21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

[mtfoyre]

Hey all. A few months back I bought a 21' Thompson cuddy that seemed too good a deal to pass up. I did some minor restoration work on the interior and engine whilst I waited to put her on the water. The first time I had her out, the sterndrive siezed up and left me stranded on the water :/

Anyway, I finally got a call back from the shop a few days ago and it turns out an oil seal in the upper gear assembly had failed while we were on the water. A vertical drive bearing had grenaded itself due to heat. $900 and a few more days and I should be back on the water.

I have a lot of free time this weekend and would like to go over some things in more detail and hoped maybe you guys could point me in the right direction o

1) How do I get to the tanks? There are two 25-gallon units under the deck. I can't seem to find an access panel.

2) The paint is intact, but a little bit chalky. What's the best way to get it back in good shape while out of the water? (fiberglass hull, BTW)

3) There are some very small growths on the bottom of the hull. Would Simple Green or something similar be okay to use on fiberglass? I've seen gel coat mentioned quite a bit here but I'm not even sure a boat this old would have ever had that applied.

4) The remnants of the previous name are still on the stern. It looks like the letters were just vinyl stickers that were peeled off or faded away over time. Any tips on how to remove any trace of them?

5) Where can I find general info on Thompson boats? There isn't a builder forum for them here and few searches yield any results. I have some of the original manuals, but they're really basic.

The boat itself seems very solid. The engine runs great and once I get the sterndrive back on I'm hoping for at least a few unimpeded runs on the water. 8)

And since I know you guys love pics...

Thanks in advance! I did some searches but I get a lot of irrelevant results in the middle of it all :'(

 

[mtfoyre]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

P.S. Yes, I finally know what BOAT stands for - LOL

 

[gspig]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

You'll have to cut up the floor to get to the tanks.
Automotive polish should shine up the gel coat (yes, even an old boat has gel coat)
Polishing might help with the name fade, but it will still be there. The sun has lightened the color of the gel coat around the vinyl letters.

I want a ladder exactly like that. Did you add that? Is there a manufacturers name on it?

 

[mtfoyre]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

I'll have to cut the floor?!?! Aw man I was really hoping for an easier answer :%

Thanks for the answers, though. The ladder was already on it. I'll check for a name the next time I drop by storage to get the boat and either update this thread or PM you.

 

[nauti-guy]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

I want a ladder like that also!!

How did you get the pictures to show up in the post, I tried attaching a file but it didn't work, did you use photobucket?

 

[mtfoyre]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

No. I have my own host. I just upload pics I want access to and link them.

Added you to my "list of people to update when I find out what brand the ladder is" d

 

[mtfoyre]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

nauti-guy: It just occured to me that maybe you don't know the code to host photos within the post

[ img]Insert the image's URL here - remove spaces before or after the brackets!! [/img ]

Or you can click the little yellow icon w/ the mountains on it above the text box when you're writing a reply. It will open a script prompt and just paste the image's URL in that. Click OK and it'll add it for you.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

Try some heavy cut 3m rubbing compound and an electric polisher (Not a delicate orbital one). That might even blend the area where the letters were.

As for the fuel tanks if there is no access.... make one.

Simple green works on a hull and in some cases people actually use muratic acid mixed with water to cut the gunk. Your hull looks good! Some simple green, elbow grease and some compound should bring it right back. I would be willing to bet a nice polish will look sharp.

 

[Solittle]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

mtfoyre - Please pardon me for jumping in but I have a solution for the guys who ar searching for the long ladder. My wife and I are on the far side of 60 and getting in & out of the boat is not as easy as it used to be. I had a neighbor weld one up for me out of some scrap stainless steel tube. It is a four step ladder so it goes down deep enough to make boarding easy. Here is a rather crappy picture but I think you can get the idea. The steps are three tubes welded together.

Oh and mtfoyre - Good luck with your rig. I cut my boating teeth on a Thompson in around 1960. It was also a lapstrake but made out of wood with one of the first Johnson V4 50 hp OB.

 

[stevieray]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

mt - you might want to try a product like vertglas or poli-glow on that old hull to get it shining. They are water-based & come in a kit with cleaners & applicators & all the instructions you need. Surface has to be REAL clean before applying - if not, you'll get shiny dirt! 8)Check on the web - both manufacturers have some good before/after photos. I have used both & liked the results. Try On&Off for the growth - it is a prepared acid solution like Bob suggested above.

 

[strizzy]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

Bottom clean that beast with some ON/OFF, strong stuff but works amazing, spray on, let it set for a couple minutes, then hose/power wash off.

I would suggest buffing that boat out also: Best bet: buffer with wool pads, 3M Super Duty Compound (with white wool pads) for any fading or oxidation,
3M Finesse-It to remove any swirls (with yellow wool pads), wax of your choice (I prefer a product called Tech Shield) with a foam pad (egg crate like texture). And that thing will be like NEW! <3 3M!

 

[mtfoyre]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

solittle: No problem jumping into the thread. We're all here to help each other so a little deviation from topic may help someone else out

BTW, twin outboards look like they'd be fun 8). My engine is a 327 c.i. V8 but I've yet to experience its full potential on the water. Should at least be able to yank the kids around on a tube or kneeboard (I hope).

1) Well I had no idea I'd have to cut the floor up to get to the tanks. I'm not even sure I need to do that...I mainly wanted to inspect them.

2/3/4) WOW! Thanks for all the tips on cleaning the hull and bringing some finish back to the paint! I'll have to look into each product mentioned.

All: I really appreciate the info. I've been trolling this forum since I bought the boat and only made posts related to my sterndrive failing. Now that I know I'm going to get it back on the water I'm just trying to cover any other bases I hadn't thought of.

If you have any other suggestions for a newbie boater I'd appreciate them.

P.S. When I got the boat home the first time I was rummaging through the box of extra stuff that came with it and there was a brass Titanic bell :^ Needless to say I tossed that out real quick.

 

[stevieray]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

P.S. When I got the boat home the first time I was rummaging through the box of extra stuff that came with it and there was a brass Titanic bell Needless to say I tossed that out real quick.

Guess you won't have any iceberg problems down there in AZ 8). I'm thinking of relocating down there for retirement (not for about 20 yrs). Looks like a nice neighborhood from your pix, but a little tight for me - do they have bigger building lots (about 4 - 5 acres) down there?

 

[mtfoyre]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

No iceberg problems, but I'll be damned if I'm going to carry a Titanic bell on a 38 year old boat! :%

They do have bigger lots, but you have to move further out of town (obviously). With all the growth in the last few years that would mean being at least an hour from downtown Phoenix.

Not only that, but developers are still buying up all the large plots of land to develop for shopping and such.

Ironically, my neighborhood looks tight, but in comparison to the newer 'hoods I have a lot more room than most.

You could always look at the Prescott area. It's about 1.5 hours N/NW of PHX but it's in the foothills and very, very green. Most of the good lakes seem to be in the Northern part of the state anyway so it would probably be beneficial.

 

[stevieray]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

Thanx - will check it out.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 21' 1968 Thompson - chime in if you don't mind

There is a nice history of Thompson boats at fiberglassics.com. there may be pictures of owners boats etc.unfortunately only a 56 brochure.