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I am doing an R/C model and by looking at pics I can't tell if the bow of the boat is painted brown or at one time was natural wood.

Thanks for any help. Mike

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There are tons of great shots of the hull in the movie "Madison". You can buy it here: http://thunderboatstore.org/madison.html

Hey Thanks for getting back to me.I have the movie And I think it's painted but then I'll see a shot that makes me think other wise. The sad thing is I saw the boat when I was a kid and I was at Madison in 71 but can't remember.

Thanks, Mike

Dale Fugier said:

There are tons of great shots of the hull in the movie "Madison". You can buy it here: http://thunderboatstore.org/madison.html

No, the nose was not painted - probably mahogany...

Thank you very much, now I can sleep. I love this site, So much to look at

Dale Fugier said:

No, the nose was not painted - probably mahogany...

I recall it as being painted brown in 1971.  I remember this because one of that season's greatest memories is standing on the Miss Madison bow a week earlier in Detroit.  I was a volunteer course worker staffing the "pit boat" as qualifying attempts were made for Detroit's Horace Dodge Cup Race that year.  I was standing on one of the floating docks in the pits as McCormick was bringing Miss Madison in.  But after he cut the engine, it continued to "pre-ignite", turning the prop a few more unwanted times, so he was approaching the slips just a tiny bit too fast...and headed right at me.  McCormick gestured for some help, his crew was on the adjacent dock and couldn't get there in time.  So I did what any 20 year old would do...as the boat got to the slip, I propped myself on a dock pole and jumped on to the edge of the bow, slowing it slightly, but more importantly deflecting it toward his crew, who stopped and secured it.  Jim looked at me and thanked me, I will never forget that.  Fortunately, the work of a courseworker is rarely that exciting, it mostly consists of listening to divers tell war stories and eating bad sandwiches, so I don't have too many more.  But I was proud to be in exactly the right place that day.

To contradict myself, since my earlier posting I've spotted some beautiful shots of Miss Madison with a mahogany deck.  I guess that's why you asked the question, Mike.

Tony, to tell you the truth I think she was both at one time or another. I have been up to the boat and I swear I remember thinking I wounder why she is brown. the pics I find some look wood and some look paint. The decal kits you can buy for the model are paint.  I think I am going for a wood finish. Thank you very much for the input and the story was great.

Thanks Mike

The boat in its' original form, Nitrogen Too, had a varnished finish.  After the '71 season they used Miss M as a promotional display tool; at that time the forward center deck was painted brown to reduce the maintenance that a varnished finish would require.  I have wondered about this issue for some time myself, so I have contacted some of the old crew to determine what finish was present during the famous '71 season (need to know this for her eventual restoration).

 

Viewing the movie doesn't really resolve anything as the only shots of the real 'untouched' boat are too small (at end credits).  The running boat was replicated using the Oberto and the 'real' boat had the previously removed deck replaced with thin door skins by the Hollywood crew; that deck was just painted for the scenes she was used in.

 

Randy 

Randy,

Thank you for that info. In some of the pics you posted it looks paint but do to age you can see some wood grain.

I am going with the wood finish on the rc boat I am doing. On the yellow some pics she looks bright some she looks pale

Any clue what she was? I want to thank you for what you are doing that boat was a big part of my 4th of july weekend in Madison while growing up. My father had a boat on the river, we had front row seats main straight away at that time no one saw a problem with being that close to the boats it was a great time. At one time while doing some work on dads boat

I spoted her sitting in the old Madison marina no cover just sittin all alone.

I'll shut up know, I know your going to take great care of her.

Thanks, Mike

Hello Mike,

I am checking with several leads in Madison who should know what the treatment was for that '71 season.  The pictures I posted on the museum album site of Miss M in her current condition are with the 'door skin' deck that the Hollywood crew applied -- it was quickly painted for the movie scenes she appeared in.  The old photos I posted there are not close enough to really tell, except the picture where she was being used for a promotional display -- in that post-'71 era picture the deck was painted for ease of maintenance.

 

I hope to have this 'mystery' solved soon.  This year is the 40th anniversery of her magical victory -- only 10 more years for the big 50th!  Will need to have a special celebration for that one!

 

Good luck with the model,

 

Randy

mike walker said:

Randy,

Thank you for that info. In some of the pics you posted it looks paint but do to age you can see some wood grain.

I am going with the wood finish on the rc boat I am doing. On the yellow some pics she looks bright some she looks pale

Any clue what she was? I want to thank you for what you are doing that boat was a big part of my 4th of july weekend in Madison while growing up. My father had a boat on the river, we had front row seats main straight away at that time no one saw a problem with being that close to the boats it was a great time. At one time while doing some work on dads boat

I spoted her sitting in the old Madison marina no cover just sittin all alone.

I'll shut up know, I know your going to take great care of her.

Thanks, Mike

Thanks for all your help, I'm sure you will post as you go on her. I'll keep an eye on it

Randy Mueller said:

Hello Mike,

I am checking with several leads in Madison who should know what the treatment was for that '71 season.  The pictures I posted on the museum album site of Miss M in her current condition are with the 'door skin' deck that the Hollywood crew applied -- it was quickly painted for the movie scenes she appeared in.  The old photos I posted there are not close enough to really tell, except the picture where she was being used for a promotional display -- in that post-'71 era picture the deck was painted for ease of maintenance.

 

I hope to have this 'mystery' solved soon.  This year is the 40th anniversery of her magical victory -- only 10 more years for the big 50th!  Will need to have a special celebration for that one!

 

Good luck with the model,

 

Randy

mike walker said:

Randy,

Thank you for that info. In some of the pics you posted it looks paint but do to age you can see some wood grain.

I am going with the wood finish on the rc boat I am doing. On the yellow some pics she looks bright some she looks pale

Any clue what she was? I want to thank you for what you are doing that boat was a big part of my 4th of july weekend in Madison while growing up. My father had a boat on the river, we had front row seats main straight away at that time no one saw a problem with being that close to the boats it was a great time. At one time while doing some work on dads boat

I spoted her sitting in the old Madison marina no cover just sittin all alone.

I'll shut up know, I know your going to take great care of her.

Thanks, Mike

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