16' Mullins Sea Eagle Deluxe Runabout (1932)

The 1932 Mullins Sea Eagle Deluxe debuted the year after the Standard Sea Eagle was introduced. Made of galvanized steel the craft is equipped with 5 air chambers and the reason why the manufacturer claimed, “Mullin Boats Can’t Sink.” With a 45 HP Lycoming Engine and longitudinal corrugations built into the hull, this boat was one of the fastest 16-foot runabouts of its time.

STORY #1

The 1932 Mullins Sea Eagle Deluxe was restored by Dr. Donald Harvey. The very extensive restoration was finished in 1998. He was known for restoring nautical antiques and mostly wooden speedboats. The attention to detail of this former Commodore of the San Francisco Yacht Club was well-known by the antique and classic boat community. When he passed away in 2017 his family sold the Boat to Dr. Richard Werner.

Dr. Werner served as the president of the Antique & Classic Boat Society. He led the society to new levels championing a hands-on seminar series teaching the craft of wooden boat restorations. He and his bride Louise drove the country in pursuit of restoring their 1941 22-foot Century Resorter, “The Sweet Louise”. Before the Sea Eagle went up for sale Dr. Werner owned 7 wooden boats and thought his fleet was complete. However, he could not pass up this boat. Dr. Werner enjoyed showing this boat at the Dry Rot Boat Show at Priest Lake in 2019. Sadly like Dr. Harvey in April 2020 Dr. Werner also passed.

The 1932 Mullins spent most of its restored life on Spirit Lake then Priest. After purchasing it in May it was Portland where we took possession. Arriving at Louise’s house we were greeted by Louise and her son Todd. Afterward, they provided us with a bounty of restoration records and vintage ephemera. This historian had no idea how satisfying this purchase would be.

STORY #2

“Is that a Mullins!?” came an excited query from a distance. As I turned my head, I saw a tall, distinguished gentleman coming my way. “Yes, it is,” I said as the man approached. It was Sunday of the Coeur d’ Alene Antique & Classic Boat Festival this year and the 1932 Mullins Sea Eagle Deluxe was being displayed on the plaza of the Cd’A Resort. The boat was on its trailer hitched to my friend Steve’s 1933 Buick Phaeton.

A delightful conversation ensued with the boat admirer. His name was Ken, and he sold his Mullins Sea Eagle 10 years earlier. Now 91 years of age he lamented his decision to part with his boat. It was white with red trim–not pristine but preserved. We exchanged contact information and a week later I received a package in the mail from Ken. Enclosed was a book he had written called “Stories I Lived.” Included with the inscription was an intriguing offer: “Ride in my Amphi for a ride in your Mullins?”

As a youth growing up at Liberty Lake, I remember seeing Amphicars driving in and out of the water at the public launch. The first time I experienced this I ran home wide-eyed to tell my family. A little more than a year with the Mullins and our little runabout has brought us a boatload of connections and opportunities.

It started when my wife Kelli and I arrived to pick up the Sea Eagle at the home of Louise near Portland, Oregon. We were warmly greeted by Louise and her son, Todd. To my surprise, we received a treasure trove of memorabilia related to the boat. Most of which was given to her late husband Dick when he acquired the watercraft a few years earlier from the family of the gentleman who had restored it. Louise — the sweet, caring, and self-described mother-hen stayed in contact with us on our journey home to Liberty Lake. By day’s end, we knew we had gotten more than an antique boat and some cool paper ephemera in Oregon; we had the beginning of a new and rewarding friendship.

Being unfamiliar with an antique boat and motor, Louise arranged for her friend in Spokane who had worked on our runabout to de-winterize and start it up. Prior to my ceremonial cry “Fire in the hole!” and cranking the starter, Louise’s friend Steve gave me a tutorial on the boat’s Lycoming inboard engine. I learned there was more to do than normal in-season practices like checking the oil and keeping the battery charged. I was exposed to vintage motor maintenance and the vocabulary of grease cups on the water pump and distributor as well as the oil cup on the starter.

Pursuing insurance for our new acquisition led us to join the Antique & Classic Boat Society. Within days of joining a Welcome Gift of wine and goblets was left at our front door by the New Member Director for the Inland Empire Chapter of the ACBS. This inviting community of vintage boat enthusiasts opened our eyes to shows and travel locally and afar.

Kelli and I had not planned to show the Sea Eagle our first season in 2021. We were on a learning curve with the boat and securing a boat lift took precedence. By the time we understood last year’s boat show in Coeur d’Alene was more special than usual, and we would like to have participated, the entries had reached capacity. The reason was that the Inland Empire chapter hosted the International Show for the Antique & Classic Boat Society. Instead of 35 to 60 boats at the Cd’A Resort, over 100 had registered. Beautiful and rare watercraft from around the nation and Canada came. There were pre-events at both Priest and Coeur d’Alene lakes for society members and Kelli & I volunteered to help.

We learned you did not have to bring a boat to participate. Vintage boat enthusiasts traveled across the country and some even further, signing up to ride in someone else’s vessel for various excursions. Several of the people we met at last year’s show regularly attended this annual event because they were held at amazing places, and there were opportunities for fun boating experiences. After finding out that this year’s international show was on Lake Champlain in Vermont, we hoped to attend.

At the annual Christmas Party for our local chapter in December, we won the entry fee for the boat show on Whitefish Lake in Montana. Our calendar was filling in for this new passion we had. Then a CT scan on Kelli halted everything.

Her bout with breast cancer from several years before had returned and it had done the traveling nobody wants. A planned respite from the cold & wet of late winter was shortened on the advisement of her oncologist and treatment began. Kelli has a strong faith and an eternal outlook. She would fall asleep at night listening to the healing passages of the bible being read by a cancer survivor. Our family sprang into action as did our neighbors and extended community with kind offers of help and much-appreciated prayer.

By the time she started treatment, we knew from her doctor that chemo would likely be part of her life going forward. What we did not know was how much better she would feel after her first two-week regimen. As her oncologist entered the examination room asking Kelli how she felt, the “I feel much better” response seemed to surprise the doctor.

Feeling good continued for her and by June she said, “Let’s go to the Whitefish Show and take the Mullins.” She said that again and again throughout the summer. Each boat show brought new experiences, new friends and we became more comfortable with what we needed to do. Then in August, we decided to go to Vermont for the international show (although without our boat). Included with this was a bucket list trip to the Adirondacks and Lake George.

Our 15’9” runabout has been a welcome diversion from the regimen of Kelli’s health situation. She can now talk: “It’s a flathead v4 45 hp Lycoming engine” lingo with the inquiring motorheads on the dock. But as much fun and adventure as each show brought, piloting the antique watercraft around Liberty was the best experience of all. Our friend Leslie, whose father had a 1930s Mullins Sea Eagle on the lake, recognized the unique sound of the vintage Lycoming motor. When she heard us on the water, she would go out on her porch to watch for us and wave as we would pass by. As historians, we have enjoyed sharing our community’s history with the boat manufacturer as well as this specific model. (See history pages for June & July 2021 in archived issues at: libertylakespalsh.com)

Two weeks ago, Ken came for his ride in the Sea Eagle. The spry 91-year-old sat on my dock, pulled off his cowboy boots, and stepped in the boat. The smiles on Ken’s face said it all and that was a nice exclamation point on our year. Before he left after a long visit, he asked if he could pray for Kelli & me. Yes, this little boat, reminiscent of Liberty Lake’s past, has brought lots of connections and opportunities and next year we get to ride in an Amphibicar!