This boat was built in Waseca by Ray Thompson and was one of a fleet of boats kept for hire at Thompsons Boat House on Clear Lake. Ray built his boats by using wooden profiles on which were laid the strips that made up the hull. The templates were hung from the ceiling and the hull built up from narrow white cedar strips, right side up. White oak ribs were steamed in a device on top of a pot-bellied stove for about 25 minutes and then, boiling hot, quickly bend in place inside the hull and secured with copper nails clinched on the inside. The bow stem and oak keel were carved from a single 2' x 12'. These boats were water tight and needed no caulking; a 10 or 25 horse outboard motor was just right for the lake. It was given to the museum by Dennis Thomson, the previous owner of the boathouse.
