If this hull could talk, the tales she'd surely tell:

"Hobbit"


Hobbits are magical little creatures. They are certainly not human, but if the
mental images promulgated by Tolkein's novels and the "Lord of the Rings"
movies are accurately interpreted, Hobbits exhibit many endearing human
qualities. The Hobbits of literature have been so carefully crafted that many
millions of readers and theatergoers accept them as completely believable
within their fantasy environment.

Lynn Bucklin, of Executive Yachts, introduced us to a different sort of
"Hobbit" recently; a vessel launched 50 years ago by the National Steel
Shipyard in San Diego, California. She was a 64' "T" boat, hull number 221.
While retaining the "hell for stout" mil-spec construction, (and a few of the
original systems), she is certainly a military boat no longer. The now 70-foot
"Hobbit" has been almost magically transformed into an extremely believable
cruising trawler with endless endearing qualities of its own.

Much like the characters in the Tolkein novels, "Hobbit" boasts an interesting
history and can tell fascinating tales of unusual journeys. The US Army "T"
(tug/transport) boats were designed for coastal navigation off the Korean
peninsula during the Korean War.
Active combat in the Korean theater was over before #221 was launched, so upon
completion she was assigned to Federal Prison System, and she ferried prisoners
and supplies to San Francisco's Alcatraz Island from 1954 to 1963. When
Alcatraz was closed, she was reassigned to McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary,
where she made the run between the offshore prison and the town of Steilacoom.
When the Federal government transferred McNeil Island to the State of
Washington in 1984, the "T" boat was declared surplus and sold to a local
businessman. The original private owner extended the hull, began the
conversion, and routinely cruised her to Alaska every summer from 1984 to 2000.

"Hobbit's" current owner reports that at 1500 rpm she will log 9.5 kts at about
seven gph.

Many of the passengers aboard the "T" boat during her prison boat days were
extremely unhappy to be aboard. The opposite is undoubtedly true about most
folks lucky enough to spend time aboard "Hobbit," now that she has been
converted to a yacht.

There is no shortage of ex- military or commercial boats touted as "yacht
conversions". Some conversion procedures are as basic as mucking out the bilge,
spraying a coat of paint on the bulkheads, tossing aboard some fresh bedding
and window coverings and calling the job complete. "Hobbit's" impressive
interior woodwork took two full years for a journeyman joiner to complete. Few
conversions from military or workboats are as comprehensive as the
metamorphosis that "Hobbit" has enjoyed. She now combines the iron heart of a
sea splitting tyrant with the genteel dignity of a refined and confident lady.
She's a blue water veteran, and a heavy boat that will take you to sea in
style.

"Hobbit" retains the essential lines of the US Army "T" boat. Her stem is
moderately raked, with an accelerating flare between the Plimsoll mark and the
high bulwarks. Viewed abeam, she features moderate sheer and a series of large
scuppers along the main deck.
Her original 64-foot length was stretched to 70-feet, creating a larger fan
tailed cockpit aft. Her superstructure features a tall pilothouse and a
non-nonsense, forgivably "boxy" main cabin. A heavy steel extension to the boat
deck creates covered side decks aft of the pilothouse. The upper deck extends
over the cockpit as well; defining an all-seasons area that can be enclosed
with canvas during cold or rainy weather. The modifications have carried the
original design theme forward, and nothing appears to be "scabbed on". Only an
educated eye would detect that "Hobbit" has been slightly altered from her
original lines, and none would deny that she presents a convincing profile as a
small military ship.

While few boats are ever really finished, "Hobbit" has reached the point where
nearly all the major work has been accomplished and anything further will be
fine-tuning to suit individual preference.

"Hobbit" was repowered with a dry stacked, 8V-71 GMC main. Her pilothouse was
slightly enlarged. She has been fitted with a 14-inch, 25HP bow thruster, and
completely rewired. The hull has several brand new coats of dark blue Sterling
paint. "Hobbit" carries 1750 gallons of fuel to provide impressive range. A
30-gph watermaker refills a 250-gallon potable water tank. Paravane stabilizers
can be deployed to reduce rolling.

Some of "Hobbit's" upgrades are rather obvious on deck. Many steel hull
conversions leave the framing exposed inside the bulwarks, but "Hobbit" has
been retrofit with steel sheathing to cover the frames. Exterior brightwork
consists primarily of a 3-inch thick mahogany cap rail, as much as 12-inches in
width. In the pilothouse and main cabin, aluminum framed double-paned safety
glass windows have been installed, as well as aluminum port and starboard
"Dutch" doors on the pilothouse. The house, the decks,
and all fittings are painted or polished to a bristol standard.

Human beings enjoy contrast. We savor the sweet and the sour. There's little if
anything "sour" about "Hobbit", but there is an enjoyable contrast between the
workboat lines of her exterior and the comfortable, inviting, slightly informal
yet elegant interior.

Most interior walls and bulkheads are covered by vertical planks sawn from Long
Leaf Alaskan Yellow Cedar. The warm yellow-brown planks are accented with dark
Mahogany borders, frames, and battens. Most of the joinery incorporates teak
inserts with a stunning, three-tone effect.

The pilothouse retains a "down-to-business" sense of purpose, while the teak
and mahogany trim used throughout the vessel adds a touch of refinement to this
busy area. A series of dual pane, safety glass windows provides unrestricted
visibility forward, as well as more than 180 degrees to port and starboard from
the large, teak double rimmed wheel on the centerline. A vintage, single lever
engine control has been adapted to adjust the shift and throttle setting of the
8V-71. There is an extensive and redundant array of radars, plotters, VHF
radios, sounders, autopilots, and a built in PC navigation system.
"Hobbit" has systems that would have been considered nothing more than the mad
ravings of deranged sci-fi writers when she was built in 1954.

"Hobbit" incorporates a chart table on the port side of the wheel, and above
the chart table is a flat screen HDTV monitor. The monitor can display radar
and chartplotter images, providing additional confirmation for a navigator
performing chart work on the table below. When not underway, the monitor in the
pilothouse interfaces with several other HDTV screens aboard and can display
DVD programming or serve as a computer monitor. A leather upholstered pilot
berth is situated against the aft bulkhead of the pilothouse, and a series of
red fluorescent tubes mounted above the berth will provide safe light for
navigation after dark.

A companionway connects the pilothouse with the main cabin, as well as the
shoulder-width, slightly twisted stairway to the lower deck. The narrow
passageway would allow someone climbing or descending the stairs in a seaway to
"wedge in" and avoid being tossed around. A Berber carpet, edged with heavy,
wooden, non-slip borders for the edge of each tread, covers the stairway.

The master stateroom is most forward on the lower deck, with an island queen
berth. The Alaskan Long Leaf Yellow Cedar paneling, accented with teak and
mahogany joinery, creates a cozy, luxurious atmosphere with a slightly rustic
touch. Drawers, lockers, and an ample bookshelf provide copious stowage in this
compartment. Original 18" bronze portlights set into the forward cabin top
flood the lower staterooms with natural light. There is no sensation of being
down in the "hold" below decks; the master stateroom is well finished,
comfortable, and refined.

The master stateroom, the guest stateroom and the salon all feature flat screen
HDTV monitors and Bose sound systems.

Aft of the master stateroom and to starboard are two heads with VacuFlush
marine toilets, porcelain hand basins, and dedicated shower stalls. The heads
are also vertically planked with yellow cedar and trimmed with mahogany and
teak, a far cry from the appearance of these compartments during "Hobbit's"
original incarnation as a "T" boat.

Across the companionway from the heads is the port side guest stateroom. A
large double berth is offset toward the centerline, large portlights admit
plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and more than enough stowage is built in as
well.

The ship's laundry is aft of the guest stateroom. A stacked washer and dryer
will keep the clothes, linens, and bedding fresh and the laundry is very
convenient to the staterooms. A large chest freezer in the laundry room as well
as a huge pantry locker will allow "Hobbit" to provision for long, offshore
voyages.

One expects to find a "serious" engine room on a military or commercial
conversion, and "Hobbit" is no exception to the rule.
Headroom in the engine room is 6'5", allowing almost anyone to work in this
area without crouching. The Detroit 8V-71 is easily serviced from all asides.
The engine room is large enough to accommodate the main engine, a 20kw
Westerbeke generator, a 7.5kw
Luger generator, two 500-gallon fuel tanks, an eight-foot workbench, a row of
parts storage lockers, a compressed air system, an arc welder, the battery
banks, a Xantrax 3000 watt inverter/charger, a watermaker, a diesel fired cabin
heat boiler, and still leave more than enough space for two or three people to
work simultaneously. "Hobbit" has been extensively rewired, and evidence of
this work can be found in several new engine room switch panels.



An enormous lazarette is aft of the engine room, accessed through a watertight
steel door. A new isolation transformer has been installed in the lazarette,
capable of connecting to 240 volt AC and splitting the current into two
120-volt services.

Up on the main deck level, the galley and salon occupy the main cabin. The
galley is U-shaped, with a dual door refrigerator, a trash compactor, and an
electric cooktop and oven with vented hood against the forward bulkhead. The
teak and mahogany joinery is used to stunning effect in the galley. A double
pane aluminum window is centered above a stainless sink on the gunwale leg of
the galley "U", and the athwartship return separating the galley from the salon
next aft provides abundant food prep space, eating space, and contains an
electric dishwasher. A drop-leaf mahogany extension on the galley joinery is
inlaid with a fabulously crafted star design, and when raised this bridges to a
similarly inlaid table in the salon. Total comfortable seating capacity for
dining in the salon is probably at least ten.

A good sized, glazed, butterfly hatch above the galley deluges the area with
natural daylight.

Owners and guests aboard "Hobbit" will gravitate to the salon for drinks,
snack, and conversation. An "L" shaped settee to starboard will seat a small
convention, while a diesel furnace, a beverage locker, and an ingenious locker
that stows a flat screen HDTV monitor are to port. The TV monitor can be raised
or lowered into the locker by means of an infrared remote control.

The cockpit is a natural extension of "Hobbit's entertainment areas, with a
large, round, mahogany table and a wet bar on deck.
Under the protection of the hardtop, and with the peripheral canvas installed,
only the very worst NW weather would force anyone to retreat back into the
salon.

"Hobbit" is prepared to anchor almost anywhere, with heavy-duty capstan and
all-chain rode. There is ample room on the boat deck for at least two
shoreboats, with heavy-duty electric davit winches to assist in launching and
retrieval.

"Hobbit" may have been a melancholy prison craft in decades past, but she's a
legitimate yacht conversion in present time. She would be more than sufficient
for offshore voyages, and while she can perhaps find her way up the Inside
Passage to Alaska by habit and memory alone, she could just as easily head
south, transit the Panama Canal, and summer in the Caribbean. She should appeal
to a seasoned yachtsman with some bluewater experience.