Miss Grays Harbor Question

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

QUESTION:

Fred, could you tell us the story of the MISS GRAYS HARBOR hydroplane? - Jim Sharkey

ANSWER:

For a boat that never wet a sponson, MISS GRAYS HARBOR has certainly cast a long shadow over the past 45 years! She would likely be forgotten today were it not for a series of fund-raising booster buttons, handed out in the early 1960s, that are treasured by collectors.

MISS GRAYS HARBOR was the unrealized dream of one Mark Arhaus of Satsop, Washington. It is not known whether or not Mr. Arhaus had any previous connection to hydroplane racing. Apparently, he had none.

Over the years, many apocryphal boats have been reported as being in the works--MISS BAI BAI, MISS SAN JUAN, MISS WOLVERINE, HERE'S WHAT, and TRIUMPH II among them. However, it is extremely doubtful if two pieces of wood ever came together on any of these projects. MISS GRAYS HARBOR's existence was documented by a photograph and an article appearing in a Seattle newspaper in the summer of 1960. The boat was reportedly a hull duplicate of the 1956 TEMPEST/MISS BARDAHL/MISS BURIEN, a conventional home-built three-point hydroplane that measured 27 feet 4 inches in length.

Bob Brinton, who was the editor of the UNLIMITED HYDROPLANE NEWS at the time, journeyed to Satsop and inspected MISS GRAYS HARBOR, which was intended for an Allison engine. It was just a bare hull wth no hardware installed.

According to Brinton, the boat appeared to be built extremely heavy. Bob questioned whether or not it would ever be able to achieve a planing attitude, on account of the excess weight. Perhaps this is why MISS GRAYS HARBOR was never heard from again. The owner never registered it with the APBA and never brought it to a race.

Decades later, the boat was reported still sitting in the owner's backyard in Satsop. Over the years, various hydro fans attempted to contact Mr. Arhaus concerning MISS GRAYS HARBOR. But he refused all requests for an interview.