Huckleberry Finn
A 50' Steel Tunnel-Stern Motor Houseboat
By William & John Atkin
A Twin-Screw Steel-Hulled Shallow-Draft Houseboat
The plans gracing these pages show a comfortable, big, motor houseboat of shallow draft and steel construction. She was designed for use on protected waterways in reasonably smooth water -- our Great South Bay, for instance; Barnegat Bay; the rivers and protected bays of Florida; the upper reaches of Chesapeake Bay; and the many rivers of the mid-West. She would also be fine for use on many inland lakes and the miles of waterways in the man-made water control basins and other bodies of water built for hydro-electric power plants.

The general dimensions of this latest of MoToR BoatinG's family of practical boats are as follows: overall length, 50'; waterline length, 44'; breadth 18'; and draft, 1'4". The freeboard at the bow is 4' and at the stem, 2'11". Huckleberry Finn (this is the vessel's name) is a very big boat for her outside dimensions.

The plans show a forward deck 7' in length by the breadth of the bow. It is protected from splashing by a 12" high bulwark rail which extends aft both sides to a point 4" forward of station 3. On both sides of the deckhouse from the bow to the stem there is a narrow walkway. There is a comfortable after deck. This is 10' long by the breadth of the stern. It is protected by a stanchioned railing and sheltered overhead from the weather by the after end of the deckhouse roof deck.

The interior is arranged for the comfortable accommodations of a party of eight. The cabin is 16' 9" long by 15' 9" wide, inside measurements, and the headroom is 6' 1" throughout. Huckleberry Finn is steered from the cabin. The steering wheel, motor controls, instrument panel, and wheel box are on the port hand, convenient to the doorway and ia a position where there is unobstructed vision ahead, both sides, and, by stepping to the center line of the boat, astern through the passageway between the twin staterooms. The after end of the cabin is fitted with a hanging locker and buffet. A long sofa on both sides provides luxurious seating room and at night, with cushions pulled out, comfortable berths may be made.

A full-sized galley, completely furnished with long work counter, refrigerator, three-burner stove, sink, many drawers, and lockers makes housekeeping as simple as it is ashore. Water tanks of large capacity are installed beneath the main deck. Opposite the galley is the toilet room, a full-sized affair fitted with lavatory, water closet, stall shower, shelves and drawers, to say nothing of a shore-sized mirror above the lavatory. Like the main cabin these compartments have full 6' 1" of headroom.

Twin staterooms are abaft the galley and toilet room. Each one has three windows (and screens). The berths are the standard dimensions of a single studio bed, 3' 4". There are three drawers beneath each berth, with a generous roomy locker and a bureau neatly fitted in the arrangement of each stateroom.

Huckleberry Finn is of refined scow model with hard chines. The forward sections below the load waterline have positive deadrise; those abaft station 9 have negative deadrise. In the first instance the deepest part of the deadrise is at the keel; in the second it is at the corners of the chines. The purpose of this is to form a long wide tunnel in which the twin propellers revolve. In other words, in this particular boat, the draft is reduced by as much as 7". The propellers work in solid water drawn up into the tunnel by the turning propellers. This results in an efficient and easily propelled boat. It also has the advantage of being an easy form to build. The topsides have modest flare and all are straight. Each of the shafts is supported by a strut and protected by the steel open skeg, or shoe. Each skeg extends abaft the shoe and its end forms a secure landing place for the heel of each rudder. The whole of this construction is heavy and strong, and well it must be to stand bumping against bottom, snags and other underwater obstructions.
 
PHOTOS OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
Plans for Huckleberry Finn are $300

MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM

SHIPS PLANS STORE

https://store.mysticseaport.org/ships-plans/

shipsplanstore@mysticseaport.org

 

+1 (860) 572 5360

BACK TO PLAN LIST