Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum

05/30/2026

From the 1979 Squire Shop Hydroplane Restoration team... There is always something COOL happening at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum !

Look for this team at Moses Lake this year!

05/29/2026

Atlas Van Lines crew installing the Merlin engine into the 1977 "Blue Blaster" after winter maintenance. The Atlas will be running in the Vintage Exhibition at the Columbia Cup in TriCity WaterFollies July 24-26.

The Atlas is just one of the many vintage hydroplanes lovingly restored and maintained in running condition at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum . Many opportunities to see these marvels of craftsmanship and artist design this summer throughout Washington State. See our website for more information on upcoming events or the visit the museum. www.thunderboats.org

05/29/2026

Your Seattle Vacation isn't complete without a visit to the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum located just 10 minutes from SeaTac Airport.

Visit Seattle during FIFA World Cup with a trip down memory lane to the World Class museum featuring the heart of the Original Motor Sport.

🏁Working Restoration Shop - See the boats in progress of restoration
🏁Fully Restored and Running Hydroplanes - You might get lucky & see one fired up!
🏁Bigger than Life and closer than you can believe!

05/28/2026

Thank you Federal Way Parks & Recreation for an amazing day at the Touch-A-Truck event!

Creating new hydroplane FANS and maybe a future RACER!

If you thought The Squire Shop hydroplane was awesome, come to the museum located in Kent, WA.

The museum, which serves as a working restoration shop and a major historical archive, stands out in several distinct ways:

🌟Restored, Running Legends: It is the only place in the world where you can view multiple historic, Gold Cup-winning unlimited hydroplanes—such as Slo-mo-shun IV, Miss Thriftway, and Atlas Van Lines—all at once, and see them actually take to the water for exhibitions.

🌟Ultimate Speed Heritage: The exhibits celebrate hydroplanes, which are the world's fastest racing boats (capable of speeds exceeding 200 mph).

🌟Vast Media Archive: The museum houses the nation’s primary historical resource for powerboat racing, featuring over 44,000 historic photographs and 200+ hours of rare vintage racing films dating back to the 1940s.

🌟Community Connection: Hydroplane racing is deep-rooted in the Pacific Northwest as the city's first professional sport, making the museum a localized hub for honoring regional legends like designers Ted Jones and drivers like Chip Hanauer.



https://youtu.be/bBIYYA348nw?si=dRi04OlEP8YYN1Y3

05/28/2026

Looking forward to another amazing year of Seafair Festival!

Visit Seattle

05/21/2026

OUR ONLINE STORE HAS LOTS OF NEW ITEMS AND WE'VE RESTOCKED OUR INVENTORY!

We’ve added some great new items to our Online Store, like our BRAND NEW SHIRT FOR 2026 “No Replacement For Displacement”, NEW Squire Shop Hoodies, the NEW AND UPDATED “Hydro Who’s Who 2026 Edition” and more!

We’ve also restocked our shirts inventory, so get what you’ve been wanting (and we may have been out of) before they’re sold out again!

The brand new (and almost always sold out) David Williams book, “MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT - THE CHUCK LYFORD STORY” IS NOW IN STOCK AND READY TO SHIP!

GO TO OUR ONLINE STORE NOW AT
hydromuseumstore.org
AND HAVE FUN SHOPPING FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON!

05/15/2026

Here’s some action from last Tuesday’s HARM Vintage test on Lake Washington. A big thank you to Craig Fjarlie who was kind enough to man my camera gear for the day while I fulfilled my referee duties. Enjoy!

Testing of HARM Vintage Hydros at Stan Sayers Park on Lake Washington, May 12, 2026. Photos by Craig Fjarlie for Gleason Racing Photography.

05/11/2026

Spring Test: Tuesday, May 12

A reminder that the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum's annual Spring Testing session will take place on Lake Washington on Tuesday, May 12 at Stan Sayers Pits from 10:00-2:00. Four boats are scheduled to take to the water: The Museum's 1958 "Miss Bardahl" and 1956 "Miss Wahoo" replica, Thunder Valley Racing's 1962 "Notre Dame" replica, and Dixon Smith's 1962 "Miss Bardahl". We will be giving the Museum boats their initial shakedown cruises following off-season overhaul work on the engines, as well as conducting driver qualification and training. The weather for tomorrow looks good—partly cloudy with temperatures in the 70s...but bring a coat...this is Seattle in May.

The event is open and free to the public, but parking will be restricted to credentialed parking only. Security personnel will be on hand to control parking. If you want to attend, there is plenty of street parking available in the surrounding neighborhood.

Due to APBA insurance requirements—AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION—only working boat crew members will be allowed in the hot pit area. This is the area behind the orange storm fencing. You need to be a current/active APBA member with a credentialed wristband to be in the hot pit area or on the docks behind the hot pits (the event coordinators have a master-list, so if you are not already part of a team that is running, please do not try to talk your way in...it only adds to the workload for all of us). This is not a Museum policy, this is APBA policy, and our event sanction depends on us following the rules. The cold pit area will still be open to the public, as well as the docks and boat-launching area outside the hot pits.

The Museum will have merchandise for purchase, and there will be a television production crew present filming the event for a future feature on the Museum.

Lunch will be available for purchase at the event.

Cheers!

Brad Haskin, Executive Director

05/06/2026

Don't forget that today is the best day to make your donation go even farther!

WA Gives and will match a portion of all donations made today!

Tonight is your last chance to make your important donation do even more to help us keep bringing the thunder!

Please donate to The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum through this link:

https://www.wagives.org/organization/hydroplane-and-raceboat-museum

05/05/2026

Don't forget that today is the day to make your donation go even farther!
WA Gives and will match a portion of all donations made today!
Please donate to The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum through this link:

https://www.wagives.org/organization/hydroplane-and-raceboat-museum