Thompson boat flooring

Torchie · Post by **Torchie** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:04 am

I am sure that this has been asked and answered before but my search turned up empty.
What color was the flooring in the Thompson boats?
In particular what color would have been used for my 1955 Off Shore?

I know that many of the boats had a textured Masonite type of flooring. Mine currently has marine grade plywood that was painted with a red oxide colored paint.
I have thought about using Nautilex but I am not sold on it.
Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend and thanks for the response's.
Karl.

thegammas · Post by **thegammas** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 2:30 pm

I am planning on using marine grade plywood coated with.....of all things....white truck bed liner. totally waterproof, textured, can be cleaned and scrubbed, wont peal, wont get hot, flexible to take the expansion contraction of the plywood (limited as that will be) and the twisting flexing of the boat.

LancerBoy · Post by **LancerBoy** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:18 pm

I have never seen a Thompson Off-Shore from 1955. So I don't know what was original.

Just went and looked at the Off-shore sitting in my shed. She's either a 1956 or 1957 model year boat. No hull ID found!

The floor is tempered hardboard just like later boats. However, it does NOT have the embossed rough texture on the walking surface. It is painted a pale green colour.

Andreas

Torchie · Post by **Torchie** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 9:53 pm

Thanks for the answers guys.

Actually Peter I was thinking along the same lines as you but I was going to use rocker panel chip guard for texture and then paint it .That's why I was asking about the color.

Andreas. If you have used that color on any of your restorations do you have a name/paint code and company of manufacture?

I haven't posted any pics in a while but the hull is finished and back right side up. Decks and covering boards have been removed and I am preparing to make new ones. Once those are done, it's on to the staining.
I still have hopes of splashing it this fall. Lost alot of time this summer with health problems.
Karl.

LancerBoy · Post by **LancerBoy** » Mon Sep 03, 2012 5:39 am

Karl,

On my '57 Sea Lancer I painted the floor with: Behr Premium Plus, Porch and Floor Paint, Pastel Base #6500. in the colour "Terrace View (PPF-25)". This is a Home Depot paint.

It is pretty close to the floor on the '56-'57 Off-Shore. The boats are sitting side by side right now. I assume it was close to the original floor colour on the '57 Sea Lancer.

Andreas

Dan Salins · Post by **Dan Salins** » Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:58 am

For the floor in my '62 Sea Lancer, I used 1/2" marine grade plywood, painted it with en exterior deck paint to which I added walnut shells for texture. Since the deck paint was a flat finish and showed dust and dirt pretty easily, I gave it a few coats of marine spar varnish. It really popped the color, gave it a really tough finish that cleans up very well, and has good uv protection. The varnish I used is Daly's Seafin Super Spar Varnish with UVA.

Torchie · Post by **Torchie** » Mon Sep 03, 2012 12:12 pm

Dan. Walnut shells for texture. That is an interesting idea that I have never heard of. Were they the type that are used for blasting the finish off of log homes?

Andreas. Thanks for the Brand name and paint codes.
I find it interesting that there was no texture on your Off Shore flooring. May have been kind of slippery if it got wet.
The flooring that came with my boat was replaced at some time and they most likely went for durability vs originality.
Karl.

Dan Salins · Post by **Dan Salins** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 6:47 am

Karl -I don't know if it's the same stuff. I bought the walnut shells at a paint store (Parker Paint) and it's made specifically for adding to paint for non-skid applications. I was surprised at how finely ground they were in the jar but it resulted in a great non-skid surface.

JoeCB · Post by **JoeCB** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 2:34 pm

I thought that I'd chime in here on the floor issue. In my memory most all the hard pressed "Masonite" of bygone years had one side smooth and the other textured. The smooth side was used in most all normal applications. I think that the textured surface was there not so much as a application feature but rather some consequence of the manufacturing process. The benifit of the textured surface, although perhaps unintended by the manufacturer was that it did provide an non-slip surface. I think that Thompson saw the advantage and basically used the "back side" of the board for their floors. My 57' Sea Lancer has the "backside masonite" flooring, light grey color, unfortunatly most of the texture has become filled from several coats of paint.
All of the newly produced pressed hardboard that I have seen now has both surfaces smooth, no doubt someones idea of a marketing improvement. I had wondered if the textured surface could be replicated in the interest of accurate restoration ??? Perhaps a light skim coat of epoxie, then the pattern impressed with a roller or flat sheet of metal window screen. The original texture pattern looks just like regular window screen.
Joe B

Torchie · Post by **Torchie** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:03 pm

Chime away Joe. That's whats so great about this site.
So is/was the texture on your floor like the back side of a sheet of pegboard?
That about the only Masonite type of material that I have seen anymore that has any texture to it.

Also. How thick was the original flooring in these boats?
I am not going for a 100 point restoration on this boat but just like on a car that I might modify I like to know what was used originaly.

As it is the ceilings in my boat are going to be darker than original because my hands are just not in good enough shape to strip and bleach and sand all the back sides of the strakes as well as the ribs.
So basicaly the inside is getting a good scuff and then a revarnish. Which is better than painting the inside which is what some infidel suggested I do.LOL
Karl.

JoeCB · Post by **JoeCB** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 5:58 pm

The original floor on the 57' Sea Lancer is 3/8 " tempered hardboard. Masonite is a trade name for one brand of this compressed wood product. The stuff comes in several strength grades. The common term for the strong and water resistant stuff is "Tempered Hardboard".
I just measured a slice of the actual board that I had in the shop and it checked at .350 " , so nominal 3/8"
Yes, I suspect that the pegboard stuff is some grade of masonite. As for the texture pattern on the back side... I'm not familiar with that particular product. I do know that the stuff that is on my Thompson had the "window screen" pattern that I'm familiar with on most of the older stock Masonite I've encountered. Just envision the wire weave pattern that one would get by pressing a piece of wire window screen into modeling clay.
Joe B

W Guy · Post by **W Guy** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 1:19 pm

I'd love to see a close up photo of that original texture, maybe with a dime on the floor (or a BB) to give it scale.

Verne

LancerBoy · Post by **LancerBoy** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:21 am

Here are two pictures of flooring material used on lapstrake boats made by Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. at Peshtigo, WI:

1 - from circa 1956 Off-Shore, the light green is original colour the dark green is a later repainting. NO texture on this floor

2 - from 1959 Off-Shore Cabin Cruiser, the grayish colour is original and the "texture" can be seen

The flooring material is tempered hardboard (Masonite is one brand name - I do NOT know what brand was used by Thompson). It is 3/8 inch thick. Even when they started using Nautolex vinyl floor covering in the 1960s, they used tempered hardboard material. The vinyl was stretched around the edges and stapled and also glued to the hardboard.

Andreas

LancerBoy · Post by **LancerBoy** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:24 am

I knew those Hagerty pens were good for something. They certainly are not good for writing!

Andreas

Torchie · Post by **Torchie** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:22 pm

Great pics Andreas. Thanks for the post.
That texture does look like the backside of the 4x8 sheets of pegboard that my wife has in her studio. Interesting.

I will be going to HD tomorow to get the floorboard paint so I am glad to have seen the pic of the Off Shore flooring color. And I will be doing some sort of texture to give the floor a non slip finish.

I am still amazed in regards to Haggerty. From a humble start they have become huge. Sometimes when I am in Traverse City I drive by their " World Headquarters" just to see what they have displayed in the lobby.
Karl.