The 'E. L. Thumper'
Boat Name: E.L. Thumper
Owner: Jack and Kathy Bedeck
Home Port: Millvale (Pittsburgh), PA
Mile 3.2 RDB on the Allegheny River
Hull Information:
The hull of the Thumper is constructed of 3/16” thick steel with a model bow, a 20ft. long stern rake, sides that curve in, and lots of shear. The hull has 8 compartments that are not watertight. The hull, originally 12ft. wide x 55ft. long, was built in Jack’s driveway in 1979. The boat was dry-docked in 1982 and widened 4 additional feet to 16ft. wide. The hull draws about 30 inches. There are 2 steering rudders about 8ft. long, and a hydraulic trim tab. The boat was again dry-docked in the late 1990’s and the hull was repainted.
Paddlewheel:
The paddlewheel is 15ft. in diameter x 8ft. wide. The wheel has 14 buckets made of 16in. wide white oak. The current wheel has 3 flanges and 4in. channel spokes. The original wheel had 2 flanges and 12 spokes.
Engine and Drive:
The E.L. Thumper is powered by a 460cu.in. 1970 Ford gasoline engine with an automatic transmission and a 5-piece drive shaft to a truck rear-end with a disc brake. RC140 chains drive 2-15/16inch jackshafts, and RC100-2 chains to both sides of the paddlewheel. The engine is mounted in the front of the superstructure to balance the wheel weight. The E.L. Thumper carries no ballast. In past racing days, this engine was run on nitrous oxide, and an additional gearbox was fitted to the drive shaft to double the reduction to about 200:1.
Superstructure and Misc.
The superstructure of the Thumper is all wood, and can sleep 9 off of the floor. The Thumper has a 12.5Kw Onan gasoline gen set. The Thumper carries 160 gallons of water, 800 gallons of fuel, and 30 gallons of sewage.
The original E.L. Thumper was faster than she is now, but all of the changes have been for the better: widening the hull for stability, and adding the additional bucket to the wheel to take out most of the thump in the Thumper. The boat travels well, and went to the Mississippi River in the summer of 2002 (see the log of the trip in the archives section of the ASA site).
The E.L. Thumper has been a labor of love by its owner, but without the help of many friends and family members, it could not have been possible.