About the 1976 Oh Boy! Oberto
Originally built as the “Notre Dame” in 1962 for owner Shirley McDonald, Bill Wuster owned and drove the boat sponsored by the Oberto company during the 1976 season. Wuster would finish fourth place in the season finale on Mission Bay in San Diego.
Despite the team’s struggles in the 1976 campaign, both owner and sponsor would play a significant role in the sport’s in the future.
Wuster would have a lengthy career in hydroplane racing, fielding various hulls under sponsorships from Executone, Proctor and Gamble (Pringles and Tide) and Llumar Window Films. Wuster found the winner circle eight times with drivers Scott Pierce, George Woods, N. Mark Evans, and Jean Theoret.
While Art Oberto would sponsor several hydroplanes over the years finding the most success with the Madison racing team with Steve David at the controls. Finally claiming victory at his hometown race in Seattle in 2007.
1976 Oh Boy! Oberto Restoration
The 1976 Oh Boy Oberto was originally the 1962 Notre Dame that is a part of the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum’s collection. The museum painted up the hull that most notably competed as the Savior’s Mist in the 1960s to run under the 1976 Oh Boy! Oberto colors.
Joe Dewey’s Miss Lumberville was designed in 1961 by 27 year-old Fred Dube as an intended improvement on similar drop-sponson hydroplanes of the era created by Les Staudacher. Built by journeyman driver Walt Kade, it was intended specifically as a rough-water boat to tackle the choppy Detroit River. Though admittedly underpowered with stock equipment, Miss Lumberville was Walt Kade’s pride and joy—serving as builder, crew chief, and driver. In 1963 the hull had a brief stint as Coe-Z Miss and Miss Michigan, but in 1964 passed into ownership of Mike Wolfbauer. Owner of Savair’s Products in Detroit, Wolfbauer would campaign the boat as the U-10 Savair’s Mist for the next several years.
As part of a two-boat team, the colorful Savair’s Mist (along with its companion Savair’s Probe) appeared at the bulk of the Unlimited hydroplane races contested between 1965 and 1969—never managing to find the winner’s circle, but consistently filling out the fields and running mid-pack. The Mist provided a seat for several mid-west drivers, including Ed O’Halloran, Jimmy File, Red Loomis, and fan-favorite (and still crew chief) Walt Kade. At its final race appearance, the 1969 Gold Cup in San Diego, Wolfbauer and Kade ran the hull as Savair’s San Diego Mist.
The subject of a rebuild in the 1970’s, the hull has been a workhorse since joining the Museum fleet. In 1999 it was utilized as the stand-in for the 1971 Miss Madison in the theatrical release Madison. For the vintage PEMCO Classic at the 2000 Seattle Seafair race, she wore the colors of Nitrogen Too (which in real life was also the Miss Madison). For the last 20 years the hull has been painted to represent the 1976 Oh Boy! Oberto, performing exhibitions and displays around the Pacific Northwest.
HULL SPECS
| Driver | Bill Wuster |
| Owner | Bill Wuster |
| Designer | Les Staudacher |
| Builder | Les Staudacher |
| Year Built | 1962 |
| Length | 30 Feet |
| Beam | 12 Feet |
| Weight | 4,800 lbs. |
| Powerplant | V-12 Allison |