1963 Guntersville Video Recap

You read that right… 1963!

There’s nothing like vintage hydroplanes, but what about a vintage… REALLY vintage… race?

When Lake Guntersville comes alive in June, we will be celebrating 60 years since the Unlimiteds first took to the water!

1963 was certainly a different era when it came to “recording video.” Back then, it was more like getting the 8 mm movie camera out and making a home movie!

As you can imagine, there isn’t any “official” video available from the 1963 Guntersville race. However, YouTube is a treasure trove of nostalgia. More on that in a moment.

1963 Alabama Governor’s Cup

According to Leslie Field, the race had 8 boats entered. After three heats, the U-40 Miss Bardahl, driven by Ron Musson took top honors.

Miss Bardahl earned a perfect 400 points in each of 3 heats. And it wasn’t even close. In second place was the U-55 Gale V, driven by Bill Cantrell coming in at 825 points.

Guntersville “Through the Years”

The Sand Mountain Reporter from Albertville, Alabama did a great job of recapping the rich history of Guntersville boat racing for us. In this article, they provide a quick glimpse into the years between 1940 and 1986.

My favorite part of their article is the recap for 1963:

• The first year to have the unlimited hydroplane boats.
• They were the fastest in the world, built with airplane engines from World War II fighters.
• Considered the “show” category of power boating, these were 30 ft. long…6,800 lb. boats.
• Prize money: $10,000

Hat tip to the Sand Mountain Reporter for that recap.

I don’t know about you, but 10k then wasn’t too bad. In today’s dollars, that’s nearly $100,000, accounting for an average inflation rate of just under 4% for that 60 year period.

But alas, how do we see the action?

Home Movie to the Rescue!

On YouTube, “wfooshee” shares their father’s 8 millimeter movies from the 1963 race. However, they are forthcoming in not being completely sure if it was 1963 or 1962.

“Unlimited hydroplane on Guntersville Lake, 1963, from my dad’s 8mm movies. It could be 1962, but I don’t think so.”

Enjoy the short video. Then, I need #DamnSmartFans to weigh in on something.

Excitement Inflation

We may think these boats were a bit underwhelming compared to today’s beasts. Just remember, that $10,000 prize money is worth nearly 10 times that today. Based on this video, the level of excitement we all enjoy today seems to track just the same!

Need Your Help!

There are many #DamnSmartFans out there who know much more about the history than I do. To my eye, “wfooshee” might actually be right about 1962. At least one of the boats appears to be supported by a piston engine.

Weigh in on this topic in the comments below or on social media. I’d really like to get perspectives from everyone who notices something in the clip.

Better yet, if you can find YouTube or Vimeo video of actual 1963 racing, let me know and I’ll add it here.

1962 or 1963?

To me, it doesn’t really matter. We are about to celebrate 60 years of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing on Lake Guntersville. That is an exciting milestone we can all enjoy!