is pretty different isn't it? You will be amazed how awesome the hydroplane race world used to be. I had no idea they used wartime Rolls and Allison engines back then. If you like racing history you would love our other videos! Check out the channel!

@verrinne1

Жыл бұрын

Damn I wish I knew you were in town it would have been great to meet you. I've crewed for one of the local E-350 boats.

@c.johnweir182

Жыл бұрын

This is awesome! Next if you can? Port of Miami boat racing is a man made boat racing spot that might be gone from existence. Pieces of it is crumbling to disrepair.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

@@c.johnweir182 I would love to visit that place in person someday. Miami Marine Stadium

@c.johnweir182

Жыл бұрын

I love your new hat which is based off of the Dale Earnhardt Sr 1996 Olympic car.

@c.johnweir182

Жыл бұрын

​@@Stapleton42I like, I shared, and I commented. Besides I'm in love with a new hat. Too bad you don't have a shirt to go with that hat. Like the GM 1996 Olympic theme.

Glad you enjoyed learning about hydroplane racing! Our first race of the 2023 season will take place June 24-25 in Guntersville, Alabama. Every race will be broadcasted live for free on our KZread channel!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Awesome I’ll definitely watch!

@stephencarter1442

Жыл бұрын

@@Stapleton42 Everyone needs to watch You're going to see the closest season ever Watch the boys these guys have balls of steel at 230 mph plus you have to be crazy like me.

@stewarth8390

Жыл бұрын

Subscribed

@jessemilstead810

Жыл бұрын

Personally i prefer the Grand Prix hydros over the unlimiteds

@colinmunro7337

Жыл бұрын

Where can I find the scheduled races I'll be over from late August til late September,Thanks in advance

I was waking through a factory in the north side of Detroit a long time ago. I glanced off to the side, and there was a hydroplane there. I took a diversion to go check it out, and there was an old guy at the stern, swinging wrenches and building the motor. He introduced himself as Danny Foster. I'd never heard of him before, but for the next 45 minutes, he told me who he was, who he had been and how he and his friends came home from WWII and basically invented modern hydroplane racing. He told me about the one he was working on. A Rolls-Royce Merlin engine from a P51 in WWII. He said he shopped all over the country to find that particular motor. Then, after paying $25000 for it, he shipped it over to Jack Roush to have it balanced and printed. Mr Roush saw the motor and HAD to have it. Jack Roush flies P51's, or did at the time. He knew that by FAA rules, only certain serial numbers of that motor are looked to be flown. This was one of those. So Jack Roush bought that motor from Danny Foster for $25000 and another brand new, crated, original WWII Rolls-Royce engine. Earlier on, I had excused myself to go smoke a cigarette. I called my wife to look up this old guy, Danny Foster, on the internet. She came back and was almost giggling. She told me, "Do not leave there without his autograph." So I told him about it, and he laughed. He said, "Look, son, if you come back here tomorrow, I'll give you what you ask for." I couldn't because of work, but my wife went back, and he gave her a paper tube. I didn't get to see it until I got home. A rolled up sheet diagram psuedo-blueprint of that boat that he was building the engine for. Miss US-1, I think. And a trading bubble gum card of him when he was much younger. I still have both. Absolute treasures. Not mine but this is how I met him... missus1.com/images/restore_08.jpg

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

That is awesome!

Your tour guide was absolutely fantastic. This is what Motorsport does to people, his passion and energy have been going for 30 years in his museum tours. And thank you very much for doing this video.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

I grew watching these hydroplanes in Seattle. Guys like Bill Muncey, Ron Musson, Dean Chenowith, and Chip Hanauer were my childhood heroes.

@timford3599

Ай бұрын

Also, "The Squire Shop" with Tom D'eath at the controls. True sponson to sponson, hair raising excitement!

As an elder millenial in the southeast I have the vaguest of recollections of how cool these boats were in the late 80s and early 90s... They would occasionally show up on broadcasts in those days. I'd pretty much forgotten all about it until this video. This has been such a cool trip and tour down memory lane. Thanks for doing this stuff for all of us! That warriors on the water bit is so cool!

@Stapleton42

9 күн бұрын

Thanks man!

The knowledge these OG museum workers / owners have is wild. Radiates passion.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Totally!

@lee81147

Жыл бұрын

Allison engines came out of the P40 not the P51

@deangawley5747

Жыл бұрын

@@lee81147 early P51's had the Allison, but it didn't perform well at higher altitudes and was replaced with the Merlin

The most under-rated Museum SAVE THE HYDROS!!!

OMG. I was born and raised in the Seattle area through the 50’s and early 60’s. We watched the Gold Cup races every year on Lake Washington. We used to build miniature hydroplanes out of wood and tow them behind our bicycles. This brings back so many awesome memories.

I've been a lifelong auto racing fan & since picking up simracing as a hobby about 10 years ago have been on a mission to find different and interesting forms of motorsports to follow. A few years ago I stumbled across a small group of simracers working to develop a boat racing passion project game called HydroSim and started racing with them online semi-regularly. Driving a hydroplane is so incredibly different from a car, and the process of racing them is unlike anything I've ever done before, and I am having an absolute blast. It's such a unique motorsport and really doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Anyone who finds this stuff interesting, do not hesitate to get involved because there is an amazing group of people out there who live and breathe boat racing & love to share it with others.

I used to go to the hydroplane races at belle isle in Detroit as a kid. One of the coolest sights and sounds I've ever seen. Seeing a boat do 200 mph across the water is pretty unbelievable.

@Bob61944

20 күн бұрын

I did also in the fifties and early sixties. Lived in Harper Woods and could hear them testing the boats in the weeks before the races. Also would go with my dad into the pits in the boat yards along Detroit river. And sometimes the stands next to the Rostertail restaurant. Saw Gar Wood there.

As a kid I got to see these race with these old aircraft engines and I always thought these guys are absolutely out of their minds. So much history with this stuff. Great work guys.

This one hits home with me! I live in Evansville Indiana and the Ohio river runs between us and Henderson Kentucky! Every year Evansville hosted what was called "Thunder on the Ohio". I saw my first race live in 1980. I was hooked! The sound of the old Allison engine's was deafening! I remember seeing Atlas Van Lines! That was my boat, from my first race! I hated miss Budweiser! She won way to much! Miss Madison was always a boat, that I rooted for! She was a local boat! When the hydroplane's started using turbine engine's. I think that was what changed my love for hydroplaning! The thunder was gone! I got to see a couple of gold cups! We hosted a few, here in Evansville! The driver's all loved Evansville! Huge track! It wasn't salt water and the driver's loved that! I miss those days! It's something that I hold dear! That's for sure! R.I.P. Bill Muncey!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

I wish they ran on the Ohio river near Pittsburgh!

Land Surveyor here, I'm the guy that sets the pins for the Columbia Cup in Kennewick WA. Been doing it for 20 years. But I don't know much about the history of the hydros... I'm just the guy with the coordinates and the technology to set up the race course.. pretty crazy. I'm sure none of the racers even know who I am.

The man you were interviewing is a great example of humility that knows and is right where he belongs. Do what gives you energy and joy that helps people and creates something, and you are rich. Thanks Mitchell

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thanks man 💪🏻

@ianmcgowan4347

15 күн бұрын

Incredible guide! As you say, his unassuming modesty is also I think, due to a very interested interviewer with a great attitude. Thanks for an awesome video

Oh Man, I remember walking the hotel parking lots as a teen before the races. Seeing Atlas, Miss Bud, Squire Shop, Oberto & others tilted on their trailers is an image I will never forget even after being at the races. Good times/memories.

Those piston driven engines are still one of the best sounds in racing.

@fritzkabeano1969

Жыл бұрын

In a sad way the turbine engines ruined the sport. This coming from a Detroit eastsider who watched the crowds dwindle from 500,000 to nothing today.

@phatboizbackyardkustomz9006

Жыл бұрын

And in the air

Hydroplane racing is such an under appreciated form of racing. More for the reason that a lot of people aren’t aware of it even existing. It has cool history, even cooler boats, loud engines, what’s not to like. Love this stuff.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

I agree. I didn't know anything about it really prior to this

I’m not used to channels I watch making videos about hydroplanes, it’s fun. First Bright Sun now Stapleton!

I live in Tri-Cities Washington and grew up on the sound of piston engines in unlimited hydroplanes when we used to call them thunderboats. You not only heard them as they flew by, but you felt them in your stomach. It was AWESOME, and I miss it so much. My reoccurring dream is that somehow we could go back to the old engines, but I understand the reasons and all the difficulties involved in servicing Rolls-Royce/Allison engines. During the piston days, you could be anywhere in the Tri-Cities, and you could hear the engines. It was like a call to get to the river and watch. There was nothing like the sound of 5 or 6 boats screaming towards the start line at the beginning of the heat.

You hit it out of the ballpark once again!! Love those old hydroplanes! Hearing the history and evolution of them is every bit as fascinating as NASCAR history!

Amazing sport, I love it!! As a kid in the sixties my grandfather took us to the Miami Marine Stadium. WOW, for kids from Toronto we couldn't believe our eyes the noise and amount of boats racing so closely was mind-blowing!! And to think what we were witnessing would go on to pioneer so many aspects of racing today! TOO COOL, thanks for reminding me just how cool my grandparents were!! lmao. They raced sail boats out of Thunder Bay on Lake Superior! 🤙😜

@walteranderson7676

8 ай бұрын

Old Miami Marine Stadium. I worked at Horatio's next to the stadium before joining the Army. And The Rusty Pelican was behind us, and Biscayne Marina shared the property.

You two suprised me in a wonderful way, as a former aircraft mechanic and motorsports enthusiast, this video was exactly in my wheelhouse!K Keep up the wonderful work you do,and I will continue to support and hopefully help your channel thrive! Bless you both!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Ben!

I remember watching these boats when I was a kid. I was always amazed how fast these boats could go. The rooster tails were 40ft tall at times at least it seemed. It was just a site to see. Again you are giving the world a look at something that’s so fascinating that could easily be overlooked. Thanks again for what you do no one else is doing this.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Greg!

@goosenotmaverick1156

Жыл бұрын

I grew up in the 90s watching these and other forms of hydroplane boats. What a fun time and insane folks doing insane things, I got to watch that just doesn't exist in the same way any longer.

Thank you for this. I remember watching Jim Kropfeld pilot the Miss Budweiser and Chip Hanauer in the Miss Miller battle it out in the mid 80's. I appreciate all the hard work you two put into this amazing content.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

You're very welcome

@dv8photography

Жыл бұрын

Those were some great races in the 80’s.

@mylanmiller9656

Жыл бұрын

I think Chip Hanauer was one of the most Colorful Hydro racers ever! Even if he didn't win he was hard not to cheer for.

@cl604driver

Жыл бұрын

Chip Hanauer, there is another name I haven't heard in a long time.

@cl604driver

Жыл бұрын

@@mylanmiller9656 Didn't he also have a pretty magnificent mullet back in those days? I think the hosts on one of the rock stations at the time used to make fun of him for it.

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of random but AMAZING things you all have taught me about that I never would have known if it wasn’t for you guys! Thanks for all you do!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Josh!

@mikep4823

Жыл бұрын

This is why i like what they are doing in exposing the things we never get to see or the people behind the scenes that tell their part of the history. Old track days of how things where done.

@fightfire-mv8bt

Жыл бұрын

Glad to see you branching out into other types of motorsports. As much as i enjoyed nascar in the "good old days" i grew up watching and participating in all different forms of racing and im glad you are opening peoples eyes to it. Really enjoy you guys content.

@nickdoescher9957

Жыл бұрын

This sport needs all the media attention it can get so it can become huge again.

@AbbStar1989

Жыл бұрын

@@nickdoescher9957 I agree. How awesome is this class of racing.

Yes, definitely more hydro racing stuff! I appreciate this video. Anyone who is into Motorsport in general can appreciate the innovation shown in this genre. Great job as usual in bringing us truly awesome content.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thanks man we are doing our best

Thunder on the Ohio was a yearly event in Evansville Indiana. Feeling the boats ROARING past you was so very thrilling.

The movie (Madison) is a great movie about the city owned Miss Madison Hydro and Gold Cup history. I grew up in Detroit and attended the Gold Cup dozens of years, Just Great stuff ! Bernie Little was the owner in those years, Bill Muncie was our hometown hero.

@cl604driver

Жыл бұрын

Great movie for sure. Jim Caviezel is one of the actors.

Pretty neat museum. They were running one of the boats when I went a few years ago. Sucker was loud just at an idle.

@AndyFromBeaverton

Жыл бұрын

I preferred the gas burners to the turbines.

@curbozerboomer1773

3 ай бұрын

@@AndyFromBeaverton In 1962, I went down to the San Sayres Pits...my favorite boat, Thriftway(renamed Century 21 just for that year), pulled out of the pit area for a qualifying run...When Bill started that boat, the overwhelming sound of that Rolls-Merlin engine was so loud, you had to cover your ears, until he cleared the Pit area!...a few minutes later, that beautiful boat was charging up the backstretch of the course, hitting 170mph, skimming across the water like some UFO!...An unforgettable image remains in my mind.

@AndyFromBeaverton

3 ай бұрын

@@curbozerboomer1773 I watched the hydros in Seattle when the field was half turbine and half piston. As cool as the turbines looked and sounded. I'll always prefer the roar of piston power.

In the mid-seventies I remember standing underneath the pay & pack boat and the Atlas Van lines all those boats brought back so many memories for me from my childhood. I did not know they had a museum honoring and restoring these hydroplanes. Cool video and thanks for sharing this.

Intelligent, focused, a great storyteller and he's clearly a kind man. That's a very rare combination of attributes. That 41 minutes flew by. Thanks for the video.

This was awesome to see you branch out into another motorsport. Well done. I was an engineering student when Bill Muncey crashed and Chip Hanauer took over his ride and went on to win his first championship. The boat engineering team was supposed to give a lecture at the university but couldn’t make it. They sent Hanauer instead with some amazing film of races and behind the scenes content. As a racing fan it was great, and I have a signed hat from that day.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

That’s awesome

I grew on Lake Washington in South Seattle in the 1960s before the turbine boat era. My WWII vet dad was employed in the auto industry and told us stories of the all out war to win the Gold Cup from Detroit which became a rivalry between two cities, one famous for automobiles vs one famous for aviation. I burst with pride when I heard Bill Boeing and Stan Sayres invented a boat that used aerodynamics to skim over the water to confound and defeat the extremely wealthy tycoons in their cigar boats - a David and Goliath tale that added to my excitement as we could hear the thunderous sound emanating from a streaking thunderboat down on the lake 8 miles away from my elementary school playfield Perched in the hills (Sound travels long distances on water)! This resulted in myself and my best friends skipping school and taking busses to the Stan Sayres pits lakeside to ogle at these amazing contraptions whenever a race team tested a new boat. By high school, on race week, we snuck into the pits so many times they finally gave us a job giving pit tours and we'd sneak away to hide between the race trailers just to get a glimpse of our heroes, those daring daredevils brave or foolish enough to wrestle these machines with towering roostertails and ear-spliiting sound around a 2 1/2 mile race course. The turbine era came and the thunder turned into a whoosh. The speeds topped 200mph and most of our heroes either died chasing speed or in the case of some, were maimed for life. Between the little guy getting less chance to compete and maybe one or two boats having any chance to win a championship due to huge corporate sponsorship and the extreme expense to run a team, I moved on in life and yet I still see the Unlimited class morph into H-1 and survive to this day. Living in Texas, there's nothing like that here, but I'll never forget those days of my boyhood and the striking, memorable, exhibitions of speed, technology, bravery and/or reckless abandon I witnessed on the shores of the lake every August. Kudos to your channel, the Hydroplane Museum, the great tour guide and the fantastic volunteers whose work and dedication keep it alive and share these important stories and a sport unknown to so many.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thanks man we appreciate you

Being a H1 Unlimited Fan my whole life it's good to see more people being introduces into this sport.

This museum is about the best thing about Seattle, Washington in my opinion. I was gifted a special tour even though the museum was officially closed. (no names mentioned) I don't know if the museum is open, or will ever reopen if it is closed, but if you can get a tour, expect to experience the most important place for boat racing in the United States.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

It’s open to the public

Thanks so much for this post. I grew up in the Seattle area from 1963 to 1993 and in that time the thunderboats were a constant part of my life. When I moved out of the area I lost my connection to the sport and the awesomeness of the people doing it. I was privileged to have been young and healthy around those times and was often hanging around the boats with my pit pass during SeaFair. I didn’t even know this museum existed and it holds so many of my memories. Again, Thank You.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for being here!

Please. Bring more of this type of racing to us. I bet you could get access to the teams that are racing today. Thank you for another great video.

This is one of the most informative presentations I've ever seen. What a pleasant gentleman giving the tour.

@bobwilson758

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely great fella ! Very knowledgeable and kind as well -

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thanks man!!

My Dad got me into Unlimited Hydroplane racing when I was extremely young (5 or 6)…. I was at the Madison race in 1971 you referenced when the Miss Madison won the Gold Cup that year… we went yearly to Madison and almost always had pit passes… we even had a family acquaintance who worked on the Madison boat.. This video brought back a ton of memories…. Thank you and keep up the the great work..

I was lucky to grow up in Detroit in the '60s and '70s. We went to the Gold Cup races at Belle Isle every year we could. The sound of the WWII fighter plane engines, the Allisons, and the Rolls Royces was amazing. Miss Budweiser and Atlas Van Lines were the boats to beat.

I visited this museum a few months ago. I forget the name of the man who guided us but he was incredibly knowledgeable and quite entertaining.

I've been involved in warbirds since 1986 and have spent countless hours working on Merlins and Allison's. Like you, when I first entered that world as a circle track racer, I was blown away. Love at first bite. I became a two hitter at that point and as much as I loved and still love all forms of racing, my main emphasis swung to warbirds at that point for almost 30 years. If you ever want a real immersion in Merlins, the next time you're out near Tehachapi, CA, stop in and talk with Mike Nixon...you think a Merlin pulling 60" is incredible, try 130" in some of his world record race engines.

@bobwilson758

Жыл бұрын

Holy smokes … that is the most boost in pressure I think I have ever heard of ! Wow - walking on thin Ice with , what … 4 x atmospheric pressure ? Not under water ! In the combustion chambers - With a internal combustion engine ! Dang guys , this isn’t for a 3 second pass = it is a real race . Ps : love NHRA and its people No rake intended to any racers . Thanks

@johnjettfothergill4231

Жыл бұрын

I've always loved the piston engine Second World War fighters, Warbirds, Unlimited Air Racers, and Unlimited Hydroplane Racing. However, I'll play the bad advocate here for a moment. How many irreplaceable Merlin and Allison engines did both of those sports destroy when "stock power" was no longer enough? They may have been "a dime a dozen" in the early 1950s. But today? If you can find one, Yikes!!!

I would love to see more Hydroplane history. Another one that people might love is dragboat history.

The Unlimited Hydros, I only ever saw them on TV, but as a kid in the 50’s, I was in love with the sound of the big airplane engines, often sitting up completely exposed, where you could see all the mechanical parts, and that deep growl. The drivers were a special breed.

What amazing boats they are! Grew up watching the Mrs Budweiser and O’boy O’Berto boats battle it out as a kid! Man you’re bringing back the memories this week!

Loved these as a kid and its a shame there is not as much coverage as there used to be.

Super cool! As a 57 year old Washington resident I've watched the hydros all my life. Chip Hanauer was the man back in the 80's and 90's! The Squire shop was where all the kids would go buy school clothes at in the mall back in the day. I'll have to check them out at lake Chelan this October, I didn't know that was happening. 👍👍

Been to this museum... it's awesome. Watched these fire breathing dragon boats racing as a kid here in the pacific northwest back in the 60's and 70's.... still gives me goosebumps when I hear one snarling & growling across the lake at speed.

@fireballxl5328

Жыл бұрын

This was the sound that all others were to be judged by for the rest of my life !

Watched many of these very boats race in the 80’s. So badass that they still exist! Thanks for this content, brought back a bunch of childhood memories.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Jason!

Again, you two take the racing scene to another level, thank you so much!!! Bravo!! To see this video took me back to when my Dad and his best friend worked on Miss Canada in the late 50's and early 60's with a Rolls/Merlin V12 that they ended up putting into a AA/Altered for a couple years until selling the engine back to the owners of Miss Canada for the boats restoration, but that's a whole story in itself. Keep up the great work, as always, Cheers from Canada.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

That’s awesome!

Mitchell and Logan, once again you hit it out of the park with your content. Cheers and look forward to what you both spring on us next. Even down here in New Zealand we get to enjoy your passion for telling the story of many facets of racing.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Andrew!

19:19 This is THE BOAT... WOW. Spent a bit of time around this sport all my life. Great Video guys !!! 206 SEATTLE

The hydroplane museum in Kent Washington is run by the most amazing people I have ever seen. They are so friendly and it is definitely worth your time!

What a wonderful pair of videos!! It was great the way Ken and Dan answered all your questions without being rushed in any way. Your questions were very spot on, too. I grew up in Seattle and worked extensively in San Diego and was always a true fan of the races. I thought I knew a fair amount about hydroplanes but I must admit that I learned more from your two videos than I had in all the prior years. Thank you for a truly first class job!

@Stapleton42

7 ай бұрын

Thanks man!!

This will be a good one. I grew up on the Columbia River and they still race unlimited boats every year. The boats in your picture I have seen race. There was was nothing cooler that a half a dozen Rolls Royce Merlins and Griffins. Allisons weren't as loud or fast as the Rolls were. Battling on the river. You could hear them from 10 miles away! Today they run a turbine engine and are faster but not the same. Missing the Atlas Van Lines. Bill Muncie was legendary in the sport.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

That’s awesome man. Hope we get to see a race with these vintage boats someday

After my parents split, my dad moved to Evansville, IN and I moved there as well. That’s when I first learned about Unlimited Hydroplane racing at the “Thunder on the Ohio”. Bill Muncie, Chip Hanauer, just to name a few. The V12 was still the preferred power plant and the turbine had just made its debut.

@bobwilson758

Жыл бұрын

Good time to watch the sport !

I had the opportunity to visit this gem with my son-in-law and it was wonderful. If you are going to Seattle, don't miss this gem. You would think that the boats are the draw, but the people who are keeping this beauty going are the real stars.

@kennethstrong4409

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words. Really glad you had a good time at the museum.

Great video ! Being from Lake Guntersville,i remember,as a little boy, watching "Miss Budweiser" & the Unlimited Hydroplanes that set a world speed record here that stood for YEARS for prop driven boats. Those big engined boats drifting away from the dock, then the puffs of smoke out of each pipe then...Wooooom !

I remember those days fondly. I can't thank you enough for the behind the scenes information, videos, pictures, a d most importantly all the fortunate and unfortunate things that the drivers went through. I remember Bernie Little well and the Miss Budweiser. Many thanks to all of your sponsors for your trip. Also one of if not the best museum tour's you've ever done. You are very very professional and respectful.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Andy! Hopefully you find some interesting history on our other videos too!

Awesome video! I watched the hydroplane races growing up with my dad and this was great to learn the history from before I was born.

These Hydroplanes meant so much in many ways to the City of Seattle & the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in the late, late 60's & 70's in the Seattle area. These boats and the boat races were SO important to the community. In the early 60's the "City Fathers" of Seattle were trying to show the US (& the world) that we were a "World Class" city. As part of showcasing Seattle, they decided to host the Worlds Fair in 1962, & built our iconic "Space Needle" as part of the fair grounds. From the mid 50's to until the 80's the only sports happening in Seattle, was the U of W Huskies. The locals took immense pride in these races. We'd get 250K people the day of the Race. There was also an airshow that would happen in between the heat races. One of the Boeing test pilots even barrel rolled a 707 prototype passenger liner over the race course, TWICE!!!. You could hear the boats in all the surrounding suburbs (miles away) & it was magic. Most of the neighborhoods kids, would make small wooden Hydros and pull them behind their bikes. We even had our own neighborhood races! When we got older, being in a boat on the course perimeter (The Log Boom) a person could walk from the length of the course on all the boats tied to the log boom, and it was a party on every boat! I was great to be a kid in those days! Sadly the Turbine engines I feel take away the visceral experience as they don't make all the noise. Imagine a NASCAR race with Teslas... Just not the same... I hope the boat racers figure out a way to go back to piston powered racers someday...

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

I agree. Piston power sound just can’t be beat. Maybe they could run the falconer v12

I remember watching hydro boats racing on TV when I was a kid. I am far more into wheeled stuff than boats - but this stuff is still fascinating. Documenting this history is so important. Looking forward to the engine video.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thanks man!

As some one who grew up living by Mission Bay in San Diego the noise of those things pretty much guarantees that they won't be forgotten any time soon.

As a current boat racer, it’s really awesome to see this one your channel! Some of these guys were my heroes growing up as a kid! You should do some research on the other hugely influential form of boat racing known as “tunnel boats” (what I race). One of the most winningest drivers in any form of motors is Bill Seebold and he even has one of his boats on display in the museum in Daytona!

@chriswong1109

Жыл бұрын

Please have the sound of an OMC KR Johnston Stinger GP or Evinrude Super Strangler if you do a tunnel boat video. Music!

I am a racing enthusiast and past competitor in m/c and car. Have always been fascinated by unlimited hydro's. This video is to me, one of the most entertaining and informative pieces I have ever seen on You Tube. THANK YOU!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you for posting this video and visiting the museum. I've been a fan of this sport since the 60's and love to see reactions like yours. I highly recommend checking out the museum event first weekend in Oct.

I had lunch with Bill Muncie and Jim Lucero at the Edgewater Inn in Seattle. They had run an ad saying "you're interested in meeting Bill Muncie come join us for lunch" and I did. I remember him as a very nice man with a great smile and laugh. He was a childhood hero to me.

@Stapleton42

23 күн бұрын

That’s awesome

In the 50's you could buy government surplus 1710 Allison engines for $350 !! As a Michigan resident, watching and hearing these big V12s with my dad is gold level memories.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Wow!

You totally brought me back to my childhood bud. I remember watching these boats on TV in the 80s. Those boats were insane to watch. Thanks for the trip back in time

The Rolls Royce Merlin is one of the most amazing looking, performing, and sounding engines of all time.

I can add a little to the Bud story. After Dean was killed on a Saturday the week before the Seattle race, the team felt that within the week they could repair the boat and race it at Seattle. The boat was repaired by Sunday morning on race day and I was asked to drive the boat. They told me that they thought Dean was going about 195 when the accident happen so be careful. I told them I for sure would be. While making my qualifying runs I got the boat up to around 170 and it all but got away from me. It was on it's way to blowing over but I had a moment to crank the wheel back and forth and the boat responded by coming back down. When I got back to the dock I told the crew that I didn't think Dean made it to 195. They removed about 1/8 of a inch from the bottom of the sponsons and that was all it took to calm the boat down.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

wow man

You can see the joy in his eyes talking about those boats... So enjoyable watching someone passionately talking about something he loves..

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

I agree!

This one should be good, because I will add that back in 2002 I got to finally see Ms. Budweiser parked in front of a auto salvage in Tulsa, Oklahoma on a trailer with a see through side panels. Which by itself was unique an awesome, yet even more so was the fact that the man who my friend at the salvage knew, was the guy who created and owned Ms Budweiser. Which when I first seen it thought it was just a replica or something along those lines, and I was like no way when the friend of mine who owned the salvage explained that this was the guy who started was the main guy with Ms. Budweiser. Sooooo to say I was floored was an understatement, because it was not something I truly expected to ever get to see in my life! Yet I got to see the Ms. Budweiser with the owner which was beyond belief for me to fathom would ever happen!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

You met Bernie Little? Thats freakin awesome

@TheCrewChief374

Жыл бұрын

@@Stapleton42 Yes he knew the owner of the auto salvage which was owned by a friend.

@MX304

Жыл бұрын

Which Miss Budweiser was it? They raced 22 different hulls between 1963 and 2004. A couple of the last turbine Miss Budweiser hulls are still in use today, although they have been modified. The current U-11 is the old T4 bud hull. The Graham Trucking team has the T5. The T3 and T6 are owned by Scott Bartush. Bernie Little's son, Joe, owns the T2 and one other hull that I can't remember.

@TheCrewChief374

Жыл бұрын

@@MX304 All I was told is it was the original Miss Budweiser, because my first thoughts were that it was a replica for show. Yet that turned out not to bw the case from what I was told by Mr. Little himself who was the guy I got to talk to about it, since he was the guy who was talking to my friend who owned the auto salvage. (I was just amazed it wasn't a replica and that I got to have my own experience seeing any Miss Budweiser at all, as I am an all around motorsports enthusiast without a doubt it was a highlight in my life!)

@loganerwin42

Жыл бұрын

That’s wild. Tulsa, Oklahoma of all places! Was he passing through?

That is a great museum. And, the older folks that are there every day are a wealth of informaion.

My cousin John Walters raced the PAY 'n PAK back in the 80's. John was on my dad, Ron Randall's side of the family and dad used to race stock cars and wrench on stuff. He used to tell me stories later in life about helping John on occasion with the boats. This has brought back lots of memories. Love this stuff! Thank you...

My Dad was a fan of hydroplane boat racing. He belonged to the Toronto Hydroplane Club in the early 1950’s. The famous Canadian band leader, Guy Lombardo, was big into hydroplane racing back in the day. Very expensive when you get to the Unlimited class of racing.

@1badhaircut

Жыл бұрын

Yes Guy Lombardo was all-in … and Don Johnson

Unlimited Hydroplane racing in the 80's was awesome! Miss Circus Circus was my favorite.

@curbozerboomer1773

3 ай бұрын

Sorry-but you missed the even more awesome sound of the original "Thunderboats" dominating Lake Washington in the 1950s, 60s, and into the 70s!

I remember hearing the hydros from over 15 miles away every summer where I lived near Seattle all through the 60's & halfway through the 50's as I was growing up. Good memories. Thanks!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

thank you sir!

Ok I’m the pilot you talked to in comments a week or so ago,,,,THIS IS AWSOME! Sooooo many similarities between this and flying! And I love the Allison/Merlin V12’s Keep bringing me these videos!!!

Brings back so many memories. Watched on TV as much as it was on.😊

I been watching Hydro runs since 1979 . Chip Hanauer baddest dude ever in my opinion drove with some of the old school legends of piston power .Then ushered in the early Hydro years with his aggressive approach on the water . Even his experimental driving with Boeing was awesome , he set a unofficial best qualifying lap testing a diesel hydro and he wasn't even in the race ! If 'm correct Oh Boy Oberto was the last piston power competing against Hydro's it was still the crowds favorite U4 just screaming coming past !

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

There’s still a piston powered one competing today!

I havent forgotten about hydroplane boats. I remember watching them on t.v. as a kid. Only on sundays. Only a couple hour window. That was the only time I could catch them on t.v. . Hydroplane boats, swamp buggies, hill climbs, and other types of racing. I looked forward to that late sunday morning t.v. slot all week as a kid.

The Miss Bardahl vs IRS is an eye opener. The program of race engineers speaking to STEM students is great. I am like like you Mitchell I learned by doing or practical application so instead of abstract math problem talk to me about torque etc something I can understand. Thanks Mitchell and Logan

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

thank you benny!

"Who's BILL MUNCEY?" He was my hero! That boat is/was a death trap waiting to happen. Watch some of the film. Bill was actually sitting on the boat, rather than IN the boat. Bill was the "Hydroplane God". I went school with his son. I'm 67 and live in San Antonio, but I still follow the hydro's from my youth.

Thanks for continuing to find the gems of motorsports. If it has a motor, I'll watch it run. Unlimited boats have fascinated me from grade school. Front engines to jets, all amazing. I was unaware of the museum. On my next trip to the area I will be in the building. As always, a great video. Thank you both.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Gary!

@bobwilson758

Жыл бұрын

Hey , Right ! Could not have said it better myself ! I have always been “ eat up with it “ also !

I got my start as a photographer at the age of ten when my Dad took me to the Unlimited races at Miami Marine Stadium in 1968, handed me his camera and said you got one roll of film so pick your subjects wisely. I became an instant Unlimited fan and a life long photographer. I attended almost every race at the Marine Stadium after that until the event stopped and the Miami Marine Stadium closed. Watching the boats come just a few feet from the stands at top speed was an experience unique to the sport. I made a video covering my 20 pus years of attending the Unlimited racing at the Miami Marine Stadium. Thank you for making this video. I learned so much about the boats thanks to your relevant questions and your guide's wealth of knowledge. It was a great interaction. In the early nineties I moved about 30 mins from Daytona Speedway and became a NASCAR fan.

@Stapleton42

Ай бұрын

That’s awesome!

I remember how Bill Muncey dominated the unlimited class with his Atlas Van Lines. Watched the SeaFair races every year growing up.

I remember as a kid. In the 1970s, My dad taking me to the boat races in Miami. The boats of that era were amazing.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thats awesome I wish I could have experienced that. At the now abandoned Miami marine stadium?

@Ronaldl2350

Жыл бұрын

@@Stapleton42 yes exactly, at that place. I remember the Miss Budweiser boat mostly. Even made a plastic model of it.

This history content sure is entertaining. Thank you for filming and posting such great content man. You might not know it but you’re doing future generations a favor, archiving these historic stories. Thank you!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Chris

I used to go to every race on the Detroit River starting around the late 50s Early 60s. I got to meet many of the drivers back then because of Bill Muncie. My mother was a neighbor of his family. She took piano lessons from Mrs. Muncie and used to babysit Young Bill.. I always said that I wanted to be a hydro driver, that was until I got to go for a ride in one. After that ride I thought the drivers were the craziest people on earth.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

That’s awesome 😂

Being from Detroit and it's rich history of hydro racing it's a blast to go to and watch .. the old days of Atlas van lines vs miss Budweiser .. the rooster tail, Dodge docks

Awesome video!! Always love when you investigate new things. You have a true knack for knowing the right questions to ask of people no matter the subject!!

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Thanks man. I love it too. It’s like finding a new banger song to blast on repeat by accident 😂

I remember watching Bill Muncie {Atlas Van Lines} and Dean Chenoweth {Miss Budweiser} racing on the Detroit river in the mid to late 70's.

Back 20 years ago,my favorite PS2 game was Hydro-Thunder. It was was , well,a game racing these boats. I loved it and spent days on end playing. It was the end of my video game career. I started out the Pong in the late 1970s and aged out at about 40 in 2005. I'd love to race one of these though, it'd be great!

I was young in the late 80's and saw the Miss Budweiser boat parked on Dunn Rd in St Louis, Mo. It was right down from where we lived.

Awesome Finally someone Calls out My hometown. Every kid in town had a plywood replica of our favorite hydro tied to his bike. Ole Bardahl was My hero.

Fascinating video! Ken was the perfect tour guide, because you could really feel his passion for this sport.

@Stapleton42

Жыл бұрын

Couldn't agree more!

"The human aspect is really the story we want to tell" says it all. The Saturn 5 Apollo project was really a "human / organization" wonder. Many other projects, both big and small, are as well. The hardware artifacts tell only part of the story. Thanks to everyone.

I'm biased because I've had the pleasure of watching these boats race every summer of my life. I'm too young to have watched these old boats in their heyday. Hydroplane racing has always been spectacular. The thunder of the old boats is something you will never forget. I grew up watching the turbine era. The thunder was gone but the speed increased by a lot. I've been to Daytona. I've been to Talladega, I've been to the Indy 500. The greatest spectacle in racing is the start of the final heat in hydroplane racing, and it isn't even close. It's not the same on tv. You have to see it in person. If you do, you'll be a fan.