VESSEL TYPE:Cruising Motor Yacht / Motor Vessel
BUILDER:Joseph Sloan Yard, Seattle, WA (early builder of Washington State "Mosquito Fleet" ferry boats)
YEAR LAUNCHED:1909
SCANTLINGS:
DIMENSIONS:
PROPULSION:180h.p. Buda Diesel
HISTORY:M/V Lotus has been a familiar sight in Puget Sound and along the Northwest coast since she was commissioned by wealthy Seattle lawyer Maurice McMicken in 1909. The largest private yacht on the West Coast when she was built, Lotus was constructed with all the latest amenities of the time: electric lighting, a state-of-the-art intercom system, and a gas distillate engine. She remained in the McMicken family until shortly after World War II. During the period leading up to the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, she was used as a floating lodge on Lake Union for visitors. Subsequently, she was again operated as a private yacht by the Gruye family, cruising back and forth to Alaska. She now belongs to a non-profit foundation dedicated to maintaining and sharing her history, and is once again operating as a floating lodge in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.
FEATURES:Lotus features a strongly Edwardian design ethic, with the chandeliers, claw-foot tubs, mahogany inlays, and exposed beams of the same sort found in homes built in that era. Lotus' interior has been remarkably preserved, with nearly all the original wood and fixtures from the main cabin forward. The galley has been modified to enclose the once-open engine room space, and to accommodate modern appliances and fixtures. Above, in the pilothouse and on the upper deck, wonderful 360-degree views are afforded from beneath an awning extending the length of the deck.
CURRENT STATUS:Moored at South Lake Union Park as a part of the Center for Wooden Boats' Visiting Vessels program.
Owned and maintained by the M/V Lotus Foundation.
Visit mvlotus.org or call 360.643.3302 for more information about Lotus or to arrange accommodations or an event aboard.
Or find us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/mvlotusfoundation