Jerry Miles Lake was an RC airplane enthusiast long before he got into model steam engines. Around 2018, he decided to buy a Saito T2DR steam engine and related gear. After bench running the engine, Mr. Lake started searching for a boat that it might fit in. He wound up with a Dumas “Carol Moran” XL tugboat kit, which was big enough (50″-length, 13.5″-beam) to accommodate the twin-cylinder steam engine. After years of work, Mr. Lake completed this functional model steam powered tugboat which is radio controlled.
The boat hull has a planked construction with fiberglass applied to the exterior. The smokestack is held in place by magnets and has a steel tube liner that drops onto the boiler smokestack. The steam engine components are all Saito brand and in full running condition.
Read more about Jerry Lake’s steam powered tugboat.