The Unlimited Light hydroplanes of today are descendants of the old 7-Litre Class that debuted in the late 1940s.

Gold Cup luminary Lou Fageol is considered the father of the 7-Litre Class, which was nicknamed the "Junior Gold Cup Class" in the years immediately following World War II.  Fageol made available to his fellow racers the 404 cubic inch Fageol V-8 bus engine.

The first hydroplane to use a Fageol 404 in competition was SO-LONG, JR., which Lou drove in the 1946 APBA Gold Cup at Detroit.  Although nominally a Gold Cup Class "G" boat, SO-LONG, JR., was the forerunner of all the 7-Litre "H" boats that followed.

Officially recognized as an APBA inboard class in 1947, the 7-Litres competed in races sanctioned just for them and--for a number of years--were allowed to participate in Unlimited events, although this didn't happen very often.

Most 7-Litres measured around 20 feet in length in those days and weighed less than a ton.  They could theoretically register in both classes, until the Unlimiteds imposed a 25-foot minimum hull length in 1957 and a 5000-pound minimum weight requirement in 1958.

Many of Unlimited racing's biggest names came up through the 7-Litre ranks: Bill Cantrell, Bill Muncey, Don Wilson, Bill Sterett, Bill Brow, Buddy Byers, and Dean Chenoweth to name only a few.

By the 1970s, 7-Litre racing had evolved into two divisions: 7-Litre I, the "H" boats; and 7-Litre II, the "J" boats.  The "H" division was modified; the "J" division was stock. Most boats in both divisions measured between 22 and 24 feet.

7-Litre-Division I evolved into the Grand Prix Class; 7-Litre-Division II became the Grand National Hydro (GNH) Class.  The GP boats are primarily a Canadian class with a few play dates in the United States.

In 1994, the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association (UHRA) staged a series of exhibition races for the Grand National teams.  This led to the formation of the Unlimited Lights Racing Series in 1995 as a support class on the Unlimited hydroplane circuit.

The majority of today's UL fleet consists of hulls built specifically for participation in the Unlimited Light Class.  These are not glorified 7-Litre/Grand National boats.  And some of the top builders in the business--Auld, Balcer, Ron Jones, Sr.--have all climbed on the UL bandwagon.

At the end of October 2000, the Unlimited Lights began operating under the aegis of their own corporate identity--the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association (ULHRA).  The ULs now determine their own destiny apart from the Unlimiteds and the series continues to grow with each passing year.