Antique Boat ID?

[silverking]

No! Thinking of selling the bhass boat

Wondered when you might come to your senses.

Harry Spear is building some cool skiffs. spearboatworks on FB

[Chalk]

Yeah...like the lowtide and orca he's working on...want a 17.8...it's on my "boat" bucket list anyways

[silverking]

Mine too.

[TallyFish]

Based upon the hull construction differences lapstrate ( in the photo) VS plywood sheet check out Luger kit boats from the 50s or 60s for comparison. Luger was famous for taking a popular design and making the construction more bulider friendly for the home craftsman.

[silverking]

Thanks Tallyfish. Thompson built several models, including those with plywood hulls. I looked into the Luger and it seems most of their wooden boat kits were smaller runabouts before they started using glass and eventually moved into the sailboat market.

Maybe Capt. Ron will chime in, but Apalachicola hosts an antique boat show every year with some great classics. It's usually in November if I'm not mistaken. If you enjoy old boats, it's definitely worth checking out.

[silverking]

Well, my old FS buddy steered me in a new direction (he used to own a Thompson). This might be a 1957 Scottie-Craft Miami Deluxe 18 Cruiser. Found one that was listed awhile back on Bone Yard Boats and also Lady Ben Classic Wooden Boats. Here's a few photos from the listing. I'm sending all this info to my BIL and let him take it from there. Time to get back to my real job, which is writing about fiberglass fishing boats. But I've certainly scratched the surface on a whole culture of antique boat fanatics. Looks like I'll have plenty of company when I finally do retire and need something to do on the days I'm not on the water.

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1957_SCOTTIE_CRAFT_18_002_OP09_small.jpeg (15.29 KiB) Viewed 8777 times

1957_SCOTTIE_CRAFT_18_003_DE43_small.jpeg (19.75 KiB) Viewed 8777 times

[rocket]

My dad had a 1963 Lyman that he bought from Walter Blount when we were growing up. Your boat has some of the same characteristics.

[rocket]

Yeah...like the lowtide and orca he's working on...want a 17.8...it's on my "boat" bucket list anyways

Check out Hatfield Boatworks on Facebook. They're building some cool wood boats,and they are out of Apalach.

[thompsonboat]

The boat in question is NOT a Thompson. None of the "Thompson" family of boat companies ever made sheet plywood boats. This includes: Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co.; Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc.; Thompson Royal-Craft, Inc.; Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Chris-Craft; Cruisers, Inc.; T & T Boats, Inc.; Shawano Boat Mfg. Co.; and Grady-White Boats.

Chris-Craft did NOT buy Thompson Bros. in the early 1960s. Chris-Craft did in January 1962 purchase Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc. at Cortland, NY. It became a wholly owned subsidiary. Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. was never affiliated with Chris-Craft in any way, shape or form.

The boat in question could be from the Cavalier Division of Chris-Craft or maybe one of their kit boats. Luger Industries did in fact make larger cabin cruiser sytle boats, so it might be a Luger. There were many builders of sheet plywood boats but Thompson et.al. were not amongst them.

Look at www.thompsondockside.com for information about Thompson et.al.

www.chris-craft.org for Chris-Craft informaiton

www.fiberglassics.com for an incredible Library of information on all types of pleasure boats, not just classic fiberglass

Mr. Andreas Jordahl Rhude
President
Thompson Antique & Classic Boat Rally, Inc.
a non-profit corporation

[rockyg]

Capt. Dave, I hope your BIL is in Bain Capital with Romney. It's going to take $$$$ to get that badboy to look like the boats in these pictures.

[reelbad]

The boat in question is NOT a Thompson. None of the "Thompson" family of boat companies ever made sheet plywood boats. This includes: Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co.; Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc.; Thompson Royal-Craft, Inc.; Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Chris-Craft; Cruisers, Inc.; T & T Boats, Inc.; Shawano Boat Mfg. Co.; and Grady-White Boats.

Chris-Craft did NOT buy Thompson Bros. in the early 1960s. Chris-Craft did in January 1962 purchase Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc. at Cortland, NY. It became a wholly owned subsidiary. Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. was never affiliated with Chris-Craft in any way, shape or form.

The boat in question could be from the Cavalier Division of Chris-Craft or maybe one of their kit boats. Luger Industries did in fact make larger cabin cruiser sytle boats, so it might be a Luger. There were many builders of sheet plywood boats but Thompson et.al. were not amongst them.

Look at www.thompsondockside.com for information about Thompson et.al.

www.chris-craft.org for Chris-Craft informaiton

www.fiberglassics.com for an incredible Library of information on all types of pleasure boats, not just classic fiberglass

Mr. Andreas Jordahl Rhude
President
Thompson Antique & Classic Boat Rally, Inc.
a non-profit corporation

Welcome to the forum, thanks for the info. Would it be ok to ask where you are located and how you reached this forum?

[silverking]

Mr. Rhude is in Minnesota and he was kind enough to respond to an inquiry from my friends at Cruisers Yachts. I had sent them the link and he replied to that.

So I stand corrected that Thompsons were not built with plywood and Luger did make some cabin boat kits, although I wasn't able to discover that in my research. Hopefully my BIL can determine whether the boat is a Scottie-Craft or Luger and find a good home for it.

This has been fun learning experience. Thanks again to all who offered suggestions and leads.

Happy boating! And watch out for rocks and rogue waves.

[Jumptrout51]

I stand by my original post.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

I WILL HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH THOMPSONBOAT, THE THOMPSON BOAT WE BOUGHT NEW, I BELIEVE IN 1954 OR 5 HAD PLYWOOD SIDES, BOTTOM, AND TRANSOM, IT CAME WITH A 40 H.P. EVINRUDE ELE. START ENGINE. THE BOAT WAS NOT TOO HEAVY AND THE LITTLE 40 HORSE WOULD PUSH IT ALONG AB OUT 25 TO 30 MPH, DEPENDING HOW MUCH WEIGHT WAS IN THE BOAT AND THE RIPPLE ON THE RIVER. WE COULD TROLL ALL DAY LONG ON 6 GAL. OF GAS, BACK THEN WE MIXED 8 OZ. OF OIL PER GAL . OF GAS. ON COLD WINTER MORNINGS WHEN WE WERE TROLLIING FOR SPECKLE PERCH THAT THING WOULD PUT OUT A COMPLETE FOG OVER THE WHOLE LAKE AFTER WE HAD BEEN TROLLING FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS.
PA
SEMPER FI

[thompsonboat]

A friend linked me to this discussion. I am just west of Minneapolis, MN. I am a native of the Town of Peshtigo, WI - where Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. was located from 1904 to 1980. I work for a Peshtigo based firm that was adjacent to Thompson Boat's factory and various Thompson family members were 50% stock holders until 1962. The two companies worked hand in hand for many years. I restore old wooden and fiberglass Thompson et.al. boats and I am writing a book on Thompson et.al. history.

None of the firms I mentioned in my earlier post ever made sheet plywood boats like the one in the original photos.. They did make plywood lapstrake boats, such as shown in the photo in a previous post (the blue hullsides). That boat is NOT sheet plywood, it is lapstrake. Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. also made strip-built hulls - the typical "cedar strip" fishing and row/motor boat. Made 'em by the tens of thousands up to 1956 when they were dropped from their product line. Plywood lapstrake hulls and the canvas/wood "Take-Along" car toppers were the focus after 1956.

Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. at Peshtigo, WI never used plywood in the transom construction of their wooden boats. Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc. did use plywood in the transom of their lapstrake boats in the early 1960s (after the split from Peshtigo which was effective 01 January 1959). Transoms of lapstrake boats made by T & T Boats, Inc. at Wausaukee, WI between 1960 and 1964 were plywood. I do not think Cruisers, Inc. ever used plywood in their transom construction.

Luger industries was located just down the street from where I lived in Minneapois for twenty years (long before I lived there however). I have a 1956 Luger brochure - no cabin cruisers shown. I am sure I have seen some Luger cabin cruisers (sheet plywood construction) in other brochures. Maybe those posted at www.fiberglassics.com in the Glassic Library.

Taft Marine Woodcraft, also of Minnepaolis, was another kit boat builder. Their 1957 brochure shows an 18 ft. cabin cruiser. The 1962 brochure shows several cabin cruiser models in several lengths.

Some other builders of sheet plywood boats include, but are not limited to: Higgins; Berglund; Borum; Carter Craft; Custom Craft of Buffalo, NY; Sport Craft; Chris-Craft Cavalier Division and Kit Boat Division; Trojan; Owens; etc... Bob Speltz has a full page listing of sheet plywood boat builders on page 314-5 in his Volume IV of "The Real Runabouts" book.

Andreas Jordahl Rhude