Thompson Canoe Question

[jaltemus]

This Thompson Canoe just came to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum in Hammondsport, NY. The decal is barely readable, but it is Thompson, with Cortland still readable so we know where it was made. Looks to be 17'. Everything appears to be original. However, the rear deck is different than the front deck, and has the groove or slot cut into the end. From the pictrure, can anybody identify the model, and know about the rear deck. Did Thompson have any numbering system?

 

[Dan Lindberg]

The rear deck is the typical T deck, the front I have only seen once in a pic (with an alum tag). (waiting for Dan to clarify)
The 2 common models are Indian (if no 1/2 ribs) and Hiawatha (if it has 1/2 ribs). The I is shallow arched and H flat bottom.

dan

 

[Dave Osborn]

Looks like the odd deck missed an operation. Typical decks had the ogee shaping.
I have seen only a couple of Thompson canoes that had numbers on them. Those were stamped in an aluminum tag.
There is no way to accurately date Thompson canoes. You can only guess based on the years that the various models were made by researching catalogs or by owners history.
As Lindy said, if there are half ribs it’s a Hiawatha model. If no half ribs, it’s an Indian model.
I once owned a Cortland built Indian. It had a decal on the bow deck instead of the typical brass tag.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Here is a pic of a possible similar deck. It's the only pic of it I have and hard to tell if it's the same.

And with hind site, I'm not even sure it's an original T deck, as it appears the grain is running across the deck and not length wise.

 

[MGC]

I've seen Thompson decks like that on the cartoppers......that's a dead ringer for my 1954's decks.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Mike,
Which of the 3 are you referring to?
Dan

 

[MGC]

The last one that you posted, Thompson Deck w Plate....that looks a cartopper deck.

 

[fred capenos]

Here are a few shots of our Thompson Hiawatha. Neither of our decks have the grooves cut in. Also, we have a number stamped into the bow stem.

 

[fred capenos]

Photo under the deck

 

[MGC]

The last one that you posted, Thompson Deck w Plate....that looks a cartopper deck.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

That is really interesting.
Note that the grain is running across the deck, I had never seen that before.
All of the decks I've seen have had the grain running for/aft with the deck and
usually parallel with one of the edges, to maximize the number of decks from a piece of wood.
I wonder if it's a Wis vs Cortland thing?

 

[Dave Osborn]

My friend John Strasser from St. Louis sent me photos of yet another odd deck on a Thompson Hiawatha.
It appears to be original.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Dan has an image of one like that on his site.