Mikkelson Collection Tour - The Worlds Largest Collection of Larson Falls Flyers

The final chapter in our Mikkelson Collection Tour series is dedicated to the Worlds Largest Collection of Larson Falls Flyer boats, the centerpiece of the Mikkelson Collection Inc Antique & Classic Boat Museum. Retired Twin Cities businessman Paul Mikkelson (shown above in his 1942 21ft Falls Flyer Deluxe) began his love affair with the Falls Flyer's when he was in high school and his father purchased a 1956 model. The best part is, Paul still has that same 1956 Falls Flyer today and it's on display in the museum with 9 other Falls Flyer models. Paul also has 8 more Falls Flyer's in storage and 1 on loan to the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum in Alexandrea, Minnesota. (Above photo courtesy of Mark J. Proudfoot - MJ Communications)

Falls Flyer boats were designed and built by Larson Boats in rural Little Falls, Minnesota. The radical new Falls Flyer boat first appeared in the 1938 Larson catalog and in 1940, Paul Larson patented an idea for a boat that would capture the American heart - The Falls Flyer. (American Dream Boats - Ninety Years of Larson Boats)

In the Spring 2002 Edition of the ACBS Rudder, Tom Kapocius wrote - The boats took their nickname from the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, a Little Falls native, who was the original Falls Flyer. According to company legend, the inspiration for the hull of the boat was Lindbergh’s “Jenny” airplane which had cockpits that pilots sat back in. Prior to that, airplanes had a wooden chair in front of them with a tiller to guide the plane. The boat company copied the blueprint and set the driver deep into the craft in a more aerodynamic fashion. Playing upon the motif of flight, there was a wing cut into the front of the boats; after World War II the wing was transformed into a goose. That is one way to distinguish the model year.

The Falls Flyers were among the flashiest of the sports boats that were being made prior to World War II. The uniqueness of the boat’s shape and the speed of the outboards didn’t help sales tremendously however. With Minnesota consisting of rather conservative people, the company didn’t make many of the cedar-bodied boats. They were considered ahead of their time. The company mostly made boats for the resorts that were popular around Minnesota and Wisconsin. Practically every resort owner in this area had several of the boats for fishing and pleasure boating.

“It was a situation where the timing was inappropriate (for the speedboats),” said Mikkelson. “They were very fast for the times; you sat in them face forward - that was always considered frivolous in Minnesota. Times were changing however and this was an early specter. They were radical at the time,” he said. There was a four-year span in which maybe a dozen of the Falls Flyers were built, according to Mikkelson. (There was a fire at the Larson factory in 1939 and the manufacturing records were destroyed, making it impossible to accurately determine the exact number of boats produced.) Another reason why so few boats were made before the war was that the bodies were all wood, said Mikkelson.

“It’s an elaborate process. They were all cedar strips with white oak frames and then a canvas skin stretched over them. It was the same kind of process that was done with airplanes.”

Paul Larson was finally convinced late in the 1950’s that it was much more cost effective to start building the boats out of fiberglass.

The Falls Flyer's in the Mikkelson Collection Museum represent the entire range and evolution of the of Falls Flyer marque from 1939 to 1960 the last year the Falls Flyer model was produced by Larson Boats.

Below is "Flight of Fancy" a 1942 21ft Falls Flyer Deluxe Twin Cockpit Forward Inboard. It's the largest of the Falls Flyer lineup. Built of steam bent ribs, white oak frames and cedar strip planking covered with fabric - It's both light and strong. Paul believes that only 3 of the 21ft Deluxe Models were manufactured. Power is provided by a 140HP Gray Marine 6 Fireball.

Here's Paul Mikkelson in his 1942 21ft Falls Flyer Deluxe with Phillipine Mahogany interior.

"Boondoggle" a 1939 16ft Falls Flyer Speedster is the rarest of the rare, one of only two single-cockpit inboards ever built. Built of steam-bent oak frames and cedar strip planking covered with fabric, it's sleek and fast. Power is provided by a forward mounted 90HP Gray Fireball.

The hallmark of the Mikkelson Collection Museum is that "Everything Works."

This rare 1939 17ft Falls Flyer Split Cockpit Inboard is 1 of 2 known to exist.

The 1939 Split Cockpit is powered by a Gray Marine 6 Cylinder Phantom Engine.

"Hoody Woody" (below) is a 1948 Falls Flyer, the only one known to still exist with the original, (early) low profile engine hood. The Post-War Falls Flyer's were outboards only, this one powered by a 25HP Johnson Seahorse. The unusual wood frame engine hoods were developed by Larson to reduce noise from the early outboards and to provide a more streamlined appearance. However the hoods made the outboard engines run hot and erratic. In many cases they were removed by the owner's and lost or damaged.

Below is the 1956 (manufactured in 1955 sold as a 1956 model) Falls Flyer 14' Fiberglass Outboard that was originally purchased by the Mikkelson Family in 1956. The boat is completely original except for the vinyl and paint which is new. The boat is powered by it's original 1956 Johnson 30HP Javelin outboard which makes the boat fast and maneuverable. The Johnson outboard on this boat is original to the boat, and the only motor ever to be installed on the boat.

In 1956 the fiberglass Falls Flyer's were made with hand laid fiberglass, not molded yet. The steering moved to the forward cockpit when the outboards were produced with electric starters and became more reliable to operate. Also note that curved windshield technology was being introduced on the later models by the mid 1950's. Paul Mikkelson, his brother's and most of the kid's on Eagle Lake, Minnesota learned to water ski behind this Falls Flyer.

In 1958, 1959 & 1960 Falls Flyer's experienced radical design change, following the auto industry. Lap strake bottoms, fins, tail lights, turn signals and arm rests with automotive dashboards were incorporated into the designs. This is an original 1959 Finned Flyer with it's original Johnson 35HP Super Seahorse outboard. 1960 was the last year of production for the for Larson Falls Flyer model.

Below is an original Evans Anchor Decal counter display from a marine dealership stocked up and ready to go.

We can't finish without mentioning Paul Mikkelson's huge Duck Decoy collection. Duck Decoy collecting is a huge hobby and big business. Just like everything else in the Mikkelson Museum, Paul knows everything there is to know about the Duck Decoy collection.

The Duck Decoy collection is just another aspect of the museum, which is more like a Celebration of Boating & Sporting Life in Minnesota. Visiting the Mikkelson Museum is like taking a step back in time.

Here's a collection of small duck decoy samples that the decoy salesman would travel around the country with to show to the prospective dealers and use to place their order.

I noticed this interesting photo at the museum, and thanks to Mark J. Proudfoot at MJ Communications we were able to obtain a digital version to use for the Woody Boater header art. In the 1940's Paul Larson (a big smoker) did a promotional deal with Larson Boats and the Philip Morris Tobacco Company. The fellow standing in the Falls Flyer is Johnny Roventini - The Worlds Most Famous Bellhop. Little Johnny was the Product Spokesman for Philip Morris Tobacco often using his famous (at the time) "Call for Philip Morris" in front of the Hotel New Yorker. The inscription on the photos reads,

To Paul - May all your troubles be as small as I am. Sincerely, Johnny

For more information on the Mikkelson Collection Inc Antique & Classic Boat Museum click here.

If you have an opportunity to travel out to the Mikkelson Museum in Willmar, Minnesota leave yourself lots of time to experience everything the museum has to see - You won't be disappointed.

In closing I would like to say that, although I have only known Paul Mikkelson for a few weeks, he is a wonderful, patient man that enjoys sharing his museum and life experiences with the visitors to the museum. The one thing I do know for sure... Paul Mikkelson loves his family, loves his museum and the Antique & Classic Boating Hobby.

Thanks for everything Paul - It was an experience I will always remember.

Texx

Mikkelson Collection Tour - Gas, Electric, Human Powered Outboards & Much More

When you walked in to your local Evinrude Dealer in 1939 this is probably what was on display. A state of the art 1939 Model 4263 Evinrude Mate outboard. The sales slogan was "Lighter Than Oars - Faster Than Rowing." Weighs only 10 pounds, runs 10 hours on one gallon of gas, and it can be all yours for 34.50 - Duck Call extra.

Thanks to Paul Mikkelson you can see the same Evinrude Mate display 70 years later at the Mikkelson Collection, Inc - Antique & Classic Boat Museum in Willmar, Minnesota. The museum is a celebration of Midwestern boating from the early 1900's to the 1960's, where outboard motors were commonly used on the small lakes of the region.

Over 100 vintage outboard motors on display, all original or restored and all the motors are in water ready, working condition. Johnson, Mercury, Evinrude, Scott-Atwater, Elto, Emmons, Lockwood, Indian, Koban, Waterman, Wisconsin, Ferro, Grey, Neptune, Champion, Bendix, Clarke, Motorgo, Chris-Craft, Starling, Caille, Sea King, Elgin, Commando, Lauson, Gopher, Thor, Menomonie and more - if there is more.

In 1930 the Indian Motorcycle Company from Springfield, Massachusetts produced this Indian Silver Arrow outboard. The 10HP motor was fitted with a beautiful finned muffler and featured a twist grip throttle from left over motorcycle parts. This motor was only produced for two years.

In 1932, Cliff Scott and H. Bruce Atwater started a small tool making and punch press operation. They quickly established a reputation for quality, and in 1935 Earl DuMonte approached them to build a small outboard for him to sell. DuMonte displayed the motors at a New York exhibit. Several hundred outboards were ordered. As DuMonte had purchased the name and rights to the Champion outboard motor from Sig Konrad, they shipped with the brand name CHAMPION. From 1935 to 1939, Scott and Atwater still operated their tool and punch press business as well as building outboards. In 1939 DuMonte landed a contract with Firestone to sell the CHAMPION in their tire stores. Scott and Atwater turned to building outboards full time. In 1941 Scott and Atwater with their CHAMPION outboards were the second largest outboard manufacturer in America. Only Evinrude was larger. This relationship with DuMonte and the CHAMPION outboards lasted until 1942. Above history courtesy of Scott-Atwater.com

Here's a perfect example of an original 1955 Scott-Atwater 30HP Bail-a-Matic outboard, the first year for the 30HP version from Scott-Atwater.

In 1956 Scott-Atwater was approached by McCulloch to sell their outboard operation, and Scott-Atwater sold out the same year. The brand name on the outboards (and clocks) eventually became Scott and Scott-McCulloch.

Paul Mikkelson's collection of original marine related signs is remarkable, the walls are filled with signs, dealer clocks, etc from every manufacturer throughout the early years of boating.

During our tour with Paul I noticed this colorful Mercury Outboard clock hanging on the wall. I commented to Paul, "So if you were a Mercury outboard dealer in the mid 1950's they would give you one of these clocks to hang in your showroom, right?" Paul laughed and responded, "Only if you were a GOOD dealer." Oh ya, the Iron Fist of Carl Kiekhaefer...

Paul Mikkelson also has a cool collection of original life preservers from the early days.

An original 1939 Johnson 5 HP LT (Light Twin) - An alternate firing twin with full pivot reverse and underwater exhaust weighs 33-1/2 pounds. This Johnson outboard motor was advertised as "Hit the Spot" for power, weight, performance and price selling for $109.50 in 1939. Displayed in the original wooden shipping box from Waukegan, Illinois.

An immaculate 1941 Johnson P015 22HP outboard powering a 1941 14' Falls Flyer. This Falls Flyer model was constructed of steambent oak frames and cedar strip planking covered with fabric. Only 8 of these rare watercraft are known to still exist. More on the outstanding collection of Larson Falls Flyer boats on Sunday.

A Martin Model 200 20HP Twin. Click here to read a brief history of Martin Outboard Motors written by George Martin... or ask Paul Mikkelson when you visit the museum.

The Mikkelson Museum also has huge collection of original dealer promotional items which were very popular back in the day. The collections are organized for each outboard manufacturer in easy to view glass showcases. Below is a series of original Evinrude match books, pins, etc that the dealers gave out to their loyal customers, after you bought the motors...

This is an assortment of mint original toy outboard motors and memorabilia that was used for various dealer promotions, many in their original boxes. In the bottom right hand corner of this display case (beside the Whispering Power patch) is an original set of Evinrude Salt & Pepper Shakers from 1958. So when you came home with your new Evinrude outboard motor you could surprise your wife with a new set of Evinrude Salt & Pepper shakers or a new deck of Evinrude Playing Cards... and everyone is happy! (Matt - you need to invest in some vintage Chris-Craft U-22 Salt & Pepper shakers for the when the big day comes...) Also, don't forget you can click on the images to enlarge them.

One of the many rare, original human powered propulsion systems on display at the Mikkelson Museum is this Aquacycle manufactured by Aquacycle Co. Inc in Covington, Kentucky in the early 1900's. I'll do my best to explain how it works. You simply hook it up to the back of the duck boat, or dinghy, or canoe...

Sit in the custom Billman Slack Steering Seat and start pedaling...

And turn your butt the direction that you want to go... and the prop shaft turns with the seat.

I know this Aquacycle works because Paul Mikkelson gave me a personal demonstration.

I wonder if we could hook it up to the 1956 Deluxe Stylemaster boat with the Baker Hydrofoil System get Lance Armstrong to operate the pedals?

By the way, we received a few comments and inquiries about the 1956 Deluxe Stylemaster with the Baker Hydrofoil System that was featured on Day 1 of the Mikkelson Collection Tour. Did it actually work? How did it handle? Was it dangerous?

On Friday I was speaking to Paul Mikkelson gathering some information for the Falls Flyer story on Sunday. I said to Paul, "If I came down to Minnesota next summer could we take the Baker Hydrofoil out on the lake for a test drive (or test flight)?" Paul laughed and said "Absolutely - It's ready to go any time you want." I said, "Would you show me how to operate it?" Paul answered "It's easy, just give it some throttle and away you go!"

Paul obtained an original 8MM film from Gordon Baker that he now has on a CD and shows to visitors at the museum. The film explains how the Baker Hydrofoil System works and shows the system in action on the water.

So it looks like a road trip to Willmar Minnesota is in order next year for an exclusive Woody Boater test drive in the Deluxe Stylemaster Hydrofoil. WooHooo!

Then I noticed this vintage electric powered outboard motor in the museum, Paul said it was called an "Electric Oar" probably from the 1920's. It utilized a Ford Model A or Model T starter motor. You hooked it up to a Ford Model A or Model T car battery for power.

The switch on the Electric Oar handle can be adjusted to accommodate either 6 or 12 Volt automotive batteries. It may be one of those gadgets that you have to be careful what you tough when you standing in the water hooking it up...

Another original human powered propulsion motor called a "Water Witch" from Indiana.

I think the "Water Witch" is used like an oar only the metal grates swivel so there's less resistance on the back stroke.

Stay tuned on Sunday for the final installment in the Mikkelson Collection Tour, when we feature the centerpiece of the museum. The amazing selection of rare Larson Falls Flyer's from 1939 to 1960. And for more information on the Mikkelson Collection, Inc Antique & Classic Boat Museum click here.

Texx

Mikkelson Collection Tour - A Treasure Chest of Toy Boats

Day 2 of our Mikkelson Collection Tour features one of the most extensive collections of Toy Boats in the country. From the moment you first walk through the front door of the Mikkelson Antique & Classic Boat Museum, you are literally surrounded by every type of toy boat imaginable. Hundreds of toy boats from all over the the world neatly organized in display cases, many with their original boxes.

Like the perfect Lionel Runabout shown above and the Lionel Raceboat version that Matt used for the Woody Boater header this week. These toy boats, named Lionel Craft, were originally manufactured by the American Lionel Train Company in New York. They are powered by a clockwork windup motor.

According to Paul Mikkelson, the museum's Owner, Collector, Curator and Historian the toy boats range in price from a few hundred dollars to well over $3,000.00 for some of the very rare, collectable pieces. More importantly, every toy boat in the Mikkelson Collection works. If Paul can't get it to work (which is rare), he sends it out to someone who specializes in toy boats to be repaired. If it can't be repaired, Paul is not interested in displaying it in his collection.

In the Spring 2002 Edition of the ACBS Rudder, Tom Kapocius wrote - Paul Mikkelson started to get heavily involved in toy boats through Bob Speltz, who wrote the compendium of antique boats. Speltz was the organizer for the Real Runabouts Boat Show in Albert Lea. When Speltz’ health failed, he began to have toy boat shows. That’s when Mikkelson got involved. When Speltz passed away, the organizers of the event asked Mikkelson to take over.

“I didn’t say ‘no’ loud enough,” Mikkelson said. “I didn’t really want the job. 1995 started the toy boat show. Bob had done three shows. I took over the fourth show. That’s when I picked up most of my toy boats.” Paul continued the World Toy Boat Shows with partner's Bill Arick from Kansas & Dick Borgerding from Flushing, Michigan.

AristoCraft model boats are made by Bill Turner Jr at AristoCraft Boats in Alpharetta, Georgia the same company that manufactures the popular full size AristoCraft boats. This model is powered by a vintage electric Mercury toy motor.

The 22 Vacationer cruiser was manufactured by Schuco a German toy maker founded in 1912, and is powered by the original battery operated outboard motor. In the foreground is battery operated pusher prop boat manufactured by Wooden Scientific Models.

Below is a rare Schuco Elektro Record 5555 Speed Boat from the 1950's complete with the original box.

The German Schuco Toy Company obtained the manufacturing dies from the Lionel Train Company and produced identical copies of the popular clockwork windup toy boats. Just like the early fiberglass boat market in the late 1950's.... I guess you identify the German made Schuco version by the flag of Germany.

In 1932 the Sutcliffe Boat Company (from England) pioneered and produced boat hulls made from a single pressing as prior to this all boat hulls had been made in two halves and then soldered together. Most of the boats were produced using the 9 inch and 12 inch hull although other sizes were also made. As well as boats and submarines small metal pressings such as the metal box used to hold fire blankets, 'penny' loaf tins and a few other toys were made. Toy production continued until the factory closed in 1984.

Here's a Sutcliffe clockwork windup "Bluebird" toy speedboat similar to the full size speedboat that Sir Malcolm Campbell used to set water speed records in Great Britain in the late 1930's. Sir Malcolm Campbell also set his final land speed record of 301.337 MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on September 3rd, 1935. To learn more about Sir Malcolm Campbell and his amazing water speed records check out this great web site by clicking here.

Lightning 50 and S-35 are nice examples of Japanese Tin Lithography windup toy boats.

"Shooting Star" 21-C is another rare original Japanese Tin Lithography windup toy boat.

JEP was France’s principal toy maker until its closure in 1968. It made toys under the names JP, J de P and JEP (Jouet en Paris) from 1932. Today their toys are relatively common due to the immense numbers made, but like many other contemporary companies, they are best known for their toy cars and trains. Ruban Bleu is one of Paul Mikkelson's favorite toy boats. These clockwork windups boats were considered to be very durable but expensive back in the day.

ITO was one of the premier Japanese toy companies after WWII. This futuristic wooden made ITO Rocket is powered by "D" cell batteries with twin props. Paul has a few of these in his collection and they attract lots of attention from the visitors to the museum.

Over 400 battery powered toy outboard motors are on display at the Mikkelson Museum, organized in manufacturer show cases with other related manufacturer memorabilia. Once again, all these toy outboard motors are in perfect working condition.

An impressive WWII Paper Toy Set was gifted to the Mikkelson Collection Museum by Norman Tempel of St. Cloud, Minnesota. These paper toy sets are rare because most of them ended up in the bathtub when the kids were looking for a toy to play with. This set survived the bathtub.

It was fun to see a toy version of "Miss Thriftway" after seeing the same boat in person at speed on Lake Chelan, Washington last month (see Oct. 3rd Woody Boater 2010 Mahogany & Merlot on Lake Chelan - Vintage Hydroplane Edition). It's amazing how similar the toy versions are to the actual full size Unlimited Hydroplanes. These toy boats were usually made from balsa wood and powered by battery operated electric motors.

The U-60 below is also a balsa wood version.

A toy version of the famous pink "Hawaii Kai" Unlimited Hydroplane from the late 1950's.

The Champion of Racing Hydroplane is a clockworks windup powered toy boat that featured Super Zoom Sound. I often wonder how many of these boats took off across the water never to be found again?

Flash came without a motor so you could install your own toy outboard power of choice. We decided that the box was a great marketing tool to get the kid's attention in the toy store.

The designer of this original battery powered runabout liked lots of bling on the decks...

The Atwood Speedster was manufactured by the Atwood Toy Compnay, with a gas powered outboard. These were operated by tethering them to a post and measuring the speed.

B.J.3. is an early wooden made gas powered toy race boat with a unique gravity feed fuel tank mounted above the inboard motor.

W.J. is another nice example of a futuristic Tanker Boat from the Japanese ITO Toy Co.

The box is for a Sterling Chris-Craft Cobra model and the actual toy boat in the photo is an RC Craft battery powered boat made in Ohio. On a interesting side note.. Our very own Kaptain Krunch's father Cal Smith did the illustration on many Chris Craft model boxes including this one. The original drawing of this  sits on Krunches wall in his shop! What a small world... Or small scale world....

Stay tuned on Saturday for another installment of the Mikkelson Collection Tour, featuring Paul's amazing assortmant of rare and original engines, human powered, gas powered and electric powered outboards. An electric outboard from the early 1900's that was designed to run using a Model A or Model T Ford car battery. Did you know that boat guys in Minnesota were thinking about green technology a 100 years ago?

For more information on the Mikkelson Collection Inc, Antique &; Classic Boat Museum you can click here.

Texx