The 38 Sportsman is Huckins Yachts’ 459th hull and the company’s first production boat. This semi-custom vessel offers the boat owner with the most modern and fuel-efficient propulsion options, complementing individual cruising lifestyles with hybrid, diesel or electric power.

Powered by twin Elco 20-HP electric motors, the hybrid provides a silent, water-slicing, seven mile-per-hour cruise. With the press of a button, twin Cummins QSB 6.7L diesel engines propel this 38-foot vessel to 39 miles per hour. The Cummins joystick is integrated for both diesel and electric power, enabling complete maneuverability during docking.

With a two-part battery bank, port and starboard, supporting the twin Elco motors, 18 Lithium Iron Phosphate (LifePho4) batteries represent safety with thermal and chemical stability and an expected life cycle up to 20 years. While the 38 is spec’d to cruise in full-electric mode at a top speed of 7 knots for two hours, throttling back enables a 24-hour cruise with the 8-KW Phasor genset.

The batteries recharge quickly with three options: running on diesel power; turning on the generator; or hooking to dockside shore power. The inverter powers-up the A/C, fridge and cooktop, eliminating generator noise for tranquility at anchor.

Set to run at 72 volts with only one moving part, the electric motor is brushless, requiring no periodic maintenance with a bearing life expectancy of 50,000 hours. The electric motor bearings are a standard, shelf product with easy-access and sealed, deep-groove ball bearings.

Sound-deadening and vibration dampening materials on the engine hatch and upforward along the chine make the Cummins' engines almost as quiet as the Elcos, with the well-insulated engine room located below bridge deck and the helm.

Innovation meets tradition

Armed with a contemporary power package and the latest onboard technology, Huckins Yachts combed its archives for inspiration for the hull, styling and deck layout, taking cues from its founder, the late Frank Pembroke Huckins, inventor of the first planing hull. 

In fact, the DNA of the 2020 Sportsman Hybrid 38 is nearly identical to the Huckins 36 - built 84 years ago. Like a beautiful woman with curves in all the right places, Huckins’ iconic styling and intrinsic symmetry would make the two boats virtually indistinguishable on the dock, despite being launched nearly a century apart. 

With a well-proportioned superstructure and hull, this perfectly remastered vessel was built on a classic platform, sporting long, dynamic flowing lines. Nothing was changed from the waterline down.

“We believe in staying on the cutting edge,” said Cindy Purcell, president of Huckins Yachts, adding, “and that’s exactly where my grandfather was in 1936.”

The 38 evolved its look with small details and modern conveniences, like a bow thruster and climate controlled bridge deck. Form follows function. The convertible twin V-berth electronically transforms into a dining table; the sky roof and sunshade over the cockpit is electric and completely adjustable. 

The layout is spacious, flowing and open, ideal for entertaining like a stylish, step-level home with one large room. The Huckins 38 Sportsman Hybrid’s spectrum of water toys and state-of-the-art electronics include Bluetooth control, Fusion sound, Sirius, Garmin and an array of features making this stylish yacht comfortable, usable and durable.

As Huckins’ first fully infused hull from a female mold, she is constructed with a resin infused hull that’s light and strong, not oversaturated resin in fiberglass. 

Innovation is part and part and parcel of the Huckins tradition and somehow, that juxtaposes seamlessly with the company’s enduring, winning look. 

“In the 1920’s and 30’s, my grandfather invented the planing hull and had a patent for a laminated keel,” said Purcell. “In the 1940’s, we perfected that hull, winning the tests during WWII for the PT boat, which was built on our design,” she continued, explaining the Higgins and Elco PT boats were actually built on specifications of the Huckins hull design. “We were first to start the process of the cold molded hull. In the 70’s we were the first to move from cold molded to AIREX core material, and now, core cell.”

The stanchions and cleat design are identical to the 1936 Sportsman from the art deco era. Custom finishes include a stainless steel breastplate and transom pipe gate. Details like the classic burl dash, hand-stitched leather on the Banjo 3-spoke retro wheel, and luxurious teak and holly soles with mahogany joinery throughout exude nautical character.

Specifications