About the Squire Shop
For anyone from the Pacific Northwest, the name Squire Shop brings back images of hanging out at the mall, bell-bottomed painter pants, a hometown hydroplane, and a young driver named Chip with feathered blonde hair. The 1979 Squire Shop was the second hull to carry Bob Steil’s clothing-store namesake, but it is the one that will always be most associated with summer in Seattle. Designed by Boeing engineer Dave Knowlen and constructed by Norberg Boats in Tacoma, Washington, the hull featured a unique ‘cathedral wing’ and forward-canted uprights, similar to its sister-ship the Miss Circus Circus (also part of the HARM collection). The red, brown and white hydroplane was just as popular for its charismatic driver Chip Hanauer, as it was spending time prominently on display outside Squire Shop locations at Northgate, Southcenter, and other local shopping malls.
Hanauer raced the hull to three victories before crashing during a 1981 testing session on Lake Washington. The wreck was purchased by Jim Grader and slowly rebuilt featuring a stunning wood-deck finish, and campaigned as the U-33 in 1985. The following year, the team of Jerry Hopp and Al Thoreson acquired the hull and would run it under such names as Jackpot Food Mart, Paddock Pools, and the team name of Thor Racing. Between 1986 and 1992, it would be a constant presence on the race course. Somewhat underpowered with a carbureted turbo-Allison, and even upgraded with a modern enclosed cockpit and front canard wings, the boat never quite lived up to its earlier success.
After its last race in 1992, the hull passed through a series of owners as it sat in outside storage, slowly deteriorating in the wet Northwest weather.
Squire Shop Restoration
HULL SPECS
| Driver | Chip Hanauer |
| Owner | Bob Steil |
| Designer | Dave Knowlen |
| Builder | Norm Berg |
| Year Built | 1979 |
| Length | 29 Feet |
| Width | 14 Feet |
| Weight | 6,000 lbs. |
| Powerplant | V-12 Rolls Royce Merlin |