John Mullen
Aug 21, 2026 ·
1h 41m 44s
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Description
John Mullen, also known as Ugly John, was born in Turley, Oklahoma. He is a boat dealer, marina operator, and former championship boat racer. He raced boats from 1974 to...
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John Mullen, also known as Ugly John, was born in Turley, Oklahoma. He is a boat dealer, marina operator, and former championship boat racer.
He raced boats from 1974 to 1986 and began selling boats to help fund his racing career. John’s first sale was recorded on a brown paper sack while he sat on a milk crate in his garage in Turley. The garage originally had a dirt floor, but as sales grew, he added a concrete floor and electricity before eventually moving into a 1,200-square-foot building.
The business later expanded into Ugly John’s Custom Boats, selling recreational boats, performance boats, and yachts while operating multiple marina locations. When asked how he overcame challenges from the economy and Mother Nature, he said, “I didn’t know I couldn’t do it.”
Listen to John tell you why he is known as Ugly John, how he almost became a Yellow Pages salesman, and the ups and downs of the boating business on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.
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He raced boats from 1974 to 1986 and began selling boats to help fund his racing career. John’s first sale was recorded on a brown paper sack while he sat on a milk crate in his garage in Turley. The garage originally had a dirt floor, but as sales grew, he added a concrete floor and electricity before eventually moving into a 1,200-square-foot building.
The business later expanded into Ugly John’s Custom Boats, selling recreational boats, performance boats, and yachts while operating multiple marina locations. When asked how he overcame challenges from the economy and Mother Nature, he said, “I didn’t know I couldn’t do it.”
Listen to John tell you why he is known as Ugly John, how he almost became a Yellow Pages salesman, and the ups and downs of the boating business on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.
Information
| Author | John Erling |
| Organization | John Erling |
| Website | voicesofoklahoma.com |
| Tags |
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