1958 Hawaii Kai III
Owner: Craig Mullen (Monroe, Wash.)
Honorary Owner: Ben Keller (Lakewood, Wash.)
Driver(s): Craig Mullen
Model Builder: Jeff Campbell
Construction: Carbon fiber
Year Built: 2010
Motor: SSS, HobbyKing
Radio: Spektrum
Electronic Speed Controller: Castle
Propeller: RC BoatBitz
Paint Colors: Tropical Rose and Coral Mist (PPG/OMNI)
Graphics: Vinyl by Thunderboat Graphics
Notes about the Model: Originally built in 2010(?) for and owned by Ben Keller as one of the first 1/7 scale hulls. Just completed overhaul, repairs, repaint & graphics July 2022.
Notes about the Real Boat: The Hawaii Kai III was built in 1956 for industrialist Edgar Kaiser.
Henry owned the U-20 Hot Metal, the U-21 Aluminum, U-12 Scooter and U-10 Scooter Too. Edgar owned the U-9 Hawaii Kai and the U-8 Hawaii Kai III (the Hawaii Kai II was never built). Although the Kaisers were avid racers, they were never considered national contenders until late in the 1956 season. Edgar’s good friend Stan Sayers raced the mighty Slo-mo-shuns. When the Slo-mo IV was destroyed while attempting to qualify for the 1956 Gold Cup, the Slo-mo-shun team found themselves without a boat. Kaiser "loaned" them the Kai. Three weeks later at the Rodgers Memorial race in Washington D.C., the Slo-mo-shun crew gave Kaiser his first victory in the Hawaii Kai!
Later that year the Kai won the Sahara Cup in Las Vegas. 1957 turned out to be a banner year for the pretty pink boat. She won five races, the National Championship and set the World’s Water Speed Record. Kaiser retired the Kai at the end of the ’57 season. Before the 1958 Gold Cup one of the Seattle newspapers ran a race "preview" and noted that the Kai would not be running. Eleven-year-old Patty Hunter read the article and began to send letters to Kaiser asking him to run the boat again. Kaiser finally gave in on Aug. 1, 1958, just nine days before the race. In storybook fashion, the Kai won the Gold Cup and the hearts of thousands of hydroplane fans.
After the Gold Cup, Kaiser retired the Kai and later sold her to Joe Mascari, who raced her for two more years. In 1963 she was leased to George Simon and raced as the Miss U.S. V. In 1965 Kaiser bought the boat again and restored her to her original Kai paint scheme. When Kaiser died the crew gathered one last time at the Kaiser estate on Orcas Island. They decorated a number of small boats with tiki torches, Polynesian masks and grass skirts. They towed the Kai out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and gave her a traditional Polynesian funeral, burning the boat to the water line and sinking her.
Notes about 2022: Hawaii Kai III version 4.0 will be back late July/ early August 2022.
Honorary Owner: Ben Keller (Lakewood, Wash.)
Driver(s): Craig Mullen
Model Builder: Jeff Campbell
Construction: Carbon fiber
Year Built: 2010
Motor: SSS, HobbyKing
Radio: Spektrum
Electronic Speed Controller: Castle
Propeller: RC BoatBitz
Paint Colors: Tropical Rose and Coral Mist (PPG/OMNI)
Graphics: Vinyl by Thunderboat Graphics
Notes about the Model: Originally built in 2010(?) for and owned by Ben Keller as one of the first 1/7 scale hulls. Just completed overhaul, repairs, repaint & graphics July 2022.
Notes about the Real Boat: The Hawaii Kai III was built in 1956 for industrialist Edgar Kaiser.
Henry owned the U-20 Hot Metal, the U-21 Aluminum, U-12 Scooter and U-10 Scooter Too. Edgar owned the U-9 Hawaii Kai and the U-8 Hawaii Kai III (the Hawaii Kai II was never built). Although the Kaisers were avid racers, they were never considered national contenders until late in the 1956 season. Edgar’s good friend Stan Sayers raced the mighty Slo-mo-shuns. When the Slo-mo IV was destroyed while attempting to qualify for the 1956 Gold Cup, the Slo-mo-shun team found themselves without a boat. Kaiser "loaned" them the Kai. Three weeks later at the Rodgers Memorial race in Washington D.C., the Slo-mo-shun crew gave Kaiser his first victory in the Hawaii Kai!
Later that year the Kai won the Sahara Cup in Las Vegas. 1957 turned out to be a banner year for the pretty pink boat. She won five races, the National Championship and set the World’s Water Speed Record. Kaiser retired the Kai at the end of the ’57 season. Before the 1958 Gold Cup one of the Seattle newspapers ran a race "preview" and noted that the Kai would not be running. Eleven-year-old Patty Hunter read the article and began to send letters to Kaiser asking him to run the boat again. Kaiser finally gave in on Aug. 1, 1958, just nine days before the race. In storybook fashion, the Kai won the Gold Cup and the hearts of thousands of hydroplane fans.
After the Gold Cup, Kaiser retired the Kai and later sold her to Joe Mascari, who raced her for two more years. In 1963 she was leased to George Simon and raced as the Miss U.S. V. In 1965 Kaiser bought the boat again and restored her to her original Kai paint scheme. When Kaiser died the crew gathered one last time at the Kaiser estate on Orcas Island. They decorated a number of small boats with tiki torches, Polynesian masks and grass skirts. They towed the Kai out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and gave her a traditional Polynesian funeral, burning the boat to the water line and sinking her.
Notes about 2022: Hawaii Kai III version 4.0 will be back late July/ early August 2022.