Your Survival Guy: Hunt Built a Better Boat

Your Survival Guy hauled the Tom Sawyer last Thursday, a reminder to all that if you want a good weather weekend in the fall, just ask me when I’m hauling. It was beautiful.

Here’s a picture of Tom Sawyer tucked away for the winter. You know from here the popularity of center console boats, but I want to show you her deep-V hull to explain why.

Back in the 1950s, sail and powerboat designer C. Raymond Hunt developed the deep-V hull, a revolutionary design that makes these types of boats so popular. What made Hunt’s discovery unique was how he carried that deep-V or dead-rise angle (less of an angle amidship to stern than in the bow) all the way to the transom.

With the deep-V running the length of the hull and not a flat area in the stern, it revolutionized the ride. No longer were you two bugs on a board bouncing around in the slightest of chop. She cut like a knife.

If you’ve ever ridden in a flat-bottomed Boston Whaler ’13 (also designed by C. Raymond Hunt) like Your Survival Guy did as a kid, you know exactly what it’s like to be a bug on a boat. Its flat hull slams into chop like a hammer. But as a kid that’s no big deal.

The other unique qualities of the Hunt hull were the stringers or strakes running bow to stern along the bottom of the hull, which you can see in the picture above. These help lift the boat, aiding in gaining speed and lifting her to ride along the surface. They also aide in stability to reduce roll, and channel spray down the hull, making for a drier ride. And that’s how Hunt built a better boat.

Action Line: Oftentimes, it’s what you don’t see that can be the key to what makes stuff work. If you feel like you need help building a better portfolio, then let’s talk. It’s always a good idea to check your hull. Email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com, and click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.

Previous articleYour Survival Guy: Charting Your Course
E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy
E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.