The Vanquished (1955-1963)

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

From 1955 until 1963, MISS THRIFTWAY from Seattle, Washington, set the standard for excellence in the APBA Unlimited Class. With Bill Muncey driving, the “Nifty Thrifty” never entered a race that she didn’t arguably have a shot at winning.

For those nearly 3,000 days, MISS THRIFTWAY won more than her share of races. When she lost, she always made the rest of the field work for it. Clearly, no team could take the formidable U-60 for granted on the race course.

The vaunted MISS THRIFTWAY (all three of them!), driver Muncey, representative owner Willard Rhodes, crew chief Jack Ramsey, and designer Ted Jones are the stuff of which legends are carved. Indeed, their exploits over those nine halcyon years will always be remembered for as long as boats are raced.

But what about the teams that MISS THRIFTWAY competed against? These were the vanquished--those boats that tried but generally failed to derail the U-60’s seemingly unstoppable victory train.

Much has been said and written of HAWAII KAI III, TEMPO VII, SHANTY I, MAVERICK, MISS SUPERTEST III, MISS BARDAHL, and others that were MISS THRIFTWAY’s equal at one time or another between 1955 and 1963.

But what of the “also-rans” that filled out the field when racing needed boats in the pits? They too are a part of the story of the MISS THRIFTWAY era.

One of the most prominent “also-rans” was the U-60’s own teammate, THRIFTWAY TOO (U-62). The TOO was one of the first post-World War II Unlimited hydroplanes to seat the driver ahead of--rather than behind--the engine well in a cabover configuration. She was one of the biggest and heaviest Unlimiteds of all time.

Designed to carry two V-12 aircraft engines, she never used more than one. That slowed her down and perhaps kept her from reaching her true potential.

Throughout her career, THRIFTWAY TOO was greatly overshadowed by her smaller, faster sister-ship. While the U-60 had a professional crew, the U-62 had a completely volunteer crew.

THRIFTWAY TOO’s most memorable showing was her incredible performance at the 1957 Sahara Cup on Lake Mead, where driver Brien Wygle outran the winner, HAWAII KAI III, in the Final Heat.

But if THRIFTWAY TOO was under-powered, SCOOTER TOO (U-10) was somewhat overpowered. Built in 1955 and owned by industrialist Henry Kaiser, the U-10 carried a 24-cylinder Allison, one of the largest engines ever used in a race boat and the equivalent of two V-12 Allisons welded together.

SCOOTER TOO demonstrated considerable speed potential but had trouble going the distance. She was nicknamed “The Submarine” because she sank five times during her career. Since the W-24 Allison was such a limited series motor, replacement engine parts were difficult to find.

Renamed MISS TRI-CITIES, SCOOTER TOO’s final incarnation was atop a pylon at the entrance to the pit area in Columbia Park at Kennewick, Washington, between 1969 and 1992.

The MISS THRIFTWAY era saw a tremendous increase in the number of West Coast Unlimited teams. In previous decades, Gold Cup and Unlimited Class racing had been largely an East Coast and Mid-West phenomenon.

The biggest concentration of western entries was in and around Seattle. But there were a few from the Lake Tahoe area as well.

Representing the Lake Tahoe Yacht Club was the team of J. Philip Murphy. Between 1954 and 1960, Murphy campaigned BREATHLESS, BREATHLESS II, and MUVALONG. His sons (Jay and Roger) did most of the driving.

The Murphys were quite well off financially, but chose not to put a lot of dollars into their boats. They ran largely stock equipment. To them, Unlimited racing was strictly a hobby.

BREATHLESS won a couple of secondary races on Lake Tahoe in 1955 against local opposition. But she was thoroughly outclassed at the 1955 Gold Cup in Seattle, where she finished fifth. The frontrunners (GALE V, MISS THRIFTWAY, and SLO-MO-SHUN IV) easily lapped her.

MUVALONG (the former SUCH CRUST V) displaced BREATHLESS as the Murphy team’s primary hull in 1956. But she did not improve upon her predecessor’s performance and was herself displaced in 1957 by the new BREATHLESS II.

BREATHLESS II was a line-for-line hull duplicate of the fabulously successful HAWAII KAI III and was the Murphys’ best all-around entry. Her best showing was at the 1960 Seattle Seafair Regatta, where she ran two heats at 105 miles per hour and bested the winner (MISS THRIFTWAY) in a preliminary heat.

In 1991, the former BREATHLESS II was called upon to stand in for the departed HAWAII KAI III in an exhibition run on Lake Washington. Resplendent in the KAI’s tropical rose and coral mist racing colors, the 34-year-old craft toured the race course on race day morning at the Seafair Regatta with Dr. Ken Muscatel and former HAWAII KAI III driver Jack Regas in the cockpit.

A southern California neighbor of the Murphys was Lawrence (“Bill”) Schuyler who campaigned the $ BILL. Like the Murphys, Schuyler was also very well-heeled financially but chose to approach the sport as a hobbyist.

Built in 1959, $ BILL was an enlargement of a successful Limited hydroplane of the same name. But something obviously was lost in the translation. Nicknamed “The Tennis Shoe” and “The Ugly Duckling,” $ BILL was one of the worst riding boats in the history of Unlimited racing. She ran fast enough to qualify and usually finished, but was never in the hunt for the winner’s circle.

Schuyler retired the errant craft after three drivers (Red Loomis, Bob Larsen, and Bob Gilliam) gave up on her at the 1961 APBA Gold Cup at Lake Pyramid, Nevada.

A second $ BILL, built in 1962, ran much better and faster than her predecessor. With former MISS THRIFTWAY pilot Bill Muncey at the controls, she finished second in the 1966 British Columbia Cup at Kelowna,, B.C., on Lake Okanogan.

Bob Gilliam (pronounced Gillum) was a Seattle institution during, and following, the MISS THRIFTWAY era. He could be counted upon to bring anywhere from one to three boats (which he had built himself) to a race. And maybe none of them would qualify. However, that didn’t seem to bother his legion of fans.

FASCINATION was the name usually appended to Gilliam’s creations. Other handles included MISS B & I, SUDDEN SUNNEE, and KOLroy.

Bob made an inauspicious debut in 1956. During an after-hours test run on Lake Washington, in almost total darkness, he ran over the log boom with MISS B & I.

Gilliam achieved the pinnacle of his career at the 1959 Buffalo (New York) Launch Club Regatta. MISS THRIFTWAY had a miserable day and didn’t score a point; Bob and KOLroy finished second overall and outran the National Champion, MAVERICK, in the Final Heat.

Three of the most popular Northwest Unlimited teams were the MISS BURIEN, the CORAL REEF, and the MISS SPOKANE. All three were under-financed but generated tremendous fan support during their careers.

MISS BURIEN started life as TEMPEST in 1956. The following year, she ran as the first MISS BARDAHL, sponsored--but not owned--by Ole Bardahl. Home-built by original owner Norm Christiansen, she measured 27 feet 4 inches in length, which is now considered rather short for anything with an Allison engine.

At the 1958 Diamond Cup in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, MISS BURIEN had a Limited driver, Bill Brow, making his Unlimited debut in Heat 1-A. While running in third-place, behind MISS U.S. I and MISS THRIFTWAY, Brow executed a daring maneuver. He drove boldly through THRIFTWAY’s roostertail and took the inside lane away from Bill Muncey. Brow then accelerated into second-place and outran MISS THRIFTWAY to the checkered flag.

By defeating the highly touted THRIFTWAY and Muncey, Brow established himself as a formidable presence in Unlimited racing. He went on to become one of the top drivers of the 1960s and won many trophies driving for the MISS EXIDE and MISS BUDWEISER teams.

CORAL REEF made an inauspicious debut in 1957 as MISS ROCKET. Designed and built by Les Staudacher, the Tacoma,Washington-based U-19 likewise failed to make much of an impression at the first few races of 1958 for owner Austin Snell.

On the eve of the 1958 Gold Cup in Seattle, no one gave much thought to CORAL REEF. After all, in a year and a half, the U-19 had never finished three heats in one day and hadn’t qualified for a single Final Heat. CORAL REEF was regarded as the epitome of mediocrity. But that impression was soon to change.

Rookie driver Harry Reeves had, the previous weekend, won the 136 Cubic Inch Class National Championship on Seattle’s Green Lake with his Limited hydroplane OPE, named after his wife Opal. Harry was really on a roll.

On Gold Cup race day, August 10, CORAL REEF came alive. She finished second and first in her preliminary heats. Then, in the finale, Reeves went all out after HAWAII KAI III and driver Jack Regas. At the checkered flag, it was Regas the winner, a roostertail length ahead of Reeves, in the performance of his career.

But to hear the CORAL REEF crew members cheer their driver when he returned to the dock, one would have thought that they were the winners!

MISS SPOKANE was originally a back-up hull for the SHANTY I and MISS WAHOO teams in 1956. Owned by the city of Spokane, Washington, the “Lilac Lady” (as she was nicknamed) made her competitive debut at the 1958 Lake Chelan Apple Cup. With rookie Dallas Sartz at the wheel, she finished third in a twelve-boat field.

Throughout her career, MISS SPOKANE may have been hampered by a modest budget. But that didn’t prevent her from playing the spoiler role at the 1959 Gold Cup in Seattle. That was the time when MISS THRIFTWAY appeared to have won the race.

Then came the announcement that MISS SPOKANE driver Norm Evans, who had apparently finished third in the Final Heat, had jumped the gun and been penalized a lap. This moved fourth-place MAVERICK up to third and into a point tie with MISS THRIFTWAY.

The contest then had to be decided on the basis of total elapsed time. Because MAVERICK had completed the total 90-mile race 13.3 seconds faster than THRIFTWAY, the victory was taken away from MISS THRIFTWAY and given to MAVERICK.

And all because MISS SPOKANE jumped the gun!

Some of the most memorable also-rans of the MISS THRIFTWAY era were the huge twin-Allison-powered challengers from Detroit, Michigan. These included the likes of Joe Schoenith’s GALE VI, Jack Schafer’s SUCH CRUST III and SUCH CRUST IV, and Bud Saile’s MISS WAYNE.

Although powerful, these heavy creations generally couldn’t keep up with the smaller, lighter, single-engine Unlimiteds, such as MISS THRIFTWAY.

One twin-Allison craft, the GALE VI, however, almost pulled off an upset at the 1958 Detroit Memorial Regatta. Driver Lee Schoenith dominated the winner-take-all Final Heat and appeared to have won. Lee paraded up and down the course, waving his hand, only to be told by referee Al D’Eath that he had jumped the gun. Victory went instead to Muncey and MISS THRIFTWAY that day.

A number of second-echelon teams from east of the Mississippi River fought the good fight in the late 1950s but never won a race. These included WHA HOPPEN TOO, WHAT-A-PICKLE, and WILDROOT CHARLIE. All three were former GALE boats--GALE II, GALE III, and GALE IV to be exact.

WHA HOPPEN TOO managed to make it into a few Final Heats before burning to the waterline at Buffalo, New York, in 1957.

WHAT A PICKLE had been a disappointment to GALE owners Joe and Lee Schoenith and was never entered in a heat of competition as GALE III. Loaned to Gordon Deneau for the 1957 Silver Cup at Detroit, WHAT A PICKLE finished all three heats and wound up sixth in a seventeen-boat field. And this was on a day when the Schoeniths’ GALE VI failed to score a point!

WILDROOT CHARLIE and driver Bob Schroeder could always be counted upon to make the front-runners work for it. She came back to haunt her former owners--the Schoeniths--by finishing ahead of them in National High Points in both 1957 and 1958. WILDROOT CHARLIE finished second to HAWAII KAI III in 1957 National Points and fourth in 1958.

Another cast-off from a major team was the former SUCH CRUST IV of 1952 that came back in the early 1960s as THUNDERBOLT from Detroit. She was slow but reliable and helped to fill out many fields.

In 1962, MISS THRIFTWAY (alias MISS CENTURY 21) had an incredible string of fifteen consecutive heat victories, seven race wins in a row, and 55 consecutive heats finished without a breakdown, going into the last race of the season at Lake Tahoe.

The boat that brought MISS CENTURY 21 down to earth was the local entry, TAHOE MISS, owned by Bill Harrah.

The former MAVERICK, TAHOE MISS experienced personnel problems earlier in the year and was having a difficult season. But with the recent appointment of Chuck Thompson as driver, the 1959 National Champion had returned to life. She shed her also-ran status and was once again a contender.

In the first heat of the 1962 Harrah’s Tahoe Regatta, the host boat jumped to an early lead with MISS CENTURY 21 in hot pursuit. Thompson showed Muncey the short way around the 3-mile course as the margin between TAHOE MISS and C-21 increased.

Then, MISS CENTURY 21 broke a crankshaft in the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and slid to a stop, ending her string of consecutive victories. The heat went to TAHOE MISS and the overall race went to Ron Musson in MISS BARDAHL.

To be sure, Muncey and the U-60 would visit victory lane again before the team’s retirement from racing in mid-1963. But their days of domination in race after race were over. A fabulous era had ended.