This place is an absolute gem and any racing hobbyist would love this place. You can't miss this place because there's a big hydroplane outside. Once you walk in though you aren't very sure because nobody is around. Then suddenly a guy shows up , he's glad to take whatever you pay him, and suddenly he's just giving you a tour! He basically tells you everything and goes through the history of each hydroplane there. He's literally like a walking encyclopedia and is more than happy to answer your questions. There's other workers there working on hydroplanes and they're more than welcoming and wanting you to see what they're doing. You can feel the passion and love . Its not a big musuem. Its basically a bunch of hydroplanes cramped in a storage building. I'd say it takes about an hour. I learned so much that I never knew and I'm a huge fan of hydroplanes now! read more

Hydroplane & Race Boat Museum - Museums Near Me - Kent, Washington

To see all these vintage unlimited hydroplanes up close is amazing with the men giving the tour describing all aspects of each boat. Some great shirts in lobby as well as hydroplane model kits and nice bike boats too. Great history and two more boats being built now of the Miss Madison and Miss Circus Circus. And 2 minutes off I-5 at top of Southcenter hill makes it so easy to get to also. And special Circus Circus booster club membership available is cool too. But Bardahl, Wahoo, Pay n Pak, Notre Dame, SLO-mo-shun, Tempo, Budweiser, Atlas, and Squire Shop and more of these boats were impressive up close. read more

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What a fantastic way to spend a few hours and learn about the history of this sport . Not only was our guide very informative, he let us ( well mostly me) wander around looking and poking around everywhere. Not only can you see restored hydros but also see just how they go about the entire process from repairing hulls to engine rebuilding. It's definitely a great experience for anyone interested read more

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I have driven by this place for many years, thinking one day I will stop and check it out. Well today was the day and I am glad I stopped. If you are into Hydroplane Racing or just into mechanical technology, I highly recommend visiting. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. The guy at the desk gave us a personal guided tour, covering the history of each boat and the sport of racing itself. read more

EXCITING HYDROPLANE RACE BOAT MUSEUM! Non-profit dedicated to the preservation and promotion of race boat history. I was in the neighborhood, and I love museums, so I decided to stop in. Ian, one of the members, gave me a private tour! I was never really interested in racing boats, but I learned a lot from Ian. He is a virtual encyclopedia of race boat history. He was able to answer every question I posed to him. The Museum itself is a warehouse-type deal where all the race boats are mounted on trailers to be easily moved to Lake Washington, where the museum tests and occasionally races them. There are race boats spanning the sport's entire history with many interesting variations on style and safety. There are even quite a few scale models of race boats, many of which have model gas engines and actually work! One of the many things I learned was that all race boats used to have open cockpits where the primary safety mechanism was hoping the t pilot would be thrown clear of the craft upon impact. This did not always work, and some pilots met their end in this manner. The cockpits are closed, and the drivers are strapped in like race cars. So, if you are interested in race boats, and even like me, you never considered them, you will enjoy a visit to this one-of-a-kind museum. BTW, if you enjoyed my review or found it useful, funny, or cool, please don't hesitate to click the little button to say so, or better yet, go ahead and friend me. So go on! Press that button, and never miss one of my epic reviews in the Seattle area and beyond. Excelsior! read more

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Such a sentimental blast from my past! Fun and engaging personal tour was a surprise. So much to see, hidden in Kent. I wish I had learned about it sooner, and will be returning with other friends and family that I know will love this museum as much as I did. read more

Hydroplane & Race Boat Museum - Museums Near Me - Kent, Washington

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A local treasure and among the 5 top museums in the Seattle area as rated by the viewers in the "Evening Magazine" annual survey. Seattle (the boating capital of the world) remains a hotbed of boat racing activity and the fabulous unlimited-class hydroplanes draw over 200,000 spectators to the shores of Lake Washington every August for the annual Seafair races. Before Seattle had the Seahawks and Mariners, they had Hydroplanes. Drivers of these huge aircraft engine-powered monsters were as revered to kids who grew up in Seattle back in the 50's and even now, as Matt Hasselbeck and Ichiro are today. Make no mistake, it's a rather eclectic sport, yet the museum has something that will appeal to everyone, from the youngest to the old timers who recall Gar Wood, The Schoenith family from Detroit, and the Gold Cup and Harmsworth Trophy races. As a museum, the emphasis is on preservation of the history of the sport and exhibits include such famous race boats as The Slo-mo-Shun V, the Miss Bardahl, Miss Budweiser, the stunningly beautiful Miss Wahoo, a 1956 Unlimited hydroplane once owned by Bill Boeing Jr. There is even a replica (beautifully done) of Miss Detroit III, Gar Woods' 1918 Gold Cup winner. There is often a chance to sit in one of the boats on exhibit. A great photo op for the kids especially. The artifacts and models and old photos and films being constantly shown as one moves around the museum are enough to make this a visit that could easily last a full day. But, wait, there's even more.. As a working museum, any tour (and the guided tours are free, after the very modest admission fee) should take in the Roger Newton Restoration Center at the south end of the museum. Museum volunteers, including some famous drivers and designers, spend hours of enthusiasm and love for the of these boats, bringing many of them back to life, in full operating condition. The volunteers as well as the employees are only too happy to tell you about the restoration and their experiences with the sport. As I write this, the current project underway is the restoration of the 1977 "Atlas van Lines" unlimited, Bill Muncey's final ride in which he lost his life in Acapulco 30 years ago. The museum is located only a few miles from the Sea-Tac airport so a taxi ride is not as expensive as a ride into Seattle, so if your flight is delayed, why not drop in, have some coffee and perhaps even join in on one of the projects? Be sure to check out the museum's website for more details and a lot of history. read more

Great museum and they are very knowledgable and have great stories!!!! My hubby got tix for Father's Day - he was totally in his element.... read more

Hydroplane & Race Boat Museum - Great museum and great stories. AND if you are a member you get to come in and work in the boats!!! Bonus!!! - Museums Near Me - Kent, Washington

I highly recommend on going and seeing learning about the history of Hydroplane racing in Seattle. Boats of the past and seeing the boats up close. read more

Not a very big museum but it's packed full of the history of hydroplane racing. Nearly all boats on site have been restored to working order and even get used to run at exhibitions all sites throughout the US and Canada. Historic artifacts on display include photos, artwork, running videos, models and even driver and crew uniforms. It's a great place to learn about the history of hydroplane racing in Seattle and elsewhere... A boat shop in the back is a working area where restorations take place and is open to the public! Restoring these classics are done by volunteers and are expensive to do - donations gladly accepted. The museum store offers DVD's, pins, books and shirts for sale of many of your favorite teams and hydro legends. read more

My friends and I held our 50th birthday party at the Hydroplane Museum in August 2015, and we were not disappointed. The staff is first rate and extremely helpful. David Williams, Ken Strong and the rest of the staff of volunteers worked very hard to make this as fun and memorable evening as possible. Keep in mind, this is a working boat shop, so along with the museum exhibits, there are also boats around the facility in various states of restoration. So it's not Salty's On Alki - fancy. But what they lack in amenities, they MORE than make up in service. It's the first event facility I've ever worked with that was agreeable to bringing in your own food and drink. They do have options for "professional" caterers that they contract with, or they have in-house catering. Use the in-house; it was terrific! Delicious and plentiful. And did I say they allowed us to augment with our own food in addition what they served? Fantastic. Next, the band. The Superchargers were really, really good. Ken will tell you, I was a huge skeptic. I've been at enough events where the house band, well; they're really bad. The Superchargers are tight. They covered a wide range of musical tastes, and they were more than willing to let us build a playlist from their repertoire. Once again, I've never rented a facility that was this accommodating. My only suggestion to them for any future events was to clear up the main event space a bit and make it easier to view all the incredible hydroplanes, relics and displays. If you're a fan of Seattle's rich boat racing history -- and if you think you're a Seattlelite and don't know about it, get down there. They do a great job. Thanks you guys -- it was a most memorable and enjoyable 50th birthday! read more

Hydroplane museum is as much a part of local history as the museum of flight. Unlimited hydroplane racing was seattle s first major league sport,competing with Detroit on a more than equal basis. Detroit was a major league city in the 50's and Seattle was not. But Seattle's airplane technology was more than a match for Detroit's automotive expertise. Even if you've seen a race on TV or in person, getting this close to a boat is a whole different experience, They are huge. This is not a "look but don't touch" museum. You can sit in a boat, and in the old ones it's ridiculous how dangerous it was to go 200 mph. A great afternoon on a par with the museum of flight and the car museum in Tacoma. The only thing better would be if it was bigger. read more

If you are a Hydroplane enthusiast this is a great place to visit. It has gone from a small industrial setting in South Park to a very nice facility in Kent, Washington. The curator is fantastic and the people working there are friendly and more than happy to greet you. Not only are there all kinds of boats that have been restored but usually at least a couple under the restoration process for you to get a good first hand look at the hard work involved to bringing back a little hydro history. read more

Fun. fun, fun!!! Spent a fascinating afternoon yesterday at the museum... Rooster tail heaven with so many racing memories!!! Timing was perfect as we were fortunate to get to chat with Hall of Fame Racing Legend Chip Hanauer for a bit and the wonderful, knowledgeable hosts/volunteers there made it so enjoyable.. Such amazing nostalgic/cool memorabilia and also observed the restorations in-progress on the 1975 Pay N' Pak, the 1958 Bardahl and the 1979 Squire Shop... If you haven't had the opportunity, it really is a must to see and support this non-profit local treasure... Check out the museum's website for more details... read more

A great place to see Hydroplane history. Outstanding staff,helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Go check it out.