Built in 1908-1909 for Seattle lawyer and entrepreneur Maurice McMicken, the M. V. Lotus is a significant example of motor boat design and construction from the early 20th century. When launched in May 1909, the boat was the largest cruising houseboat on the West Coast, measuring 95 feet in overall length with quarters for a party of 11 and a crew of four and enough fuel capacity to cruise for a range of 1,500 miles. Shortly after launching, “Rudder” magazine characterized the “Lotus” as the “the largest and by far the most commodious and best equipped power boat on the Pacific Coast.” From the date of her launching, the “Lotus” has been described in boating journals and the local press as unique in size and unusually lavish in her appointments. Designed by naval architects Lee and Brinton and built by Seattle ship’s carpenter Joseph A. Sloane, the “Lotus” combines a high and roomy superstructure–complete with all the features of a floating home–upon an elongated cruising hull of fir planks. Today, Lotus is docked at the Historic Ships Wharf adjacent to the Museum of History and Industry on South Lake Union. She is open for public tours almost year around and available to host small events on her deck space. It is also possible to spend a night aboard and enjoy an “historic maritime experience.” Frequently, during the spring and summer months, she cruises the waters of Puget Sound and the Inland Passage, retracing the frequent route of the original owner and appearing at maritime and boat festivals throughout the region.
