Okay History info! what year and first R/C boat!

[Roxyflash]

Built small hydro in 1976 never ran it then one day my brother dropped off a vee bottom had a McCulloch with a broke crank found scrapping it would run but the shaft didn’t turn gave it to my buddy Joe Young 1993 then he got it running was amazed how easy the gas boat ran not the fastest but fun.Broke my ankle was bored at home brother worked at sheet metal fab shop made me a gutter looking piece out of metal made a flat bottom out of it with a home and homemade tune pipe.12 x36 long .Joe got a Dunlap cracker plan and we built cracker boxes I bet I built like 20 of them then I did a warehouse stingray out of wood did a couple of those a dumas dv ,eagle hydro then the easy vee and several of zip kits cracker and rocket hydro.After that built a bunch of scratch built whips and kits from blazer 4 lauterbachs 4 backlashes 6 scratch built gas monos 6 firefighter riggers still love building hulls from wood

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

1965-An original design balsa wood ski boat powered by a 19 size engine and controlled by a reed radio system. It was dubbed the “Flying Sponge” because I stuck chunks of sponge in it to soak up water that got in the boat.
JD

 

[steve wood]

1979. dumas flat nose hot shot 21, with a k&b 21 outboard,exhaust throttle version,tower hobbies stick radio.

 

[Bill Gibson]

Sorry Bill, I can upload, just can't upload the pictures themselves. I am able to open them with Adobe Acrobat Reader on my laptop so I'm hoping that will work in the forum as well. Just tried it, they open right up without going to any other programs. The picture is a newer build from 2011. It was patterned on the Dumas Pak but seriously modified. Needless to say, it was built much better than the original from 1982

Nice job HJ! The 73 Pak is my favorite boat, full size or model!

 

[Bill Gibson]

1989
View attachment 303325

Nice lookin tunnel!

 

[Bill Gibson]

Built small hydro in 1976 never ran it then one day my brother dropped off a vee bottom had a McCulloch with a broke crank found scrapping it would run but the shaft didn’t turn gave it to my buddy Joe Young 1993 then he got it running was amazed how easy the gas boat ran not the fastest but fun.Broke my ankle was bored at home brother worked at sheet metal fab shop made me a gutter looking piece out of metal made a flat bottom out of it with a home and homemade tune pipe.12 x36 long .Joe got a Dunlap cracker plan and we built cracker boxes I bet I built like 20 of them then I did a warehouse stingray out of wood did a couple of those a dumas dv ,eagle hydro then the easy vee and several of zip kits cracker and rocket hydro.After that built a bunch of scratch built whips and kits from blazer 4 lauterbachs 4 backlashes 6 scratch built gas monos 6 firefighter riggers still love building hulls from wood

Beautiful build! I love drop sponson hydros!

 

[Bill Gibson]

1965-An original design balsa wood ski boat powered by a 19 size engine and controlled by a reed radio system. It was dubbed the “Flying Sponge” because I stuck chunks of sponge in it to soak up water that got in the boat.
JD

WOW! The stuff you have seen in model boating since 1965!

 

[Bill Gibson]

1979. dumas flat nose hot shot 21, with a k&b 21 outboard,exhaust throttle version,tower hobbies stick radio.

Steve you just about described my beginnings in this hobby to a T! Same year, same boat, same engine, I had a 2 stick Futaba i bought used a a hobby shop!

 

[John Capps]

Nice lookin tunnel!

Thanks. Buddy of mine owned a body shop and painted it for me to match my two tone F150 FX4 at the time.

 

[Tom Foley]

Did you build the boat Tom? It came out super! Hard to believe how long ago 1980 was.....! What radio did you use in it?

Yes I built it. Futaba FPT2 -L . It's up on that shelf behind the brown box wheel Futaba !!

 

[Marty Slater]

1977 dumas flat noise tunnel kb outboard perry carb futaba 2 stick
2000 first race Mendota mrp mach 1 kb outboard
Mike Z keep telling me turn TURN i told him i was
i won the novice class after that had a few Villains
marty

 

[Marty Slater]

sure wish MY GALLERY worked!!

 

[MarkDanielsSr]

1974, Dumas DV20 wood kit, Fox .29 with Octura cool clamp. Had been building HO railroad layouts and displays for close to 10 years, did not yet know of IMPBA, local clubs, racing rules or classes. First race, with a much better boat, 1977 IMPBA Internats hosted by SGRA, who had become my home club, in Hammond, LA.

 

[Grimracer]

Mine was a HotShot as well.. (1979).. My first race (HotShot Sprint 3.5 wood) was in or around 90. Local group of guys!

Grim

 

[Bill Gibson]

1974, Dumas DV20 wood kit, Fox .29 with Octura cool clamp. Had been building HO railroad layouts and displays for close to 10 years, did not yet know of IMPBA, local clubs, racing rules or classes. First race, with a much better boat, 1977 IMPBA Internats hosted by SGRA, who had become my home club, in Hammond, LA.

Amazing when you think about what we run today!

 

[Bill Gibson]

Alot of really good stuff from everybody so far! i hope there will be more to chime in on their beginnings in this great hobby!

 

[Joey Jones]

Great thread. I was a young teen in 1989; My dad and I built a Carl Goldberg Eagle 2. She was a great ship that taught me a lot. I kept flying, and progressed into other planes, so my Eagle 2 wasn't really needed. I traded it to a buddy of mine for this Hot Shot 45. I still have it...I do not like the paint job at all, but I just wanted that boat

I ran it in ponds and rivers in South MS frequently. Never raced. I don't even know if anyone within 100 miles of Pascagoula MS in 1990 had an RC boat other than myself and this guy I traded with. It was so much fun. I had an idiot friend that I coaxed into swimming out to retrieve it when the inevitable happened. Good times! Yes, I look back and think, "That was F*ing great". It was.

 

[Shane Bastick]

My first glow powered boat, around 1984 that my dad put together

An Aussi made Full Ahead Aquarius Mono/Multi hull, powered by a very loud Enya 15 control line engine, and straight out exhaust, no muffler, no throttle control, and rudder only for servo control.
Still have it as its a fun boat to use and some great memories running it

 

[Bill Pos]

1973 miss unlimited with a OS 60 ringed air plane motor with a cool clamp on it for water cooling. No pipe. Just open side exhaust! Let me tell you it will wake you up in the morning! Futaba 2 channel stick radio with S7 non water proof servos.
Water proof radio gear was not popular at this point. In fact the radio compartment did not have a lid other than the drivers seat cowling.
If I remember correctly some time later we started using AFX converted throttle handles with steering wheels on the radios.
Sorry that I no longer have a pic as it was destroyed years later in a heat race but a stock pick will give you an idea. I think at the time this was considered the scale hydro class but the boat is only 36" long.

 

[Jeff Barnes]

Mid 80s I had a Tom's cat tunnel a HI tech tunnel and Steve Muck mono