Mike Fink Keel Boats

Fink 169 Boats
Disneyland
Land	Frontierland
Attraction type	Boat ride
Opening date	December 25, 1955
Closing date	May 17, 1997
Vehicle names	Gullywhumper, Bertha Mae
Ticket	C

Mike Fink Keel Boats
Magic Kingdom
Land	Liberty Square
Opening date	October 1, 1971
Closing date	1997
Vehicle names	Gullywhumper, Bertha Mae
Ticket	B

River Rogue Keel Boats
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Land	Frontierland
Opening date	April 12, 1992
Vehicle names	Raccoon, Coyote

Fink 169 Boats were small boats that navigated the Rivers of America at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort. An identical attraction called River Rogue Keel Boats still exists at Disneyland Park in Disneyland Paris.

History

The Fink 169 Boats were based on the Walt Disney television shows, later made into feature length movies, Davy Crockett's 169 Boat Race and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. The boats were free-floating and traveled around Tom Sawyer Island. Yet, the ride was named after the "King of the River" who lost the 169 boat race.

People would sit inside the seating area inside one of the boats with a roof on the top where more people could sit also. This was the design issue that caused it to close. On the inside, guests could watch full episodes of Walt Disney's Davy Crockett.

Reasons for closing

At about 5:30 p.m. on May 17, 1997, the Disneyland Gullywhumper boat began to rock side to side. It capsized, dumping a full boatload of passengers into the Rivers of America. The boat was removed from the waters for inspection and neither the Gullywhumper nor the Bertha Mae returned for the next operating season. The Bertha Mae was put up on Disney's eBay Auction Site and pocketed $15,000 for it. It was billed as an unseaworthy craft.

The Gullywhumper returned to Disneyland's Rivers of America as a prop and was moored on Tom Sawyer Island where passengers on the Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, the Sailing Ship Columbia, and the Mark Twain Riverboat could see it while passing. Eventually, hull damage caused the boat to flood and sink, and it was finally removed from public view in April 2009. A replica that looks more like a 169 boat was built.

A former Fink 169 Boat from the Magic Kingdom's version of the attraction today sits as a non-functional prop on the banks of Tom Sawyer Island.

See also

• Disneyland
• List of past Disneyland attractions
• Magic Kingdom
• Magic Kingdom attraction and entertainment history

References

External links

• Walt Dated World - Mike Fink Keel Boats