thompsondockside.com

My husband and I are looking at purchasing our first wooden boat to restore. Preferably a Thompson. We've been searching Craigslist and see a couple available. What should we look for when we look in person? Any tips?
Thanks

Look for rot. Especially where ribs meet the keelson and where planking meets the transom. If she's a late 1950s and 1960s lapstrake, take the floor boards up and poke around at the wood. Also look for cracked or broken ribs especially at the turn from the hullsides to the bottom (chine area). Look for rot at bottom of windshield where it meets the deck.

Look for straightness of the bottom of the boat from the transom looking forward. A hook or hog can cause horrible handling of the boat at speed.

Flaking and peeling paint may indicate rot underneath. Discoloured wood can be an indication of rot.

Do not be afraid to walk away form a boat that you think is beyond your capabilities. There are plenty of "Thompson" like boats out there looking for a new caretaker.

Get involved here in this forum. Read old postings. Get involved in your local chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society www.acbs.org and ask questions and go to their activities. Same goes for the Antique Outboard Motor Club www.aomci.org

Come to the Thompson Antique & Classic Boat Rally on Saturday 22 June 2013 at Marinette, WI.

Andreas

Andreas covered all the rot issues. If you are looking for a Sea Coaster or Sea Lancer there are many things to consider like size and year along with mahagony or vinyl. Mine is an all Mahogony 1958 Sea Lancer but in 62 and again in 64 they redesigned the hull shape. These later hulls are great but much harder to find a mahagony boat. My next boat will probably be a late one but I will probably convert the deck,cover boards, and dash to mahagony. In 1965 Thompson started to make a wood deep V hull which are very rare.

There are many variations on the strip cedar TVT's and I would recommend getting the Thompson Boat CD with all the brouchures from all the years and also check with Andreas on any boat you find. Even some trailers are much more collectable and preferred. Also old engines should be researched with somebody who knows them well.

ONe nice thing is that you can modify your boat or put a modern engine, steering etc. and still show your boat for we do not judge and take off for modifications but just appreciate these great old girls.

Thanks for the information.

We are going to try and make it on Saturday.