another Thompson spin-off?

LancerBoy · Post by **LancerBoy** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:29 am

Just learned about PHANTOM BOAT CO. of Athens, Texas. They might be considered a spin-off from Thomspon Boat of Peshtigo.

Noel Tumlinson was a regional sales mananger for Thompson Boat in the mid 1960s, after Saul Padek took over the reigns. I believe Tumlinson was on the road and not working out of the Peshtigo office.

In 1968 he departed Thompson and started Phantom Boat Co. in North Texas. He was a native of San Angelo, TX. Not sure what they built but I imagine it was the typical small fiberglass outboards and probably some tri-hulls that were so popular at the time. Phantom seems to have existed into the 1980s and maybe beyond.

I have never seen any literature or even a picture of a "Phantom."

Andreas

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 3:25 am

There's a Phantom Boat Company that produces racing boats in Sarasota Florida and a Phantom Jet Boat company in Washington. I don't know if either of them are connected to the original.

LancerBoy · Post by **LancerBoy** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:36 am

Found the article when Tumlinson joined Thompson in 1968. He must not have stayed very long.

After Padek took over in 1966, there was a revolving door of people coming and going at Thompson. Sales and production managers came and left all the time.