Huckins Yacht Corporation
Encyclopedia
Huckins Yacht Corporation is one of the oldest boat builders in the United States and is currently run by the third-generation owners Cindy and Buddy Purcell.
The company manufactures custom yachts ranging from 40 to 90 feet and has earned a reputation for combining classic style and workmanship with modern technology and amenities. Crafting vessels one at a time, Huckins has built a total of 457 yachts during its 80 years of service.
Huckins Yacht Corporation hosts an annual Rendezvous, which provides an opportunity for Huckins owners to gather together and share their boating experiences.
The company is located on the Ortega River in Jacksonville, Florida
.
The Fairform Flyer 42’ Express Cruiser was launched in July 1928, with its maiden voyage from Fernandina, Florida to New York City. It was sold in the fall to David M. Goodrich of the B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company
for $15,000.
In 1943 the U.S. Navy commissioned Huckins Yacht Corporation to build two squadrons of PT boats, a total of 18 boats for service during WWII.
John F. Kennedy
was involved in the Huckins PT program, delivering boats from Melville to Jacksonville and then to the break-in center in Miami.
In 1969, Huckins built the largest sportfishing yacht in the United States, measuring 80 feet.
In 1976, Huckins Yacht Corporation constructed the largest motor yacht in the United States, built with an Airex-cored fiberglass hull.
In 1986, Huckins built a specialty 78-foot Sport Cruising yacht, which included wide doors and an elevator, designed for an owner confined to a wheel chair.
Huckins Yacht’s oldest existing boat, the 1931 Offshore 48’ Avocette III, was honored in July, 2008 by the Museum of Yachting.
during World War II. A total of 18 78-foot (24 m) boats for squadrons 14 and 26 were commissioned in early 1943. They were assigned to specific outposts in the Panama Canal
, Miami, Florida
, the Hawaiian Sea Frontier at Pearl Harbor
, in the Central Pacific, and a training center in Melville, Rhode Island
.
In 1940, three governing bodies – the Bureau of Ships, the Bureau of Inspection and Survey, and the Internal Control Board – agreed that all PT boats developed were defective. Confident he had a solution, Frank Pembroke Huckins utilized Huckins iconic Quadraconic Hull to build a boat that met the Navy’s PT boat guidelines. The Quadraconic design was supported by 15 years of research proving it was fast and did not pound at any speed. After a series of performance tests by the Navy Trail Board known as the "Plywood Derby," the Huckins PT 69 was compared to those under construction by Elco, Higgins and the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The Huckins PT 69 was met with great enthusiasm. The Elco and Huckins boats made the best showing with Huckins edging the Elco 77-footer in speed (41.5 versus 40.2 knots), turning circle (305 yards in diameter compared to 407 yards) and pounding factor (Elco pounded 61% more than Huckins).
Huckins won the design contract in 1941 just when the navy was ready to scrap the PT program. Huckins licensed the use of the Quadraconic Hull in PT boat construction. They also granted permission for Elco, Higgins and the Philadelphia Navy Yard to use their patented laminated keel, which increased hull strength.
The men who served on the Huckins boats had nothing but praise for them, especially those who also served on PT boats built by others. The Huckins platform was well designed to handle four torpedos, two 50-caliber gun turrets and depth charges on the stern. They had relatively high freeboard, giving good headroom below. One could stand in the engine room giving engineers plenty of space to work. The quarters on the Huckins were significantly more comfortable than on the other boats, too. The Huckins PT captains and crews swore by them, and they were known in the navy as “the yachts.”
All original designs are available at Huckins Yacht Corporation. The complete history can be found in Huckins: The Living Legacy.
The company manufactures custom yachts ranging from 40 to 90 feet and has earned a reputation for combining classic style and workmanship with modern technology and amenities. Crafting vessels one at a time, Huckins has built a total of 457 yachts during its 80 years of service.
Huckins Yacht Corporation hosts an annual Rendezvous, which provides an opportunity for Huckins owners to gather together and share their boating experiences.
The company is located on the Ortega River in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
History
In 1928, Frank Pembroke Huckins formed Huckins Yacht Corporation.The Fairform Flyer 42’ Express Cruiser was launched in July 1928, with its maiden voyage from Fernandina, Florida to New York City. It was sold in the fall to David M. Goodrich of the B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company
Goodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
for $15,000.
In 1943 the U.S. Navy commissioned Huckins Yacht Corporation to build two squadrons of PT boats, a total of 18 boats for service during WWII.
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was involved in the Huckins PT program, delivering boats from Melville to Jacksonville and then to the break-in center in Miami.
In 1969, Huckins built the largest sportfishing yacht in the United States, measuring 80 feet.
In 1976, Huckins Yacht Corporation constructed the largest motor yacht in the United States, built with an Airex-cored fiberglass hull.
In 1986, Huckins built a specialty 78-foot Sport Cruising yacht, which included wide doors and an elevator, designed for an owner confined to a wheel chair.
Huckins Yacht’s oldest existing boat, the 1931 Offshore 48’ Avocette III, was honored in July, 2008 by the Museum of Yachting.
PT Boats
Huckins Yacht Corporation built two squadrons of PT boatsPT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
during World War II. A total of 18 78-foot (24 m) boats for squadrons 14 and 26 were commissioned in early 1943. They were assigned to specific outposts in the Panama Canal
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, the Hawaiian Sea Frontier at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, in the Central Pacific, and a training center in Melville, Rhode Island
Melville, Rhode Island
Melville is a village in the town of Portsmouth in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The village is also the basis of a census-designated place , which extends south along the shore of Narragansett Bay into the town of Middletown to encompass the village of Lawtons and the port...
.
In 1940, three governing bodies – the Bureau of Ships, the Bureau of Inspection and Survey, and the Internal Control Board – agreed that all PT boats developed were defective. Confident he had a solution, Frank Pembroke Huckins utilized Huckins iconic Quadraconic Hull to build a boat that met the Navy’s PT boat guidelines. The Quadraconic design was supported by 15 years of research proving it was fast and did not pound at any speed. After a series of performance tests by the Navy Trail Board known as the "Plywood Derby," the Huckins PT 69 was compared to those under construction by Elco, Higgins and the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The Huckins PT 69 was met with great enthusiasm. The Elco and Huckins boats made the best showing with Huckins edging the Elco 77-footer in speed (41.5 versus 40.2 knots), turning circle (305 yards in diameter compared to 407 yards) and pounding factor (Elco pounded 61% more than Huckins).
Huckins won the design contract in 1941 just when the navy was ready to scrap the PT program. Huckins licensed the use of the Quadraconic Hull in PT boat construction. They also granted permission for Elco, Higgins and the Philadelphia Navy Yard to use their patented laminated keel, which increased hull strength.
The men who served on the Huckins boats had nothing but praise for them, especially those who also served on PT boats built by others. The Huckins platform was well designed to handle four torpedos, two 50-caliber gun turrets and depth charges on the stern. They had relatively high freeboard, giving good headroom below. One could stand in the engine room giving engineers plenty of space to work. The quarters on the Huckins were significantly more comfortable than on the other boats, too. The Huckins PT captains and crews swore by them, and they were known in the navy as “the yachts.”
All original designs are available at Huckins Yacht Corporation. The complete history can be found in Huckins: The Living Legacy.