A Boat Recycled From Howard Hughes’ Plane

  From a Howard Hughes' Plane

  to a motor-yacht 

This is an interesting little story of how to truly reuse and recycle instead of sending something as big as an airplane to a landfill. From a plane to a boat...the story of the Cosmic Muffin.

Last week I went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a family reunion and found out that our neighbor is the owner of the famous Cosmic Muffin plane-boat and has it docked two houses away from my family's home. At the reunion my uncle asked who wanted to go see the neighbor's plane-boat. At first I had NO interest, and then he said the plane was originally owned by Howard Hughes. Since The Aviator is my all-time favorite Leonardo DiCaprio film then I said, "Okay, I'm So In!"

The plane-boat started its improbable journey as a Boeing 307 Stratoliner originally owned by industrialist and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes who acquired the plane in 1939 as part of his purchase of TWA. The 307 was the world’s first commercial pressurized aircraft that was a variant of the B-17 Flying Fortress. Only ten were built in the late 1930s as production was discontinued by government order at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. One 307 has survived fully intact and has undergone a complete restoration by Boeing in Seattle for its owner, the National Air & Space Museum.

Destined for the scrap heap, the 307 was rescued by Fort Lauderdale Realtor and pilot Kenneth W. London in 1969. Unable to make the plane airworthy again, he cut the wings and tail off, trucked the remaining fuselage to a nearby marina and spent the next four years converting the four-engined airliner into a sleek and uniquely sensational motor yacht. Launched in July 1974, the Londonaire was seen throughout south Florida to the delight of spectators and the media. The “plane-boat” featured twin V-8 inboards incorporating the original aircraft cockpit controls that were used to fly the plane, propelling the vessel over 20 mph. Electrical, plumbing, sanitation and air conditioning systems were installed along with a new interior that included restored chairs and bar.

The boat was bought by Dave Drimmer in 1981 as a live aboard and extensively remodeled and rebuilt after he discovered the original hull was barely keeping the plane fuselage afloat. He later named it the Cosmic Muffin after publication of Jimmy Buffett’s novel "Where is Joe Merchant?"

While many boats over the years have pridefully claimed to be distinctive and unique, the Cosmic Muffin can truly be considered an historic one-of-a-kind amalgam of a rare aircraft and novel vessel. No other watercraft, before or since, has ever been constructed from a land-based airplane, especially one with such a rich legacy as an historic aircraft owned by a true legend, Howard Hughes.

If interested, you can read the complete history, view pictures and a video at PlaneBoats.com.

               Howard Hughes                                                       Dave Drimmer