Once the world's largest manufacturer of boats, the name of Mullins is little known to the antique boating world today. Constructed mainly of galvanized steel, more than 100,000 boats of many types and models were produced for 40 years at their factory in Salem.

 

 

 

 

William Mullins was the owner of a sheet metal works based in Salem that existed in the late 19th century. His products included Victorian decorations such as gargoyles, weathervanes, roofing, and statues just to name a few. Located on a spur off the Pennsylvania Railroad Pittsburgh-Ft. Wayne line, Mullins was ideally situated to deliver his goods to all points.

 

While on a duck hunting trip up north, Mr. Mullins and his hunting friend were quickly overtaken by the frigid waters of a marsh due to the failure of a wooden boat. Imagine the work involved in the 1890's in travel, gear, and launching a boat just to have the trip ruined by such a disaster. Well, this is the spark that started the wheels in motion that put the Mullins engineers on a quest to create a boat of sheet metal that would make the wooden boat obsolete.

 

When most people hear of a steel pleasure boat, a thought of a heavy burdensome weight pops into 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 premium 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 Tail Auto-Speed Launch 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 and added wooden boats and cedar canoes. It was 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, the Yale, and the Sponson.

 

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 ELTO battery-ignition Ruddertwin. 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 planing 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 Sparton, 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, and Flamingo were updated 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 a 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.