thompsondockside.com

Hi guys. Got under the deck on my Sea Lancer and saw that the deck frames have a strip of what appears to be a strip of 1/2" ply between the ends of the frames and the ribs, with little plywood spacers where needed. The strip runs from where you can see in the pics to just abaft the stem. Is this normal construction? Thanks guys,

Mike

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Yes.

The deck framing was made on a jig on a work bench in the factory. After it was framed it was dropped into the boat. The longer strip of plywood was from the pre-framed component system. The filler blocks must have been added because on this particular boat the deck framing did not quite fit as intended.

Andreas

Below is a drawing from Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co, of Peshtigo, WI showing the construction of the 1962 model 900 Sea Lancer:

Cool. Thanks Andreas. It's so good to know I don't have some mickey mouse repair to undo..
Mike

Bulkhead/deck/gunwale issues: I'll be replacing the deck and instrument panel (bulkhead) for obvious reasons, and I've noticed a substantial gap at each outboard end of the bulkhead and the inwale. About an inch at starboard and maybe 1/2" at port. Does anybody have hull dimensions for this area? It looks like 84" in the sales lit, so I measured and it looks like she's spread 3/4" to an inch. The lines seem fair from outside. I can make the new bulkhead fit the space or maybe squeeze the boat before I put the new deck on. Any advice on that? Thanks guys!
Mike

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Threesheets,

Make the bulkhead/ dash fit the hull.
Remember these boats were made in sections by different people and on wood mold forms and the decks and other items with in the hull were done at different locations with in the plant by different people. Hull forms would not all be identical as a fiberglass hull form would be so each boat would be a little different then the other. The idea was to get the boat out the door looking good but not perfect. The more boats out the door the more money the company made.

Good Luck,

Phill

Excellent point Phill. I agree that I should make the bulkhead fit. I'd like to snug it up tight, but original construction appears to leave some space at the ends. Anybody foresee any probs if it's tight? Thanks, Mike.

Mike, I would leave a little space between the bulk head and the hull to allow for any expansion of the wood over time. I would think that an 1/8 inch would be fine.

Good Luck,

Phill

Another great point. Thanks Phill