1976 Huckins 53 Motor Yacht Project

Manitowoc Marina lands a major refit project, including a re-powering, to be completed during the winter of 2007/2008.

A long-term Service and Indoor Storage Customer of Manitowoc Marina purchased a classic 1976 Huckins 53 Motor Yacht on the East Coast this past September.  Arrangements were made in advance to store “Lady Victoria” indoors and to expect a sizable work order on her when she arrived in October.

In addition to rewiring the entire boat (A/C & D/C), installing new RayMarine Electronics, removing about 20 years of bottom paint and applying a barrier coat, not to mention a lengthy list of smaller projects, her meticulous owner wanted to lighten her up and increase horsepower at the same time.  In other words, the old heavy 250hp Detroit Diesel inboards were going to be replaced with a state-of-the-art pair of 480hp Yanmar Diesels with V-Drive transmissions.

This project was just the challenge Fred Warner (Mechanical Supervisor) had been hoping for.  Working with the owner, a Marine Surveyor and Naval Architect, the transmission ratio, prop size & pitch, strut design and prop shaft angle were determined.  The V-Drive transmissions were supplied with the Yanmar’s, however, the engine mounts, shaft logs, shafts, struts and props were all custom built for this application.

The following picture shows the Yanmar 6LY3-ETP’s resting on their mounts and custom fiberglass shaft logs installed.  The struts have been bolted up, and we are waiting for the custom shafts and props to arrive for initial alignment.

A total of 500 man-hours were estimated for the mechanical phase of this project.  The electrical conversion phase added 650 man-hours, and various other improvements will add an additional 350 man-hours.  This is a major refit (the single biggest project Manitowoc Marina has tackled), which is on schedule to be completed by mid-April.