does anybody have a thomas creek top runner II?

[vaquero44]

I just found some vids on these and like them a lot just tried to see if he were building them still but I think his site is gone by so anybody has one would like there personal opinion on it

 

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[coolfinie]

Try here:

http://thomascreek.net/

The Top Runner looks a quality build.

And then there is this neat conversion job making a Keene into a self classifying doubledecker:

 

[vaquero44]

that's interesting too

 

[russau]

last I heard from him and some of his close friends is that he got transferred to Texas (?) and no longer makes these because of his job is so busy! He used to live in the Omaha Neb. area. that was back in 2012. and that's to bad because it is a really nice sluice!

 

[vaquero44]

oh man that stinks really like the design of that sluice!

 

[russau]

Another good friend of mine bought his last sluice that he had. I tried to talk him into making a bunch of them to sell at the gpaa gold show that was in St.Joe Misery in 2012. BUT our club treasure had problems with the idea! he won the clubs decision not to sell these neat sluices. that made me start thinking this club deal WASNT such a good idea for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finnnnnnnnaly quit them and it was a club that I help start!!! I never looked back!!

 

[GoldpannerDave]

That's too bad about him moving to Texas and then getting too busy to make them any more. That would be another entry into the "shovel in" self-classifying sluices like the Bazooka and the AMP. And Reed Lukens showed it did catch fine gold (which was what it was designed to do). I like the long slick plate, which the Bazooka shares. However, I would guess it also takes a bit of water to make the over-under work correctly. So in very low water situations, looks like I am back to my Le Trap if my smaller Bazooka won't function properly.

 

[russau]

Yep Dave I really liked my LeTrap sluice when I had it!

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Yep Dave I really liked my LeTrap sluice when I had it!

Of course, Russau, the problem is you still have to shovel in!! Laying in the water dredging would be so great, but where can you do that now? It is getting harder and harder to find areas you can dredge.

 

[russau]

yep Dave your right! my back and knees/ankles are shot and now my 4 inch dredge is gone to a good home. now ive only got my 2 inch dredge that I built three years ago and still haven't got it wet yet! this has been the wetest Spring/Summer/Fall for the books!

 

[GoldpannerDave]

yep Dave your right! my back and knees/ankles are shot and now my 4 inch dredge is gone to a good home. now ive only got my 2 inch dredge that I built three years ago and still haven't got it wet yet! this has been the wetest Spring/Summer/Fall for the books!

Yes, I understand about backs and knees. As far as water, high water has made the GPOC club claim basically closed on the Arkansas (where you could dredge) because the road is washed out and continues to stay that way. And the government folks decided the Beaver Creek claims where we could dredge last year need new paperwork and so it is currently closed to dredging. So basically, if I want to get out into the creek, it is going to be with a Bazooka and shovel in. So I have not even gotten my old 2 inch dredge into the water this year.

Other conflicts have kept me from even doing that as much as I would like. Sigh.

I hope the knees and back hold up enough for you to float the dredge and try to capture a bit of gold still this season!