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Posh: A Work of Art By: Chris Caswell
Citation preview
33L A K E L A N D B O A T I N G . C O M
may 2012
32L A K E L A N D B O A T I N G . C O Mmay 2012
P H O T O B Y X X X X X X X X / P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F X X X X X X X X X
workof artposh is amodern-dayclassic.by chris caswell
34L A K E L A N D B O A T I N G . C O Mmay 2012
35L A K E L A N D B O A T I N G . C O M
may 2012
side of the ship. Whether this story is apocryphal or
not, posh has entered the modern lexicon as meaning
smart, elegant and fashionable. All words that perfectly
describe the POSH yacht.
Ideas and InspIratIonThe idea for POSH began percolating for Warner when
he acquired a 1937 54-foot commuter yacht designed
by John Hacker, acclaimed as the greatest powerboat
designer of the 20th century, and built by Huskins Boat
Works in Michigan. He renamed her Posh and soon
added another Hacker/Huskins yacht to his fleet: Tempo
is a 1936 44-foot commuter built for the president of
MCA records, but best known as Guy Lombardo’s yacht.
A third yacht comprises the “Triple Crown” of classic
commuter yachts, Thunderbird, which has lived on
Lake Tahoe since she was owned by casino magnate
Bill Harrah, who installed PT-boat engines in her and
sped around the lake carrying celebrities on joy rides.
Each of these yachts has several qualities in common
that appealed to Warner. First, they are absolutely
stunning, with all-varnished hulls and styling from a
gentler era when we didn’t know enough to number
our wars. Second, they are incredibly rare. And, last,
they attract attention wherever they go. Warner tells of
passing other boats with Posh or Tempo and watching
as their mouths drop open in awe.
And so Warner decided to create modern versions,
using all the knowledge and advancements that arrived
in the past 70 years. As a starting point, he decided to
use his 1937 POSH, but no drawings of the hull existed.
Enter naval architect Bill Prince, a young man with an
old soul. Winning the National Marine Manufacturer’s
Yacht Design competition while in his junior year at
Milwaukee School of Engineering was just the start of
a successful career, which included stints as a designer
with Michael Peters Design, Ted Hood Yachts and Island
Packet Yachts. Hanging out his own shingle, he has
created yachts for production builders from Chris-Craft
to Hyundai, designs for custom megayachts, and boats
for the U.S. Coast Guard.
As important as his design talent is Prince’s passion
for antique and classic boats, so when Warner discussed
his concepts for the new POSH, Prince “got it.” The
renderings on these pages by Prince are clearly those
of someone who loves oldies.
BuIldIng a BeautyWarner and Prince wanted to use the lines of the existing
POSH, but no plans existed; so a sophisticated laser
measuring system was used to create a set of 3-D lines
accurate to a fraction of an inch. With that in hand,
Prince applied the computer tools of modern naval
architecture to understand how the shape worked. As
it turned out, most of her proportions were consistent
with speed on the water, but there were areas where she
Some men collect postage stamps. Some men save
old coins or baseball cards. Other men, like F.
Todd Warner, live large.
Todd Warner both collects and saves classic and
antique boats. Boats, specifically old woodies, have
been a passion for Warner since he was four years old,
riding on the Minnesota lakes in the wooden boats that
his father and grandfather owned.
Antique boats are clearly in Todd Warner’s DNA
and, as an old boatbuilder once said, “If you sawed off
the top of that boy’s head, you’d find a boat inside.”
In the process of his passion, Warner amassed the
foremost private collection of antique and classic boats
in the world. He has personally owned more than 1,000
boats, and his reference library is filled with 6,000
items, ranging from rare books to hundred-year-old
catalogs and manuals.
He describes his Minnesota-based company, Mahogany
Bay, with a simple phrase: “We buy, sell, service and
restore fine vintage watercraft.” That says it all.
When he decided to part with some of his fleet in 2010,
the sale was handled by Mecum Auctioneers, best known
for classic cars, and it has been called “the most important
event... for the advancement of antique and collectible
boats.” At the end of the day, 126 boats (including 10
that brought more than $100,000 each) were sold, along
with 125 rare marine engines and 125 pallets of parts
and accessories. The final tally: nearly 4 million dollars.
CreatIng a legend“I have to tell people that this was a ‘staying in business’
sale and not a ‘going out of business’ sale,” Warner says
with his booming laugh. Which brings us to why he
was cleaning house.
Todd Warner is going to create a modern classic:
A yacht that brings the style and iconic memories
of 1930s yachts to life with modern boatbuilding
construction and systems. Todd Warner is going to
create an instant collectible.
To do so, he has created what he calls “the Dream
Team” of experts, a trio that includes Warner as the
driving force and visionary, well-known yacht designer
Bill Prince, and acclaimed boatbuilder Steve White of
Brooklin Boat Yard. They are not, however, going to
build runabouts, but exquisite 54-foot yachts unlike
anything the world has seen in more than seven decades.
This might be dismissed as a pipe dream, especially in
this economy and with a projected price of 4.5 million
dollars for each yacht. But the first yacht is already
spoken for and, by the time you read these words, the
keels for yachts #2 and #3 will be laid. Calls are coming
in to their exclusive agents, the respected Bartram and
Brakenhoff brokerage firm, from such jet-set watering
holes as Monaco, Palm Beach and the Costa Smeralda.
When a Riva Aquarama speedboat sells for a million
dollars, a classic Ferrari for several million, and a
Patek Phillipe watch for a million, well, it’s clear
there are folks who want the very best. And that’s
the target audience for POSH.
A word about the name. POSH supposedly was stamped
on the tickets of first-class passengers heading from
England to India, meaning “Port Out, Starboard Home,”
which would place them on the shaded and cooler
Bill Prince Todd Warner Steve White
Posh has entered the
modern lexicon as meaning
smart, elegant and fashionable.
All words that perfectly describe the POSH yacht.
36L A K E L A N D B O A T I N G . C O Mmay 2012
37L A K E L A N D B O A T I N G . C O M
may 2012
this into an alfresco media room or, with the addition of
a partition, the entire area becomes a multi-person spa.
The interior is all you’d expect, with the finest leathers,
marble and woods combining as a celebration of classic
elegance. Entry is through air-powered doors that open
with a soft “whoosh.” A 6’10” sofa is to one side, facing
a pair of comfortable club chairs. The galley is compact,
more a “butler’s pantry,” but still fully outfitted with
the finest appliances.
On the opposite side is the head, which seems to be
surrounded by clear glass and keeps the compartment
from imposing on the visual space of the cabin. But,
when privacy is needed, a touch of a button electrically
turns the bulkheads opaque. The electric toilet is out of
sight, and a shower completes the area.
Forward doors lead to one of the delights of POSH: The
“Flying Cloud” cockpit. This private area is surrounded
by windscreens and comfortably upholstered, but the
real fun comes when POSH is running fast and free.
The bow rises naturally, cantilevering the Flying Cloud
cockpit over the water to give the sensation of flying
low, with no pounding or even water noise.
And here’s another remarkable touch: The sunshade
for the Flying Cloud cockpit is designed to respond to
the sun, moving to perfectly cover occupants. Finishing
the yacht is a cabin in the bow with V-berths and another
head, allowing a nap after finishing that bottle of Cristal.
Construction is tripled-planked African mahogany,
and the POSH team are working on a proprietary finish
that will give the look of varnish, but have extremely
long life. Besides, the POSH team will also offer their
Concierge Service, which not only provides ongoing
service, but maintains and even stores the yacht in the
off-season.
Power is another client choice, with options including
Cummins and Yanmar diesels that should give POSH a
speed of up to 60 mph. The first POSH may have V-10
Ilmor racing engines, which should push the speed
up considerably. Another choice being considered is
Rolls-Royce power, which might include the W-12
twin-turbocharged engine found in the Bentley
Continental GT.
“We are,” says Warner, “calling POSH a ‘retro-
modern’ yacht because she combines the best of the
past with modern technology. We take pride that it is
American built, because classic wooden boats are a part
of American DNA.”
“We believe POSH will fill a niche,” he adds, “for those
who love classic looks but who want to be able to enjoy
them and entertain aboard as well. POSH is an instant
collectible as well suited to a discerning private owner
as she is being the tender for a megayacht or an amenity
at a boutique luxury resort on the water.”
Warner and his team are believers not just in the
beauty of classic design, but in creating something ageless
for the future. “It’s time for boats to become what they
were 75 years ago,” he says.
“What we’re selling are works of art.” r
could be improved. Modifications to the shape of the
original hull included some smoothing and straightening
of the waterlines; some added bow flare and some extra
freeboard.
With the lines and renderings in hand, Warner
and Prince needed a builder, and they had to look no
further than Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin, Maine.
The half-century-old yard has long been called “a
Mecca for wooden boats,” and the company built a
reputation both for new yacht construction as well as
the toughest of restorations.
One notable restoration was Aphrodite, a once-proud
74-foot commuter yacht that carried everyone from Fred
Astaire and Spencer Tracy to Henry Ford II and Nelson
Rockefeller. Over the years she had been neglected,
winding up ashore surrounded by weeds; but in 2003,
Brooklin began a total restoration that took two years
and returned her to better-than-new condition.
Other projects of Brooklin Boat Yard have ranged
from classic Trumpys refits to new yachts by Sparkman
& Stephens.
And so, drawing on the Triple Crown of commuter
yachts, this trio of passionate classic yacht enthusiasts
are creating POSH, a 54’5” collectible yacht that is
“bespoke” in the same way a pair of shoes from John
Lobb or a classic shotgun from Purdy are created
specifically for each client.
The starting point is the slim (10’9”) hull that can
now reach speeds never imagined 70 years ago. As you
can see from the renderings, this is a sophisticated and
luxuriously fitted day-boat, with only a nod toward
overnight accommodations. But, oh; what a day it will be!
the vIew from InsIdeThe cockpit seems to stretch endlessly from the
midpoint, where the helm embodies the POSH approach.
What appear to be classic round analog gauges on the
dashboard are, in fact, exact images on a sophisticated
touch-screen panel that is so realistic the tachometer
needles actually quiver.
And, while nearly every yacht has a companion seat
opposite the helm, only POSH provides it with direct
access to the chilled wine locker that also opens into the
galley below. Just aft is a table that wraps around the
midship flagstaff, with seating for six. A sumptuously
upholstered private cockpit fills the stern, behind curved
art-deco rails that separate the area. And, once again, the
bespoke concept surfaces. A pop-up television can turn
“We calling POSH a ‘retro-modern’ yacht because she combines the best of the past with modern technology.”— F. Todd Warner