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Miss Bardahl is a 30’ long, 7000 lb unlimited hydroplane race boat. Powered by a 3,000 HP Roll-Royce Merlin aircraft engine, this craft is capable of speeds in excess of 180 MPH while literally flying across the surface of the water on a cushion of air. With only three points – 1 propeller blade and the two sponsons – touching the water at any time, Miss Bardahl leaves a “roostertail” of spray over 40 feet high when speeding by. Racing between 1962 and 1965, the team won an unprecedented 3 APBA Gold Cups, 3 National Championships, 1 World Championship, set lap, race and heat records (some which stood almost a decade), and introduced new technology that revolutionized the sport while running a record 57 consecutive heats without an engine failure.

Spec Sheet

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NEWS:

Proudest record for the Miss Bardahl Crew: Reliability.

Jon Osterberg's updated e-book on the history of Miss Bardahl, Dragon Days, is now available on Amazon!

See the Events section of this site for a preliminary list of 2024 appearances & pictures/info from prior years events.

Miss Bardahl races an Airplane! (video, Pasco, 2018)

2013 APBA West Coast Vintage Team of the Year

Leo Vanden Berg (1917 - 2004) Miss Bardahl crew chief 1962-66


This purpose of this site is to provide as complete a documentation as possible for the 1962-65 Miss Bardahl, and to educate about the boat and its deep history. This site is not associated with the Bardahl Chemical Corp.


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