My 196? Offshore?

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

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Tim the Toolman
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:44 pm
Location: Maple Valley, WA (Seattle)

My 196? Offshore?

Post by Tim the Toolman »

Good day all! I'm moving this post over from the Announcements forum, since I've announced myself as a new member, now looking for information about my boat. First of all, this boat has the nicest lines I've seen before, beautiful bow flare and hull lines. I love it. Now to the details as I know them now. The overall length is 20' 1" (had to estimate the windshield thickness, but it does come out to about 20'1" overall), the beam is 8', the gunwale length is 21' 8" and the widest part of the transom is 77" (about at the waterline). She is a Peshtigo boat, Serial number 28298 and haven't torn into the inner transom enough to find a model number yet. So far I have not been able to find a model number nor an OBC plate. It is registered as a 1968. The windshield is wood and does not have any way to be opened. There is a 12V windshield wiper on the starboard side. There is a framed deck hatch forward. The motor is a Force 125, the identification plates are illegible but I was told it's about a 1985. The transom is starting to delaminate in places and is curving aft where the motor is bolted through, probably from having hung off the back without support for a long time. Ribs and plywood planks look pretty good, leaks a little around the transom. None of the original seating is there except what could be a seat back along the rear in front of the splash well (is three separate pieces with slide latches that look original maybe). I'd like to know what the original seating looked like. any help identifying the exact year and model would be terrific! Tim
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Tim the Toolman
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Post by LancerBoy »

Welcome aboard!

There will not be a model number or name on the boat. The HULL ID will be stamped into the wood of the transom, inside the boat. Starboard side and maybe stamped upside down. Could be covered up by something. Hull ID will provide model year.

Serial number 28298 is the highest I have yet seen. Serial number 28135 is a 1967 boat (in my database). So, your's most likely is 1967 or 1968 model year.

The mid to late 1960s 20'-1" boat made by Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. of Peshtigo, Wisc. will be an OFF-SHORE model.

Brochures for Thompson Boat et.al. can be purchased on CD-ROM at www.wcha.org and www.dragonflycanoe.com. These will be your best bet in trying to figure out original seating and other details. There are NO plans or drawings that exist for Thompson.

Andreas
Tim the Toolman
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:44 pm
Location: Maple Valley, WA (Seattle)

1968 Off Shore

Post by Tim the Toolman »

Thanks for the reply Andreas! I have removed the aft floor boards and I'm thinking about pulling out the fuel tank to get to the planks where they tie in to the transom. If I dig that far down I think I'll have the splash well bottom and sides removed and will be able to see the entire transom. Maybe I can find the Hull ID number then, but from what I can see today there is no marking. Your serial number assumption does seem to support this being a 1968, so that's what I'm going with for now. Guess I'll break down and get the CD since I haven't seen anyone else post that they have the same boat. Is the CD worth it? Is there another 1968 (or so) Off Shore registered to any other members? Is there a data base on the Forum by model number? The Member List doesn't seem to show the members boat model(s). Thanks again for the reply! Tim
Tim the Toolman
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Post by LancerBoy »

The Thompson Boat et.al. CD is very worth the value. Every known brochure for Thompson is on it from circa 1907 to 1969. It also has brochures on it from Cruisers, Inc.; T & T Boats, Inc.; Thompson Boat Company of New York, Inc.; Thompson Royal-Craft, Inc. Thompson by Chris-Craft; Thompson Skis, Inc. It also has some history articles and postcards and patent copies.

I do not have any other 1968 Thompson of Peshtigo Off-Shore in my database. There are four from 1965; and one each from 1966 and 1967.

This is a database I have been assembling. I have been collecting this data for several years to aid in identifying boats, etc... I do not publish it, especially with names of owners. It is not in any way connected to the Thompson Dockside website. I do not know what the Thompson Dockside collects, if anything.

Andreas
LancerBoy
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Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Post by LancerBoy »

I decided to scan some images I have of the 1968 boats. These are the three OFF-SHORE models for 1968: 2000; 2050; and 2060. Note the different seating. These were probably exactly the same as the 1967 models.

Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. was operating in chapter XI bankruptcy from September 1966 all through 1967, 1968 and into 1969 or maybe 1970. The 1967 brochure was pretty skimpy and did not include all the models they offered. The '68 brochure was better.

Thses images were photocopies I made of some original 8"x10" photos. I cannot recall who had the originals. These were copied many years before I had a scanner. So, I had to scan the photocopies today. Therefore they are not the best quality.

Andreas

Model 2000:
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Model 2050:
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Model 2060:
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PS: The model 2050 photo is taken at the mouth of the Menominee River and the north pier and lighthouse can be seen in the background. This is where the boat parade of the Thompson Boat Rally passed 2 weeks ago!
Tim the Toolman
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:44 pm
Location: Maple Valley, WA (Seattle)

1968 Off Shore

Post by Tim the Toolman »

WOW, thanks Andreas! Terrific interior pictures, just what I was interested in. I do think I'll pick up the CD, but understand these pictures were not part of the CD? The quality is fantastic for me! I noticed they all have windshield that appear to open, mine does not and doesn't look like it ever did. Not sure if this was an option or maybe my windshield framing was replaced at some time. Do you know if boats came with and without opening windshields? I'm hoping for the first water trial next week if I can get through my honey-do list this weekend. Should be fun. Thanks again for the pictures Andreas, they are a big help! Tim
Tim the Toolman
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Post by LancerBoy »

Boats manufactured and shipped did not necessarily match the photos in the literature. Changes were made all the time.

As far as I know, operable front windows was pretty much standard at Thompson of Peshtigo on the bigger models by the early 1960s. Maybe in the bankruptcy in 1966-1969 they reduced cost by omitting the operable windows. This is only a guess. I have no clue.

And yes, these images are NOT on the CD. But I believe some of the same pics were used in the 1968 brochure.

Andreas
Torchie
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:55 pm
Location: Alden, Michigan

Post by Torchie »

Just to let you know my numbers were stamped on the port side of the transom. And high up too.
I really had to look to find them. Andreas said it was only the second time he had heard of the numbers being on the port side.
Karl.
Tim the Toolman
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:44 pm
Location: Maple Valley, WA (Seattle)

Mystery Solved!!!

Post by Tim the Toolman »

Thanks very much for all the help in locating my hull ID number. I looked intensely this past weekend with no luck. It looks like the outer vertical mahagony transom boards on the inside port and starboard side were replaced with some other type of wood and I'm guessing the hull ID numbers went out with the old boards. BUT! I took the boat out for my first water trail and was glad the bilge pumps worked faster than the leaks did. Not a big deal, but water was coming in where I couldn't see it under the floorboards. When I got home I decided to remove all the floorboards, clean the bilges well and take it out for another trial this weekend to better see where the leaks are. In removing the floorboards and the boards which make the forward shelf under the deck and setting them aside, I found each one had "2060" written on the bottom. What do you know, I have a Model 2060 and I'm sticking to 1968. Mystery solved!!!
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Tim the Toolman
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Post by LancerBoy »

Great news that you found evidence of the model being the 2060. Now you need to replicate the sink and stove and cabinets and seating!

Andreas
Tim the Toolman
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:44 pm
Location: Maple Valley, WA (Seattle)

Mystery Solved!

Post by Tim the Toolman »

Hi Andreas, I just might get to work on that this winter. I think replaceing the transom might come first though. The pictures you posted are the closest thing I have to knowing what the interior might have looked like. It looks like that might be a sink behind the front seat on the port side? Stove??? Does my serial number align with 2060 production figures? Do you happen to know if there are any other 2060 owners in the 1968 time frame? I'd like to get more details about the interior. The 2060 picture you posted looks like is has removable side bench seats in the back? Do you know what the material is that forms a "liner" along the inside of the rear area? I can see some old screw holes in my ribs but can't visualize what might have been attached there (found I have a few cracked ribs at the floor level). Thanks again for any help! Tim
Tim the Toolman
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Post by LancerBoy »

I have one 1967 Off-Shore Camper 2060 in my database and one from 1965. The 1965 boat was on the market a few years ago. I have no clue where it may be today.

The cockpit liners on earlier 1960s boats was a mesh type stuff. Almost looked and felt like burlap. Not sure if that was the dsame stuff used in the late 1960s.

Yup, sink behind port seat and the stove must have been behind the starboard seat. Probably pulled out of a drawer.

Serial numbers had nothing to do with particular models. Just a sequential number. Hull ID gave the model year and the number of that particular boat in that years production. For example: hull ID of one of my boats was : V 11271 HH

V = code for the guy in the factory that was the "builder" of this boat
1 = last digit of model year - in this case 1961
1271 = the 1,271st boat of all models made that year
HH = code for the guy in the factory that was the "trimmer" of this boat

This particular boat had a serial number of 20406. Nothing in the hull ID or serial number provided the model.

Dimensions and details were used to determine this boat was a Sea Lancer 900. These combined with hull ID and serial number indicated this was a 1961 model year boat.

Andreas
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