Restoration

Timeline of Events

1967-1983

Following the 1965 San Diego race, the 1962-65 Miss Bardahl was relegated to display duty for Bardahl in the Seattle area. In 1967, the boat was sent to Boston for use by the east coast distributor. While on the east coast, the boat changed hands several times. Jon Osterberg has documented the history of the boat from its departure in Seattle through its return and cosmetic restoration in 1983. Please read Jon's Sleuthing the Dragon for more information.

1983-2000

Miss Bardahl was part of the original Unlimited Hydroplane Museum & Hall of Fame following the cosmetic restoration. However, in the late 1980's the museum became financially insolvent and ceased to operate. To pay off the debt, the museum sold many of the assets, including Miss Bardahl. Curt Erickson purchased the boat and stored it indoors, with the intention to eventually restore the hull to running condition.

2000

In 2000, original crew member Dixon Smith purchased the boat from Curt, beginning the long trek towards restoration to running condition. The notion to restore the boat started in the summer of 1999, as recounted by Skip Schott in his speech, How We Got Here from October 2005.

2000-2007

Immediately after taking possession of the Miss Bardahl, work began on the restoration. Initially the work was deconstruction, followed by a lengthy reconstruction process, leaving approximately 25-30% of the original boat. The restoration was extensively documented, and the following links lead to the photo galleries that cover from the initial take-apart to the return of the Green Dragon to the waters of Lake Washington.