| |
Davy Crockett may have won the race, but Mike Fink has the honor of having his name on this attraction.
Richard Kraft, the current owner of the Bertha Mae, wants creative ideas from Yesterland readers on how his boat might "find flight in some fantastic way."
Link to Mike Fink Keel Boats
Please discuss it here.
Werner Weiss
Curator of Yesterland, featuring discontinued Disneyland attractions
Might be worth mentioning that the Keel Boats still operate in Disneyland Paris.
Why not put the boat in the Walt Disney museum?
It may some doing, and lot's of $$$. But would should be done is make this sea-worthy. Those small Duffy electric boats that meander around Newport Beach area have always remeinded me of both he keel boats as well as the Jungle Cruise boats. This boat looks in good enough condition to be restored and fitted with an electric motor. Imagine it trolling around Newport Bay or a lake somewhere. That is what should be done. I think even if he did it himself, with maybe some help and advice from a boat restorer, the project could be done in less than a year and except for the motor and mechanics, pretty cheaply. If this guy doesn't have the funds to do it, then sell it off to someone who will. Give the boat back some of it's former life!
Yep, might make a good Disney Museum donation.
Sell it to me for $1. with free shipping....
Even if it doesn't float anymore, and he has room in his backyard, I've have it lowered into place, brace it, build a little bridge/dock leading to it, supply it with power for the lights and maybe some misters, and make it a nice place to have lunches/BBQs. Of course, most important of all would be some sort of clear coat to protect the wood as well as a huge tarp to keep it covered from sun/wind/rain!
Please consider the environment before printing useless emails
I miss rideing on Mike Fink Keel Boats at Disneyland!
Soaring like an EAGLE !
With all the stuff Mr. Kraft has, these items really needs a home, Disneyland isn't a museum, But so much of Disneyland's history should be in one, but will these items have any value to anyone that didn't visit the parks before the rides became defunct unless they are preserved and protected. I would visit a Kraft Disneyland museum. It could be small like Barris' car museum in North Hollywood. It would be great to set the boat up with projection screens around it and turn it into a VR ride like startours on water, run the old spiel... Skooch to skooch and bumper to bumper, they're called keel boats because they might keel over and you'll all be keeled.... (sp is mine, sorry)
Or how about a disneyland history themed restaurant. close to the park, the ride vehicles could be displays. He has dumbo's and more, so it could fill out a downtown Disney restaurant very easily, and have some different ride vehicle seating ( not the originals, but recreation tables around peoplemover cars, autopia cars. maybe even a dining car from the old retlaw 1. It could be really great.
The first order of business must be to restore the keel boat or at least do enough work to ensure it is not deteriorating any further than it already has. I would recommend taking a look at how some of the aircraft museums perform restorations on aircraft (Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA, Confederate Air Force Museum, Yankee Air Museum, etc.). They rely heavily on volunteers to help in their restoration projects. I'm sure there are a number of Disneyland enthusiasts that would jump at the chance to be part of a project like this. This would help reduce the overall cost of restoration and give some lucky restoration participants really great memories.
Once she is “seaworthy” again, it would be great if she could actually sail and provide Disney fans an opportunity to ride her again.
A couple of ideas I have, assuming you want to use it outside, would be:
1. I always loved walking up the Tarzan treehouse in Disneyland, which is made from a ship like the previous Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Without destroying the Bertha Mae, maybe you could hoist the boat up to a prebuilt deck with stairs. Then plant trees around the deck, like maybe fig trees to give a jungle type flair and you could entertain up there and sit in the boat and enjoy a great vantage point.
2. Maybe you could build a small world type river for it, i.e. make a narrow waterway that is slightly wider than the boat and add water jets to push it along in a circular pattern. You could add fake animals and lighting for night time rides. Depending on space and cost this might not be feasible.
3. Maybe wheels could be attached to the boat, or perhaps a rectangular base with wheels for the boat to sit in could be built, and steering controls installed along with a battery powered motor system, then you could perhaps "sail" it in areas where it would be permitted to operate. The wheels would make it mobile so you could move it around, i.e. pull it by truck to somewhere where you could drive it around. This might be a really fun way to entertain guests, take them on a "boat cruise" through a park! The steering controls need not be a regular steering wheel, but could be a simple Nintendo like control panel, but you could add a small steering wheel somewhere. I think this would be more economically feasible than the other ideas. Plus there would be plenty of space to store lithium batteries as a power source.
I will try to think of some more!
Last edited by chesirecat; 05-28-2010 at 01:00 PM.
I like the museum idea also. Take all the stuff and put it in a place people can see it. I am sure folks would donate to keep them in good shape. I would.
I would love to see the DVD, were can I get one?
As some have mentioned, that would be such a great addition to the Disney Family Museum! I know it would be a huge thing to ask the owner to donate it, but think how many avid Disney fans would be able to enjoy seeing it (maybe sitting in it?) in San Francisco....
have a little river, like a scale model of TSI and at one area have the boat docked with a small makeshift pier leading to it
imagine having a sandwich on you very own Gullywumper......pure awesome
Hello? I seem to be in some sort of inter dimensional dimension with no way in or out....Send Help! and Pie! pumpkin peferably
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Bookmarks