About Unlimited Excitement
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Unlimited Excitement was formed by a couple of hard core hydroplane enthusiasts. We've watched with delight as the classic hydroplanes have been acquired and restored by like-minded people - boats like the Slo-mo-shun IV and V, the Thriftway, the Burien, the 'Bardahl, and the '67 Budweiser. While the round-nose boats are well represented, some of the most significant hydroplanes are languishing, in danger of being lost forever. We're pleased to have the opportunity to preserve and restore three of the most important boats of the piston Era -- the '70-72/'73-'75 Pride of Pay'n Pak/Budweiser, the last Miss U.S. and the Griffon-powered Miss Budweiser. We're also pleased that other enthusiasts and organizations have stepped forward to preserve other important boats like the '82 Atlas Van Lines, the Atlas Blue Blaster, the Pay 'n Pak, and the U-95.
Hydroplane racing is starting a renaissance similar to that of historic race cars, WW-II fighter planes (Warbirds), and wooden boats - gentlemen sportsman step forward to preserve the equipment and create the same social atmosphere present when the equipment was actively campaigned, including involvement by those who were part of the original teams, while also providing an opportunity to exercise the equipment and share the grandeur of these magnificent machines.
We are active in historic race cars, and have seen this sport experience phenomenal growth as exceptionally special cars are raced by their current owners. Multi-million dollar cars are regularly pushed to the limit by their amateur owners, enabling us to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells which used to echo across the race venues of the 50's and 60's. Along with the fabulous cars, famous personalities of the era are frequently guests at the races. At the time they campaigned, little thought was given to preserving the race cars, and many have been lost through the years. Fortunately, enough survive that they are not priceless museum pieces, but instead are valuable artifacts which can be exercised for all of us to enjoy.
Classic hydroplanes are even rarer than the rarest historic race cars. Each was essentially a one-off, and many were destroyed during the course of competition. When finished competing, many were demolished, since storing something that is 30 feet long by 14 feet wide that weight 6,000lbs is difficult. The boats which were not destroyed (burning was a popular means of disposal) were usually left to the elements, which means the restorer has a formidable job ahead if a suitable hull can be found in the first place. Yet there are people like Will Muncey, Dave Culley and Tim Donery who have taken the care to preserved their boats so enthusiasts like us can restore them.
The classic unlimited hydroplanes are beginning to be appreciated. We're about 20 years behind historic race cars as far as developing a historic boat culture, but that is understandable given the complexity of the machines involved. The logistics to take the boat out for a drive are far more difficult that running around the block in a sports-car, even if the sports car is a thouroubred racing beast, which presents significant barriers. These barriers are not much higher than those faced by Warbird enthusiasts, and the rewards potentially greater since we can connect to a larger audience. We have many of the great drivers, owners, and crew members available to us, we have experienced restoration experts, we have people who actually constructed the boats, and we have knowledgeable enthusiasts. Most of all, we have dedicated owners and volunteers who love these battlewagons and work tirelessly to put them back into their original condition so they can be put in the water once again.
We're happy to step up and preserve two of the most important boats of the piston era -- the Miss U.S. which became the first Cabover to win a Gold Cup (and from that point forward only cab-overs would win) while marking the end of an era as the last Allison powered boat to win a Gold Cup, and the Griffon powered Miss Budweiser, which would be dominate yet would be made obsolete by the turbine boats -- she would be the last piston boat to win a National Championship. These boats will be restored to their "as-raced" configurations, and put back on the water for the enjoyment of hydroplane enthusiasts as often as we can. We expect to run the boats at a couple of major events each year, as well as at a couple of test sessions. We feel this schedule will enable us to present a high quality demonstration without undue stress on the hull and powerplants. We hope you have an opportunity to see one of our boats at an upcoming event.
Unlimited Excitement acquired it's first Boat, the Miss U.S., from Will Muncey, an accomplished Hydroplane driver and former publisher of Boat Racing magazine. Will acquired the boat from the Simon team and reconfigured it to run in "Z-Boat" Unlimited Piston Division, which meant refitting the boat with an F16 canopy, adding an emergency air supply, and making other safety modifications. The turbochargers had also been removed from the boat. When acquired, the boat was in good condition considering its age. Muncey took good care of the boat, keeping a roof over it which prevented water damage common to those boats stored outdoors.
We'll be making some structural repairs to the hull, overhauling her systems, converting the cockpit back its original open configuration, adding turbochargers back to her Allison engine, freshening the engine, and adding new paint and trim.
Our second boat, the Griffon powered Miss Budweiser, was acquired from Tim Donery and Dave Culley, two accomplished Hydroplane owners, crew chiefs, constructors, and crew members. The boat had been damaged in October 1990 in the Honolulu at the season opening race. The starboard sponson suffered severe damage -- severe enough to have ended her career. The boat had been converted from a Rolls-Royce Griffon-74 two-stage supercharger configuration to a triple turbocharger configuration. This had been needed because high engine RPM constantly broke quill shafts and other supercharger components due to the high harmonic vibrations present at competitive RPM -- RPM much higher than the engines were originally intended to run. Under Budweiser sponsorship, these problems had been addressed with cubic dollars -- constantly replacing engines and supercharger components. After Budweiser, funds were just not available to keep the superchargers repaired, so the superchargers were removed and replaced by a trio of turbosupercharger mounted near the gearbox. Induction was by a three-barrel Bendix-Stromberg injection carburetor feeding the inlets of the turbochargers. Engines used were Griffon-58 models with their superchargers removed. The UHRA required all boats competing in the 1989 and following seasons to be equipped with canopies, strobe lights, escape hatches, and emergency oxygen systems and this boat was so equipped when acquired.
While this boat was kept under partial cover (tarps), it was stored outside and considerable damage has occurred to the wood due to moisture collecting in the boat. Freezing weather dramatically accelerates the damage, causing damp wood to expand and fracture otherwise sound wood. Serious corrosion has also been found in some important systems. Much of the hull remains sound, due to the use of hexcel honeycomb and fiberglass construction.
Miss Budweiser restoration is underway. Her deck and canopy have been removed, she's been rolled over, her non-trips are off, sponsons have been dismantled and are undergong reconstruction, and a new transom has been fabricated. Shoes have been remove as has the bottom escape hatch, and her bottom has been repaired. A number of frames have been reinforced or replaced to eliminate corroded aluminum honeycomb. The Griffon engines have been torn down and are undergoing rebuild now.
We have recently taken possession of our third boat -- the 1970-1972 Pride of Pay 'n Pak/1973-1975 Miss Budweiser. She is in her Australian "Aussie Bud" livery (VS-222 Miss Bud), and in remarkably good condition. We've test fired the Merlin and have a bit of work to do before we're ready to run, but look forward to having her join the Griffon Budweiser in the near future.