1956 -- not sure of the model

[DFR]

Good morning,

Yesterday we finally got my father-in-law's Thompson down from the garage where it had been hanging upside down for 30+ years. There is a Peshtigo builder's plate on the dash without a serial number and the OBC plate is missing. The hull ID on the transom is G60801S which I think I know from reading other posts means somebody with initial G was in charge of the boat and this was the 801st boat produced in 1956 -- I know it is not a 1966 because we have family photos with the boat pictured in them from 1957. The centerline length is 15' 0" and the maximum beam is 5' 7" (67").

Three questions to start with: 1) What is the model of this boat? Is it a Sea Skiff? Perhaps that is what the S stands for in the hull ID? 2) I am brand new to power boats (canoes, kayaks, and small sailboats are where I have "been" in the boating sense), and I have a question about the outer keel piece that covers the seam between the garboards. On this boat it ends a couple feet before the transom and it looks like a piece of aluminum with lots of goop covers the seam from that point to the aft end of the boat. Is this as originally designed and constructed? It doesn't look like my father-in-law did much other than paint the hull and add a folding back to the bench seat. Which brings up question: 3) Do photos or drawings exist of what the original interior of these boats looked like fresh from the factory? Looking around on the web it sure seems like there was a lot of variation even within a single design.

Thanks for your help. Here are a couple photos that might help with identification. I sure am looking forward to the Thompson show next summer at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.

Dennis

[LancerBoy]

Hello Dennis and welcome aboard,

The hull ID "G60801S" indicates the 801st boat of all models made in the model year 1946, 1956 or 1966. The letter "G" is a code for the builder and the letter "S" is a code for the trimmer. These were the two guys in the factory that headed up the team that built this boat. It was not their initial, it was a code assigned to them by the company.

She definately is NOT a 1966 model and she is not one from 1946. That leaves 1956. The style, and hull shape and details also indicatee mid 1950s. So 1956 she is!

The Sea Skiff in 1956 is about 13'-2" centerline length. The Sea Coaster is about 15'-2" centerline length. The next one up is the Off-Shore at 18'-0" centerline length.

She most likely is the Sea Coaster. The Sea Skiff and Sea Coaster came each in three different seating set ups. Your's looks like the model 475 Sea Coaster with storage in the back rests of the front seats.

There are NO drawings available. The brochures are on CD-ROM and available for purchase. There is in the 1956 brochure a very basic "plan view" of the three models in the Sea Coaster series. The brochures also have photos.

The CD can be purchased at www.wcha.org and www.dragonflycanoe.com

The keel did stop short of the transom. This was to prevent cavitation at the propellor.

I am not aware of a Thompson Boat gathering at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. The Thompson Antique & Classic Boat Rally takes place at Marinette, WI in August 2010. Exact date and details have not been worked out yet.

Andreas

[DFR]

Andreas,

Thanks for the reply. I'll go with your Sea Coaster designation -- further searching on the web turns up some boats that look similar. In any case, it's a relief to know the outer keel piece is supposed to end where it does because without plans or drawings available it'd sure be hard to get that right.

Somebody at the Sturgeon Bay wooden boat show last summer told me the Wisconsin Maritime Museum does a Thompson-only boat show every other year. Perhaps I misheard or he was also misinformed? I'll definitely keep an eye out for announcements of the Marinette show, though. Thanks.

Dennis

[LancerBoy]

I have never heard about a Thompson show in Manitowoc at the Maritime Museum. I am sure the person mis-spoke. Manitowoc and Marinette sort sound alike. I bet the person meant to say Marinette.

Andreas

[thegammas]

Greetings Dennis! That is a great boat. Looks in great shape. Looking forward to hearing more about it's over all condition.

I cant resist a bit o' advice. As soon as you can, extend the trailer bunks well past the transom (say 6 inches?). Otherwise over time the weight of the motor pushing down on the transom, and therefor pushing the bunks up into the hull, will hog the bottom (that is, create concave areas in the hull) that will affect handling. If you don think you can get to that any time soon, perhaps lift that nice Merc off of there for the time being or support the transom with blocks or jacks.

Speaking of that Merc (and I am a huge Merc fan) there is an excellent site for advice and support for that motor, no matter your plans for it. A great bunch of very helpful folks. www.fiberglassics.com. Go to forums and then the Mercury outpost forum. Resist the temptation to just try and crank it up. If it has been sitting for 30 years there are a few things to do to it first to prevent what could be fatal damage.

BTW, My 62 cortland build boat has the same garboard seam strap at the transom.

[240sxguy]

Peter^ summed up my experience with a merc just like yours. Needed a water impeller and I blew it up. Sad. I have a merc 900 on my boat now. Great tip on the mercury forums!

Also, sweet boat! Beautiful

www.fiberglassics.com

[DFR]

Peter,

Thanks for the note. I have read some accounts on WoodenBoat forum of the hook that can develop over time on these boats from weight hanging off the transom. Seems to result in some undesirable "porpoising" characteristics that are near-impossible to fix without a major rebuild of the stern and transom. In my thoughts as I started this project, I envisioned taking the motor off each time I used it. Oh blissful ignorance. After seeing (for the first time when my friend showed me how to hook up the steering) what would be involved I can see why people prefer to leave them on for the season. I was all proud of myself for having the original trailer and putting it back together the way it used to be after refinishing it, but now I think I will need to modify the back end of the trailer. Any suggestions on how far forward to carry the bunks? There's a nice flat fun there for a few feet, should I try to get that all supported as far out from the centerline as possible or what?

Thanks too for the link on the motor. My father-in-law used to fire the thing up once a year in his basement (which is where the missing piece of the cowl is), but I don't remember him doing it ever past the late-80s. Neighbor Andy is a mechanic and people like me are quite grateful for neighbors like him -- not only did he let me use his grinder to get rusty bolts off (mmm, power tools...) and help me get the trailer blasted and painted, he pointed at stuff and guided me through replacing the hubs and packing the new bearings -- funny how it all makes perfect sense with a good teacher. And he said he'd point at stuff and teach me as much as I wanted to learn about the motor, too. So between him and that site I think I may have a fighting chance. At this point it is my intention to use the old motor if at all possible -- I've got some concerns about efficiency and pollution, but I'll hold off final judgment until I learn more. I know a newer motor just wouldn't look quite as nice hanging off the back, though.

Anybody out there have an opinion on whether that spotlight on the foredeck is original or not? My father-in-law worked long hours seven days a week at the family cheese factory for decades and used the boat mostly at night which might explain the light. For that reason alone, I'd probably keep it on there, but I was just curious. Anyway, thanks for your help.

Dennis

[DFR]

Here's a shot of the trailer (with Neighbor Andy's trucks and garage in the background). I can probably rig some fore-n-aft bunks using the rearmost cross piece and the two angled pieces of channel that run up past the existing bunks. But the advice is to extend bunks back past the current location of the rollers even though they are within inches of the transom, correct? In which case, it'd be better to get rid of the rollers in favor of bunks? Or maybe make some sort of bunk that does the fore-n-aft thing and some of the transverse support given by the rollers? Just want to get it right. Thanks again.

Dennis

[Phill Blank]

DFR,

Take a look at some of the trailer pictures under the trailers tab on this site. That should give you a good idea of what you need to do to modify your existing trailer for the bunks.
On all my trailers the bunks run as far forward as possible from the transom and extend out past the back of the transom.
I was told that the bunks should carry the majority of the weight and that you should be able to turn the center rollers under the keel with a fair amount of force when the boat is on the trailer. In this way the keel has support but is not causing upward forces on the hull that could cause hugging.
The idea is to have the hull supported so the keel is straight and flat and so it will not droop and keeps it true shape when setting on the trailer.
Also if you use hold down straps be sure to loosen them when the boat is stored or not being towed so you are not causing undo stress in the hull that could cause deforming over time.

Good Luck,

Phill

[thegammas]

Dennis,

Lots of thoughts for you on the motor and the trailer - Hopefully I can sit down soon at the computer and pound out some opinion. Two quick thoughts:

The trailer bunks need to run fore/aft. They need not be complex, just a coupld of boards with bunk carpet on them. Somewhere in the trailer forum I posted a bunch of pics of how I modified my trailer and more important, what I would do different.

The motor - you need not pop it off every time. Much simplier to set blocks/stands under the transom or motor for support. When my boat is parked, I place a few blocks next to the skeg of the motor that are say an inch or so to high to slide under the skeg. I tilt the motor up and inch or so, slide the blocks under, lower the motor in to them. Then just a small push at the bow of the boat to load the weight of the motor onto the blocks. Has the affect of the blocks carrying the weight of the motor and the transom just balancing it. Take a few seconds.

Also, when trailering the boat, I have the motor tilted up and a support strapped between the motor and the trailer. The idea is that the motor will not bounce up and down stressing the transom. The support is adjusted such that the support takes the stress and transfers it to the trailer. Takes a bit of fussing to adjust it right, but then you are done and towing is much less stressful (pun intended)

I could go on and on, especially with lessons learned. The folks on this site are an invaulable resource. No question too simple.

I'll post some pics of the motor support, transom blocks, and the skeg block approach. All are very simple.

In the meantime - have fun!

[John Hart]

Dennis... it seems to me that the more support points to the hull, and the wider those support points are, the better. A bunk will probably spread the weight per sq inch better than a roller.

I strongly recommend a Transon Saver... the one I have, I think I ordered from Cabela.... It is a square sleeve that pushes against the back of the trailer (pin in bracket), with the other end, sort of a Y, that cradles the lower unit. The sleeve on mine travels back and forth in another sleeve and is dampened by a spring inside.

THis support should give you a measure of confidence when trailering or storing.

For what it is worth, here is a pic of the trailer I use, which you may have already seen in the trailer section.

John.

[DFR]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies. I, of course, just started firing off questions without first looking to see what has already been discussed here. Off to the archives...

Dennis

[LancerBoy]

In 1956 the boat would not come from the factory with any hardware as standard items. In fact, the windshield frame was not standard. All this stuff could come from the factory if ordered as accessories.

However, it is more likely that a dealer put his own hardware on the boat. Most dealers ordered the boats bare bones from the factory. They installed the hardware, motors, put a trailer undeer it, etc... They could make more profit by installing their own hardware. That's why you may see two Sea Coasters of the same year next to one another at an exhibit and the hardware is very different.

So, the spot light most likely did not come form the factory. The cleats and chocks may have been installed at the factory, but the likelihood is that they were not.

Get longitudinal bunks on that trailer. She looks pretty but she truly is not supporting the boat very well.

Andreas - in Illinois right now!

[JoeCB]

Dennis, a very very nice boat / motor package, and espically since it is a bit of family history. The vintage motor is perfect with that boat ( my opinion!) if you intend to keep and run that motor I suggest that you get hooked up with a local chapter of the Antique Outboard Motor Club... a wealth of help/info/parts etc. for classic motors, Check out aomci.org

Joe B

[thegammas]

this is the skeg block strategy i use for unloading the weight from the transom when the boat is parked. If the pile of blocks are the right height, the motor is essentially standing on the blocks and being balanced by the boat. You can tell its right by being able to rattle the motor back and forth.

Edit 11/1 --- I forgot to mention the best way to adjust the weight of the motor is to put blocks under the skeg and then use the support thingy in front, the name of which I can not recall, to raise the bow up, which lowers the transom, which puts the weight in the blocks.

Here is another pic showing the extension i mention. it swings away to decrease the length of then trailer








My Trailer after Modification of the bunks - go to the trailer threads where you can read bout the changes in more detail - this is before carpet - I also bolted on an extension (not shown). needed for the shallow ramp where I often go and to back the boat away from the truck so I could open the hatch. Tows better too with the extension.

One note - I feel that 2X6 boards are too wide. Might trim them just an inch narrower thios winter so the edges of the boards don't hang up un the edges of the strakes (planks) on the bottom



Some pics to get your enthusiasm up;

Running up the Pawcatuck river in Connecticut where I towed her from Delaware for a family reunion.

pics


Mored at Watch Hill Rhode Island - sorry guys, that's salt water.




Another river shot - too bad about that fender


Resting behind my Uncles house - he has an awesome riverside house. That other lapstrake behind mine is a plastic boat, but she's fun to run so we'll overlook that