by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
The Greater Jacksonville region is a Mecca for boaters with our many lakes, rivers, in-land waterways and access to the ocean. Almost anyone can afford some size of boat, from a small fishing boat to a luxurious yacht. For boating enthusiasts, the area is home to many boat dealers with all varieties of watercraft for sale. More significantly, we have one of the most famous marine manufacturing companies in the country- the Huckins Yacht Corporation, which, during World War II, was one of three companies contracted to build the famous PT Boats.
Huckins is one of the oldest continuously family-owned boat builders in America, operating since 1928. The company is located on Lakeshore Boulevard at the base of the Ortega River Bridge, near Roosevelt Boulevard. Third generation Huckins family member Cindy Purcell now owns the company.
Because he liked boats better than lumber, Frank “Huck” Huckins started his yacht company in 1928 after selling the family lumber business. Huckins’ partner was Henry Skinner Baldwin, who took care of the business while Huckins designed and supervised the manufacturing of yachts, which were considered the Duesenbergs of the small-motor yacht class.
In 1941, when the U.S. Navy needed a fast torpedo boat, Frank “Huck” Huckins went to work. He locked himself into his design lab, neglecting his family and his health to come up with a design. In July of 1941, he came up with a brilliant design he called PT-69, a sleek and fast torpedo boat that met and exceeded the U.S. Navy’s requirements. Huckins’ boat was 72 feet long and smaller than the designs submitted by the other two bidding companies, ELCO and Higgins. ELCO designed a 77-foot boat while Higgins designed a 76-foot model. As it turned out, the Navy awarded all three companies contracts to build the PT Boat.
At the time, Huckins’ PT-69 specifications were technologically advanced. It carried two torpedo tubes and had a stern gangway for depth charges. The three engines were impressive power plants that could power the boat on the open sea at 45 knots. The boats were designed to operate along the coast and in harbors, patrolling for enemy ships and submarines.
The Navy liked Huckins’ smaller model for certain applications. At the time, this class of Navy vessel was revolutionary in that it was lightweight and constructed of plywood, which made it the fastest ship on the sea. It could race into torpedo range while presenting a low radar profile, firing its torpedoes at the enemy vessel and get away before the ship could respond. It could operate on rivers and in shallow water as well as the open sea. John F. Kennedy’s famous PT-109 was rammed and cut in half by a Japanese destroyer, stranding Kennedy and his fellow survivors on a small island. The incident became a famous book and movie, PT-109.
The scuttlebutt surrounding Frank Huckins fascinated the press at the time. Time Magazine (July 1941) reported that Huck liked to show up at work at noon and work until late at night. He had a reputation for being an individualist and eccentric. Huck would insult hostesses by showing up at cocktail parties with his own brand of Scotch and he refused to attend dinners unless the menu suited him. In his dealings with the Navy, Frank was brash. When a Navy officer suggested he change the location of the PT-69’s toilet, he replied that he would then have to run its drainpipe into either the exhaust or the officers’ filing cabinet.
Today, the company is still known for high-quality yachts, and a Huckins-built yacht still fetches big bucks. A 1964 Huckins Out Island sells for $345,000, an unusually high resale value for a yacht of that vintage. The company both builds and sells new and used yachts, maintaining the high quality standards that established Huckins as the premier yacht builder.
In 1970, Cindy (Frank Huckins’ granddaughter) and Buddy Purcell went to work for the Huckin’s Yacht Corp. Cindy started in the stock room and Buddy started as a painter. With the guidance of Kenneth Archibald and George Pillsbury, they have successfully brought Huckins into modern day boating without sacrificing Huckins’ reputation for building quality custom yachts.
In the 1930s, Huckins was called the Duesenberg of Yachts. Updating that analogy, today Huckins boats are the Rolls Royce of yachts. Huckins has kept pace with the latest technology. In 1975, the company made the transition from wood to fiberglass composite construction. To find out more about Huckins Yachts, EU called Cindy Purcell for a chat.
EU: Huckins is world famous for its quality construction. In 1975 you made the transition to fiberglass composite construction. Was that a difficult retooling of your manufacturing process?
Cindy: No, it offered so many advantages it was an easy decision to make. Primarily, using this lightweight construction, the boats have a high horsepower to weight ratio, which means you get more power out of the engines making the boats faster, yet maintaining the boats’ strength and seaworthiness.
EU: You manufacture to order and you are a broker of your pre-owned Huckins inventory? Is that a fair assessment?
Cindy: Yes, we are everything. We do it all. We are one of the few custom builders that will build to order from the hull up from 40 to 90 feet. So a customer comes in and wants to design a boat. We work with them on every aspect of the design. It’s up to them what type of materials they want inside the yacht. We start with the empty hull and the sky is the limit.
EU: From what I hear you are a hands-on owner with your husband. Am I right?
Cindy: Absolutely, my husband and I are involved in every aspect of the manufacturing process. We work directly with the customer to make sure the quality control is maintained from the ground up.
EU: We at EU are an extended family from the early years. I guess your business is the same way?
Cindy: Yes, we are indeed an extended family, who are proud of the company traditions and work hard to maintain high quality control and keep up with the latest technology.
That concluded our chat. In the 80s, the recession hit pretty hard all over the country. However, Huckins prevailed coming into the 90s as a leader in quality yacht building. Huckins has saved its old drawings, which enables them to recreate the famous yachts of its own past, while simultaneously staying on the cutting-edge of yacht building. The last 25 years have tested Huckins, but the company has come through the ups and downs of the economy to emerge stronger than ever.
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