No Fission! No Fishun! - Page 13

Besides having a name at least 9 words long, the majority of which were cast into the nose piece, the "Herters Duo Foil Walk-Through Deluxe Model Flying Fish" probably had the most wordy and comical description in it's catalog, of any boat ever made. It rambled on for 10 paragraphs. These boats are highly prized by collectors for their 23 inch high, lighted fins and pointy bows, with an elaborate finned bow handle / air scoop / running light / ventilator flap thingy.

Herter's was a large national hunting and fishing supply company, prior to Gander Mountain, and it's products are considered very collectible today, by the hunting & fishing collectible hobby.

These boats had, in 1956 and '57, very rounded bottoms that caused tremendous rolling in the turns. It seems possible to roll it 90 degrees, based on personal experience, which can either be very unnerving or lots of fun dependent upon your disposition and tolerance. They were, in my view, rather poorly made in terms of finish, but contained no wood, employing a cast aluminum framework instead that was simply screwed in place, right through the hull. As a result, they may be found in immediately useable condition, even some 45 years after they were made. They are comparably plentiful in my immediate region, as they were made in Minnesota.

The finish can be easily rectified during restoration, as shown by the black and pink boat restored to show car condition by Bryan Fenwick of Bolingbrook Illinois. These do need some transom redesign in order to handle the larger size outboards as shown on my boat. The 1958 models were different in design, but just as interesting. The fins shrunk dramatically in 1959, then disappeared for good.