Mark Thompson hit the jackpot when he found a 1958 Crestliner Jetstreak
by By Lee Wangstad
December 1, 2007
Life at the resort was often an adventure. Mark Thompson's memories of Sherwood Forest Lodge and
growing up on the Gull Lake chain in Northern Minnesota are filled with the everyday joys of just
being alive and surrounded by the natural beauty that this area provides, the best part being on
the water. Wanting his children to enjoy the pleasures of boating in general, and fishing in
particular, he set out to find the right boat. Mark thought he found it all in a 1960 Crestliner
Commodore, which was, as it turned out, originally owned by a resort. "I was amazed at the great
condition it was in, but it did need new seats, which led me to do research on Crestliner to find
out what the originals looked like," says Mark. "While researching the Commodore, I came across
pictures of the Crestliner Jetstreak, and that's when I knew immediately that I wanted to have
one."
Crestliner was originally produced as Larson Watercraft on Aug. 8, 1946, by a group of Little
Falls, Minn., businessmen. Paul Larson, founder of Larson Boats, along with Bob Wold, who was
appointed general manager, led them. Their first production boat, the Aerocraft Twelve, was
designed by Larson and closely followed the designs of his famous cedar strip craft. The early '50s
was a time of change for the fledgling boat company. By 1954, it was producing Crestliner Boats by
Larson Watercraft, and as each year passed, more emphasis was placed on Crestliner and less on
Larson.
carefree cruisin' Mark Thompson's unique 15-foot Jetstreak helps him recapture the
laid-back attitude of the late '50s.
By the late '50s, Crestliner was firmly established in the aluminum fishing boat trade and
small runabout markets. In 1958, it introduced the Jetstreak, a series of sport runabouts featuring
a single-cockpit 12-, 14- and 15-foot runabout. The 15-foot model could handle up to 60 hp, and all
three models shared a definitive, classic-finned look, which easily placed them a step up on the
fashion ladder compared to other aluminum runabouts. A curved windshield, navigation lighting and
steering were all standard on these upscale aluminum
runabouts. They were available with a white hull and a choice of Hawaiian Coral, Pacific
Turquoise or Goddess Gold decks. Finding one of these beautifully-styled boats would prove to be a
challenge for Mark, but one lead led him to Bob Peterson, an outboard motor collector who seemed to
have one of just about everything on earth - except for the Crestliner Jetstreak. Bob had two - a
14-footer and a rare 1958 15-footer.
Bob gave Mark a choice, so Mark went with the 15-footer, since it was more complete, with the
windshield still intact. The hull and decks were exceptionally straight — a rarity for an aluminum
boat of this vintage. "The one thing missing was most of the interior," says Mark. "The front bench
seat had enough vinyl left to get a good color-match, and I ended up redoing the interior. There
was a person in Idaho who had restored a Jetstreak and e-mailed me the specs of the interior, which
was a big help." The hardware was in great shape. "I used Brasso to start with and polished it from
there," says Mark. "Some of the hardware had been painted, which
really helped preserve the finish. The windshield was a more difficult job than I thought. It
had some major scratches in it. I sanded it — starting at 220 grit and ending at 2000 grit — before
polishing it out. It took awhile to get it just right."
And it handles well. "I thought it would ride like any other 15-foot runabout, but this boat
is really stable," says Mark. "It gives a comfortable, smooth ride and performs extremely well. It
pops right out of the water when you take off, without any hesitation at all." Mark was proud to be
able to bring back a unique boat. "What makes it really neat is thinking about when this was new
and how simple life seemed," says Mark. "There was this real carefree attitude, and I'd like to
bring that attitude back."
