Atkins Little Hughey

[Outlaw45]

Hi all. new here. was wondering if any of you have heard of this one. i don't know how to post a picture of it from Atkins plans. it's 20'x 7'2".
I want to use it to fish out of and do some cruising with in the Pacific NW and maybe take it to Alaska if the boat can handle it. will run a 30HP high thrust yamaha on it.
so if anybody would like to respond about it I would very much like to here what ya all have to say. good or bad. thanks.

I also have plans for a 9" pram call Little Giant. I like this little guy. it was done alot of yrs ago. my problem is I don't know how bik a motor would work on this. was thinking maybe a 4 or 5 hp. could I go a little bigger or what. I don't know how to post this either from the plans. it's from JB Temple out of shellbacks library. it has some norwegian influence to it.

thanks all for your help.

Outlaw

[Ike]

I don't know about the Atkins boat, but on the pram you can easily calculate the safe HP.

Centerline length times Transom width (max width of the transom) = factor

If Factor is (to the nearest integer)
0-35 HP = 3
36-39 HP = 5
40-42 HP = 7.5
43-45 HP = 10
46-52 HP = 15

see http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/hp.html

But I would keep it to 2 or 3 on a 9 foot dink. It will push it as fast as it will go, use a lot less fuel and weigh only about 20-25 lbs. You can pick up a brand new 2 - 3 Hp engine for $800-900, a lot less than a 5 HP, and you can get a good used one for half that

[Outlaw45]

Ike, thanks for the info. it comes out to just a little over 3 so looks like a 3hp should do it. thanks, great formula.

Outlaw

[Outlaw45]

I was just thinking, my sears 12' that I had back in the early 60's with a 3hp on it would do like around 6 or 7 mph. hmmm, this little guy should fly.lol

that was on a calm lake.

Outlaw

[PAR]

This is LittleHughey and a classic warped bottom of the 1940's. She's got a lot of forefoot, so I wouldn't think she's going to get much over 25 MPH, dragging all that hull around. She'll also trim up a fair bit at WOT with a 30 - 35 HP outboard, meaning a raised helm would probably be needed.




There are much better examples of 20' power cruisers then this. These plans cost $75 and for this money, one of a few hundred different designs are available. Most designed well after this nearly 3/4's of a century old drawing and taking advantage of modern materials, innovation in hull shapes and building techniques too. You wouldn't need a high thrust outboard for this and she would be able to handle rough conditions to a point, assuming the skipper knew enough to throttle back when required.

You should look into the "Outer Banks 20" (below) from B&B yacht design as a much better version of power cruiser the the Atkins.

[Outlaw45]

thanks Par. it is a nice lookin boat. I went to the site but can't pull up the 20. I can get the 24 but don't want to run a 50hp motor. so I don't know now about this boat.

Outlaw

[Mr Efficiency]

That Little Huey is compound curved topsides and bottom ?

[PAR]

Yep, she's a carvel or batten seam build, so not a set of developed shapes. This said, she could be diagonally planked or have the plywood "slit" in the forward sections to accommodate the compound, then filled with thickened goo and fabric. The bottom looks easy enough to plank, again except for the forefoot and the aft topsides also look workable with plywood, maybe just a single slit in the last few sections (probably two).

Try > http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/obx.htm < Outlaw. There 's isn't a 24' Outer Banks that I'm aware of. Could you be thinking of the Blue Jacket 24 instead? This is also an option, though I'm not really sure if there is a 20' version of that boat. Maybe Tom will chime in and fill in the blanks.

[Outlaw45]

Par, yep, wrong boat. I was looking at Bluejacket. I saw his 24, it's ok but don't like a 50 hp. couldn't get his 20' up so don't khow anything about it.
are you talking about little hughey that has a carvel or batten seam? I have never built with that. is it easy to do?
if my mine is working this morning I think the Outter banks needs to be fiberglassed. if that is so I won't even touch it. if I have to use FG on a boat I won't build it. I have worked with glass before. it doesn't like me. so I need something that doesn't need FG on it.

Outlaw

[Outlaw45]

I just went back and reread the Outter Banks. I don't like just a 3/8' bottom on a boat even if it's glassed. I would be more confortable with 3/4 or 1" on the bottom. so looks like this one is not what I would do. nice lookin boat and the design is right. so anything else out there?

Outlaw

[Outlaw45]

I also sent an e-mail to Pat Atkins about Little Hughey and also about Jog a Long. was wondering if the Jog could be built out of wood, since it's a steel an or iron build. the jog would be a better size for me but don't know about the inboard well, which that is set up for 2 engines. I asked her if it could be built for 1 engine. no reply as yet.

Outlaw

[PAR]

Pat is John's widow and though a nice person don't know much about the designs themselves. Jog-a-Long needs both of the engines to get into the semi displacement mode. If you modify her to use a single, she'll lose some (a good bit) maneuverability and few other contrivances. This boat is designed to do everything slow and steady. Wasting cockpit space for engine wells is frankly stupid. Toss the damn thing(s) on the transom,, use a bracket, put a set of outriggers or sponsons on her if you're pulling gear and you gain the cockpit space and huge maneuverability improvement too.

Jog-a-Long is a completely different approach, being a displacement hull form that's modified enough to carry her to about 10 knots on 40 HP (and you'll use all of it). This boat is a fairly burdened craft and intended to carry hefty loads, slowly, but safely.

I'm not sure what your prejudices are, but they seem miss placed in modern craft. If you're building in plywood, you'd be foolish not to avail yourself of the benefits of 'glass sheathings and of course epoxy encapsulation. This assumes you'd like a much lower hull maintenance routine, true water proofing and improved durability and abrasion resistance. If you're building in solid wood, you'd still be wise to epoxy encapsulate to stabilize and waterproof the wooden elements.

Why are you looking at 60 - 75 year old designs? For the most part they're well founded pigs, compared to modern vessels. They have their place if you must have an antique hull shape, but otherwise nary a modern skipper will tolerate one for very long. There are exceptions to this rule of course, but it's a very small percentage of the market.

Can you explain your prejudices a little bit better? If you want a heavy, slow and traditional looking boat, that's built plank by plank, then Atkins is a good source.

[Outlaw45]

Par, I grew up in the NW with these boats. all the fishing boat that ply these waters. most of em out of Tacoma. I am very traditional when it comes to boats. thats just me. I find it hard for me to go modern and using epoxy and cloth. I build my kayaks in SOF, using canvas as my skin. my latest kayak is 20' ft, a double aluit style, it's 10 yrs old now. I have been around epoxy and it doesn't like me. so what to do. I am not looking to build a real heavy boat but something in the 20 to 28' range that will use a 30 HP motor maxed. if I can go at 5 to 7 knots just crusing that is fine with me. but it needs to handle the waters going to Alaska if I so desire to do so. I don't know what else to say about this. I am glad of your oppinons and I thank you for that. if you know of something that is not so much of a pig and will do what I want please tell me. thanks for your help.

Outlaw

[PAR]

If you can tolerate displacement speeds, then many of the Atkins designs will do. Personally, they are often overly heavy for their roles in life, which you must pay for in regard to materials, hardware and building effort. Maybe you should look at the Bartender, which is a plank on frame build, fairly stout, can handle moderate power and rough conditions.

[Outlaw45]

Par, whose boat is that, the Bartender? thanks

Outlaw