My first hydroplane race that I witnessed in person was when my dad took me to the 1951 Seattle Seafair race. We stood on the hill on the Seattle side looking drown at the course and watched Slo-Mo race from the bridge toward the starting line while other boats rounded the turn and headed toward the starting line. No other sporting moment that I have ever experienced has matched the excitement I felt as a seven year old watching the boats race toward and pass the starting line. These vintage boats are the best, and when the style changed I lost interest in hydroplanes. Thanks for this wonderful video!
I lived up on the hill above Sayre's Park from 1968 to 1971. I could see turns 2,3, and 4 from our big living room window. I watched Billy Sterett bounce across the water when Notre Dame hooked a sponson and broke in half, right before Pride of Pay&Pak crossed the finish line. The water was really choppy, as it always seemed to be for the final in Seattle. Three boats were racing hard through turn 4, Bud, Atlas Van Lines, and of course Notre Dame, nearly side by side. I think up until the time U-7's sponson dipped, it was the hardest boat racing I had ever seen. They were all running full out and I'm surprised they didn't all three flip, they rocking bad. Even more amazing, after those 3 or for long skips across the water, Sterett came away with basically a broken nose. As far as I know, my old man got the only footage of the crash, about 3 seconds worth on super8 and just the tail fin sinking below the water. Not sure what he did with it, as I'm guessing it would have been worth a buck or two, but when we had all his film transferred to VHS, we couldn't find it.
@@dwlopez57 Sorry, the only boat that sunk that day was Notre Dame. Apparently you are right, it wasn't Atlas, but it wasn't in a collision. There was a rooster tail incident though and that was the reason. No matter, whichever boat was the third boat in that final turn, it doesn't change what happened, and it doesn't change the racing that was going on in that turn between the three boats, it doesn't change Notre Dame dipping her nose into the chop, and doesn't change how Pay-n-Pak dominated BOTH final heats. I was there, I watched it. I watched Starret bounce across the lake surface like a dam buster bomb from WW2. I was certain I was watching him die. I was also right there in the pits when they raised the ass end of Notre Dame from the bottom of the lake and brought it in to the long dock.
@@andyfletcher3561 in heat 2B Hallmark Homes lost the steering and veered into the Atlas Van Lines, putting a big hole in the side. Atlas finished the heat and returned to the pits where it started sinking. In the original final Pak was leading, then Bud, then the Shamrock Lady, Valu Mart was running fourth followed by the Smoother Mover and Lincoln Thrift. Except Notre Dame that's how they finished the rerun, with Van's PX as the 6th boat. Hallmark Homes had been built in about a month and I've heard what the did wrong with the steering, but I cant remember what it was.
@@dwlopez57 I actually remember the Hallmark boat when they brought it in. It was basically in primer. Care to let me in on where you get this info? Google seems a little sparse. Notre Dame of course was green on white with the big shamrock on the tail, Bud was in her classic red on gold, and the third boat was mostly white, and I'm recalling blue, which is why I was remembering it as Atlas. All three were shovelnose. As I recall, there were actually three pickle forks there, Pay-nPak's sister boat(Lil' Buzzard?) and maybe the Hallmark boat, or Reno's Tahoe Mist?, but they didn't run.
@@andyfletcher3561 I used to have scrapbooks of the articles from the Times and the PI. 1971 is when I started so in the 71 to 72 off season I just kept looking at them and even though I dont have the scrapbooks anymore that race is pretty much imprinted in my brain. You could possibly find the Seattle Times articles online. Sometimes if you google a specific race there is good heat by heat, speeds and points, sometimes not so much info. 71 was my 1st time in the pits so another reason I remember it well. 12 boats there Pay ' n Pak picklefork mostly orange, Budweiser round nose red gold and white, Valu Mart round nose orange, Smoother Mover round nose mahogany, aqua, white tail, Lincoln Thrift mostly white cab over picklefork, Van's PX round nose blue and white, Miss Madison round nose mahogany yellow and white, Miss Timex round nose Red, Hallmark Homes round nose black and white after they painted it, Country Boy cabover picklefork ran during qualifying but didn't race I think it was mostly blue, Notre Dame was actually white with blue stripes it was round nosed, Atlas picklefork, white with blue and red lettering. Atlas went to primarily blue on their boats in 1977. Lil Buzzard didnt race in 1971, 1970 was it's only year, it was round nosed too.
What kind of fuel-well if the engines are left to stock production-avgas is used because they are WWII aircraft engines. Merlins and Allisons. On the low side at least 100 octane but most run 115-120octane range. And also-the better the fuel the better the mileage and air quality. Back then it was real gasoline-not today's crap. Outstanding boats and there is no reason why they still cannot be made and raced unless government has a problem with them.
In 1977, I heard a thundering roar while in school at the Sub Base in Point Loma. For the next three days, the hair on my arms stood on end. What a rush.
As a kid in the 60’s, the Bardahl was my favorite. Thanks for uploading.
My first hydroplane race that I witnessed in person was when my dad took me to the 1951 Seattle Seafair race. We stood on the hill on the Seattle side looking drown at the course and watched Slo-Mo race from the bridge toward the starting line while other boats rounded the turn and headed toward the starting line. No other sporting moment that I have ever experienced has matched the excitement I felt as a seven year old watching the boats race toward and pass the starting line. These vintage boats are the best, and when the style changed I lost interest in hydroplanes. Thanks for this wonderful video!
I lived up on the hill above Sayre's Park from 1968 to 1971. I could see turns 2,3, and 4 from our big living room window. I watched Billy Sterett bounce across the water when Notre Dame hooked a sponson and broke in half, right before Pride of Pay&Pak crossed the finish line. The water was really choppy, as it always seemed to be for the final in Seattle. Three boats were racing hard through turn 4, Bud, Atlas Van Lines, and of course Notre Dame, nearly side by side. I think up until the time U-7's sponson dipped, it was the hardest boat racing I had ever seen. They were all running full out and I'm surprised they didn't all three flip, they rocking bad. Even more amazing, after those 3 or for long skips across the water, Sterett came away with basically a broken nose. As far as I know, my old man got the only footage of the crash, about 3 seconds worth on super8 and just the tail fin sinking below the water. Not sure what he did with it, as I'm guessing it would have been worth a buck or two, but when we had all his film transferred to VHS, we couldn't find it.
Slight correction. Atlas wasn't in that heat, it had sunk earlier 9n the day after Hallmark Homes collided with it
@@dwlopez57 Sorry, the only boat that sunk that day was Notre Dame. Apparently you are right, it wasn't Atlas, but it wasn't in a collision. There was a rooster tail incident though and that was the reason. No matter, whichever boat was the third boat in that final turn, it doesn't change what happened, and it doesn't change the racing that was going on in that turn between the three boats, it doesn't change Notre Dame dipping her nose into the chop, and doesn't change how Pay-n-Pak dominated BOTH final heats. I was there, I watched it. I watched Starret bounce across the lake surface like a dam buster bomb from WW2. I was certain I was watching him die. I was also right there in the pits when they raised the ass end of Notre Dame from the bottom of the lake and brought it in to the long dock.
@@andyfletcher3561 in heat 2B Hallmark Homes lost the steering and veered into the Atlas Van Lines, putting a big hole in the side. Atlas finished the heat and returned to the pits where it started sinking.
In the original final Pak was leading, then Bud, then the Shamrock Lady, Valu Mart was running fourth followed by the Smoother Mover and Lincoln Thrift. Except Notre Dame that's how they finished the rerun, with Van's PX as the 6th boat. Hallmark Homes had been built in about a month and I've heard what the did wrong with the steering, but I cant remember what it was.
@@dwlopez57 I actually remember the Hallmark boat when they brought it in. It was basically in primer. Care to let me in on where you get this info? Google seems a little sparse. Notre Dame of course was green on white with the big shamrock on the tail, Bud was in her classic red on gold, and the third boat was mostly white, and I'm recalling blue, which is why I was remembering it as Atlas. All three were shovelnose. As I recall, there were actually three pickle forks there, Pay-nPak's sister boat(Lil' Buzzard?) and maybe the Hallmark boat, or Reno's Tahoe Mist?, but they didn't run.
@@andyfletcher3561 I used to have scrapbooks of the articles from the Times and the PI. 1971 is when I started so in the 71 to 72 off season I just kept looking at them and even though I dont have the scrapbooks anymore that race is pretty much imprinted in my brain. You could possibly find the Seattle Times articles online. Sometimes if you google a specific race there is good heat by heat, speeds and points, sometimes not so much info. 71 was my 1st time in the pits so another reason I remember it well.
12 boats there Pay ' n Pak picklefork mostly orange, Budweiser round nose red gold and white, Valu Mart round nose orange, Smoother Mover round nose mahogany, aqua, white tail, Lincoln Thrift mostly white cab over picklefork, Van's PX round nose blue and white, Miss Madison round nose mahogany yellow and white, Miss Timex round nose Red, Hallmark Homes round nose black and white after they painted it, Country Boy cabover picklefork ran during qualifying but didn't race I think it was mostly blue, Notre Dame was actually white with blue stripes it was round nosed, Atlas picklefork, white with blue and red lettering. Atlas went to primarily blue on their boats in 1977. Lil Buzzard didnt race in 1971, 1970 was it's only year, it was round nosed too.
Too bad KIRO doesn't broadcast the race any more. I would plan my whole weekend around spending that day in front of the tv for the hydros.
Would have like to hear the boats more! I fined the piston powered hydroplanes more fun to watch.
Those days they sounded like a squadron of P-51's coming in hot , that was a treat !!!
Amazing upload.. Thank you.
The reporters with their outboard and turbine sound effects drowning out the symphony of V-12 Allisons.. Fools.
My youth!
Great to see these and good to hear the commentary for the facts only. The rest of the time please just shut up so we can hear the engines.
Interesting boat design. The front half is a catamaran and the rear half is a monohull, looks like?
After WWII mist those Allison Engines were sold to some foreign salvagers for scrap.
why is Teds name not mention ?
What kind of fuel-well if the engines are left to stock production-avgas is used because they are WWII aircraft engines. Merlins and Allisons. On the low side at least 100 octane but most run 115-120octane range. And also-the better the fuel the better the mileage and air quality. Back then it was real gasoline-not today's crap. Outstanding boats and there is no reason why they still cannot be made and raced unless government has a problem with them.
what kind of fuel do they run?
+morphman21 probably avgas maybe 120 octane, something like that....
+Edmond Lheureux 100-octane low-lead AvGas.
In 1977, I heard a thundering roar while in school at the Sub Base in Point Loma. For the next three days, the hair on my arms stood on end.
What a rush.
ABC's Wide World of sports- 60'-Blk/white TV. The only contact many of us had with the monsters. Never lost interest in 'em-- never .will
I'll take all of these engines you can find for 15000.