Among all of the forehead-smacking news happening in our world today, there’s one story that classic yacht aficionados around the world can smile at: Trumpy’s back. Grab hold of your varnished caprail if you need to steady yourself, but it’s true. New, authentic Trumpys are in the works, part of a plan masterminded by former Yachting magazine publisher Jock West and blessed by Johan Trumpy, the last of the Trumpy clan who actually worked in the famed Annapolis, Maryland boatyard.
The Trumpy story dates back to the early 1900s when John Trumpy Sr., 23 at the time and armed with German naval architecture training, began working at New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey. Shortly thereafter he co-founded Mathis Yacht Building where he designed almost 50 yachts for the day’s wealthiest families including the Chryslers, Dodges and DuPonts. Among them was the Presidential yacht Sequoia.
By the end of World War II the company name had changed to John Trumpy & Sons and the yard had moved to Annapolis. As the years went on the craftsmanship apparent in each new Trumpy continued to set these mahoganyon- oak-hulled yachts apart. While we consider them classics today, they were of course fitted with state-of-the-art materials at the time, (Formica counter tops and vinyl upholstery among the modern luxury of the 1950s). The Annapolis yard closed in 1974, beginning what no one could know at the time would be a 35-year interruption in the production of these storied yachts.
By 2007 Jock West had turned his attention from magazine publishing to marine-industry marketing. His good taste in boats led him to refit a classic Trumpy with components from many of his clients. Showtime went on to travel the boat show circuit along the East Coast of the United States and became a popular attraction among the sea of white fiberglass amassed around her at each show. Interest in his updated Trumpy exceeded even his own expectations. “At least one qualified person expressed an interest in buying Showtime at each of these boat shows in 2008”, he said. “It gave us this idea.”
Ideas are one thing. Making this happen would require not only the involvement of Johan Trumpy but also a capable builder of wooden boats and seasoned CEO. West found Trumpy eager to be part of the continuation of the yachts that bear his name. After much research West tapped Vicem, the prominent Turkish yacht builder to do the heavy lifting. And Jim Ewing stepped in as CEO after serving as the executive vice president for Alden Yachts. I stepped aboard Showtime at the otherwise plastic Miami boat show in February.
“I think we may have accidentally hit a home run”, Jock professed. “The reaction has been strong and positive. We’re seeing a younger generation, for whom this is new and different, take one look and ‘get it’. Families, especially. A lot of women love this because it looks like home.” Certainly the competition is limited; the number of builders providing a time warp vessel with the feelgood character and provenance of a Trumpy, combined with state-of-the art machinery and electronics, can be counted on one hand.
“We’re building the Mini Cooper”, says West of the mix of charismatic charm and modern technology. “The design is faithful to the Trumpys of Showtime’s era but each new Trumpy 63 Flush Deck Motoryacht will have all of the modern mechanical systems and electronics available today.” The Trumpy 63’s profile is faithful to yachts of Showtime’s era (she was launched in 1969). The interior will be similar to the older boats but will use the best of today’s marine plumbing, air conditioning and other systems.
Vicem has been building wood-hulled boats for decades, and they’ll be cold molding
the hulls of the Trumpy 63 for a remarkably strong structure. After all, many of the best modern offshore sport fishing yachts are cold-molded and they’re built to bust through 12-foot seas at planing speeds. Cold-molding involves laminating many layers of wood (in this case mahogany) together with epoxy resins (in this case West system–no relation) to create a structure which has strength in many directions, not unlike the triaxial fabrics used in fiberglass boat building.
The result is a high-tech structure with old-school charm. The Trumpy 63’s calm and efficient 15-knot cruising speed will be no match for this boat’s structure. Powered by a pair of MAN diesels, West predicts she’ll cruise for ten hours on barely 50 gallons of fuel based on his experience with Showtime. The Trumpy 63 is a foot beamier than her ancestor, but not so wide as to make her inelegant underway. That foot of beam comes in handy in her bright main saloon and below decks. Two arrangements are offered, galley up and galley down.
The former has four staterooms, the latter three. Either way the 63’s galley will boast Viking appliances and, should each owner specify, copper counter tops like Showtime’s. Other equipment includes a bow thruster, 16kW Kohler genset, full electronics and five-year Vicem warranty. At $2,935,000 the concept of a fully loaded modern classic sounds like a home run, indeed.
The Trumpy story dates back to the early 1900s when John Trumpy Sr., 23 at the time and armed with German naval architecture training, began working at New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey. Shortly thereafter he co-founded Mathis Yacht Building where he designed almost 50 yachts for the day’s wealthiest families including the Chryslers, Dodges and DuPonts. Among them was the Presidential yacht Sequoia.
By the end of World War II the company name had changed to John Trumpy & Sons and the yard had moved to Annapolis. As the years went on the craftsmanship apparent in each new Trumpy continued to set these mahoganyon- oak-hulled yachts apart. While we consider them classics today, they were of course fitted with state-of-the-art materials at the time, (Formica counter tops and vinyl upholstery among the modern luxury of the 1950s). The Annapolis yard closed in 1974, beginning what no one could know at the time would be a 35-year interruption in the production of these storied yachts.
By 2007 Jock West had turned his attention from magazine publishing to marine-industry marketing. His good taste in boats led him to refit a classic Trumpy with components from many of his clients. Showtime went on to travel the boat show circuit along the East Coast of the United States and became a popular attraction among the sea of white fiberglass amassed around her at each show. Interest in his updated Trumpy exceeded even his own expectations. “At least one qualified person expressed an interest in buying Showtime at each of these boat shows in 2008”, he said. “It gave us this idea.”
Ideas are one thing. Making this happen would require not only the involvement of Johan Trumpy but also a capable builder of wooden boats and seasoned CEO. West found Trumpy eager to be part of the continuation of the yachts that bear his name. After much research West tapped Vicem, the prominent Turkish yacht builder to do the heavy lifting. And Jim Ewing stepped in as CEO after serving as the executive vice president for Alden Yachts. I stepped aboard Showtime at the otherwise plastic Miami boat show in February.
“I think we may have accidentally hit a home run”, Jock professed. “The reaction has been strong and positive. We’re seeing a younger generation, for whom this is new and different, take one look and ‘get it’. Families, especially. A lot of women love this because it looks like home.” Certainly the competition is limited; the number of builders providing a time warp vessel with the feelgood character and provenance of a Trumpy, combined with state-of-the art machinery and electronics, can be counted on one hand.
“We’re building the Mini Cooper”, says West of the mix of charismatic charm and modern technology. “The design is faithful to the Trumpys of Showtime’s era but each new Trumpy 63 Flush Deck Motoryacht will have all of the modern mechanical systems and electronics available today.” The Trumpy 63’s profile is faithful to yachts of Showtime’s era (she was launched in 1969). The interior will be similar to the older boats but will use the best of today’s marine plumbing, air conditioning and other systems.
Vicem has been building wood-hulled boats for decades, and they’ll be cold molding
the hulls of the Trumpy 63 for a remarkably strong structure. After all, many of the best modern offshore sport fishing yachts are cold-molded and they’re built to bust through 12-foot seas at planing speeds. Cold-molding involves laminating many layers of wood (in this case mahogany) together with epoxy resins (in this case West system–no relation) to create a structure which has strength in many directions, not unlike the triaxial fabrics used in fiberglass boat building.
The result is a high-tech structure with old-school charm. The Trumpy 63’s calm and efficient 15-knot cruising speed will be no match for this boat’s structure. Powered by a pair of MAN diesels, West predicts she’ll cruise for ten hours on barely 50 gallons of fuel based on his experience with Showtime. The Trumpy 63 is a foot beamier than her ancestor, but not so wide as to make her inelegant underway. That foot of beam comes in handy in her bright main saloon and below decks. Two arrangements are offered, galley up and galley down.
The former has four staterooms, the latter three. Either way the 63’s galley will boast Viking appliances and, should each owner specify, copper counter tops like Showtime’s. Other equipment includes a bow thruster, 16kW Kohler genset, full electronics and five-year Vicem warranty. At $2,935,000 the concept of a fully loaded modern classic sounds like a home run, indeed.
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