Today Maneuverability while docking and at slow speeds is considerably taken out of the hands of the operator. With Joystick and Sky hook technology one can make any boat dance or do a pirouette at dock side then slide in sideways to snuggle up to the dock while the deckhand casually handles the lines . I am proud to say that the Huckins has all of these features.
What sets her apart is how she handles at other speeds. Because she is light and extremely stable. one can be at top speed and in extreme emergency can stop her dead in the water. She will not tip from side to side or be tripped up by trim tabs. She will just stop.
Her turning radius is to be envied by all yachts and she will never dig her bow in when in a tight turn.
When backing down hard she does not squat or boil water over her transom.
Maneuverability in a seaway is most important. She climbs over the sea when needed and does not plow thru it. She handles a following sea without bow steering and will easily climb the back of a wave and ride it with full control remaining at the helm.
Yacht maneuverability has been discussed now I will talk about people maneuverability. Huckins has built several boats over the years for paraplegics. Huckins continues to be conscious of the ability of one to easily move about their yacht. In the 36 there is one level from the swim platform to the helm. One step down and you are in the living quarters
The Queen berth is not one that you have to fall on top of the bed to make it up. A step on either side allows for easy access on both sides to make the bed up.
As a woman the design of the head and shower are important to me. The lighting in the head is properly placed for women to easily see while putting on their make-up and also we gave men light to shave. The Fully enclosed shower has plenty of room for one to bend down and pick up a dropped bar of soap.
The Galley is moved up opposite the helm station for easy maneuverability and freedom from a caged interior.
Design for comfort and ease is Huckins.
Since 1928 Huckins has been a low maintenance yacht. Huckins are built to run and be used not sit. My grandfather, Frank Huckins, only stopped cruising long enough to get a change of props if necessary and pull engine maintenance. He painted his hulls white although they were built of Philippine Mahogany that was begging to be varnished. He had only enough bright work to allow his yachts to be beautiful. Today we continue to embrace this. Our yachts are beautiful and don't look like white plastic tennis shoes. The Huckins 36 creates its beauty by innovation. The 36 offers gorgeous Mahogany on the superstructure however it is a component that is screwed into an inset in the fiberglass sides and can be easily removed for varnishing separately or this Mahogany section can be replaced with a fiberglass composite panel giving the appearance of Mahogany or a panel painted the color of the owners preference.
Toe rails — If one does not want the maintenance of Mahogany or Teak Huckins offers a Mahogany appearance composite toe rail at no maintenance.
Hull and superstructure — All Huckins are painted with awlgrip or a two part poly urethane that far surpasses the longevity of gelcoat. All of this gives one a rich low maintenance yacht.
When there is discussion about low maintenance it generally ends at the outside of the yacht. One never considers looking below the sole (floor) when talking about low maintenance but Huckins does. The Huckins 36 bilges and stringers are faired to the same perfection as the hull sides. Merely a damp cloth to wipe down the bilge will have it looking as beautiful as the exterior of the yacht.
The Huckins 36 offers beauty plus low maintenance through innovation.
I have already discussed Safety in the stability of the Huckins hull performance at sea and Saftey in the Huckins 36 maneuverability. The Huckins hull and superstructure are 100% fiberglass core composite engineered to take abusive pounding at sea. The Huckins 36 is built with infused epoxy resin, E glass and carbon fiber with "Core-Cell" a closed cell extruded PVC core. This fiberglass core construction creates an "I" beam construction which is much stronger and lighter than comparable solid fiberglass construction. The 36 is proven cutting edge technology because Huckins was the first motor yacht builder to build their hulls with 100% composite. It has been tried and true since 1975 when Huckins built its first composite hull, 78' long. It was the largest composite power boat hull in the United States at that time. Huckins composite hulls have never had a failure and many times they have seen untold stress. The composite construction of other builders is just now catching up to the 38 years of Huckins composite construction. Huckins continues to refine this process for the rest of the industry.
Laminated longitudinals, athwart ship stringers and bulkheads create an integrated hull grid that is comparable to an armored tank. Four watertight compartments create a large safety factor. If water intrudes thru and damaged hose or seacock it does not shift to other compartments. This type of safety gives one peace of mind.
