What was your first RC outboard?

[graydds]

This was my second tunnel hull--Steve Muck Lil Lightning--K&B 3.5 then a Novarossi with custon lower unit. Third tunnel hull--Leecraft 3.5--Novarossi&Lawless lower leg. Being converted to FE but may be a SE. Thank you Kris.

 

[Apache06]

Hi !

my first outboard tunnel was a scratch build Jerry Dunlap Excalibur with a K&B 3.5...I bought it in 1986 from a friend who has built it in 1977 with new paint !

Here's some pics....





Hull is still in my garage !

 

[Kris Flynn]

Some great looking old boat people...

Anyone else got some stories to share? I can remember Grim posting a pic YEARS ago of one of his first hotshot tunnels!

 

[Ray Sametz]

Some great looking old boat people...

Anyone else got some stories to share? I can remember Grim posting a pic YEARS ago of one of his first hotshot tunnels!

Forget that, Pics of his hobby shop in his basement. I had them and puter crashed. some awesome stuff.

 

[David Moyle]

My first step in to nitro tunnels was the trusty Dumas Hot Shot IV, got it when I was about 13. Ran it for quite a few years for fun and even started racing with it, but soon realised its limitations against more modern designs.

 

[dwb2620]

1985 or so, first R/C boat was a MRP ABS Tunnel hull with a K&B 3.5 outboard. Ran pretty well actually.

 

[Bob Kensill]

My first outboard boat was a Dumas Hotshot. I made my own power trim

 

[Walt Barney]

MY 1st O/B about '84 or 85 was actually my wife's, a New Leecraft, from the master Tommy Lee, She ran the boat for 3 years and the got afraid she would hit some one's boat and turned chicken, I could not convince her that if she hit some body else's boat. that that was racing, hers was hit several times but, I could not talk her into running her boat in another race again. Now she just watches.

Walt Barney

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

Seems like the IW member who probably has the earliest OB experience is late to this party. My first OB was a Fugi 15 on a Dick Norsikian 25" cabin cruiser that was designed by Jimmy Gale. The year was probably around 1974/75 - before K&B came out with the K&B 3.5 OB.

My first K&B 3.5 was mounted to a Hughey brown foam 3.5 Hydro. I won the first NAMBA 3.5 Outboard National Championship with that combination at the 1977 Reno Nats. At that time, 3.5 Outboard was an open class. As the popularity of the OB grew, there would be classes for OB Mono, OB Hydro, and OB Tunnel at NAMBA Nats.

JD

 

[Carl Van Houten]

Seems like the IW member who probably has the earliest OB experience is late to this party. My first OB was a Fugi 15 on a Dick Norsikian 25" cabin cruiser that was designed by Jimmy Gale. The year was probably around 1974/75 - before K&B came out with the K&B 3.5 OB.

My first K&B 3.5 was mounted to a Hughey brown foam 3.5 Hydro. I won the first NAMBA 3.5 Outboard National Championship with that combination at the 1977 Reno Nats. At that time, 3.5 Outboard was an open class. As the popularity of the OB grew, there would be classes for OB Mono, OB Hydro, and OB Tunnel at NAMBA Nats.

JD

My first boat was a little wood kit hot shot 21 designed by Jerry Dunlap. I had a couple of these and enjoyed running them every weekend somewhere around 1978. I owe a lot of thanks to Jerry for providing those kits way back then and starting a hobby that I have enjoyed for a long time now.

Thanks Jerry! I am still having fun!

-Carl Van Houten

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

Seems like the IW member who probably has the earliest OB experience is late to this party. My first OB was a Fugi 15 on a Dick Norsikian 25" cabin cruiser that was designed by Jimmy Gale. The year was probably around 1974/75 - before K&B came out with the K&B 3.5 OB.

My first K&B 3.5 was mounted to a Hughey brown foam 3.5 Hydro. I won the first NAMBA 3.5 Outboard National Championship with that combination at the 1977 Reno Nats. At that time, 3.5 Outboard was an open class. As the popularity of the OB grew, there would be classes for OB Mono, OB Hydro, and OB Tunnel at NAMBA Nats.

JD

My first boat was a little wood kit hot shot 21 designed by Jerry Dunlap. I had a couple of these and enjoyed running them every weekend somewhere around 1978. I owe a lot of thanks to Jerry for providing those kits way back then and starting a hobby that I have enjoyed for a long time now.

Thanks Jerry! I am still having fun!

-Carl Van Houten

Thank you for the kind words, Carl. It is very rewarding to know my designs had an impact on this great hobby.

I'd also like to thank all those who mentioned their first tunnel was a Dumas tunnel. The royalty I received from the tunnel boats I designed for Dumas back in the day made it possible to enjoy my hobby without having to dip too much into my teacher's pay check.

JD

 

[don campbell]

was a fiberglass hot shot with K/B 3.5 back in 1980 paid 58 dollars for that engine and less for the boat

 

[Mark Poole ModVP]

First outboard and first RC boat that I drove period, was the big 40 inch Mod-VP that I built in 1986. First run was on a farm pond in middle Ga. , where I was living at the time. Stock 7.5 KB. Big ol thing actually ran pretty good for its size.

 

[raymond bowden]

Jomarine deep vee kb3.5 cool looking glass deep vee anybody know anything about those hulls bought at hooby shop early80s

 

[joe707monohan]

I started the o/b class with the Dumas 3.5 hot shot sprint wood kit and still have two running.

Joe

 

[dave roach]

My first tunnel was a dumas hot shot 1984 engine was $135.00 back then.I still have that boat and in great shape

Dave Roach