The 1977 Atlas Van Lines was the most successful of the early cabover style unlimited hydroplane designs. Representing the perfect marriage of design innovation and the best driver in hydroplane racing history, the Atlas Van Lines dominated unlimited racing through three seasons before being dethroned by the Griffon powered Miss Budweiser in 1979.

2023年1月6日 · The brand-new 1977 Atlas Van Lines unlimited hydroplane at its first test sessions on Lake Washington. The boat, in its original all blue paint scheme, is driven by Bill Muncey. D...more....

2018年5月15日 · This Atlas group page has now become the main communication source for the crews, volunteers and fans of both the 1982 Atlas Van Lines and the 1977 Blue Blaster Atlas. Over the past few years, the crews of the two boats have morphed into one Atlas super-crew.

The real boat: This is the famed Blue Blaster that Bill Muncey drove from 1977 until his untimely death in 1981. The boat has recently been restored to running condition by the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum.

The Atlas went on to win four more races and claim the National Championship. The team repeated the feat in ’83, becoming the last piston-powered boat to win the Gold Cup. The mighty Atlas ended her racing career as Ken Muscatel’s Tveten’s RV Mart when she lost a skid fin and slipped while attempting to qualify for the ’98 San Diego race.

2014年8月9日 · The Atlas Van Lines was a boat that changed unlimited hydroplane racing forever. It helped rebuild the career of a great driver, and ultimately took the life of that very same driver, Bill Muncey. The Blue Blaster was the first of the cabover designs, and it changed the sport of Unlimited Hydroplane racing forever.

Meanwhile in the virtually unknown Industrial complex in Kent, Washington resides the 1982 U-00 Atlas Van Lines, usually perched upon its trailer vertically alongside its arch-rival 1980 U-1 Miss Budweiser in the ‘lil gem of a Museo, aka the Hydroplane and Thunderboat Museum.

With a perfect 1,200-point day, the Atlas moved into eighth place in its bid for a third straight national title with a total of 1,400 points. Miss Budweiser scored 1,100 points with two easy preliminary victories — by 34.51 seconds and 13.44 seconds — and the second-place finish and moved into the national lead with 3,400.

The boat was recently restored and is still being run by the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in Kent, WA as the Pay'n Pak. In 1976, Bill Muncey drove the boat with the unique Atlas paint scheme. It won five races and the championship before the team sold the boat to focus on the new cabover Blue Blaster.

The 1982 Atlas Van Lines is one of hydroplane's most historical boats. It was the first boat raced as the Atlas following Bill Muncey's tragic death in 1981, with Chip Hanauer at the wheel. The team finished second in the debut in Miami, then famously took the victory at the Gold Cup in Detroit over the Miss Budweiser.