thompsondockside.com

Verne, Andreas's registration may be painted, but it could be a decal version. There are several firms out there that let you design your registration online, with numerous fonts, colors, shadows, etc, and the finished product arrives as individual digits, but pre-spaced on a backing sheet that is u...

I am about to undertake refinishing of a '53 Thomboy. Can anyone recommend filler stains in production today that match the original dark and light wood tones on this boat? And who has a varnish they have found a o be easier than others to work with? Please include your position on the bristle brush...

Thanks Andreas, these are some great shots. As you pointed out to me earlier, my '53 has the opposite color combination topside as compared to your '55, with dark and light wood tones in reverse. Do you know what filler stains available today best recreate the original colors? My thought had been to...

Well, for this year anyway I have adopted the "To heck with it approach, and the Yellow Jacket (complete with a few brush strokes) is regularly in the water. A pre- and two post-refinishing photos should appear through link below. It isn't my intent to hijack the Thompson site for the YJ, but i...

Thanks Andreas.
A Wolverine Wagemaker was a guess by one of the locals, but largely because there are so many of them here in SW Michigan.
Did anyone else make a bias molded plywood, covered in lap strake, boat?

Apologies, for I am a novice with flickr as the photo host. There is a second album available at the above link that contains photos of the mystery boat.

Our local marina pulled this out of an old outbuilding. It had been left for winter storage some years ago, and never reclaimed. Lapstrake over molded plywood. Three rows of seating. Length is 17' and beam is 66".The Mercury engine is a direct drive, thought to precede 1963. With the direct dri...

Sorry. Try this link...
https://www.flickr.com/gp/wouldboater1/4bK423

Here are a few pics of the Thomboy as it now sits in my garage. The Johnson 40 in the background has since been installed on my '56 Yellow Jacket, and I have a 1967 33 hp Johnson for the Thomboy that I must first modify from its long shaft configuration. Again, this boat looks to be complete - the p...

Peter, I have read the chronicle of your rebuild and do not believe I have the the skills, nor the patience that you have demonstrated (and so willingly shared in your postings). Any series that begins "After six years...." gives me the shivers. My Yellow Jacket was a refinishing job, and ...

Rich: Thanks for your post. As it happened, time got short and I needed to complete the Yellow Jacket, and its motor is no longer available for the Thomboy test. I did take your suggestion and climbed underneath with a 4' straight edge, and it would appear I have a 1/4" to 3/8" hook, most ...

Thanks richnle, for nothing compares to actual experience. Based upon your reply, my game plan may be revised to simply reattaching the keel cap with Boatlife caulk, per your recommendation and Andreas's note further up the page. And simply leave it in, with any repainting of the bottom done later o...

I just acquired a '53 Thomboy, and the previous owner had removed the keel cap and the splash rails, set to begin a restoration. After reading about hogged keels and other issues, I want to clamp a motor on the back of this boat and see just what it is I have. 1. Is there any risk in skipping the ca...

Greetings! I am new to the realm of wooden boats, having acquired a 1956 Yellow Jacket last year, and more recently, a 1953 Thomboy barn find. I have spent hours reading Dockside Views, enjoying - and certainly learning a great deal from - the freely shared entries of "those who have gone befor...