When
most people
hear of
a steel pleasure
boat, a thought
of a heavy
burdensome weight pops
their minds. But the opposite is true;
Mullins boats were mainly made from
several plates of double galvanized steel
gradually shaped by heavy drop presses
to blueprint specifications. Plates were
then lapped, countersunk riveted, and
soldered to create a smooth hull. This
procedure would continue until the end
of the manufacture of the Mullins boat.
Mullins
started with
a 14' duck
boat
named the
Get There
that
resembled a kayak made of steel. His
boats were first aluminum. Manganese
bronze was intended for salt waters
while aluminum was the priced option
that offered a great reduction in weight
a very important consideration in those
days.
Most boats came with a structure
consisting of wooden ribs joined only
where necessary to prevent distortion of
the hull, should the wood warp.
Mullins line expanded in the late 1890ís
and included flotation tanks in all boats
to prevent a sinking in the event that
water filled the hull. Airtight sheet
metal floatation tanks became the
standard for most of the Mullins boats
until the end. Aluminum soon
disappeared as a hull option perhaps
due to a weakness, but would reappear
in the twenties. Soon after, manganese
bronze was deleted as an option, leaving
the galvanized steel as the main
ingredient. A boat trailer known as the
Handy Cart, manufactured by the
Lawrence Carriage Company of St.
Paul Minnesota, was offered in the
1890ís that would hitch to a wagon and
make launching a breeze. It was to be
Mullins use of mass production in the
boating industry that would put his
boats in the market in great numbers at
an affordable price. Into the 1900ís
Mullins increased the lineup, improved
the processes and worked on getting a
motorized boat to market. 1902 saw the
start of the automobile body business
for Mullins, using presses to make body
parts for the new horseless carriage
industry.
In 1905 Mullins
offered
motorized boats
for the first time.
The Beaver Auto
tail SpeedLaunch
was offered in
either 21 or 30-foot lengths.
The 21-foot version equipped with a 12
horsepower motor delivered a speed of
15 miles an hour. Also offered in 1905
was a choice of a 16 or 18-foot Torpedo
Stern Launch, weighing 700 pounds and
equipped with a single cylinder 3
horsepower engine that propelled the
boat to 8 miles an hour. The Mullins
product gave a smooth, lighter hull that
would be offered with modest power
plants; putting all
the controls
within reach of
the driver was the
priority. Though
made of steel, the
interiors
contained finished wood and
hardware that added a touch of
elegance. The Automobile Boats,
Special and Leader Launches proved to
be lasting designs that made their way
to many boat liveries of the day. The
low maintenance along with a durable
hull gave Mullins the edge on the
purchase decision. Mullins would
continue to adjust the models offered to
gain a foothold on profit in the boating
industry.
In 1912 a Mullins hydroplane with a
guaranteed speed of 28 miles per hour
was offered for $1,000.00 . With a 15
foot 11 inch hull, a 52-inch beam and
weighing 950 pounds, it could seat
three. Powered by a 3-cylinder Pierce-
Budd dual carburetor, 25 horsepower
motor weighing 217 pounds, the
Hydroplane offered style, automobile
control and speed for a modest price.
As always Mullins presented a boat
with less maintenance, no caulking, no
gain in weight and no leaks to spoil the
day - guaranteed.
Into the teens
Mullins continued
on with boats of
steel then added
wooden boats
and cedar
canoes.
Mullins Cedar Canoes were
produced during this time offering
several models and sizes .
stated that the demand for wooden
boats was there, and Mullins had the
means to produce them. One of these,
the Mullins Arrow, measured 25 feet
and equipped with a 35 horsepower
Sterling motor sold for $2,375.00. With
other wooden and steel boats offered in
1917, this came to a total of 40 possible
choices. Mullins Cedar Canoes were
produced during this time offering
several models and sizes. With a cedar
frame, oil soaked to prevent the
absorption of water the canoes were
covered in canvas with two coats of
filler applied. Building canoes gave
Mullins steady employment, avoiding a
seasonal hiring practice and the training
of this newly hired help. Models
included such names as the Princeton,
the Harvard, and the Yale.
Another innovative boat produced by
Mullins was the sixteen-foot Tunnel
Stern Launch. This was a wooden hull
boat that could operate in only six
inches of water . Three moderate power
options were available with a Universal
10 horsepower motor capable of 8 miles
an hour . The boat was a mid-engine,
side steered model that once again gave
the operator all controls within easy
reach.
The end of the 'teens left Mullins
producing its V Bottom steel boats that
offered greater speed with an increase
in power. Top of the line was a 25-foot
V bottom motor boat powered by a
Scripps 75 horsepower motor that
propelled it to a breath-taking speed of
26 miles an hour. The V Bottom boat
line would last into the twenties and the
launches and automobile boats would
soon be phased out of the lineup.
Wooden boat production ceased before
1920. One of the economy motorboats
that emerged from the mid 'teens was
the Outboard Special, a beefed up
version of a rowboat designed to
operate with the primitive hand crank
starting outboards that were growing in
popularity. I own an Outboard Special
that is seaworthy and in original
condition. I used it for the 2000 boating
season with a 1926 ELTON battery
-ignition Rudder twin. Both now are
undergoing restoration for the 2001
season.
The twenties would show Mullins boats
continuing an evolution in design and
speed to match the propulsion industry.
The new Sea Hawk line sported a
hydroplane hull made with corrugations
toward the stern that increased the
surface area for easier planning and
increased stability by reducing sideslip.
These were outboard boats that were
offered in different models to fill,
hopefully, the needs of the boat-buying
public. Sea Hawks were produced in
galvanized Armco ingot iron and also
offered in aluminum alloy. With speeds
of up to 28 miles per hour listed in a
1928 brochure, the ever-increasing
power of the outboard promised to soon
make 30 miles per hour a reality. The
aluminum models were highly polished
and painted with clear lacquer.
Production aluminum boats came from
Mullins long before it became
commonplace. A standard Sea Hawk,
the Lady Spartan, is shown in a 1929
brochure winning the Milwaukee to
Chicago marathon. Of the 49 boats that
started only 6 made it to the finish line,
and the Mullins was the only one with a
crew of two.
Other
models
were the
Duplex Hull
Red Arrows
which came
in an
inboard or outboard configuration.
The 16-foot Red Arrows of 1928 were
a double cockpit for the inboard, or a
triple cockpit in outboard form. An
operator could still add two outboards
on the inboard model if desired. In the
outboard model two of the largest
outboards could be mounted on the
stern with the steering tightened up to
allow the boats to be steered by
rudder. The 20-foot models were the
same but added another cockpit to
each. I own a 1926 16-foot Red Arrow
Twin Outboard restored and ready for
the 2001 boat shows.
It was in 1927 that the Mullins engineers
came up with the idea for the Sea
Eagle inboard runabout. They wanted
a low cost runabout that was reliable
and stylish. The twenties ended with
the Outboard Special and the Prince
rowboat surviving and an updated
boat trailer that attached to the
bumper of your car. The thirties would
see drastic changes and a reduction in
the lineup of Mullins boats.
1930 brought on a new era of Mullins
boats that would only last for the year.
The onset of the depression overtook
the 1930 lineup and cuts were made to
simplify production for 1931. The 1930
catalog offers new names to old hulls
and some innovative products that
were, unfortunately, updated,
Flamingo
Steel Kings and
Sea Hawk
models from the
twenties. Added
were two step-
plane racing
hulls measuring
13 feet 6 inches
long and with a beam of 51 inches
offered sturdy place to run the new
high-powered outboards.
The Torpedo,
that seated one, and the Tarpon, that
seated two or when racing had a cover
for the forward cockpit, were a couple
of beauties with top speeds of 40 to 50
miles per hour. The Lark was the new
name for the Outboard Special and the
Prince rowboat was renamed the
Penguin.
MULLINS TIN MAN
1931
introduced
the well-
known Sea
Eagle, a sleek
inboard
runabout that ran 30 miles an hour
equipped with a 40 horsepower
Lycoming four-cylinder motor.
Measuring 15-feet 6 inches with a 63-
inch beam the Sea Eagle weighed 1,380
pounds. Later it gained 3 inches in
length, believed to be from the addition
of the Sea Eagle emblem, and engine
power increased later in the thirties.
This Sea Eagle incorporated the
corrugated hydroplane hull that was
common on the 1920ís Mullins Hawks.
Only three boats accompanied the Sea
Eagle into the 1931 lineup, the Dolphin,
the Lark, and the Prince rowboat. The
Penguin name was out for this model
and the well-known Prince name
returned.
A 1932 ad shows the Sea Eagle reduced
in price to $695.00, a new Deluxe Sea
Eagle and the addition of a Camp Mate
tunnel hull inboard boat that would
operate in ten inches of water. The
Deluxe Sea Eagle contained an options
package and other additions that made
the deal worth the extra $100.00. Other
variations would be offered in the Sea
Eagle line in the years to come including
the addition of 5.5 inches to the
freeboard, claiming a more appealing
look and increased seaworthiness.
Mullins Boats moved to Oil City
Pennsylvania in the mid thirties where
the line finally died sometime later. The
name changed to the Champion-Mullins
Boat Company in 1943, Champion Boat
and Folding Bed Company in 1945
continuing on until 1950 with "boat"
deleted from the company name.
Mullins gave us mass produced boats
with safety and ease of use features
early on for the boat industry. They
presented us with boats built like the
autos of the time-of steel with beautiful
finished wood and comfort. Mullins
offered aluminum hulls long before they
were commonplace, and non-wooden
hulls to lessen our time spent
refurbishing, leaving more time for
family, friends, and fish. Many of the
boats survived but go unknown due to
the lack of knowledge of their existence,
or the loss of their maker's tag. Some
are scrapped to clean up a yard or
stripped for the vintage inboard motor.
By
David T. Defense
