Triumphant Return

Welcome back the golden era
of yachting. After a 35-year
hiatus, the Trumpy name will
once again grace the hull of a
new motoryacht.

BY MATTHEW M. WRIGHT

The Presidential Yacht Sequoia served as the presidential yacht. LBJ, pictured above, watched movies on her smokestack and had FDR's elevator converted into a bar.

Trumpy Yachts, (401) 846-0303
jimewing@trumpyyachts.net

Trumpy Yachts, now headed by Jim Ewing, is introducing the 63 Flush Deck Motor Yacht, built by Vicem Yachts in Istanbul. Designed from original Trumpy drawings, the project will be overseen by Johan Trumpy, the grandson of company founder John Trumpy.

The aftdeck features twin side doors, a settee and chairs. Inside the salon, it’s easy to see why many Trumpys were labeled “houseboats”— a sofa and chairs create a living room atmosphere.A day head is tucked in one corner, and the wheelhouse at the forward part of the cabin has a settee for guests.Doors lead to the walkaround sidedecks and an outdoor settee on the foredeck.

Stairs from the salon lead down to a hallway, with the master stateroom filling the full width of the stern. The berth is offset, with a loveseat to port, and the ensuite head features a shower stall. Just forward is a guest cabin with twin berths and a head to port with a shower. Filling the midship is a U-shaped galley. The finishing ceilings and bulkheads are white, accented by varnished mahogany trim. The crew quarters are forward of the pilothouse, with another private head and
shower, as well as access to the engine room.

The list of standard equipment includes many items that John Sr. could never have imagined: air conditioning, a bowthruster, a 16-kw Kohler generator, electronics including radar and GPS, and shorepower. Last year, a refitted classic 63-foot Trumpy, Showtime, made waves at East Coast boat shows. The 1969 beauty was rehabbed in a remarkable 37 days. “Do not confuse the beauty of Showtime with a lot of discussion about the challenges of owning a wooden boat,” said Jock West,who organized the promotional tour. “It is relatively easy, if you use modern coatings, technology and craftsmen
with common sense.” These classic handcrafted wooden motoryachts were built for the likes of the DuPonts, Guggenheims, Dodges and Chryslers. Trumpy drafted plans for the presidential yacht Sequoia, which became part of history, with ten presidents having dined in her main salon. John F. Kennedy opened his last birthday presents, and Franklin D. Roosevelt planned legislation to take the country out of the Depression in her aft salon. Celebrities including Josephine Baker and Howard Hughes were among those who owned a Trumpy.

The Maryland-based company suffered through the onslaught of the fiberglass revolution, rising costs and the loss of many skilled workers who found betterpaying jobs elsewhere. A labor strike in 1971 brought Trumpy to its knees and, in the next year, John Trumpy Jr., tried to change the zoning on the shipyard to build a condominium, but the Annapolis City Council turned him down. He chose to close the yard and, when the auctioneer’s gavel fell in ’74, one of America’s greatest boatbuilders was gone.

Now, three and a half decades later, Johan Trumpy and Vicem Yachts are continuing that vision.

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