'53 Thompson Thomboy Refinishing Project

[Bellbuoys]

Greetings! I am new to the realm of wooden boats, having acquired a 1956 Yellow Jacket last year, and more recently, a 1953 Thomboy barn find. I have spent hours reading Dockside Views, enjoying - and certainly learning a great deal from - the freely shared entries of "those who have gone before."Miles and Andreas have already been of great help as I awaited access as a registered member. My Thomboy arrived complete with all hardware and, from what I could tell, no visible structural issues. I realize that last observation may have caused half the readers here to tune out immediately. But then, what do I know of hooked bottoms and hidden rot? After reading of some hair raising remediation projects, my plan is to re-attach the keel (prior owner had begun a paint job), clamp a motor on the back, and see just what it is I have - - will it plane well, go straight, will it even float.....before investing sweat equity.
But first I need to wrap up my mini-restoration of my Yellow Jacket. I am probably a week away from putting it in the water, but am disenchanted with the varnish job (mine) on the deck. I will attach a photo if I can find the instructions, but while I have a high gloss finish, there are mild indulations in the finish, not too unlike a pair of wide wale corduroy pants, following the grain and, ok, my brush strokes. Local advice I have encountered ranges from sanding it flat and re-coating with a foam roller (I had used a bristle brush), all the way to this being the symptom of a poor prep job that must be taken back to bare wood and start over. For background, I stripped the deck and hull, applied a Minwax (perhaps not the best choice...) pre-stain sealer, applied a Minwax penetrating stain, followed by five coats of Jamestown Distributors' "Lust" product.
Whether I can improve my finishing skills will dictate how I approach the Thomboy, and I thought a good old non-controversial topic like the best means of applying varnish (and what to do from my existing status) would be a great way of firing up new activity on the forum. I know there is some magnificent expertise out there, and your thoughts about best next steps would find a willing student at this end. Thank you.
Many thanks,

[LancerBoy]

Welcome aboard.

Andreas

[53thomboy]

Nice find. I would love to see some pictures of the Thomboy when you can.

[Bellbuoys]

Here are a few pics of the Thomboy as it now sits in my garage. The Johnson 40 in the background has since been installed on my '56 Yellow Jacket, and I have a 1967 33 hp Johnson for the Thomboy that I must first modify from its long shaft configuration. Again, this boat looks to be complete - the prior owner stripped off the hardware but I appear to have all of it in a box that accompanied the boat. It had been sitting on an old Dunbar Kapple trailer (Serial number 10) that I now have posted to Craigslist here for sale. Climbing underneath, it appears I have a one-quarter to three-eights inch hook about two feet in from transom; I hope to get a better read on that this weekend when I'll have some help here to flip the boat over.

Pictures of other 1950's Thomboys would be of interest. I am debating whether I will be a purist and revert to the white bottom or not.

I just opened a flickr account so as to be able to send these, and don't know that I approached it correctly. Let me know if photos cannot be seen.

www.flickr.com/photos/wouldboater1/

[Bellbuoys]

Sorry. Try this link...
https://www.flickr.com/gp/wouldboater1/4bK423

[LancerBoy]

cool THOMBOY.

Change the bottom paint to the factory correct white. Not a big task. Probably do not need to strip the red off. Just scuff it up, clean, and paint. May take several coats to cover up the red tho.

Andreas

[thegammas]

Hmmmm, a rare instance where I'm on a different mind set than Andreas. I like the red bottom better than what I think a white bottom would look like given the bottom paint comes so far up the hull. I think the contrast would be too much. That said, maybe a white bottom with a three inch Red Boot Stripe between the white of the bottom and the bright tops.

About the results of your varnished deck on the Yellow jacket. Typically, Varnish (and I use 'varnish' to cover all the clear coatings like polyurethanes etc) will follow the surface they are applied to. So brush strokes beget brush strokes, dips and hollows become more prominent. In some situations you can apply very heavy coats to fill in brush strokes or low spots, because like water the varnish will flow to the low spot. This only works on a flat surface, and heavy applications require often very long drying times.

When applying varnish I sand lightly between fully dried coats with a fine grit paper, say 200 between the first few coasts, then 400 between the next few, then no sanding between the last two. This removes those little bubbles you might see if using a foam roller (not a fan of foam rollers for varnish, or maybe I lack the skill), cuts the tops of of brush strokes, etc. A random Orbit sander works best for me. If working to remove brush strokes and are sanding by hand, sand 90 degrees to the strokes so you are cutting off the tops, but not digging out the troughs. Then a final few strokes of sanding in the direction of the brush strokes.

I had a similar issue on a door I was staining/varnishing. I had used the wrong type of brush (what could the type of brush matter, I thought). After a few coats I could see that the waves and brush strokes were not going to go away. So I re-sanded down to the earliest vanish coat without hitting the stain. Got the right type brush, and started over. Yup, alot of re-work, but I am one of those people that every time I looked at that door I would see brush strokes, not a handsomely stained and Varnished door.

Now, all of that said, this is an old boat. The surface of the deck or the bright finished solid wood is not going to have a "new" surface. So, balance the level of effort against the what is a feasible end result. Oh and in the decking, if it is plywood, be sure not to sand through that first ply.

Or, say, "To heck with it, looks great! To the water!!!"

[Bellbuoys]

Well, for this year anyway I have adopted the "To heck with it approach, and the Yellow Jacket (complete with a few brush strokes) is regularly in the water. A pre- and two post-refinishing photos should appear through link below. It isn't my intent to hijack the Thompson site for the YJ, but in another topic posting photos were requested by Peter. I spent September of last year getting rid of the green paint on the hull, and all the bottom paint. As we headed South for the winter, the boat was upside down on the work trailer with the bottom having just been painted red. Upon return this summer, we flipped it over and went after the topsides, and I was fortunate to find a great upholsterer. At the time it needs refreshing of the varnish, I will try to smooth out my "learning blemishes;" thanks, Peter, for sharing your experiences here.
The molded plywood hull is extremely light - the original manual specified that with the "upholstery option" (and the salmon and beige in the "pre-" photo is original), the boat, sans motor, weighed just 260 pounds. Add 130 or so (?) for the Johnson 40 (1965) and a bit more for battery and fuel, and this moves along smartly. If the speedometer on my jet ski is to be believed, this maxes out at about 37 mph, though feels far faster being low to the water. I am able to store this on a modified jet ski hoist (extended the bunks).
Next, on to the Thomboy, and I truly appreciate the experience, advice, and even the opinions of others as I have been on this forum.
Let's see some photos of other 1950's Thomboys.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskGt6Eex

[LancerBoy]

There are numerous strip-built Thomboy photos in various albums in the facebook page of Thompson Antique & Classic Boat Rally, Inc. and my person page Andreas Jordahl Rhude.

I do not agree that the red bottom is good looking. And certainly do NOT paint a red boot stripe on her if you change to the correct white bottom. That would look horrible. The spray rail is supposed to be painted red.

Andreas

[LancerBoy]

1955 Thompson 14 foot Thomboy in original, unrestored condition. Andreas Jordahl Rhude is caretaker of this piece of art.

[LancerBoy]

Other Thomboy boats:

[Bellbuoys]

Thanks Andreas, these are some great shots.
As you pointed out to me earlier, my '53 has the opposite color combination topside as compared to your '55, with dark and light wood tones in reverse. Do you know what filler stains available today best recreate the original colors? My thought had been to do some experimentation before stripping the original varnish, but the deck in particular is pretty weathered and may not provide the best representation.
Anyone's inputs here are most welcome.

[W Guy]

Andreas,
I love the way the registration numbers are painted on the hull rather than those tacky looking stick-on numbers. Very classy.

Verne

[Bellbuoys]

Verne, Andreas's registration may be painted, but it could be a decal version. There are several firms out there that let you design your registration online, with numerous fonts, colors, shadows, etc, and the finished product arrives as individual digits, but pre-spaced on a backing sheet that is ultimately removed leaving a very professional look.
That said, I'll bet his numbers aRe painted......

[LancerBoy]

True Brad, my state of MN registration ID on the hullside is a decal. There are sign shops that specialize in boat registration and names. The array of fonts and colours and sizes is amazing.

Andreas