Sixty antique and classic boats were on display at the recent
THOMPSON ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT RALLY. It was held at
Nestegg Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin on August 13, 14 & 15, 2004. It was the fourth
annual Rally and this year commemorated the 100th anniversary of the formation of the original Thompson Boat firm, established in 1904.
Thompson Boat was formed by brothers Peter and Christ Thompson in the early months of 1904 on the family farm north of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Their first product was a wooden canoe. They went on to become one of the largest builders of small pleasure boats in the world. Thompson Boat Company existed from 1904 until 2002.
The Rally commemorated the marine heritage of the Thompson Boat firm and its related spin-offs. There were 42 boats made by Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. of Peshtigo, WI; eight made by Cruisers, Inc. of Oconto, WI; four from T & T Boats, Inc. of Wausaukee, WI; one by Thompson Royal-Craft of Cortland, NY; two Dunphy Boats made at Oshkosh, WI; and one each from Chris-Craft, Tomahawk Boats, and Racine Boat Works. Boats came from as far away as Texas and Montana.
The oldest vessel at the Rally was a wooden lapstrake Racine canoe. The Racine canoe was constructed in 1898 by Peter Thompson while he was employed at Racine Hardware Manufacturing Company. He was a worker in the Racine Boat Works department of the firm, making the boat for his own use. The Thompson family has held possession of the canoe since 1898. It is currently owned by Pete Thompson of Peshtigo, grandson of the original Peter Thompson, builder of the now historic canoe.
A wooden rowing skiff made by Thompson Bros. Boat in 1914, only a decade after their genesis, was also at the Rally. The fifteen-foot boat was returned to Peshtigo in 1959 when the original owner asked if the company could make some repairs. The firm realized the historic significance of the boat at that time and a deal was struck wherein the owner was given a brand new 14-foot Thompson Lap-Chine boat in trade for the 1914 skiff. Thompson used the old boat prominently in marketing displays in 1959 and 1960. Both the 1898 Racine canoe and 1914 Thompson rowing skiff are normally on display at the Peshtigo Historical Museum.
A special emphasis for the 2004 Rally celebrated the 100th anniversary of the formation of Thompson Boat in 1904. Commemorative anniversary activities took place including a 100th anniversary Champaign toast. Many Thompson family members participated, as did numerous former employees. Ninety years of age, Roy Thompson, son of company co-founder Chris Thompson, gave a talk at the Saturday evening banquet. He gave his impressions of 100 years of Thompson marine heritage. Roy began his career at Thompson Boat in the 1920s and retired in 1979 as President of boat builder Cruisers, Inc.
The Thompson Boat Rally and host site Nestegg Marine participated in National Marina Day on Saturday August 14th. A boat building contest and race were also held as part of the event.
The Thompson Antique & Classic Boat Rally, Inc. is a non-profit corporation. It was formed by Mr. Andreas Jordahl Rhude to bring the classic boat show to the public and also establish a museum dedicated to the Thompson marine endeavors. The fifth Rally will take place in two years, in August 2006.
For additional information contact:
Andreas Jordahl Rhude
4054 Wentworth Ave. So.,
Minneapolis, MN 55409-1522
Phone/Fax:612-823-3990
Email: thompsonboat@aol.com
A Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society
©1999-2005 BSLOL ACBS Chapter