bernadette trumpy yacht

Hylan & Brown – Boatbuilders – Brooklin, Maine – Building and Restoring Classic Wooden Boats

A 14′ glued-lapstrake tender for electric propulsion

Built to our design as a tender for a Trumpy power yacht under restoration, BERNADETTE features traditional good looks, modern glued-lapstrake construction, and advanced electric propulsion. Another design for electric power is our Hird Island Electric Skiff . If you need a tender or skiff that’s just a little different, let us know: as a custom designer/builder, we can deliver to your requirements in wood and wood-epoxy construction.

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TRUMPY & SONS HISTORY

https://web.archive.org/web/20100204190239/http://www.trumpyyachts.net/AHistoryLessonNov30.html

Trumpy Yachts: A Historical Perspective

Trumpy Yachts, (401) 846-0303 [email protected]

The Trumpy shipbuilding legacy began five generations ago in the coastal city of Bergen, Norway, where Casper Trumpy owned a shipyard nestled at the foot of The Seven Mountains. Casper’s son John grew up working in the family shipyard, and returned to do so again after earning a naval architecture degree in Berlin, Germany. When Casper Trumpy passed away, John sold the business to the Bergen Gas Company, and with little left in Bergen, moved to America. After working at the New York Shipyard in Philadelphia, and the commercial John H. Mathis Shipyard in Camden, New Jersey, he formed a partnership with John H. Mathis, leasing space within the yard solely dedicated to the design and build of private yachts.

John Trumpy Sr.’s intuitive designs answered the demands of an increasingly wealthy class of Americans, who by the turn of the century had begun to accrue wealth on a par with European royalty. Trumpy perceived that unlike the Europeans, who tended to prefer long voyages on cumbersome yachts with elaborate interiors, the American market favoured fast commuter yachts. The new yachtsman wanted to go from his estate on Long Island Sound to his Manhattan office on Wall Street as crew members served up breakfast. In winter the Captain might navigate the yacht to the shallow Florida canal system or abundant fishing grounds of The Keys. A summer cruise in style around the Great Lakes also provided a fashionable pastime. Trumpy’s narrow beam and shallow draft design favored speed with no great sacrifice to posh interiors, and met the requirements of America’s aristocracy perfectly. By the 1920s his graceful architectural style was ubiquitous, defined by a plumb bow emblazoned with signature “T” scrollwork, vertical Pullman windows and a counter stern with canvas awnings. Trumpy was enjoying a full order book year after year.

During this period Trumpy produced many of the fastest, largest and most famous American yachts, solidifying the company’s reputation among the elite. The 77-ft. Lady Baltimore, constructed in 1915 for the Hall-Seely Motor Company, was purchased in 1920 by E.F. Hutton, who refitted the yacht with a pair of eight-cylinder Sterling engines to achieve a remarkable 21 knots.

The 104-ft, Sequoia II, built in 1925 for Richard Cadwalader, Jr., became the US Presidential Yacht in 1933, entertaining Presidents from Roosevelt to Carter. Richard Nixon hosted Leonid Brezhnev on Sequoia, and Queen Elizabeth went aboard her in 1968 to visit LBJ. As part of an austerity campaign when he assumed the presidency, Jimmy Carter ordered the Sequoia be sold. It went for less than $300,000 and remained in a state of disrepair until The Presidential Yacht Trust purchased and restored her. She is now designated as a National Historic Landmark. Recently, Trumpy Yachts has entered into a cross-marketing agreement with the current Sequoia ownership group.

Among these storied yachts the Trumpy Shipyard built only two steel hulls, the 148-ft. Alamo and 110-ft. Arminia. The Alamo had several owners before being acquired by the US Navy, renamed Alabaster, and designated PYc 21. A similar fate befell Arminia, named after the wife of owner William Atterbury. He enjoyed Arminia from her launch in 1930 until 1934, when the yacht was sold and renamed Stella Polaris. In 1940 Stella Polaris became Patrol Yacht coastal #4 (PYc 4) Agate.

Although there are many famous Trumpys and aficionados with stories to tell, the most candid come from Johan Trumpy, grandson of John Trumpy Sr. An affable man with a remarkable memory of family history and yacht construction, he describes the wartime company transition: “When WWII intensified, John Mathis needed to take over the whole John H. Mathis Company facility to build boats for the government, so the Mathis Yacht building Company relocated to Gloucester, New Jersey, outside of Camden, and they changed the name to John Trumpy & Sons. By doing so it ensured that there was no confusion about who was where.”

It would seem that by 1940 John Trumpy Sr. was legally the sole owner of the Mathis Yacht Company, as John Mathis died in 1939 and a second partner, William Robinson, died in 1940. But Johan Trumpy relies on company records. According to the stockholder accounts, in about 1920 John Mathis suddenly disappears from the books and it seems that John Trumpy Sr. had sole control of the company at this earlier date. Yet the Mathis name remained ubiquitous. Even into the late 1950s, Johan Trumpy recalls, “Our adverts and letterhead said formally Mathis Yacht Company. Trumpy and Mathis were the same company, but we called them Trumpy yachts, and they called them Mathis yachts.”

Trumpy was also finding time to build government contract boats prior to the war, having designed several models, including a speedy Coast Guard boat used during Prohibition. During the war, government contracts increased and the workforce expanded rapidly from about 60 workers to more than 500. By the end of the war, Trumpy’s entire production was given over to building military craft. But when the war ended, Trumpy turned his attention back to the design and production of private yachts. The first build was Aurora, a 55-ft. pilot model built on spec by John Trumpy & Sons to get the company back into the civilian market. Firmly back in business, the yard was turning out about six new yachts a year, each bearing the distinctive Trumpy scroll on the bow.

By 1947 industrial waste that had been carelessly dumped into the Delaware River had so polluted the waters that a yacht could not navigate along its course without potential damage, forcing Trumpy to look for another yard. The Annapolis Yacht Yard in Maryland had gone broke as a result of rapid inflation, exacerbated by the death of one of its owners, and was forced to shut down. John Trumpy bought the property and moved his entire operation there. It was here that John Trumpy & Sons would build wooden yachts for the next 27 years, all launched down the slipway into the Severn River.

During the post-war years, Trumpy yachts between 55 and 80 feet became exceedingly popular with many well-known, well-to-do Americans. For example, Henry Sears commissioned a 48-ft. cruiser called Megaera, and Gilbert Verney, owner of the Monadnock Paper Mills in New Hampshire, had the 58-ft. Katuna built in 1970. One of the last boats built at the Annapolis yard was Sinbad, for Fred Gordon, Jr.

Trumpy’s sterling reputation had much to do with the high quality of materials, meticulous craftsmanship and the best construction methods of the time. The frames were of steam-bent oak, and the hulls were double-planked mahogany fastened with bronze screws.Vinyl, the new wonder material of the 1940s and ‘50s, was used to upholster seating and cushions. Stainless steel was replaced by Formica, a cutting-edge post-war material used extensively to provide maintenance-free surfaces. The yachts were also equipped with the latest in electronic and power systems – items considered normal now, but years ahead of the competition then.

Johan Trumpy started working at the yard during this innovative post-war era. At 13 years of age he began to spend his summers in the boat shop on the bulkhead table with Frank Wagner, steam-bending frames and cutting off the through-bolts. While still a teenager he had worked his way into the drawing room. He remembers that frequently his grandfather would come up behind him, stare at his drawing and say, “I don’t think I’d do it that way,” and then abruptly walk away. By the early 1960s, John Trumpy Sr. had stopped driving, but continued to work every day. Then on a seemingly ordinary day in 1963, as he was putting his socks on to go to work, he had a fatal heart attack.

In 1972, though buyers for new Trumpy yachts were still knocking on the company doors, John Trumpy Jr. decided to sell the land. Many people, including family members, were distressed when he permanently closed up shop in December of 1973. Contract no. 450, the 60-ft. Sirius, was the third Trumpy yacht owned by Henry Gibson of Palm Beach and the last to be launched into the Severn River by John Trumpy & Sons.

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Trumpy Motoryacht "BERNADETTE"

Built for john trumpy in 1958 and measures 71.5 feet in length. today known as the h) bernadette she was built as the a) aurora. the weather turned crapy and started raining as i took this picture making for a poor photo. she is northbound on the aicw in chesapeake, va making about nine knots..

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Trumping A Classic: Trumpy 63

• By Chris Caswell
• Updated: February 18, 2009

ytgfeb09trump63525.jpg

In every field of endeavor, there are names that become benchmarks, against which lesser competitors are judged. Rolls-Royce, Limoges, Brioni, and cristal spring to mind. the fact that the creator of the product no longer exists seems not to matter in the least: consider Stradivarius, for example.

That is exactly the case with the name trumpy, which graced motoryachts built from the late ’30s through the early ’70s and which still remains a yardstick by which luxury yachts are measured by the knowledgeable.

Each trumpy bore an ornate and filigreed scrollwork “T” flowing from the bow that was a stamp not just of authenticity but also of quality, and the approach of a yacht with that scroll would stop activity on most waterfronts as the crisply classic lines were admired.

Each trumpy was assembled by a team of master craftsmen who took a quiet pride in their dexterity with a piece of mahogany. Each seam, each joint, each finely finished corner, was done by one man who ran his rough but sensitive hands over it until it was good enough to satisfy two tough critics: that craftsman and John trumpy, Sr. Only then was it good enough for the client.

Over a span of 30-some years, Trumpy & Sons built more than 400 wooden yachts for celebrities, dignitaries, and discerning yachtsmen. But the ’70s were a time when the sweet smell of fine woods being planed into long curls was being replaced by the reek of resin and fiberglass and acetone and catalyst. When the last shed door slammed shut, many thought it wasn’t just the end of Trumpy, but the end of an era. and so Trumpy passed into the realm of legend.

Enter Jock West, former Yachting publisher turned marketing entrepreneur. he came up with the idea of purchasing a classic Trumpy motoryacht, completely refurbishing it using products from a number of clients, and-naming her Showtime-using her as a floating showcase at in-water boat shows along the Eastern Seaboard. It was a clever marketing idea, because it showed products from yacht finishes to electronics in their natural environment aboard a beautifully restored yacht.

“After a couple of boat shows,” West recalls, “I made an interesting discovery. At each show, there were several qualified people who wanted to buy Showtime. She was as turnkey as the rows of new white plastic yachts, and they loved the style, loved the comfort, loved the classic elegance.”

Thus was launched the idea not to create replicas, but updated and modernized Trumpys. The result is the Trumpy 63 Flush Deck Motoryacht seen in renderings on these pages.

But it wasn’t quite that easy. First, West had to find a builder and, while there are many of those, a Trumpy built in fiberglass would be sacrilege. His search led him to Vicem, the Turkish yard that has been building in wood perhaps not as far back as the Ottoman Empire, but for several generations, anyway.

Then he tracked down Johan Trumpy because the yacht wouldn’t be a Trumpy unless there was actually a family member involved, and Johan is the last of the sons who worked in the boatyard. Excited at the idea of seeing the Trumpy name relaunched in grand style, he was delighted to join the growing team. Rounding out the effort was Jim Ewing, the executive vice president for Alden Yachts, as CEO and project manager.

“There is a young and different generation attracted by the Trumpy,” says West, noting that though they may never have been aboard a traditional yacht, “they understand that she is proportioned the way a yacht ought to look.”

In profile, the new Trumpy 63 is something that John Trumpy, Sr., might have drawn about the time he was drafting the lines for the classic Presidential Yacht, Sequoia. Though Showtime was the template for the new yacht, the interior accommodations remain “Trumpyesque” rather than exact. But the real story is that the new yacht will benefit from seven decades of major advancements in all areas of systems, equipment, and construction, from wiring to electronics.

The hull, like all Vicems, is cold-molded from mahogany using West System epoxy resins to create an incredibly strong and moisture-resistant yacht. For those unfamiliar with the cold-molded process, it’s been around for decades. During World War II, the Mosquito fighter-bomber was cold-molded by Dehavilland and, though first scorned by aircrews as the “flying splinter”, it soon earned their affection and admiration for being able to absorb incredible battle damage and still bring them home.

Starting with a keel laminated from 30 layers of african mahogany, the new Trumpy hull is laminated with skins of mahogany at 45 and 90 degrees, forming an intricate multi-directional skin. Bonded and then faired with West System epoxy resins, the process is duplicated for the deck and house, creating a rigid and light monocoque structure. Polymer staples are used to hold everything together during the curing process and then left in place because they will never corrode. Add in structural bulkheads and longitudinal girders to carry the engines, and the result is one tough yacht.

According to Jock West, the hull lines have been “tweaked” from Showtime, with the most visible difference being an added foot of beam to increase the size of the cabins and salon. Along with additional veeing of the originally roundish trumpy hull and a deepening of the forefoot, the result will be better seakeeping without adding drag.

For those who have seen Showtime, the layout of the Trumpy 63 will be comfortably familiar but, for first-timers, it will be like stepping into the golden Era of Yachting.

The afterdeck is inviting, with twin side doors protecting guests lounging on the wide settee or in the Trumpy-built chairs from breezes. It is where you will sit on pleasant evenings at anchor and, if the weather is cool, it is easily enclosed and temperature controlled.

Inside the salon, it’s easy to see why many Trumpys were labeled “houseboats” before that term had negative connotations among saltwater skippers. No, a trumpy really is house-like, with loose chairs and a sofa that create a living room atmosphere. a day-head is tucked in one corner, and the wheelhouse fills the forward part of the cabin with a settee for guests. Doors lead to the walkaround side decks and an outdoor settee on the foredeck.

Gentle stairs from the salon lead down to a hallway, with the master stateroom filling the full width of the stern. the master berth is offset, a loveseat is to port, and the en suite head is spacious, with a shower stall and tecma commode.

Just forward is a guest cabin with twin berths and a head to port with shower. Keeping the interior bright is the traditional trumpy style of Þnishing ceilings and bulkheads white, with trim of perfectly varnished mahogany as accents.

Filling the midship area is the large U-shaped galley which Jock West hopes clients will fit with copper countertops like the original. “Corian or marble just don’t match the Trumpy theme,” he says, but the galley will have a full inventory of modern Viking appliances.

The crew quarters are forward of the pilothouse with another private head and shower, as well as direct access to the engineroom. a galley-up layout is available, which will move the galley and dining area into the salon, while the extra space on the lower deck will be used to create an even larger master suite and a fourth stateroom.

Power will be a pair of Man diesels, a vast improvement over the smoky and inefficient original engines. In fact, efficiency is something that West says has to be seen to believe. “We know, from our experience with Showtime, that the new Trumpy 63 will cruise at about 15 knots for ten hours on about 50 gallons of fuel. That seems unbelievable, but she’s incredibly fuel efficient.”

A full list of standard equipment includes many items that John Trumpy, Sr., never imagined: full air conditioning, bow thruster, 16 kW Kohler generator, full electronics including radar and GPS, and a sophisticated shorepower system. “We have a simple process for selecting all the systems and gear on the new Trumpy…we choose the finest.”

“Best of all,” says West, “the yacht has the five-year Vicem warranty, and this is a very customer-friendly builder.” Price for the Trumpy 63 has been set at $2,935,000, and delivery time for finished yachts is expected to be about nine months.

It’s an intriguing concept that taps into every skipper’s dream of owning a classic motoryacht without having to endure the agonies of restoration or the breakdowns of old systems. Instead the dream of elegance from a quieter time, and the pleasure of being on the water board a yacht that will turn heads, will become reality.

All we need now is for the cast from All That Jazz to break out in the classic song: “Everything Old is New Again.”

Trumpy Yachts, (401) 846-0303; www.trumpyyachts.net

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Dream Boats: The vintage appeal of Trumpy yachts

Some boats have stage presence. When they enter a harbor, every head turns. Trumpy motoryachts have that hard-to-define appeal. Like a Frank Lloyd Wright house or a Rolls Royce, they are a product of their time yet possess a timeless appeal.

Built from the 1920s to 1970s, Trumpy yachts are a study in elegance. Their sleek profile, crisp white hulls and polished wood detailing exude luxury and leisure.

Although more than 400 were built, each Trumpy was meticulously handcrafted to the owner’s specifications. While every Trumpy is unique, the boats have a signature look and always the essential Trumpy embellishment: carved wood scrollwork on the bow that, on close inspection, incorporates a capital T. In their heyday, the boats were de rigueur for members of the aristocracy, among them aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, the Chrysler family and the Duponts.

The name comes from Norwegian-born Naval architect John Trumpy Sr., who began building yachts in Camden Yard in Gloucester City, N.J., but in 1947, Trumpy & Sons moved their shipbuilding operation to Annapolis, Md. When Trumpy Sr. died in 1963, his son John Jr. continued the tradition until 1974, when a triple play of rising costs, labor strikes and the popularity of fiberglass put him out of business.

Perhaps the most famous Trumpy was the USS Sequoia , built in 1925 and now a designated National Historic Landmark. It might also be the most famous boat in the United States. The elegant 104-foot vessel served as the U.S. presidential yacht from the Herbert Hoover administration in the 1930s until Jimmy Carter had it auctioned off in 1977 for $286,000.

The Sequoia was the setting for many notable events: FDR and Eisenhower planned D-Day onboard; Truman made the decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima, Kennedy celebrated his last birthday, and Nixon spent his last night as president aboard (accompanied by a bottle of whiskey) before resigning the next day.

Truman reportedly had a fit of rage onboard when he lost a poker game and damaged the table with a cigar cutter. In a calmer moment he had a piano installed in the main salon that he and Nixon enjoyed playing (although in separate decades). Hoover raised some hackles by featuring the Sequoia on the 1932 White House Christmas card at a time when so many Americans were struggling to buy food during the Great Depression.

The yacht fell into disrepair after it was sold by Carter and became the subject of rancorous legal entanglements . More recently the Sequoia got a $5 million makeover and has returned to Washington, D.C., waters. It is now available for charter or special events.

Trumpys are the ultimate Dream Boats. It’s easy to envisage a leisurely, even presidential afternoon aboard, dining in formal elegance or fishing off the back deck. Many of these boats have been lovingly cared for over the years and still show up on the market. Our gallery (at the top) features four beauties currently for sale, from a 1937 model to the third-to-last Trumpy built in 1972.

Check out our previous Dream Boat galleries:

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Classic Elegance With the History-Rich Trumpy Motor Yacht

Ever wonder what it was like to hobnob with the rockefellers find out first-hand with the classic 1947 trumpy motor yacht bb , which recently sold fresh on the heels of a $4 million refit.    .

• Writer Craig Ritchie

Because no, they really don’t build them like they used to, it is understandable that the luxury yacht world was abuzz when a classic 1947 Trumpy appeared on the market.

During the Second World War, Norwegian-born naval architect John Trumpy became owner of Mathis Yacht Building Company, which he had joined in 1903, renaming it John Trumpy & Sons and moving it from Camden to Gloucester City, New Jersey. Trumpy yachts established a reputation for elegant designs, top-notch fittings, and superlative finishes. The arrival of a Trumpy in the harbour would cause no less of a stir than a royal princess crashing a picnic; conversation stops, jaws drop to the ground, and everyone gawks in silent awe as the beauty glides into view.

Is it any wonder, then, that the timeless profile of a classic Trumpy—with its magnificent flowing lines, signature white hull, exquisite woodwork, and unequalled elegance—has enchanted yacht buyers for so many years? Trumpy buyers once ranked among the wealthiest people on Earth, including members of the Chrysler, DuPont, and Drexel families. was the proud owner of a Trumpy yacht, while a 104-foot Trumpy served as the U.S. presidential yacht from the 1930s through 1977. That vessel, the USS Sequoia , was reportedly where President Roosevelt and General Eisenhower planned elements of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, , where JFK celebrated his last birthday, and where Richard Nixon told his family he would resign.

And recently, an 80-foot Trumpy launched in 1947—now fresh from a $4 million refit—became available on the brokerage market.

Launched as the motor yacht Seaplay , it is believed to be among the last Trumpy yachts built before the company moved to facilities in Annapolis that same year.

Seaplay was built for George Codrington, who at the time was vice-president at General Motors. The vessel featured in the August 1948 issue of The Rudder magazine, which described Seaplay as having “a well-blended combination of seaworthiness, sleek lines, good turn of speed, ease of handling, sturdiness, compactness with comfort, reliability, and the ability to go anywhere her owner desires.”

Hand-crafted from the ultimate maritime trifecta of Honduran mahogany, American walnut and Burmese teak, the yacht, now named BB, features period furnishings including glass sconces, custom wood venetian blinds, and a dhurrie rug that enhance its character and charm. Decidedly modern amenities like a Garmin digital navigation system with touch-screen displays and an autopilot assure safety underway.

In the interests of guest comfort, BB allows for a few other modern amenities, including an air conditioning system, an updated galley with modern, energy-efficient appliances, and a pop-up 48-inch TV in the full-beam master stateroom—maintaining the character of the classic motor yacht, with a nod to today’s world.

Its large HDTV aside, the sumptuous master suite is otherwise a bit more spartan and less spacious than those on contemporary yachts, but this is a vessel built for enjoying life on deck rather than snoring through it down below. There are further accommodations for six guests in three VIP staterooms, . All accommodations share two full heads, and are accessed by an L-shaped staircase leading below from the salon.

The bow’s lower deck is devoted to crew quarters, a captain’s cabin, and a large galley. , allowing meals to be served in the salon with its large aft dining space for eight or outside in the cockpit under the shade of the overhead sunshade.

The forward end of the main deck features an observation room with large windows overlooking the bow. Side doors allow direct access to the front deck, which includes a wraparound bench seat just below the observation room windows. Wide promenades lead aft along either side of the salon, allowing guests to enjoy a delightful after dinner stroll around the boat, taking with unforgettable views.

Built to explore the world, BB can still do so in fine style with its not quite original but still vintage engines: twin 1961 Detroit diesels replaced the original powertrain long ago. Now fully renovated and rebuilt, the big blocks churn out a combined 468 horsepower, giving BB a top speed of 13 knots. At 10 knots, cruising range is an impressive 700 nautical miles.

Opportunities to acquire a Trumpy yacht in Bristol condition don’t come along too often, and the chance to acquire one from the 1940s straight from a major refit was rare indeed. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time and hobnob with the Rockefellers, here’s your chance to find out, and get a feel for how life was once enjoyed by society’s elite.

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alan toone New Member

SeaEric said: ↑ There is a line drawing of the 58 Cruiser in the Robert Tolf book about Trumpy. Perhaps you can find someone with that book to let you have a look. It may perhaps be copyright material, so some caution is advisable. You may also reach out to Sigrid Trumpy of Maryland Hall in Annapolis. She is coordinating an exhibit there. I'm sure she has a lot of the old drawings and memorabilia. Click to expand...

SeaEric YF Historian

alan toone said: ↑ Thanks for your help Eric. I already have the Toft book. No line drawings unfortunately but will try the Annapolis lead. I will keep you posted on my progress. Do you know the name of the company in Florida who was going to start building them. I believe it never got off the ground Kind regards Alan. Click to expand...

Attached Files:

58 line resize.jpg.

oceangal New Member

Sea Hammock update The most recent information on her that I can find in this thread is from 2007 right after the accident (some 2006 pictures were posted in 2009). It is now 2016 and she is for sale. Any impartial information on the last decade would be most appreciated.

maldwin Senior Member

oceangal said: ↑ Sea Hammock update The most recent information on her that I can find in this thread is from 2007 right after the accident (some 2006 pictures were posted in 2009). It is now 2016 and she is for sale. Any impartial information on the last decade would be most appreciated. Click to expand...

ScottSchaible New Member

Hey guys, I am currently going a documentary on the Yacht 'Lady Margaret' and am in the search for any and all information on her She was in fact a Trumpy, however the hull name might have changed making it hard to tract down. She sank in 1976. Any information would greatly help!

Hello Scott, Welcome to YachtForums. I have paged through some Trumpy info that I have on hand and find none of the pre war boats with Lady Margaret as a last or former name. If you know any other info such as year built, length, or build # would be helpful. I'm pretty good at these puzzles - I just need a few more pieces. Anything else you know about her?

From the info I have she was a little over 100ft, she was docked out of Groose Point Yacht Club in the 1970. she was owned by John McGoff who owned Panax, previously she was owned by a Maryland Governor. FDR would frequently come aboard to the point they installed an elevator for him. she sank off the coast of north Carolina. Thats pretty much all the facts I was able to get.

The date and size roughly line up with a yacht that had been owned in 1977 by the Governor's Club in Baltimore and called "Governors Lady". She was 101' built in 1930 as "Silver Moon II" under contract # 203. Her O/N 229497. I see no reference to the name "Lady Margaret" or owner John McGoff. Her other names were "Masquerader", "Aras"and "Fransu". The information that I have says that she sank off NC in 1985. This may not be the same boat but I can't find another one with a similar "story".

After i last wrote you i found out that John Mcgoff didn't personally own her but one of his companies did, she sank in 1976 of the coast of NC. is it possible that this could still be the same boat.

ScottSchaible said: ↑ After i last wrote you i found out that John Mcgoff didn't personally own her but one of his companies did, she sank in 1976 of the coast of NC. is it possible that this could still be the same boat. Click to expand...

I have multiple news sources on line, I have more copies of print from the Detroit area. I have also interviewed 2 of the 4 remaining crew members on board. https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=DxMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2713,3837621&hl=en https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=FhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1786,4834406&hl=en https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=QWcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5989,4302685&hl=en https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AAAIBAJ&sjid=lA4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4875,51164&hl=en https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AAIBAJ&sjid=96sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2970,956055&hl=en https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=yjgHAAAAIBAJ&pg=1368,3875435&hl=en

Yep this is it, Thank you soon much, this is a huge break for me! http://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/vessel/view/006597

Manusel Member

Ken Bracewell said: ↑ Here are a couple of photos from the time my Dad owned her. The first is when we lifted her out of the water to repair the hull and the second is Southern Trail sitting during her northbound transit of the Great Dismal Swamp. Click to expand...

Another brokerage ad for trail:

Trail Mathis 6-9-3 fantail (3).JPG

Manusel said: ↑ Trail dining saloon Click to expand...

Trail saloon.JPG

Trail int..jpg, trail rebuild 1954.jpg.

FutureYachter said: ↑ I realize that it has been five years since this post but here is the vessel that is being referred to: 1930 Mathis Pilothouse Motoryacht Power Boat For Sale - www.************** Click to expand...

Stella Polaris in 1959, Armina orig., now Vallarta Allegre rebuilding in san Diego.jpg

chesapeake46 said: ↑ Bernadette's Stern Camera phones are a blessing and a curse. In the sun, I am unable to tell WTH I'm taking a pic of. Here is a lame picture of her stern, still it shows the workmanship. Click to expand...

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Trump Princess: Inside Donald Trump’s lavish 86m superyacht

BOAT dives into the archives to tell the full story of how Donald Trump bought the 86 metre Benetti superyacht Nabila and transformed her into Trump Princess .

“A certain level of quality.” That is the phrase that Donald Trump returns to again and again to explain just why he bought Adnan Khashoggi’s 86 metre yacht Nabila . And an explanation is needed.

After all, Trump doesn’t water-ski or go in for swimming in a big way, and he’s always tried to avoid the sun. As a matter of fact, he has never owned a big boat before. He doesn’t even particularly like boats. “I’m not into them,” he says with a shrug, “I’ve been on friends’ boats before and couldn’t get off fast enough.”

So why spend close to $30million on a yacht? Trump will admit that she is an “incredible toy”, even “the ultimate toy”. But words like that make the whole venture seem frivolous, so he prefers to refer to the boat which he has re-named Trump Princess , as “a work of art.” And what makes her a work of art is, of course, the “level of quality”.

To really appreciate the level of quality, Trump says you have to see the interior. That is where Khashoggi lavished money with utter abandon. Trump points out, for example, the walls of the cabins covered in chamois leather and bird’s eye maple.

Bathrooms are done not in marble but in onyx — and not just any onyx either, but onyx hand-carved by the finest craftsmen in Italy. Donald Trump bought Trump Princess , he says, “because I was buying a great piece of art at a ridiculously low price”.

Unlike Trump, Adnan Khashoggi has always had a thing about boats. The arms dealer, who took advantage of connections with the Saudi royal family to amass a fortune worth around $3billion at its peak, acquired his first yacht when he was 18 and traded up as his wealth increased.

In the 1970s Khashoggi owned two yachts and while these were impressive, neither made quite the naked assertion of fantastic wealth he required, so he commissioned the British designer Jon Bannenberg to design the most sumptuous, the most incredible yacht the world has seen.

“He wanted the best yacht in the world,” says Bannenberg, “and we achieved that at the time.” The vessel Bannenberg created cost $35million to build, but Khashoggi also commissioned Italian designer Luigi Sturchio to produce the interior and that is believed to have cost more than the yacht itself.

“No-one really knows what she originally cost,” says Jonathan Beckett , CEO of Burgess , the broker that arranged the sale to Trump. Named Nabila , after Khashoggi’s only daughter, the vessel was launched in 1980. Insisting that she be totally self-contained, Khashoggi had included in the specification everything from a patisserie and three-chair hair salon to a screening room with an 800-film library and a hospital with an operating theatre.

There is accommodation for a crew of 52 people. To get to and from shore, there is a helicopter landing pad and a pair of nine metre tenders. Fuel tanks holding 618,256 litres of diesel give a maximum range of 8,500 nautical miles at the cruising speed of 17.5 knots. Three water-makers produce 45,000 litres of fresh water a day from the ocean and six mammoth refrigerators carry a three-month supply of food for 100 people.

Many of Khashoggi’s most lavish parties took place aboard Nabila , but the yacht was also an invaluable business instrument. Not only movie stars but also political leaders and diplomats were invited aboard. On one occasion five heads of state — including three kings — were entertained simultaneously.

Often, Nabila ’s guests were Arab princes as well as European and American businessmen of all descriptions. Ensconced in the various suites, they used the 150 telephones and the satellite communications system to arrange arms sales and commodities trades. When contracts were ready to be signed, the yacht could quickly slip into international waters, where sovereign restrictions on business transactions do not apply. On many occasions, several deals were conducted simultaneously, in different suites.

A tour of the entire yacht, which has five decks and some 100 separate areas, would take too long, but a description just of the owner’s suite  should be sufficient to give an idea of the exquisite luxury on board Trump Princess .

The bedroom occupies the full beam of the hull. It has a tortoiseshell ceiling, a three metre wide bed, and bedside remote controls for the entertainment centre, for room service, even for the curtains. It also has a secret exit.

From the bedroom, we head down a corridor past a mirrored dressing room and into Trump's bathroom, where the onyx floor tiles are carved in a sunburst pattern. To one side is a room with the owner’s barber chair. Next to that is the shower and sauna. The shower has 13 nozzles and is carved in the shape of a scallop shell from a single piece of onyx — a task that took a team of workers a year to complete.

From the bathroom we proceed into Trump’s television area, then into his large sitting area, panelled in the inevitable chamois leather. From there we take the owner’s private elevator (there is another one for guests and a third for crew) to his private sundeck .

An enclosed section houses the bar, pantry, video games, and another sauna and shower. Outside, behind bullet-proof glass, sits a circular swimming pool that measures 2.4 metres in diameter.

That may seem a bit small, but there is a water jet so you can swim all day against the current and never reach the other side. A hydraulic lift raises the sunbed high above anyone else on the boat, enabling the sunbather to bask in total privacy.

When Khashoggi’s empire began to crumble during the mid-1980s, he procured a loan for $50million, putting up Nabila as collateral. When Khashoggi defaulted on his loan in 1987, a Swiss holding company took possession of the yacht. She was therefore placed in the hands of Burgess with instructions to dispose of the yacht quickly at an asking price of $50million.

In September 1987, almost as soon as he learned that Nabila was for sale, Donald Trump made a cash bid for the yacht. Burgess had already received two other offers, one of which was equal to that made by Trump, but subject to several conditions. Jonathan Beckett flew to New York and countered Trump’s offer with a proposal of $32million. Trump responded with $28million, and half an hour later he had agreed to pay $30million — for a yacht he had never boarded.

As soon as the news was broken, Beckett was suddenly deluged with higher offers from potential buyers who had been sitting on the fence. Meanwhile, Trump was arranging to pay less. He was contacted on behalf of Khashoggi, who was said to be upset that his daughter’s name would now be on a yacht belonging to someone else. Negotiations ensued and Trump agreed to rename the boat Trump Princess if the cost were reduced by about $1million. “He got an unbelievable deal, in retrospect,” says Beckett.

Trump then spent $8.5million having the yacht refitted in the Netherlands by Amels who repainted the hull, rebuilt the main engines and replaced 320 metres of chamois leather. One of the more garish cabins became the children’s room and the hair salon a cloakroom.

Renamed Trump Princess , the yacht, which Trump says will cost about $2.5million a year to operate, set sail from the Azores in June 1988 and arrived in New York on July 4 in time for the huge party the Trumps threw on it that night.

In addition to private cruising with his family, Trump, like Khashoggi, uses Trump Princess as a business instrument — though in a somewhat different fashion. Trump Princess spends the summer months cruising the East Coast from her base in Atlantic City, where she docks at the marina in full view of Trump’s Castle Hotel. Trump makes the boat available for selected charities and “very high rollers who spend millions of dollars a year in the casinos”.

“There is a whole market there,” Trump explains. “While I was building Farley Marina, I was trying to get the boat, because I knew that she would blow everybody’s mind. She would become a spectacle.”

But that is what Trump Princess has been all along — a spectacular statement of astronomic wealth, a massive piece of equipment designed to arouse envy in those who behold it. Khashoggi had stipulated that the boat be huge enough to intimidate even the owners of the big yachts — and it does.

A few years ago, a friend of Trump’s was at the helm of his own very large yacht in the Mediterranean — and feeling quite proud — when Nabila roared by, practically swamping him. “He said it gave him a total inferiority complex,” Trump says. And that, no doubt, is another reason Trump bought her.

First published in 1989 as part of The Superyachts Vol. 2

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