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Huckins Yachts

Discussion in 'Huckins Yacht' started by YachtForums, May 18, 2004.

  1. chriswufgator

    chriswufgator Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2007
    Messages:
    46
    Location:
    Jacksonville, Florida
    Ok, hopefully he'll travel, was purchased by a guy who took her to Miami. Still a very pretty boat. I really appreciate the recommendation, and am crossing my fingers, I really like the boat. I live in Jacksonville, so finding knowledgeable work shouldn't be an issue assuming she passes the survey. I will update you.
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Messages:
    12,647
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    Bill Galdding travels well. Tell him we said hi.
    Bill was our go-to guy for all of our customers.

    We lived on the Huckins floating dock for many years.
    Slim was tied under the covered slip down from us.

    I hope Slim is still in shape. Open a new thread and keep us up.
    :D
  3. chriswufgator

    chriswufgator Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2007
    Messages:
    46
    Location:
    Jacksonville, Florida
    I spoke to him and he’s a wealth of knowledge. He’s surveyed the same boat for different owners 3 or 4 times over the years and knows it. I guess I’ll find out on either April 9 or May 3 when he’s going to do it.

    In the meantime I’m just trying not to get too excited until I get the results. This boat ticks every one of my wishlist boxes with the one exception of not having stabilizers. None of the huckins seem to.
  4. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Messages:
    12,647
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    These early designs with rather hard chines do not roll as a round or deep V. Nice V on the bow, near flat on the stern.
    Fast with way less horse power than I'm used to. Keel length is your friend in the chop. Very shallow also.
    Definitionally different from the deep V boats I have always run.
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2021
  5. chriswufgator

    chriswufgator Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2007
    Messages:
    46
    Location:
    Jacksonville, Florida
    Was pretty interested, then pretty disappointed. Bill Gladding spent 2 full days doing the survey. Also had the engines surveyed and borescoped. Half the stuff on the boat doesn’t work. One engine had a failed aftercooler leaking saltwater into the motor, the other was the same age. Wood rot in the deckhouse, some of the trim work, and in the window frames. Paint was marginal. Bent props and shafts. One driveshaft was out of alignment and the coupling held together with zip ties, which somehow made it through the survey without popping. Believe it or not I’d have accepted all of that, I really liked the boat, but one of the v drives had developed a leak in the oil cooler and someone had damaged it by not fixing the leak and running it dry. Unlike most huckins this was a different v drive manufacturer than they normally used, and they are no longer in business, parts for a rebuild are unavailable. The boat is a project boat without a project boat price. Unless you want a floating condo, this is realistically a $250k project that will take a year or two to get back in shape. I passed, I don’t mind a handful of punch list items, but I am not looking for that kind of project.
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2021
  6. Paradise

    Paradise New Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2014
    Messages:
    5
    Location:
    Baltimore
    Chriswufgator: Sorry to hear your Miami boat did not work out for you. But I would like to inform you that I would be interested in selling my 1971 65' Huckins Sportcruiser formerly known as Charlotte Lady. I purchased her in September 2014 and ran her from Long Island New York to Baltimore Maryland starting December 4, 2014. My cruising speed was 22 knots most of the way. The boat with 600 gallons of diesel weighs less than 68,000 pounds at last haul out. My picture on the left is us cruising the C&D canal (Maryland) on the way to Baltimore. If you look at Pages 8-11 of this blog, you will see a discussion and pictures of this boat by others posted before I purchased the boat. However, a lot of the blog speculation was incorrect. The boat has twin MAN V-12 680HP engines that were rebuilt in 2004 by a mechanic who lives south of Jacksonville. I flew Bill Gladding to Long Island to survey the boat and since you know Bill he can share his survey report with you to start a conversation if you wish. His report was pretty positive. I have spent a considerable sum improving the boat but it still needs painting and additional finishing. I can be reached at Number removed. Use PM. for further discussion if desired. Good luck in finding the right boat for you. Jeff.
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 16, 2021
  7. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    12,647
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    This was slim?
    I'm heart broken.
  8. cleanslate

    cleanslate Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2018
    Messages:
    1,648
    Location:
    Cherry Hill, NJ
    Sorry to hear!
    But you sure did the right thing and move on.