If you’re looking at the premium end of the boat market, the 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 brings you a unique design for cruising, island hopping, and overnight trips out on the ocean or lake.
This model is one of the few hybrids available, offering you a vessel producing fewer emissions than others in its category. It’s a great choice for boating enthusiasts that have an eco-conscious mind.
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Design Overview
The 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 brings you one of the best boating experiences available. This model comes with electric and diesel propulsion systems, allowing for silent running and fewer emissions compared to other models in its category, and let’s not forget about the outstanding fuel economy and range.
The electric handling and propulsion of the 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 is only a part of what makes this boat special. This couples cruiser comes with a beautiful combo of traditional design elements and the latest innovations.
Huckins have one of the best reputations for building excellence, and they outdo our expectations with this boat. Huckins have a 90-year legacy of building high-quality yachts and cruisers, and this model is no exception.
Engines
The Huckins Sportsman 38 brings you a hybrid performance package featuring dual 380-HP Cummins QSB 6.7L engines with a top-end speed of 35-plus knots. The 20-HP electric Elco EP-20 motor offers you silent operation and a cruising speed of 7-knots.
Huckins provide a seamless transition between the electric and diesel engines, allowing for no loss of power and no jerking of the vessel during the changeover. Thanks to the Glendinning shift and throttle levers and the user-friendly docking joystick, you get ultimate control over the boat.
The all-electric docking offered by the 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 gives you whisper-quiet operation in gear, and it’s virtually silent when in neutral, enhancing the control of the vessel when pulling into the slip.
The engines idle at 600-rpm, with props rotating at 333-rpm. In the same idling position, you get a prop speed of 200-rpm. As a result, the electric propulsion gives you an additional 33% better handling for maneuvering in close quarters.
The hybrid propulsion system and AC generator are eco-friendly, elevating the cruising experience. The batteries also provide power to the 8-kW inverter handling the household energy requirements for the system for up to 24-hours. Run the grill, wine chiller, and air conditioning without the fear of losing power.
The batteries reach around two-thirds depletion (the maximum recommended depletion for optimal battery service life) in 2-hours, running at 6-mph or 5-hours at 50% load capacity. They recharge in around 3-hours, running at displacement speed on the diesel motors or when recharging from dockside power sources.
The hybrid operation of the 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 provides plenty of savings on maintenance costs. Using one hour of electric propulsion on a 5-hour journey time cuts the hours on the diesel engines by as much as 20%.
Hull
The 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 features a hull design with the Huckins’ iconic hull, and there’s not much change between the 36 and 38 models. Huckins knows what works on the water, and that’s why it uses the same true planning, hard chine Quadraconic® hull, based on the original 1928 design.
The hull design revolves around the use of four cones with concave sections to reduce wave and chop pounding. Huckins claims the hull design reduces wallowing, keeping the boat on a plane where other models might experience a level of knock-off.
The Quadraconic® hull on the Sportsman 38 gets it on-plane fast, allowing efficient cruising at low speeds. The hull design features construction with Core-Cell M100 structural foam and E-glass. This combination gives you lightweight composite construction that’s rugged and durable, with a bottom skin featuring construction with an E-glass/Kevlar weave protecting the hull with its 2’6″ draft.
The Quadraconic® hull gets to planning speeds much faster than other cruisers and yachts and at lower speeds. The 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 gets on its planning speed at 11-knots.
Interior, Seating, and Deck
The 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 maintains the classic design elements of the original vessel built over 80-years ago. At the same time, the exterior design elements emulate that classic feel; it’s all modern when we step aboard the yacht.
The helm and cockpit deck features white finishes with clean lines, and the save-the-mahogany bulkhead and trim are simply breathtaking, giving a premium feel to the interior. The captain’s control panel comes with all the modern features you would expect from a cruiser yacht, including plenty of touchscreens for monitoring every function.
You get a polished stainless steel breastplate on the bow and a padded steering wheel with a banjo-style design. We like the Huckins-badged transom gate and the mahogany open-shelf galley cabinets, providing a retro feel to the design.
The helm deck features a large windscreen and side windows forming the enclosure, with stainless-steel stanchions supporting the aft corners of the cabin. As a result, you get an open-design bridge that keeps the crew dry in bad weather.
The wraparound cockpit seating in the aft includes a folding-leaf mahogany table that’s easy to stow and an electric retractable awning providing you shade. The accommodation in the V-berth below deck is impressive and spacious.
There’s a five-foot opening next to the console dash linking the helm to the gally deck. The open design of the accommodations amplifies the usable space. Convert the island queen bed into traditional V-berth seating at the flick of a switch. You also have a button for raising the mahogany-top table from inside the sole, creating a comfortable and spacious dining deck.
The sweeping curves of the boat’s profile combined with its subtle sheer evoke impressions of the original Sportsman. However, the trunk cabin has a similar aesthetic to post-war boats, with a modern touch. You get frameless windows, an all-stainless bow-rail, and flush hull-side engine air intakes updating the vessel to a modern design.
However, thanks to the mahogany cabinetry, the boat maintains its vintage feel. While the mahogany looks genuine, it’s just a veneer covering lightweight composite paneling, topped with 8-coats of clear urethane.
Pricing
The 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 maintains the look and feel of the original Sportsman, with modern updates that make it a standout in its category.
The hybrid propulsion on th9is boat is a real standout, and so is the price tag. The 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 retails for a cool $1.3 million, and that’s before you think about adding any accessories and optional extras.
2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 – The Verdict
Overall, the 2022 Huckins Hybrid Sportsman 38 is a fantastic couples cruiser and a great choice for longer trips at sea. The hybrid design is a must-have setup for the eco-conscious boating enthusiast looking to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining the power and handling of a diesel-based powerplant.
Sure, the price tag is steep, but you get what you pay for with the Sportsman 38. If you’re looking for a premium cruiser yacht, it’s hard to find another model offering you the same level of innovative propulsion, epic handling, and luxury accommodations.
