|
Coming up with an appropriate throttle setting on the Twin Disc control was the first—within reason, more revs meant a faster walk. Next came the configuration of the buckets: To move to starboard I shifted the starboard bucket ahead and the port bucked astern. To move to port, I simply reversed the bucket arrangement. And finally only a very slight amount of wheel—two to three degrees either way—was called for to keep the bow from lagging behind or getting ahead. While all this may sound like a big production, in practice it's not. Once I set the engine and bucket controls, I had to merely manipulate the wheel (and occasionally fine-tune bucket travel to obviate forward creep) until I'd safely gotten where I wanted to go—sideways!
Watching Purcell dock La Belle Helene at the Huckins facility on the nearby Ortega River was an impressive experience, mostly because I was familiar with the company's fabled 80-year history. The Quadraconic hull form that had facilitated our test boat's slick and slippery performance on the St. Johns was directly descended from the drawing board of a guy who'd built PT boats for the Navy during World War II—Frank Pembroke Huckins. The PTs were wonderful, seaworthy boats. I'd read a letter to that effect once, written to Frank Huckins in 1944 by a no lesser light than Lt. Commander Lindsay Lord, one of the most famous American naval architects of all time. The Quadraconic was the "theoretical ideal" of running surfaces, he wrote.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
|
Purcell and I embarked upon a short tour of La Belle Helene after tie-up. More than pedigree and performance, the boat also featured head-snapping 1950's-era style, a remarkable level of customization, and the latest in jig-type, temporary-male fiberglass-molding technology, complete with vacuum-bagged, closed-cell foam-sandwich construction (both hull and superstructure are entirely cored with CoreCell), vinylester resins, and stitched E-glass fabrics.
The below-decks layout was spaciously configured. While a three-stateroom version is available, our test boat had two. The full-beam master aft (with en suite head) was giant, the guest forward (with adjoining day head) was slightly smaller, and the open galley and saloon in between were pretty big as well. Add modern UltraLeather upholstery to this mélange, in addition to some top-notch makore joinery and custom appliances and conveniences galore, and you've got a modern classic.
 |
Our test boat visiting Bimini. Note the long, protective quarterguards at the stern—great for laying alongside. |
My only source of complaint was the machinery spaces. While engine/jet access via retractable hatches in the cockpit was fine, engineering sound, and ancillary equipment of good quality, the install workmanship was not as crisp as I'd like to see on a high-end product. A case in point: the below-deck appurtenances for one of the heads. Sure, the ITT Jabsco three-way valve, Fourspar Marelon vented loop, and profusion of sanitary hoses were properly put together, but the look of the finished product was disorderly, even perhaps confusing.
But what the heck. I'd still become a true believer. And I told my wife as much upon returning home from my excellent adventure in Jacksonville. Not only is the Huckins 56 Linwood one of the slickest, prettiest, most agile performers out there on the water today, she's changed my opinion of jets forever.
For more information on Huckins Yacht, including contact information,click here.
NOTEWORTHY:Hamilton Waterjet
Our test boat's Hamilton HJ403 waterjets pump high-velocity streams of water through nozzles. Because they are installed through the transom and well above the keel line, draft is reduced (our 56 draws a mere 2'6'') and thrust is efficient, mostly because it is horizontal or near-horizontal, but also because drag is significantly reduced thanks to the absence of struts, shafts, and propellers.
Water enters each unit via an intake (A). An impeller (B) spinning inside a stator (C) boosts pressure, and the resultant stream is discharged at the nozzle (D) at high velocity. The nozzles are critical to steering. Aim them in a particular direction and the the stern of the boat will swing in the opposite direction, thus initiating a turn.
|
PAGES:
|
|
2
|
 |
This article originally appeared in the February 2009
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
|