trumpy yachts wiki

TRUMPY & SONS HISTORY

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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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From Wikipedia:

John H. Mathis & Company was a shipbuilding company founded around 1900, based at Cooper Point in Camden, New Jersey, U.S, on the Delaware River. At their shipyard at Point and Erie Streets, the company built luxury yachts and also commercial ships. During World War II a variety of Naval vessels were built. The Mathis shipyard closed in 1961.

John H. Mathis & Company

The John H. Mathis Company built a variety of commercial and naval vessels, including freighters, ferries and fishing boats, FS ("Freight and Supply") ships for the Army, minesweepers, net tenders, patrol boats, lighthouse tenders, tugs and barges.

Mathis Yacht Building Company

In 1910 Norwegian-born naval architect John Trumpy joined the company in partnership with John H. Mathis, to design and build private yachts. These two companies, the John H. Mathis Company and the Mathis Yacht Building Company operated side-by-side at the Camden yard.

The Mathis Yacht Building Company built houseboats, tenders, and yachts for some of the wealthiest American families, including the Sequoia in 1925, which would later serve as the Presidential yacht between 1933 and 1977. After the death of John H. Mathis in 1939 John Trumpy became sole owner of the Mathis Yacht Building Company.

John Trumpy & Sons

By mid-1942 increased demand meant that the Camden yard capacity was needed for government contracts, so the Mathis Yacht Building Co. relocated to Gloucester City, New Jersey, just downriver of Camden, and was renamed John Trumpy & Sons in 1943. In 1947, the Trumpy company relocated to Annapolis, Maryland.

In 1962 the Annapolis yard was destroyed in a fire and a year later, at the age of 84, John Trumpy died. The company continued under the control his son John Trumpy, Jr., but rising costs, a labor strike, and the advent of cheaper fiberglass hulls, meant that in 1974 the company was wound up.

In February 2009 a new company, Trumpy Yachts, was founded by Jim Ewing, Jock West, and Johan Trumpy (grandson of John Trumpy) to build yachts based on original John Trumpy designs.

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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 <em>bb</em>, 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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The History of Yacht Timeless

The History of John Trumpy & Sons

John Trumpy worked as a yacht designer for the Mathis Yacht Building Company in Camden, NJ starting in 1910. During World War II, Trumpy acquired Mathias and the company was renamed John Trumpy & Sons. Following WW II, the Trumpy operations & yacht yard moved to Annapolis, Maryland where they continued in operation until the early 1970’s. Over 400 Trumpy yachts were designed and built during the 60-year history, including the Presidential Yacht Sequoia , of which about 90 still exist today.

She was commissioned by George Codington, President of General Motors Diesel Engine Division and member of the Annapolis, New York and Larchmont Yacht Clubs. The original name of the Yacht was Seaplay, build contract 328. Later names in order were Natamor II, Seaway, Beau Rivage, SS Sophie in 1998 and BB in 2017. She was renamed Timeless in 2021.

Sea Play was Mr. Codington's second Trumpy yacht, having commissioned All Alone in 1930 . He had credentials as a Director of Shipbuilders Council of America, Member of Society of American Naval Architects and American Society of Naval Engineers

Complete Refit

From 2017 till 2020 her hull was rebuilt along with many of her systems. She has been restored to her original grandeur.

In 2022 the decks were replaced, new cabinetry installed, electrical wiring replaced and upgraded, new bow thruster and new AC/heat system. The wood was stripped and many coats of new varnish completed. Wood work shows new luster.

In 2023 new twin John Deere engines were installed and the 1959 Detroit Diesel 671 were removed. Timeless is quieter and fuel efficient and reliable.

Timeless has had many improvements. The 1959 Detriot Diesels were removed and twin John Deere engines with new transmissions were installed. The boat is lighter, faster and fuel effiencent.

1947 Pictures

The original Seaplay photos

Being on a Boat that is moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls in terms what's important and what's not

-James Taylor

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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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Trumpy yachts: A study in elegance

An Historic Mathis-Trumpy Yacht Makes Her Daring Return

The 1920s Freedom is restored to her original splendor, recalling the lavish era of classic motor yachts.

She must have been irresistible. What wasn’t to adore along the 104 feet of this regal watercraft? To Jessie Woolworth Donahue, daughter of retail magnate F.W. Woolworth and then one of prewar America’s wealthiest women, the vessel was indeed perfect. A slender beam ideal for gliding the intracoastal waters surrounding her Palm Beach house. A plumb bow that rose straight up from the waterline like the aquiline forehead of an aristocrat. A divinely proportioned counter stern with an elliptical fantail that curved gently up and aft with the grace of a ballerina’s gesture. Bronze scrollwork that glowed in the sun. A low, sturdy stack nestled alongside one heaven-reaching, raked mast. Behind, the romance of sail. Ahead, the power and promise of engines.

And within, the ultimate expression of how one lived: a trio of expansive double staterooms (plus one single), three baths, lounging and dining saloons (with mahogany walls, beams, and deckhouse), and interiors decorated in grand style by famed retailer Wanamaker (the decor alone was advertised to have cost $30,000). Irresistible.

Wealth. Opulence. Assurance. And perhaps most symbolically, a signal of one’s freedom to roam from enclave to enclave, from season to season, in high luxury. Sold, then, was the 1926 Mathis-Trumpy Freedom to Donahue. She was, of course, a member of the Gilded Age class that commissioned or acquired yachts with the same alacrity they built mansions and seized the goldenmost layer of the American dream.

“In these days, newly minted millionaires had their list of things to acquire, to check the box to be a proper millionaire,” says Earl McMillen III, a Newport, Rhode Island–based yacht restorer and de facto historian of the period. “You’d have a house in Palm Beach, Newport, or Bar Harbor in the summer,” he continues, “a shooting plantation in South Carolina or Georgia, and on that list was a proper yacht. It was a lifestyle that everyone saw.”

This maritime striving, according to author Ross MacTaggart, spawned a century’s worth of high-profile boats. The wave began in 1830, he notes, with an Englishman who commissioned the first known motor yacht: the steam-driven Menai, complete with paddle wheels that made her look like a hybrid of a submarine and a Mississippi riverboat.

While the design may have seemed maladroit, the outcome was profound: “For the first time,” MacTaggart writes in his book Millionaires, Mansions, and Motor Yachts, “an individual could control his or her vessel’s schedule.” No waiting for tides, currents, winds. And while the late 1800s saw the addition of luxury rail travel, the promise was more confined than the private yacht: “A millionaire still had to accept the fact that trains went where they could, not where you wanted,” MacTaggart writes. “What was the point of being a millionaire if one could not do whatever one wanted, whenever and wherever? And comfortably?”

Yachting's Gilded Giants

As the 20th century opened, and as industrialists and other millionaires like Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, their offspring, and rising nouveau riche joined the elite rosters, naval architects strove to create vessels that matched those aspirations. Private motor yachts diversified: some built for ocean-going explorations, others—like Freedom— for cruising protected waters along the Eastern seaboard, and others still for speedy commuting from one’s estate, say, on Long Island to the New York Yacht Club’s dock at 26th Street on the East River. The costs to build these crafts (in the millions of dollars at the time), not to mention maintain them—all the way down the ledger to stylish nautical dress for every crew member—were monumental.

.css-ddas4j{color:#0A0736;font-family:BodoniBold,BodoniBold-roboto,BodoniBold-local,Georgia,Serif;font-size:1.625rem;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;text-transform:lowercase;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-ddas4j{font-size:2rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-ddas4j{font-size:2.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-ddas4j{font-size:2.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}.css-ddas4j b,.css-ddas4j strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-ddas4j em,.css-ddas4j i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;} “If you have to ask how much a yacht costs, you can’t afford one.” -Attributed to J.P. Morgan

And in the 1920s, many agree the form reached its design apogee. Designers like Jonah Trumpy were working at the peak of their craft, creating silhouettes of grace and proportion that carved their way elegantly through water and spaces throughout that matched those of mansions and country homes on land. It was a bright era that was snuffed out nearly entirely by the combined economic effects of the imposition of income tax in 1914 and the Depression thereafter, not to mention the rise in the use of automobiles, the improvement of roads, and finally, the new promise of air travel. As happens to all empires, the glory days of the great private yacht were closing.

But for McMillen, there were survivors to be found, restored, and relaunched. “If they’re lost, they’re lost forever,” he says, recounting how Freedom, in fact, nearly suffered that fate. From the hands of Mrs. Donahue, the houseboat (Trumpy’s term for his class of luxury yachts, whose interiors were emulations of all the comforts of home) had been sold in 1939 to a real estate developer in Florida who renamed her Sunset to promote his own Sunset Islands development near Miami. A succession of Florida owners followed, but by 2001, the craft was languishing in a warehouse in Jacksonville and slated for demolition. McMillen learned of the boat’s grim, looming fate from MacTaggart and moved quickly. He bought her for one hundred dollars and undertook the near-Herculean process to move her up the coast to his facilities in the greater Newport area (one of the nation’s centers of boatbuilding and restoration) and to raise the funds—$7.5 million—to restore her. In May of 2009, rebuilt painstakingly plank by plank, the yacht returned to service, thanks to a creative fractional ownership syndicate assembled by McMillen, and took her original name back. In 2010, Freedom won the World Superyacht Best Rebuilt award in London. “It’s the Oscars of the yachting industry,” McMillen says.

It’s no wonder. Brought back lovingly in full splendor, Freedom represents the very finest expression of the age and its aspirations. “Freedom was the most refined and finest-looking of the boats that [Trumpy] built,” he says. “The joinery, the details, the hardware…everything about her is sort of perfect in my opinion.”

McMillen laments a turn away from that balance and proportion among this generation’s newly minted billionaires. “Everything I see today, it’s glitzy and shiny and big, but you lose me there,” he says. “In my opinion, the billionaire of today is most interested in building bigger. They’ve lost sight of how to build a beautiful boat.”

“These wooden boats are organic,” he says, returning to the crafts he loves like family. “You get a sense that they’re a living, breathing organism. They have almost a human-like attachment. There’s something about going to sea on a wooden boat.”

One might almost consider it irresistible.

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At the age of 106, Argo is the oldest surviving Trumpy in the world.

“I want her acknowledged because she was the beginning of super yachts,” Mr. Williamson tells The Waterway Guide in an interview. “It was the first time people tried to make a boat home-like, but not a houseboat. They wanted it snazzy.”

Built in 1911 for one of America's richest industrialists, Arthur Curtiss James, Argo represents the genesis of the modern motor/superyacht. However, while tracing the yacht’s pedigree has been completed with a minimum amount of difficulty, Williamson says that navigating the system has been, “like going up the hill with a big rock.”

“I’ve been at this process for about a year with my fiancée, Tall Ship Captain Denise Meagher, leading the process,” he says. “Everything is documented. Unfortunately, the official with the National Historic Register who would normally be handling the case retired just before we sent in our stuff and it seems like they may be left without someone who is an expert.”

Calls to the National Historic Registry in Albany for comment were not returned by press time.

He explained that, even with a boat and not a location like a house, it’s a two-part process. First you apply for a National Historic Place and then you can apply for a Landmark status.

The boat was built under what was originally known as the John H. Mathis & Company, a shipbuilding company founded around 1900, based at Cooper Point in Camden, New Jersey , U.S , on the Delaware River .

Initially, the John H. Mathis Company built a variety of commercial and naval vessels, including freighters, ferries and fishing boats, FS ("Freight and Supply") ships for the Army, minesweepers, net tenders, patrol boats, lighthouse tenders, tugs and barges.

However, in 1910 Norwegian-born naval architect John Trumpy joined the company in partnership with John H. Mathis, to design and build private yachts.

The Mathis Yacht Building Company built houseboats, tenders and yachts for some of the wealthiest American families, including the Sequoia in 1925, which would later serve as the Presidential yacht between 1933 and 1977.

John Trumpy later became sole owner of the Mathis Yacht Building Company in 1939.

Argo was designed by Mathis and John Trumpy Sr. and built in 1911 by the Mathis Company, whose list of clients included: John Wayne, Josephine Baker, Howard Hughes and members of the DuPont, Dodge, and Chrysler families.

Trumpy’s most noteworthy creation was the presidential yacht USS Sequoia, which served nine U.S. presidents from Herbert Hoover to Jimmy Carter.

Originally named The Lanai by railroad magnate Arthur Curtiss James, the vessel was eventually sold to a New York lawyer who changed the name to Argo.

The Argo was built in an era of fine wooden ships. It is an impressive 80 feet long, with a 16-foot-8-inch beam and a three-foot draft.

No expense was spared to provide the yacht's owner and guests with the finest amenities available.

The spacious and well-appointed owner's quarters, reached through an open stairway from the deck house above, were elegantly finished in solid mahogany wood paneling and white and ivory enamel.

Its 18-foot main salon extended the full width of the yacht and led to three staterooms, each fitted with lower and upper Pullman berths, a bureau, full-length wardrobe and a sink.

In the 30's the yacht changed hands to inventor/industrialist Powell Crosley Jr. of radio, television, and automobile fame who gave her a complete refit.

“Crosley even went and built a 32 room mansion and entire marina on the Gulf Coast of Florida to tie her up,” says Williamson. “There are so many stories to tell about the Argo. I’m doing this to get her recognized.”

By the time Powel Crosley acquired Argo in 1932, the ship needed extensive repairs and modernization. The bottom was replaced and new diesel engines were installed.

The Crosleys maintained an opulent lifestyle and used the Argo to entertain friends and prominent guests, such as Robert Ringling; Cmdr. Eugene MacDonald, who was the head of Zenith radio; and Charles W. Deeds, vice president of Pratt & Whitney. Accompanying the guests were the yacht's captain, engineer and at least one steward. After the death of Powel Crosley's wife in 1939, Crosley paid less attention to his Florida homestead and by 1940 the Argo had changed hands again.

Today, Williamson, the former night manager of New York City's legendary Studio 54 disco, has lived aboard Argo in New York Harbor as often as possible, since 1990.

“Back in the day I chartered a lot,” he adds. “I still do it, but only for very special occasions.”

His clientele has included celebrities such as: Paul and Linda McCartney, Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, the Henry Clay Frick family, Walter Cronkite, Carolyn Bisset and John F. Kennedy, Jr., Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Elle McPherson, Russell Simmons, Charles Gibson, Geraldo Rivera, Dan Rather, Marisa Tomei, Christina Ricci and Woody Allen.

The Argo has also been featured in movies, on TV's "Law & Order" and "Good Morning America," as well as in fashion shoots for Vogue and Bazaar.

It's been seen in fashion shoots for Vogue, Bazaar and Hamptons Magazine, on TV in Law and Order, 48 Hours, Third Watch, ABC News Tonight and Good Morning, America and in film in You've Got Mail and Wasp.

While he loves New York, Williamson says he is thinking about moving Argo because, “the biggest problem with being docked in New York harbor right now is the escalation of ferries and being constantly bombarded with wakes which cause stress fractures in an antique wooden boat.”

“For now I’m just focused on completing the process of getting the landmark status for Argo,” he says. “I’m open to suggestions from anyone who knows how to put a fire under the people up in Albany.”

Anyone interested in assisting Williamson to navigate these governmental waters can email him at [email protected] .

“I just do not want to fail in this quest,” he says wryly. “I do not want to be the guy who screwed up Argo after all those big cats who had her before me. I have no problem taking suggestions at this point.”

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Mocka Jumbies and Rum...

Modern boats boast fiberglass hulls, prefabricated components and fast engines. But some boaters would rather turn back the clock a few decades to the classic wooden boats built for relaxed, refined yachting.

From 1909-1974, renowned naval architect John Trumpy designed innovative wooden boats starting with ferries, naval patrol boats and trawlers. Later, he designed runabouts and tenders, working up to his distinctive sailing and motor yachts. His yachts stimulate the senses with crisp lines, distinctive hull and bow shapes, “tumblehome” aft sections, wide varnished accent stripes on a white hull, quiet Detroit Diesel engines and a smooth ride. Owners included the titans of industry and eight U.S. presidents.

As per John Trumpy’s grandson, Johan Trumpy, John grew up in the family shipyard in Norway, obtained a degree in naval architecture in Germany, worked in Norway until the yard was sold, emigrated to America and worked as an architect for New York Ship in Camden NJ before co-founding Mathis Yacht Building Co.,which became John Trumpy & Sons, Inc.

According to the Trumpy Yacht Association (www.trumpyyachts.org), more 400 yachts were built. Today, less than 70 Trumpys remain, including one motorsailer and only two sailboats. Not all of the 70 survivors are pristine, since they require daily upkeep. Most Trumpy motor yacht owners try to use original replacement parts and adhere to period appropriate interiors. The maintenance of a wooden boat includes multiple layers of paint and varnish, and repairing or replacing any wood damaged by worms, rough bottoms, water and salt.

Owning one requires love, devotion and a thick wallet. Not everyone can afford this kind of yacht, but the opportunity to temporarily experience the Trumpy lifestyle is attainable. Many owners make their yachts available for a few hours, a day, evening, weekend or weekly charter. Destinations and itineraries are personal, with a custom price.

Charter base fees include the yacht, crew numbers and insurance. Additional fees include meals, fuel, dock fees, the function requirements (like a band or cocktail party) while docked or en route, dietary restrictions and special requests. Advanced reservations are needed to plan corporate events, parties, dinners, weddings, short charters and longer cruises during different seasons and locations.

1966 Windrush

These yachts are expertly crewed, some by their owners, like Capt. Bill Iler and First Mate/Chef Connie Iler aboard Windrush, a 55-foot, 1966 Trumpy cruiser the Annapolis-based couple purchased in 2005.

“She reflects the less-formal style of that decade compared to the first half of the 20th century,” says Capt. Iler. “We try to be true to the best parts of the 60s and Trumpy style while ignoring others, like some of the greens and other less-spectacular aspects of style from that era. Good style doesn’t go out of style, so we’ve kept the beautiful varnished woodwork and most of the original Trumpy fixtures and furnishings – or near look-alikes.”

The classic furnishings are complemented by modern accessories. The Windrush experience is like being welcomed to the Ilers’ historic home, with all the comforts and individual attention a guest expects. Connie Iler oversees the five-star service onboard, accommodating six guests for day cruises, or four overnight guests.

“It is a three bedroom/three bath home on the water,” says Capt. Iler. “Unlike a cruise ship, you determine your own itinerary, and we serve meals and refreshments tailored to your specific preferences. Chartering one of these vessels is probably one of the best ways to experience what it is like to own one.”

Their most popular cruise packages are a 3 day/2 night excursion costing from $2,500- $3,500, for 2-4 people, or the “Vacation Week” for 8 days/7 nights ranging from $7,000-$11,000, for 2-4 people. Cruises run in the Florida Keys, through the Intracoastal Waterway, to the Chesapeake Bay, depending on the season. Visit www.americanclassicyachting.com for details.

1939 Washingtonian

If you would prefer to experience the glamorous, “old money,” Trumpy lifestyle, then a cruise on the Washingtonian is an option. Built in 1939 for financier AG Drexel Paul, she is one of 20 pre-WWII Trumpys still in service.

Capt. James Twaddle, with over 30 years of experience in managing and operating these yachts, has the helm. Mr. Berger also has his Captain’s license and 100 ton Master and helps out when he’s not working as an architect.

Onboard, expect 20th century elegance with 21st century amenities. Sticking true to the original design of the yacht, the exposed curved beams in the saloon and pilothouse and trims are highlighted.  Much of the crew quarters, all the lighting and the engines are original. The formal saloon has two navy linen sofas, a 1939-drop leaf Trumpy Captain’s desk and an original Trumpy coffee table that converts to a dining table for six people.

Appropriately, there is a portrait of George Washington below deck. “This was on the boat and we thought it was fun, so we left it,” says Tracy Berger.

The Bergers are the eighth owners of the Washingtonian. The vessel has passed USCG inspections to accommodate up to 29 passengers and two crew for dinners, parties, weddings, business meetings, or a sunset cruise. On weekend cruises, she can accommodate six overnight passengers.

The Washingtonian caters events through partner hotels in destinations along the East Coast. An average sunset cruise for 25 people runs about $4,000, including crew, catering, food/beverage servers and of course, the sunset, says Paul Berger.

May-October, the Washingtonian will be in St. Michaels, Maryland. October-November, she’s in Charleston, S.C., area, and mid-November-April, she docks at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla. Visit www.thewashingtonianyacht.com for more information.

A Trumpy Captain’s Life

Strolling along the marinas in places like Annapolis, Md., Beaufort, N.C. or Palm Beach, Fla., one expects to see impressive sailboats, yachts and mega yachts. But if you’re fortunate to see a Trumpy yacht docked in the marina, you will probably whistle, look a little starry-eyed and say, “Wow!”

“When we’re in port, with all the new, huge yachts nearby, people want to look at the Trumpys, not the other ones,” says Capt. Ted Schmidt of the Trumpy motor yacht America.

Capt. Schmidt, 70, has been on boats for five decades and became a captain 20 years ago. In college he studied philosophy and math, which has given him the right perspectives on life. He has a romantic vibe with eyes that twinkle while he speaks of being at sea.

“I have a familiarity and love of boats, wooden boats and sailing boats,” says Schmidt. “I know how a wooden boat should be treated; I watch the repairs and know when things are done right.”

The Michigan native and avid scuba diver now resides in Florida, close to the marina where he can attend to the America each day. “I’m away from home and it’s hard on relationships,” he says. While on a charter, 18-hour days are the norm.

On the positive side, he adds there is “no institutional stress, and usually I know more than the boss, who knows little about the workings of the boat. They know how much is spent.”

Generally America is in Florida December to May and then up to Long Island for the summer. “The boat is part of my life and my home; it’s a nice environment in nice marinas with other nice boats to be around,” he says.

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• The Dovetail Joint: Trumpy Yacht Finds a Forever Family in the Dockerys
• Kate Wilson
• December 20, 2017

When the cold, winter months arrive in New England, many boaters take the opportunity to have their beloved yachts hauled and given a dose of tender loving care.  Some years, the worklist might consist only of a few small items - repair damaged paint or replace some pieces of hardware.  Other years, the offseason is fully booked from beginning to end in order to complete a major refit or restoration project.  This year is definitely the latter for Joe and Kristal Dockery.

The Dockerys have been staples in the Newport boating community for many years and evidence of their hard work and generosity can be seen many places, including the dedication of International Yacht Restoration School’s new Admissions and Welcome Center.  In a move that truly embodies the spirit of IYRS, the couple acquired a 72’ Trumpy motoryacht this past August and are aiming to have the 1972 vessel outfitted with new engines, structurally repaired, and launched in time for next summer.

Trumpy motoryachts, named for their designer - John Trumpy, Sr., have a unique and distinguished aesthetic that have piqued the interest of lifelong yachtsmen and unseasoned newcomers alike.  In fact, the 104’ M/Y Sequoia that served in the US government from 1931 to 1977 enforcing import laws during Prohibition and entertaining presidents after the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed was a classic Trumpy design.  The bright white hulls, immaculate woodwork, and elegant interiors are some of the iconic features shared amongst all Trumpy yachts.  Once the Dockery’s Dovetail completes its first summer back at sea, it will begin being resplined, to help stabilize the wooden hull in varying environments, and have the interior refit, to update and personalize the layout.

The Dockerys have entrusted their project Manager Simon Davidson and fellow Aquidneck Islanders at McMillen Yachts to manage and perform the work associated with restoring and updating their yacht.  Well known for their ability to perform high quality structural repairs, while maintaining the classic yacht essence and preserving the original details that make each yacht special, Earl McMillen and his team are sure to provide Joe and Kristal Dockery with a beautiful addition to Newport’s classic yacht contingent come summer.

Thanks to our Diamond and Gold Partners

Interested in becoming a partner of the cyoa join as a partner online or contact us at info @ classicyachts.org for details..

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CELEBRATION Yacht for Sale

75' trumpy | 1964 | $195,000.

• Yachts for sale
• motoryachts

Celebration

Last updated Feb 8, 2024

Celebration Yacht | 75' Trumpy 1964

Rare Classic: For those who can appreciate a very well built and timeless yacht. John Trumpy designed and built the mosticonic American motor yachts from the 1920's until the 1970's. They always evoke a much kinder, gentler timein American history wherever they grace a harbor or marina. That was a time when yachts were yachts and lifewas simpler. John bestowed much love, elegance and functionality into each of the over 400 yachts that werebuilt bearing the name Trumpy.Perfect timeless opportunity for an owner who loves history, well-built designs and a project to turn into a potential venue, live-aboard or experiential accommodation. 

Denison Yachting is pleased to assist you in the purchase of this vessel. This boat is centrally listed by Beaufort Yacht Sales.

Denison Yacht Sales offers the details of this yacht in good faith but can’t guarantee the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of this boat for sale. This yacht for sale is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal from that yacht market without notice. She is offered as a convenience by this yacht broker to its clients and is not intended to convey direct representation of a specific yacht for sale.

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Celebration HIGHLIGHTS

• Yacht Details: 75' Trumpy 1964
• Location: Beaufort, NC
• Engines: Detroit
• Last Updated: Feb 8, 2024
• Asking Price: $195,000
• Maximum Speed: 14 kn
• Max Draft: 5' 0''

Celebration additional information

• Cruising Speed: 12 kn
• Beam: 17' 6''
• Hull Material: Wood
• Displacement: 10,600 lb
• Fuel Tank: 1 x 800|gallon
• Fresh Water: 1 x 600|gallon
• Three staterooms sleeps six
• Three Vacuflush electric heads
• 6'3" headroom
• Full size range and refrigerator
• Microwave oven
• Separate freezer
• 40 gallon hot water heater
• 12v DC electrical
• Group 31 starting batteries (3)
• 32 kW Westerbeke generator
• 50 amp dockside cables
• 75# danforth anchor
• 36v windlass
• Sun deck enclosure
• Fresh water cooled
• Electric bilge pump
• Fuel filter
• Shower sump pump
• Bilge alarm
• Engine alarm
• Cable steering
• Heat and air units

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Important business, 86' falcon 1999, nice, france, city (ex: exact, anoatok), 86' feadship 1964, freeport, bahamas, 85' feadship 1964, freeport, américa central, otros (américa central), spain, 85' custom line 1980, wilmington, ca, us, 85' custom 2012, delta, bc, canada, 83' falcon 1996, dania beach, fl, us, other trumpy yachts for sale view all, 57' trumpy 1960, stuart, fl, us, 75' trumpy 1964, beaufort, nc, us, wishing star, 84' trumpy 1963, fort lauderdale, fl, us, 55' trumpy 1966, 72' trumpy 1972, palm beach, fl, us, 60' trumpy 1964, price watch.

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1969 – 65′ Trumpy

1969 - 65' Trumpy

Recently reduced price this beautiful trumpy is boathouse kept in canoe cove marina, located on vancouver island just 10 minutes from victoria international airport. the boathouse is available for purchase separately. please inquire with the listing broker for more details..

Visit our YachtWorld listing to view additional specs, equipment and information.

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A history of Donald Trump’s luxury yachts

We look back at the yachts trump has owned or nearly owned - at vast expense.

Words: Gentleman's Journal

It’s no secret that Trump enjoys splashing his cash. Whether he’s gold-plating his New York Penthouse or spending millions of dollars on his Presidential campaign, this is a man who knows how to spend money. We take a look at the yachts that Trump’s either commissioned or owned, where money has never been an object.

In 1980, Benetti built a yacht for Saudi businessman and billionaire, Adnan Khashoggi, for $100 million. Originally, this beauty was named after Khashoggi’s daughter, Nabila, and was at the time ranked as one of the largest and most impressive yachts in the world. Of course, times have changed and there are now bigger and better pieces of machinery that will blow everything else out of the water. While it was owned by Khashoggi, it appeared in the Bond movie, Never Say Never Again.

Khashoggi ran into financial problems in the late 1980s when he sold the yacht to the Sultan of Brunei, who in turn swiftly sold it to Donald Trump for $29 million in 1988. After a huge refit, Trump renamed it Trump Princess. As you’d imagine, Trump’s refit wasn’t just adding a couple of deckchairs here and there: the yacht got the full works. A pool on the sun deck, a sauna, a cinema, an elevator, a disco and even a private hospital are just a couple of the amenities that Trump kitted it out with.

The H on the helipad was also replaced by a T to stand for Trump, naturally

Holland-based re-fitters Amels completed the job for near $10 million according, to the  LA Times . The H on the helipad was also replaced by a T to stand for Trump, naturally.

In 1989, after the refit was completed, Trump announced to the world on Newsday that he would be building Trump Princess II, and it would be much bigger than Trump Princess – “something in excess of 400 feet long, closer to 500 feet”. In the same breath he said that he would be accepting bids from yacht builders for this project, but it was Amels, the company that completed the refit of Trump Princess, that secured the deal to build and develop the 128-metre Trump Princess II.

One of the designs for Trump Princess II, originally created by Oliver Design

Trump&#8217;s commissioning letter to Oliver Design

A year later, in May 1990, it was announced that Trump had actually gone ahead and bought Amels as an entire company. However, the VP of Trump’s investment empire later denied that the shipyard had been sold, due to Trump’s own financial difficulties – the culprit that eventually meant that he had to cancel the construction of Trump Princess II altogether. Two months after the acquisition, that Trump had, in fact, made, he sold Amels to American businessman Peter Kutell. That month, the Trump Princess was put up for sale and work on the Trump Princess II stopped. The next year, in 1991, Trump Princess was sold to Prince Al-Waleed for $19 million who renamed the yacht to ‘Kingdom 5KR’.

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