All News Posts (263)

Museum Executive Director David D. Williams has written four books about Unlimited hydroplane racing that belong

on every hydroplane racing fan's bookshelf. They are "Hydroplane Racing in Seattle", "Turbine Racing in Seattle". "Hydroplane Racing in the Tri-Cities", and "Hydroplane Racing in Detroit". They can be ordered via the Museum

by visiting the Museum STORE button and then clicking on BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. You will also find numerous other publications on boat racing that…

 

Save the date - Saturday, May 28th from 10 am to 4 pm for HYDRO FEVER at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. 5917 South 196th Street   Kent, WA 98032

  

It's the annual Open House, and admission is FREE.HYDRO FEVER will include a Live auction of hydroplane memorabilia at 12 Noon. Casper model races take place all day. There will be hot lunch…

In early April I had the chance to visit the Hydroplane museum for the first time. I would like to thank everyone for the welcome and I must say I am impressed by the work and dedication of everyone. 

I am working with a boat museum here in Sweden but we have nothing like what you have. Being a boat racing fan it was like coming to heaven. There is nothing even close to unlimited hydroplanes here. I am restoring a small inboard hydroplane which origin is from one of Ron Jones…

That could be the motto of Dean Chenoweth, unlimited hydroplane champion and a man with unlimited courage.

By Coles Phinizy

Reprinted from Sports Illustrated, August 24, 1981

In his workaday world 43-year-old Dean Chenoweth of Tallahassee is a near-perfect person. He doesn't smoke. He doesn't drink. He eats what he needs, takes diet supplements and runs eight miles a day. Although a model of abstinence in his ordinary life, in his…

Gar Wood always wanted to build and race the fastest powerboats in the world. Finally, when nearing 40, he realized his ambition.

By William F. Nolan

Reprinted from Sports Illustrated, February 4, 1963

They all laughed when Garfield Arthur Wood challenged England for the Harmsworth Trophy in 1920. Wood was nearly 40, an age at which few sportsmen are found behind the wheel of an unlimited hydroplane. Besides, the English had held the…

I knew that his days were growing short but still, it came as a personal blow to learn that Stan Hanauer had passed away last week. I flat loved the guy and I will miss him a great deal. Stan was a fine human being.

There are so many good people who will read this post that knew Stan far better than I, who can tell the great stories of his Navy days, or his hydroplane racing days.  I wasn’t a close personal friend, but Stan and I were simpatico on a special level as fellow…

One Lap in the Life of the Green Dragon

By: Ryan Smith

[Ed. note: Inspiration for this account comes from…

The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum is sad to announce that Stan Hanauer passed away last evening at 8pm. His family was with him at the time. Services will be announced soon. Stan was 90 years of age. 

I can almost smell the water and feel the breeze against my face, as I anxiously wait for the racing season to start.  A visit

was made to the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum for quick fix of those hydroplane boats; along with a visit to Stan

Sayers Park Memorial Park to breathe in the beauty of Lake Washington. It was an unusual day for February, a special

gift from nature for those of us  who live near  Seattle; as that there was no rain to…

By Doug Ford

Reprinted from h1unlimited.com.

There has been a lot of chatter lately about the potential of an automotive powered unlimited hydroplane--and for good reason. They are loud. They would clearly be a fan favorite. They attract an entirely different group of potential sponsors such as automotive products, motor oil, spark plugs,…

By Fred Farley - H1 Unlimited Historian

Garfield Arthur Wood - the immortal "Grey Fox of Grayhaven (Michigan)" - was Unlimited hydroplane racing's first superstar. In the years prior to World War II, "King Gar" personified power boat competition in the eyes of the world.

He won the APBA Gold Cup four times as an owner and five times as a driver, and captured the Harmsworth International Trophy eight times as a driver and nine times as an owner. Gar was the first to average over…

By Fred Farley - H1 Unlimited Historian

Dean Chenoweth drove Unlimited hydroplanes from 1968 until his death in 1982. Like few drivers before or since, Dean could guarantee results. And in so doing, he raised boat driving to the level of an art form.

Known primarily for his championship exploits with Bernie Little's MISS BUDWEISER team, Chenoweth won 25 Unlimited races. He captured the Crown Jewel of APBA competition, the Gold Cup, four times in 1970, 1973, 1980, and 1981. Dean…

Gar Wood and Dean Chenoweth will be inducted into the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum

Hall of Champions on Saturday May 14th.

Legendary boat racers from different eras will be…

Follow our build of Miss Canada here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/classicwoodenboatmodels/

Check the messages folder for the build articles.

By Fred Farley  -  H1 Unlimited Historian

The 2010 H1 Unlimited tour featured a battle royal for National High Point honors that began over the Fourth of July weekend in Madison (Indiana) and concluded with stopovers in Detroit, Tri-Cities (Washington), Seattle, San Diego, and Doha (Qatar).

A total of twelve teams, thirteen hulls, and sixteen drivers saw competitive action during 2010.

When the roostertails subsided after the last race of the season at Doha, OH BOY!…

By Jon Osterberg

What makes a boat great? Typically, four traits: a committed owner; a smart, talented crew; superb driving; and innovation.

In post-1950 hydroplane racing, dominant teams have raced boats named Slo-mo-shun, Thriftway, Budweiser, Pay 'n Pak, and Atlas Van Lines. Great boats driven by great drivers named Fageol. Taggart. Muncey. Chenoweth. Remund. Henley. Hanauer. Kropfeld. D'Eath.

From 1963…