Woody's 1966 ThomBoy Restoration

[Woody]

Updated Feb 7,2008
Questions are in bold. Feedback is appreciated.
All but motor and steering wheel are off. Once removed she will be flipped and stripped to determine planking needs. I will most likely be replacing bottom and outer keel for sure.
Need suggestions on trimming out deck. Will not be putting vinyl back on decks.

Made it home.



Known issues.

Where can I get new inserts?

I may need to rebuild or replace switch control. Held together with tape.
More to come....
Feb 5, 2008 Update:

Dash and gauges removed.
Ideas on refurbishing steering wheel? There are some dark stains present.

Afraid to remove the tape. This control is for the '63 Evinrude 75hp. There is a '65 switch on ebay. Will it work with this unit?

Taking it to the carwash to clean out.

Seams in vinyl have decay below. Will not be putting vinyl back on decks.

Decay noted at the ends of frames. Won't have complete knowledge of degree until I remove bottom.
Is there a gap/void between the end of the frame and keelson to allow for water to drain to transom on these Thompson's?
Feb 7, 2008
Motor removed today. Neighbor has hoist. My close friends should be thankful. Built motor stand for about $25 in materials.
Transom is pulled away from deck and other supports. Still think I'll address the planking and frames first. Then the transom and deck. I want to use the original deck to align the transom.



Motor on mobile cart/stand. Bracket same angle as transom as recommended by Andreas.

Transom has pulled away from deck and rails.
I plan to disassemble transom and lightly plane. Put back together using 3M 5200.


Transom from above.
Please provide feedback.

[Michael J. Seiber]

The only place I know where you would find that switch or control would be on ebay. I see them there every now and then. Nice looking project. I was wondering what my have broken the sister keel? Mike

[Woody]

My plan is to clamp sister keel once bottom is removed and sister on each side a minimum of 2 feet fore and aft of break. 1/4 inch bolts staggered on 6 inch centers. Any thoughts?

[LancerBoy]

For that broken sister keelson (or stringer), I'd try to get some adhesive in the joint and clamp it back tight. Use some screws to try to pull it together. And your idea of using boards on either side of it for several feet of length is OK. Make sure you use silicon bronze fasteners. And please do not use deck screws or sheet rock screws!

Andreas

[Ron P]

I fixed my 15 foot Thompson this way a couple of years ago. It had rot back by the transom.










This spring I will be installing new decks .

Hope this helps.. Ron P.

[Michael J. Seiber]

All of the mentioned ways would work but since you are going to have the bottom off would you consider replacing the whole piece? I know it's easy for me to say. I have a dutchman that runs a saw mill real close. Mike

[Woody]

Once I have the bottom off I'll consider the replacement option.
What type of glue would be best for this break? Resorcinol(sp) glue?

[Michael J. Seiber]

You can't use anything like elmers. Water has an efect on it. I did some testing on Gorilla glue. I made a new stem for my boat out of three peices of oak with it. I first glued a couple of sample peices together an then tried everything we could think of to get them apart, hammer and chisel, soaked in water and even steam. Nothing we did could get it back apart so that's what we used.
Mike

[LancerBoy]

For that break, do not use resorcinol adhesive. You will never be able to clamp it tight enuff or with consistancy. And most importantly, you will need a glue line temperature of 160 F for six hours for a proper joint in the white oak. Tough to do that in your boat!

Epoxy may be your best choice, altho some epoxy does not like white oak.

Andreas

[Woody]

Thanx for feedback.
I have some West System Epoxy left over from my Canoe project.
The gorilla glue or similar is a thought.
It is difficult to judge grain, but it appears this break possibly travels in the direction of the grain. If this is the case, it would not take much force to cause this to crack. The "slope of grain" appears to be extreme. For this reason I feel pretty strong about reinforcing this on each side, as well as, gluing.

[John Hart]

For what it is worth, I decided not to use any water wash, especially high pressure wash on my Seacoaster. I know some folks choose to do that.

In my case, I spent a number of months drying things out, and I didn't want any moisture stuck in cracks and corners that might inhibit adherence of epoxy or varnish. I think I recall that Steve Smith mentioned that HP washing forces water into places it might not otherwise be.

Not only was I concerned about adhesion, but I also didn't want to trap any more moisture than was there already from the ambient air.

I think I had a detailed description of how I cleaned the inside of my boat posted in the archives... but I have been unable to figure out how to get at those. (Website manager is trying to figure it out)

I do remember vacuuming with a duster brush on the end, maybe even using a stiff bristle whisk broom... Then I scraped with a paint scraper and sharp 5 in 1 blade.... I probably vacuumed four or five times overall...

I also got some hot water and I think TSP, and used scotch brite pads to do the entire inside....trying to limit the water used.... I set up 3 buckets on a stand outside the boat, so I didn't have to keep getting in and out, or risk dumping a bucket inside while I was cleaning. Finally, I think I used old T-shirt material with hot water to wipe clean before sanding.

Just one way to do it.

[LewMiller]

I found the old archives here: http://www.thompsondockside.com/_dockvi ... cproto.htm

Lew Miller
Restoring 1959 Sea Lancer

[Bill E]

Once I have the bottom off I'll consider the replacement option.
What type of glue would be best for this break? Resorcinol(sp) glue?

Larry, whether you use "regular" epoxy (West 105/205 etc) or a special epoxy for oily wood, here's how I'd do it:

1. First, use a regular mix of epoxy, or even a slightly thinned mix on both sides of the joint. This will help ensure that both surfaces are saturated and you won't get a glue-starved joint if the epoxy soaks in.

2. Next, for the actual gluing, use a slightly thickened mix of epoxy. Thicken with wood flour (very fine sawdust), or maybe silica filler, or a combination of both. The silica filler will help reduce run-out and sag, and the wood fiber will help strengthen the epoxy. You can do this right after the initial soak coat of epoxy. In fact, it's better to do that than to wait until the initial coat has fully cured.

3. Don't clamp TOO tightly - this is a difference between epoxy and resorcinol. You want some epoxy inside that joint for bond strength. Epoxy, especially with fillers, makes a good gap-filling structural glue. I've used other polyurethane glues (like Gorilla) and while they do foam up and "fill" a gap, I have doubts about the structural strength of those gaps.

You may already know all this, but hopefully it's of help to someone. I also don't claim to be any expert, so I'm open to other suggestions and corrections!

However you choose to glue it, I'd still sister it like you've described. Call me if you need a hand - I'd love to see the boat sometime!

-wte

[Matthew]

I am eagerley following Woody's project as I am aquiring a 1967 Super Thomboy for restoration and find your pictorial description excelent. Have not been able to find out much about a Super Thomboy, what it is exactly, but it's pretty, complete, has the original 100HP Mercury and Holesclaw trailer so I am compelled to take it home. Any info on Super Thomboys would be appreciated. Matthew

[LancerBoy]

Welcome aboard!

There is no Super Thomboy in the 1967 brochure and price list of Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. Have you verified the year via the hull ID (stamped into the wood of the transom) and the serial number (on the metal manufacturer's plate)? Note that the hull ID and serial number are different.

1965 was the last year that the Super Thomboy was in the product line.

The Super Thomboy is just a larger version of the Thomboy model.

Post the hull ID and serial number here and I can help in determining the year. Do NOT pay any attention to what a title or registration says. Look at the boat itself to find these numbers.

You can purchase Thompson Boat et.al. brochures on a CD-ROM from www.dragonflycanoe.com and www.wcha.org

Andreas