TOPIC: Auction of classic boats. Help keep them local.

I thought some here may not be aware that Paul Mikkelson of Wilmar MN is selling off his museum to help cover cost incurred by his wife who has been ill for the past 20 years.

My selfish interest in this is I've heard that there is international interest in his collection which consists heavily of Larson Falls Flyers and arguably contains all the rarest Falls Flyers in existence.

I enjoy boats in a museum. I really do. However I really want to see them in water and at shows. My fear is that Paul's collection will disburse world wide and so many of these wonderful boats will never be seen in their natural environment, Minnesota, ever again.

So if you are a midwest boat collector with a little extra cash in your pocket, consider keeping one of Paul's boats here locally.

The auction is the weekend of May 20. If you search Wilmar boat auction for that date you can find the auctioneer's listing.

He has in the collection a boat that was once owned by my parents. I'd like to try to get it back now that my dad has passed on, it has greater sentimental value than when I foolishly talked him into selling it. SO DON"T BID ON MY BOAT!!! LOL

www.auctionzip.com/Listings/1373061.html
Good luck Jepstr, hope you are successful retrieving your family's boat!

www.facebook.com/MikkelsonAuction

If you go to this page there is an outboard Flyer pictured. Of the few remaining, oddly there are 3 with consecutive hull numbers. Paul's collection has 2 and my dad, (now me) has the 3rd.

It really makes me wonder if they were sold to the same person, or what? The records were lost in the Larson factory fire so we will never know.

Our Flyer sports a, correct vintage, Evinrude Speedifour 33HP outboard. No neutral. No Reverse. It's a real kick to drive!! (and draws a crowd at shows)

My father died early this spring. This will be an extremely hard summer for me. I will try to enjoy boating without him. It will be very tough.

jepstr,
Very sorry for your loss, unfortunately I know the feeling all to well. It's tuff but it will get better eventually. This site, the fine people here and all the great projects helped me keep my sanity so to speak. Hang in there, we're here for ya.

Thanks for this post. There's a great following here and maybe we can save some of them.

Bob

It is kind of a hard knocks lesson for guys like Mikkelson too. What do you do with your stuff you collected? I know he has at least one kid about my age. (I went on a date with her once) She must not have an interest in the collection.

Fortunately, most us us who collect things are not faced with a economic hardship caused by a sick family member, but eventually we all end up like my dad. In my case, my dad and I were using all of our collection every year. Now I will continue to do so with my son. He is 13. I can't tell yet if he will simply become the next curator of the collection, of if it will end with me. There is always the possibility I will have a grandchild who will show interest.

At any rate, it is sad to see a person's collection dissipate back into the world. In other ways, new owners mean new interest and more exposure to the joys of classic boat ownership. There are two sides to every coin.