Great pictures. I do wish the guy with the Canadian Merc would roll the windows down and clean his scuzzy white walls though
Unlimited Hydroplanes have numbers that follow them around. Vehicles have VIN numbers, Unlimited’s have hull numbers. This is not to be confused with their race number (which is a U followed by a number). The boat in the photo, “Blue Chip” has the boat number U-80. When this boat was built in 1957, the boat number was U-222. The hull numbers are always created using the year they were built and the original boat number. The hull number for “Blue Chip” is 1957-222. The original boat was named “Breathless II”, and was owned and raced by Roger and Jay Murphy, and kept at their summer home at Lake Tahoe. The brothers Murphy raced this boat from 1957 through 1960. Hull number 1957-222 never did anything spectacular, like winning the Gold Cup, but it was a fast and strong boat. The Murphy’s raced as a hobby and had enough family money to avoid the need for a sponsor. It was “Breathless II” all the years they owned it, a toy to have some fun with. They would haul the boat to the races in the west, but they were not interested in running it at all the Unlimited events around the country. In 1961 and 1962, the boat just sat in storage. In 1963, they decided to sell the boat. The new owner re-numbered it to U-80 and renamed it “Blue Chip”. This began one of the most amazing history stores in Unlimited Hydro racing. Before this boat was finally retired from racing (in 1983), it had 22 different names, a bunch of different owners and drivers, and quite a few different boat numbers. In 1977, it raced under seven different names in one season. The owner at the time did not have the cash to race for an entire season, and could not find a healthy sponsor, so he picked up a small sponsor at every race he entered that year, and had the local sponsor’s name painted on the boat. Here is a list, boat numbers first, then the boat name, and the year(s) racing under that name. U-222 – “Breathless II” – 1957-1960 U-80 – “Blue Chip” – 1963-1964 U-91 – “The Loaner” – 1966 U-11 – “Miss Wickman” – 1967 U-11 – “Shakey’s Special” – 1973 U-22 – “Sunny Jim” – 1974 U-22 – “Barney Armstrong’s Machine” – 1976 U-22 – “Dionysus – 1977 U-22 – “Mister Fabricator” – 1977 U-22 – “Bruno’s Appliance” – 1977 U-22 – “River’s Inlet Resort” – 1977 U-22 – “Tad Dean’s Body Shop” – 1977 U-22 – “Huling’s People Mover” – 1977 U-22 – “Pacific Datsun” – 1977 U-22 – “Dr. Toyota” – 1978 U-69 – “Schrader’s Wood Stoves” - 1979 U-69 – “Ingraham Class of 69” – 1979 U-69 – “Precision Marine” – 1979 U-22 – “Lil Ole Lake City” – 1980 U-22 – “Jose Murphy’s – 1980 U-22 – “Miss Island Security Systems” – 1982 U-86 – “Swannies” – 1983 U-86 – “Jose Murphy’s” – 1983 U-88 – “Pizza Pete” - Display
Thanks George Klass Fascinating history which you told in a informative and concise manner. I have always enjoyed hydroplanes since living in Seattle. When they were racing on Lake Washington you could hear the roar of the engines throughout the City. Always amused me they would sink if not moving in the water. A boat that does not float! Big hoop on bow for tow line in case motor dies. A speedboat swoops in and tows them. Nose hydroplanes back up to surface. I was at Lake Mead in 1956 when Sir Malcomb Campbell made a run at world water speed record with Bluebird. A submerged log had other plans. Stayed into the night til they brought the sunken boat up. 1 more car I promise, Rex Winter Dry n windy Lubbock TX
A couple of photos of "Breathless II" in her original livery. Same boat more than 20 years later, in "Miss Island Security Systems" livery. Unlimited Hydros built in the 1950's and 1960's usually had a short life span with the original owners. If the owners were well funded (as in rich), or had a bucks-up sponsor, the owners wanted a new boat every couple of years. Their "old" boats were sold to other Unlimited racers that were not quite that wealthy, who raced them for a year or two, and then sold them to someone else. Many of the boats from that era are still around and are technically, still "raceable", although they would not be competitive today. An acquaintance of mine, Dr. Ken Muscatel has owned and driven Unlimiteds for many years. He is Unlimited hydroplane racing’s only forensic psychologist. Dr. Ken grew up on the shores of Lake Washington during Seattle’s golden age of hydroplane racing. Ken owns a good-sized fleet of vintage hydroplanes. At one time or another, he has owned (or co-owned) the 1971 MISS MADISON, HAWAII KAI III (the boat that was the original BREATHLESS II), HURRICANE IV, MISS AMERICA VIII, and OLLIE’S FOLLY. For many years, he served as president of the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Seattle. If you ever saw the movie “MADISON”, all the boats in the movie were owned by Ken, and I believe that he was the technical advisor.
As a kid in the 1950's, my parents had friends that lived right on Lake Washington. We would visit for a week and I would OD on watching the unlimited's practice right in front of me. Slo Mo X and XX, miss thriftway, Miss bardahl ... It was always great. Also had San Point Navy base with sea planes.
I grew up in Tampa and was a friend of Bernie Littles son. They had the Budweiser franchise. Bernie owned Miss Budweiser. I believe it was probably the most well known Hydro racer ever.
One of Bernie Little’s large Budwiser distributorship was located in Lakeland, Fl and Miss Budweiser could often be seen there. Also many of early hydro’s were built by Henry Lauterback of Portsmouth, Va. His son Larry Lauterback still builds some vintage hydros. https://www.facebook.com/proptalk/v...-tour-with-larry-lauterbach/2112076912239889/
"Mame, you really should let me do that. Gasoline is really dangerous and the average person shouldn't be filling their car. Only a station attendant should be doing it."
.... Few realize that long before marijuana became illegal due in most part solely from the lobbing efforts and pressure asserted from many manufacturing sectors of the economy including not just the rope and dye manufactures, but also against manufacture of hemp based paper, medical formulations and food additives just to name a few and all based on hemp sourced production. Well something had to done because it was hitting hard on their bottom lines and like many beneficial organic non patentable sources had to be tucked away and made illegal. However before all that and in a more saner time, Jim Caster shown below is demonstrating his Port-A-Bong for Life Magazine's lead rover photographer Sam "Shutter" Johnson. Sam's notes taken at the time indicated after the demonstration and due to his many " re-takes " Mr. Caster had puffed a little too much for one day. Apparently, after the shoot, Jim Caster had a little difficulty getting home. He was eventually pulled over for what the police determined to be both Excessive Turn Signal Usage and going 12 mph in a duly posted 45 mph zone all during rush hour traffic ... " Nice setup Jim but please ...... Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel " .....
Shown below is a family that reportedly believes that if they just close their eyes and rub hard enough they can turn that 57 Chevy into a new 57 Buick ....
... Depicted here is apparently a young Ralph Nader with his ol' Blue. Few realize that Ralph's first book was actually not " Unsafe At Any Speed " revealing his misguided interpretations of rear engine cars with independent suspensions while somehow missing the emerging Porsche market. But we regress .... Apparently his first book was titled " Safe At Any Speed " and the subject of the book was his highway adventures with Ol Blue noting that front bumper of Ol Blue and what was considered at the time an Anti Bumper Lock Up Deterrent System or ABLDS ... Nader describes how through shear gross weight and that bumper alone Ol Blue cleared many a road going uphill via folks rear view mirrors or especially down hill making folks praying for a safe shoulder area to turn out on before being over taken by Ol Blue ....