Jason Colean of Pasco shows his one-tenth scale yellow RC hydroplane. Dozens of super fans and enthusiasts of the annual Water Follies Columbia Cup races gathered early to prep for the weekend races.

From about age 6, Jason Colean remembers his dad crafting detailed, cardboard-and-tape models of hydroplanes for him to pull around in their front yard in Pasco. “And that’s really all it takes to ...