Hitting the road tomorrow (Thursday) before dawn. Heading to Boise, Idaho to pick up "Super Duper Big Thom", the 22 foot Thompson lapstrake inboard/outboard cabin cruiser. Hauling her back to the Midwest where she started her life at Peshtigo, WI in 1962.
1,400 miles from the western fringe of Minnepaolis to Boise. Prairie snow and wind in North Dakota, mountain climbs and descents in Montana and Idaho and I imagine more snow. Empty hitch on the way west and the Big Thom on the way back following me. Should be a neato journey.
Will my 1/2 ton Dodge Ram 2 wheel drive be able to handle it??? I certainly hope so!
Andreas, Best wishes for a safe and uneventful adventure. I'm thinking there's a Thompson museum and wooden boatbuilding school somewhere in your future. Regards, John
I'm home!!! 5 days of driving. 3,072 miles total, half of that with the boat. Uneventful other than the Monatana state trooper stop and the bumpy bumpy bumpy road in North Dakota.
I must have been on the Montatan Most Wanted list. THREE squad cars pulled me over west of Billings. Yup, three!!! One pofficer walked up on each side of my rig, apparently ready to pounce if I made a wrong move. The officer said they had a report that I was drinking beer while driving and throwing trash out my window. Both are uttlery laughable. Anyone who knows me is aware I am a recovering alcoholic and have not had a drink in 21 years, 5 months and 25 days (who's counting tho?) and that I go out of my way to pick up trash and litter. Anyway...45 minutes later I was awrded a $85 fine for no trailer license. They were doing their job and I cannot compain about it. But THREE squad cars??? Oh, and office Obey did say he liked the old wooden boat and wished me luck with the restoration. He did say something right off the bat about not seeing wooden boats in that area.
In North Dakota the freeway is so bumpy I broke not one, but four cable clamps that tie the boat to the trailer!!! Several stops and I got er fixed, twice. No damage to the boat or trailer.
I have complanined all my adult life about Minnesota roads. But after driving in North Dakota, Montana and Idaho, I recind all my previous retoric. Roads in Minnesota are MUCH smoother and nicer than in those other three states. I could barely go 55 miles per hour in the other states due to the jarring and bouncing. 64 MPH in Minnesota, no problem!!! And I guess that Montana and Idaho do not use salt/sand on the freeways. Slipped and slided all over the road for 60 miles west of Glendive, MT (took 2 hours) and 90 miles west of Pocatello, ID (took over 2 hours). Luckily this was before I picked up the boat. Saw two roll over accidents just minutes ahead of me west of Pocatello.
The mountains worried me to no end before departure. I had never been to Montata or Idaho previously and was picturing steep climbs and switchbacks for miles and miles and miles. No problem with truck only. But with the boat the going was SLOW. East of Butte, MT at the Homestead Pass it was the steepest and most intense climb. Pedal to the metal and I could only get 32 MPH. But I made it. Sweaty palms during!!! The Monida Pass at the Montana - Idaho border was the highest at 6,870 feet. But that was a very slow, gradual up hill drive. Luckily there was no snow on the roadways in the mountains.
The boat needs work. I have NOT inspected her carefully. The vertical boards on the cabin where they meet the deck are very rotten. The boat sat outside for the past two years or so. The varnish is almost non-existant on the horizontal surfaces. Not sure how she looks under the floor boards.
What a fun trip! Should have done it a wee bit later in the season. But I had a opportunity to get the boat from Portland, OR to Boise, ID at this time so I jumed on it. I would have taken a little more time to do some fun things along the way. As it was, I just drove and slept. Oh, and ate.
Thanks for the update. Sorry for the trouble with the law, rough and slick roads. It is great to have her in your shop with a brighter future ahead of her. There cannot be many of these left. True piece of boating history.
Glad you made it back safely. You may be able to contest the ticket and avoid the fine without an appearance by checking if Idaho (origin) or Minnesota (your state) actually even have temporary transit tags for boat trailers. I suspect they do not, I could not find one or a statutory procedure here in OH so I used a piece of cardboard with IN TRANSIT marked on it without any issues. You could have tried to cheat the system by putting on one of your MN boat trailer plates on it but did not and that is in your favor. Regards, John
I actually broght a MN license plate with me. Forgot to put it on the trailer after I picked her up!!! Oh well. I did install it after Billings! The tropper did say something about an "in transit" permit.
Don't know if it cleaned out the cobwebs. But it certainly cleaned out my funds. $905 in petrol. $300 in lodging. Plus food and Mt. Dew. My pre-trip budget was almost spot on.
Only people with a true passion for something could understand what you went through. Now the ownership of that Thompson will have memories attached to it that will last forever!
That is (and going to be) one beauty. I have a special fondness for cuddy cabins, but curious if at that size you would still call it a “cuddy” or just plain “cabin cruiser”?
Neil
