A scratch-built model of the 1958 Miss Bardahl U-40 hydroplane racing boat. The Miss Bardahl U-40 raced for two seasons, 1958 & 1959, with an impressive list of results. Ellsworth received plans for Miss Bardahl from a friend; however, the plans were missing dimensions. So, Ellsworth did some research and found that the boat’s length was 30-feet. With that piece of information, he was able to scale all of the boat’s dimensions. Built from scratch, it took him about 350 hours to build Miss Bardahl over a 4 month period, and the boat won 1st place at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, California.

Exhibit added: September 19, 2019 - Last modified: May 3, 2023

Presented by The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship