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!

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

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 KZfaq channel!

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

Everyone in the NW should get down to the museum because this is a huge part of Seattle history

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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...

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.

Growing up in San Diego in the 50s, 60s, and 70s hydroplane racing on Mission Bay was the highlight of the year. You could hear the old airplane motors all over the county

Watching Unlimited Hydros in Seattle as a young man is one of the highlights in my life.

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

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!

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. 👍👍

I remember a lot of these boats watching them on TV back in the 70's. It's a shame boat racing isn't what it use to be. Another awesome video!

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.

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

Thank you for bringing the wonderful and very dangerous sport of Hydroplane racing to a large audience. Grassroots Hydroplane racing is still around, there is a number of us still into it. Any attention helps.

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.

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.

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.

I never had a favorite boat during the 1960s and 70s. Joined USMC. Few years later when I was able to watch on TV again. Everybody had switched to turbine engines except one team. Oh boy Oberto, was the only one with a carbureted piston engine. Duking it out with the turbines and holding there own. Right there I picked my favorite Boat and team.

I'm in Canada and live about a block away from the river that separates us from Detroit. The island that I see from my porch is called Belle Isle and that's where they've been racing these boats. Jumping on the boat and heading over to watch these things was a yearly tradition for me since like 1990 and that ended after 2018. Was hoping they'd be back this year but never happened. Apparently they're back in 2024 and I can't wait! The noise alone is worth attending one of these events.

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.

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.

Hey Stapleton. I am actually from Bremerton WA. I never got a chance to go to Seattle, well Lake Washington to watch the Hydroplane boat races. But we did watch them on T.V. I remember back in the 1970's when Bill Muncy raced the Pay n Pak. and then going against the Miss Budweiser, the Oboy Oberto. Those were some of the best times. On the sponsons. You have to look at those as tires on a Nascar car. Some of the tread is thicker on one side more than the other. Same thing with the Hydro boat. You did a great job on this tour. My favorite boat was the Atlas Van Lines. Brings back a lot of memories for me. Thank you SO much sir.

I grew up in Washington State in the 70’s/80’s. Hydro racing was huge for most Washingtonians during those decades. I was a big Squire Shop fan. Loved that sport.

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.

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.

I remember my Dad taking me to Lake Washington as a Kid in the 60's to watch these race! Then watching on TV through the 70's and 80's when after moving to SoCal!

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

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! 🤙😜

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Bernie Little, the man behind "Miss Budweiser" started out an a Central Florida Anheiser-Busch distributer. He became a local legend! I would love to see an episode on Miss Budweiser!

Great content. As a Pacific NW born and raised old guy I've been watching and even raced boats for several years back in the late 70s and 80s. There was a saying back then if you topped 100mph on the water you either became a man or never did it again! They packed a parachute in your life jacket, and tied the rip cord to the boat! Keep it up, more diverse the better!

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

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

Thanks. When I was pretty little my dad took me a few times to the Long Beach Marine Stadium to see the hydroplanes run. I loved it. Seeing this made me remember the old days of power and speed on water.

I was born and raised in the Seattle area. My father loves these race boats. Every since I can remember he was part of the rescue and patrol foe SeaFair Seattle's Unlimited Hydroplane race. The BlueAngel air show was the best being on the water. My Father and brother both now race their own Hydroplanes smaller the the Unlimited boats. They have more of these smaller races all across the country. APBA American power boat association

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.

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!

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..

"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.

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!

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!

It is crazy how much history is in that building ! Occasionally, the unlimited hydroplane races would be broadcast on tv, and I loved the Miss Budweiser boat. It's amazing how big these boats are when you see them tilted up on their trailer. Great video !

It made me feel so old when this young enthusiastic fellow asked “who’s Bill Muncie?” We grew up watching the big three point Hydros race on Hayward Long Reach near Picton Ontario. Bob Hayward was the driver of Miss Supertest, and three time winner of the Harmsworth Cup. He was killed when she flipped at 175 mph in the Silver Cup race on the Detroit river.

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 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.

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.

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!

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

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

Back in the 1980's I was a big fan of this. I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Nearby, Up the Ohio River was home to the "Holset Miss Madison" so we always cheered for her. At the time they were still using the Allison V-1710. They were falling behind as Bernie Little and the Miss Budweiser were using turbine engines. Thanks for posting, this bring back a lot of fond memories.

Grew up in Seattle in 50s-60s when these thunderboats were happening. God bless Oly Bardahl and the rest for their contributions! You think drag racing is hot? Racing these boats is yust NUTS!!

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

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.

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!

I was a kid 10 years old in 1980. We were in Tn and in a rest area. That U-1 miss Budweiser boat rolled in, on the trailer lifted for highway travel. I ran over and as the driver got out of the rig he handed me a poster of that boat. Great memories and as soon as I saw that U-1 sticking up I knew the boat. Awesome vid Mitchell

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 !

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.

My buddy and I from NZ called by that museum a few years back, it's almost unbelievable the enthusiasm from the guys there. I knew about hydros as I did a bit of sponsorship of a couple, but the guys there blew me away.

Thank you for doing this video! Lifelong hydro fan from Kirkland, WA. I've lived in AZ for 23 years now and still go back for the Tri-Cities, WA H1 race every year. Following and hoping to see a few more random hydro videos thrown into the mix.

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!

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!!!

Here on the East Coast Larry Lauterbach was the go to builder for the unlimited Hydroplanes. His big name one was "Miss Chrysler Crew".

The real question will you attend a race. And if you do please make it to tri cities! It’s the best fan focused racing spot on the circuit!

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.

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.

Knew Bill Muncey, was 11 years old! Mr Muncey's step son and i rode bikes together! Spent many days watching him work on his truck and talking about everything when Rodger was at his fathers house! Rodger saved my life at 10 or 11 ! Mr Muncey believed big time in Rolls Royce engines and nothing else, told me one time he was very happy he was able to purchase i think 12 engines one year ! Mr Muncey, Chip Hanauor,Miss Budweiser and Atlas van lines GOOD TIMES, THANKS BILL,RODGER,FRAN AND LAURA! 😊

I don't have time or money to go everywhere, so thank you for making the trip. I've only been to Seattle once. Saw the Museum of Flight by accident. One of the best days of my life so far.

If I remember correctly, those surplus engines from the warbirds could be bought for a song right after the war but are worth a lot of money now and very expensive to maintain. Kudos to the folks that put their blood, sweat & tears into keeping them alive, both for these boats & the aforementioned warbirds that were a vital part of the "arsenal of democracy. This video is great, thanks for doing it.

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.

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.

A whole history lesson there. Fascinating stuff. Thank you.

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

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!

OMG being a child of the 60s I remember the Miss Madison. Bill Munsie I also remember now that his name came up. As a kid in the 60s living in Charleston SC I remember hearing the boat races from miles away and always wanting to go till one day I finally did. It never stopped with me.