What is this boat - "Molded Ply Lap Hull"

You inherited your uncle's Thompson and now you want to know more about it.

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Bellbuoys
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:10 pm
Location: SW Michigan

What is this boat - "Molded Ply Lap Hull"

Post by Bellbuoys »

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 drive, this 80 hp was known as the "Dockbuster," I am told. Someone would have had to have some arm to pull start this six-cylinder.
I'm not even sure this is a Thompson, but there is a lot of knowledge on this site!
Apologies for quality of photos, but it was dark in there!
https://www.flickr.com/gp/wouldboater1/087dm8
Brad
1938 Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout
1953 Thompson Thomboy
1956 Yellow Jacket Catalina
Bellbuoys
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:10 pm
Location: SW Michigan

Re: What is this boat - "Molded Ply Lap Hull"

Post by Bellbuoys »

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.
Brad
1938 Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout
1953 Thompson Thomboy
1956 Yellow Jacket Catalina
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Re: What is this boat - "Molded Ply Lap Hull"

Post by LancerBoy »

Cool looking Thomboy in the first album.

The second album shows the "Molded Ply Lap" boat. Most likely she is a "Wagemaker" made at Grand Rapids, MI by Wagemaker Company. The hull may have been molded by their subsidiary firm called US Molded Shapes, also in Grand Rapids.

Andreas
Bellbuoys
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:10 pm
Location: SW Michigan

Re: What is this boat - "Molded Ply Lap Hull"

Post by Bellbuoys »

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?
Brad
1938 Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout
1953 Thompson Thomboy
1956 Yellow Jacket Catalina
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Re: What is this boat - "Molded Ply Lap Hull"

Post by LancerBoy »

I do not know if there were other builders of similar hulls.

Andreas
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