oct-2017

146 147 Purcell insists that what mainlydifferentiates a HuckinsYacht from the competition is its distinctive planing hull.“Almost everybuilder out there designs on a planing hull,these days,”she says,“but all those hulls are very similar; ours is different.Our boats come up on plane at 12 knots,whereasmost boats come up on plane at more than 16 knots.It’s easy for them to stay on plane at 12 knots,whereas other boats get knocked off plane veryeasily.Ours are noted for handling a seaway.” “And it’s versatility,”she adds.We’ve built with all different kinds of power trains.We’ve built with regu- lar props; we’ve built withwater jets; we’ve built with outboards; andwe’ve built with pod drives.”Apod drive is a relativelynewpower system that eliminates the need for shafts,struts,and rudders.Instead of using traditional running gear to transfer the engine’s pow- er into thrust,a“pod,”consisting of the transmission, outdrive,and propeller(s),ismounted right through the bottomof the boat.The pod itself articulates to direct propeller thrust,so no rudders are needed.And the part of the pod belowthewaterline is designed to shear free of the enginewithout leaving a hole in the boat,in the case of a catastrophicgrounding. As successful as HuckinsYachts has been for almost a century,Purcell believes that the customboat indus- try,as awhole,ismuch smaller than it used to be and that its daysmight actuallybe numbered.“Take the car Your Wholesale-Only Source for Marine Products to the Trade Not a dealer yet? Visit us online & get started today. www.CWRdistribution.com Bayville, NJ 08721 | Tampa, FL 33619 | 800-527-3306 Come Visit CWR at Booth #3905 November 29 - December 1, 2017 Morial Convention Center New Orleans, LA HUCKINS YACHTS PREFERRED VENDOR n CWR Electronics www.cwrdistribution.com industry,”she says,bywayof explanation.“Ten or fifteen years ago,you could still order ‘special things’for a car; these days,cars comewith all the special things on them.The car industryhas gotten so good that they put the leather seats in,theyput all the amenities in a car; it’s not a special order.And I think that’s truly the way this industry is going.So,the production industry is theway to go,andwe’reworking on that,right now. We are looking at co-venturingwith someone to build a line of production boats,for themoment,at least, in two different sizes.They’ll still be verydistinctive, because of our pedigree,and our designwill go back to a boat that we actuallybuilt in the‘30s.So,we have a DNAof the boat that we’re building.Wewill main- tain our quality,andwe’ll just produce a veryhigh-end production boat.Andwewill still have the capacity to build a customboat if someonewants one.” With their distinctive styling,superior craftsmanship, and state-of-the-art technology,all backed by the leg- acyof an 89-year-old company,HuckinsYachts are still designed tomake history.