Former Ride // updated 2001.04.29
Frontierland · Magic Kingdom · Walt Disney World
Former Ride · the memorial record
This ride is gone, but its history stays documented — the full lifetime log is below.
◆ Most recent chapter
Closed permanently after nearly 30 years; the loading dock near the Haunted Mansion was later repurposed for guest queueing/FastPass use and a retired keel boat remains as a static prop on Tom Sawyer Island.
Slipped into sporadic, largely seasonal operation as heightened safety scrutiny followed the May 17, 1997 capsizing of Disneyland's Gullywhumper, an incident sources cite as contributing to the Magic Kingdom boats' decline.
Opened with Magic Kingdom on the park's first day as a Rivers of America attraction, sending two free-floating keel boats — Gullywhumper and Bertha Mae — on a leisurely loop around Tom Sawyer Island.
Per the documented record, Mike Fink Keel Boats at Magic Kingdom opened on Oct 1, 1971.
The most recent closure/refurbishment documented for Mike Fink Keel Boats is dated Apr 29, 2001: Closed permanently after nearly 30 years; the loading dock near the Haunted Mansion was later repurposed for guest queueing/FastPass use and a retired keel boat remains as a static prop on Tom Sawyer Island.
The latest documented change (documented Apr 29, 2001): Closed permanently after nearly 30 years; the loading dock near the Haunted Mansion was later repurposed for guest queueing/FastPass use and a retired keel boat remains as a static prop on Tom Sawyer Island.
3 documented changes, dating back to 1971 — the fan-kept ride changelog nobody else keeps.
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