Have you considered using a twin armed tiller on the Kort Nozzle shafts? With one arm connected to the servo, using the heavier rods you already discussed, and the second arm connected to the other tiller assembly, it would really firm up your steering

I have, but I'll need to find one that's not 180/straight. I need a V, acute angle version so my nozzles maximize their turning ability.

You can always make your own. A shaft collar like you'd get from Dubro/Sullivan etc, plus some thin metal, drill your holes, cut the arm out, and solder them on.

I was thinking the same thing. Some 1/16th aluminum would work fine for the arms. Just make sure it's 6061 or 7075 as most other types are too soft to hold up. Other types of metal might not work due to soldering/welding issues

I found Shaft Seals that will fit my Kort Nozzle shafts(5mm). Then I ordered some aluminum tubing for them to fit in, and cut it down to 1/2" tall. I'm going to drill a hole large enough to set the aluminum tubes at height, and then peanut butter epoxy them into place. I can use Teflon washers to shim them perfectly.

You'd have to glue the aluminum on, which I wouldn't personally trust. I've used both brass and stainless, depending on what material the shaft collar is made of, and solder to suit. Stainless is of course preferred, but requires a much higher temp to get the silver solder to flow (and silver solder ain't cheap!)

Water Cannon progress.


Taped off the holes before filling with epoxy.


Added some fiber as filler, so it's not all glass.



1/4" Plywood to reinforce the area.


Removed masking tape and drilled out the holes.


Test fit the Livewell pickup for the Water Cannon.

Water Cannon Progress


I started with a 1" hole, but had to elongate it for the elbow to fit down under.

And it fits! I had to use a 1/2" NPT tap on the bottom side of the flange to open the threads up for the elbow.

I like it.

Bilge view

I have multiple updates, but the site seems to have disabled my ability to upload attachments(photos).

I will continue to update the Shelley Foss Facebook group and post to my instagram account @birdizzo

Thank you for ALL of your tedious attention to the details of your build along with your meticulous photos of each stage of the process! Great work.

great job with much patience. enjoy warner from shelton ct

any updates?? Waiting to see how that motor prop combo works for ya.

i completed the up-grade to both sides. pulley with o-ring belts. wow what a change. paddle wheel turns smoothly .foward and reverse and no bouncing of rod linkages.i will call doug at dumas and tell him of the up - grade . thanks for your interest.

I don't have any real updates at the moment. I posted my lastest work to Instagram and Facebook. The props are turning and so are the Kort Nozzles. I took everything out of the boat to install the LARGE water pump and hull fittings.

My next step is to start sealing up the outside of the hull. I plan to do two layers of fiber glass over the hull.

Link to said insta and FB posts?
I was thinking about ordering one of these kits, but boy oh boy is that some funky wood to work with. I am more used to laser-cut aircraft grade birch ply from building rc aircraft.

Other options for a 3' tug with a fiberglass hull run $500 to $1000. Ouch!

I started to Gelcoat my hull this summer. Then I bought a house, so now it's sitting until winter...

Here is the facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/613507166178088

It's funky wood because it's 3/32" mahogany door skin. When I build a Dumas kit, the first thing I do is replace the mahogany with birch, using the mahogany for templates. I usually go to thinner since I build racing boats. In your case, I would go thicker, probably to 1/8 or 5/16, since your boat is going to be much heavier than mine are.

Birch plywood or veneer?

Where do you run at your locale? My MIL is in Marysville and we come over several times a year.

So I'm not sure what happened over two years ago, but my photos were NOT uploading on here. Today they work. Here is the first gelcoat layer. I since did more coats, and sanded it smooth. I will still need another layer of gelcoat over that to get the build up I want.

I would go with the same aircraft grade birch plywood you use to build aircraft. It is stronger than veneer, readily available and you can go to the same sources as you buy it from for aircraft.
I race with R/C Unlimiteds. We run a multicity schedule that includes Tacoma, Monroe, Chelan, Ellensburg, Kennewick and, occasionally, Marysville

Great idea. I have a scroll saw - easy cut outs as well.
OTOH, Loyalhanna has a fiberglass tug hull about the same size for $150. I like the Shelley Foss, so order the kit out and build it into the glass hull instead.
Somebody on ebay has resin Kort nozzles that duplicate the old alloy 3" ones dumas used to have.

I'll have to come out and watch RC boat racing. Gee, potentially another giant money-sink hobby.


34-3/4" long.

Trust me, it can be very expensive, depending on the size of the boat, what it's made from and the power system used. We run 8S electric and nitro 1/8th scale, 1/6.7 gas scale and 1/10th scale electrics. The boat I've run for the past decade is a wood and mostly fiberglass 1/8 scale nitro powered 2000 Miss Elam Plus, the full-sized boat being the winner of the 2000 Columbia Cup with Mark Evans driving.

I'm in the process of building several new boats, including a replacement for the one pictured

Thread-jack warning...

I grew up in PNW, lived in Seattle, Kirkland, Edmonds, Snohomish, Monroe, and Marysville over my first 35 years. Folks had motorboats, I had sailboats. Cruised the San Juans for a couple of decades. Sold a 40' Alden yawl when we left for California in '92. Folks would boat to Seafair every year on Lake WA.
Bob and Donna Steil were neighbors when I was a kid, he built the Squire Shop empire, and was a big time unlimited enthusiast. We knew him when Chip Hanauer was a new driver before he went to the Miss Budweiser.
Here's an interesting page on their story: web site: apbahs.org/restoration-of-the-squire-shop/ (forum won't let me post a link.)

We are now 90 miles from Tri-Cities and I saw this year they had the boat races going on the Columbia, but we didn't make it.
I'll look up the RC Unlimited series for next year.

Yeah, I'm old. LOL
Okay...thread-jack off.

You might like this then
And, if not that one, maybe this one
Or this one
Though maybe I should stop with this one
We now return you to your scheduled Mr Darby programming

Oh man, that is just too cool. Brings a tear to my eye.

Bob had a warehouse building down off Occidental just south of Pioneer Square - he took me over there one day and the second floor had those Merlin engines lined up by the dozen. He had parts and stuff everywhere.

What a cool thing it would have been to drive one of those things.

My dad sold office supplies for Boise Cascade, and he would trade supplies to Bob for store credit at the squire shops stores - I was the best dressed kid in the whole school.

Another kid in the same neighborhood got a 10’ hydroplane with a Mercury Mark outboard, with the high exhaust so it was louder than hell, we would run it up the Sammamish slough out in Kenmore. I hear they did that for years and then someone hit somebody with a boat and that was the end of that.

The good ol’ days. Thanks for sending those. Means a lot.