An Historic Commuter

Working as senior naval architect at the New York Commercial Operation of AMSEC LLC, I follow the large yacht market very closely. Our office is the former headquarters of the M. Rosenblatt & Son, Inc. naval architecture firm, founded in 1947 and acquired by AMSEC LLC in 2000.

In our office at 350 Broadway in Manhattan hangs a framed black-and-white photograph of Trouper, a most fine example of a 1930s commuter style yacht. She was designed by Mandell Rosenblatt in the late Thirties, prior to his founding of our corporate namesake. At 107 feet long, she was clearly in the upper size range for her type among her contemporaries, most commuters with which I am familiar being closer to 40 to 75 feet at that time. Truly I believe such a design would have enormous market possibilities today, given the renewed interest in the genre and her size.

Some prominent features distinguish her from current commuter style yachts. The stack, by its mere presence, is immediately noteworthy. Nowadays, dry exhaust is more often found on commercial vessels and only on the largest yachts. Also, Trouper actually has two deckhouses. The deckhouse forward features the familiar raised pilothouse. It may have housed a dining area, office and saloon for the owner, with staterooms, galley and crew accommodations below. Round portholes included among the windows, so often dismissed these days as boring, truly enhance her dignified look. At the aft end of the vessel is a second deckhouse that reminds me of the parlor lounge cars found at the rear of the upper-class passenger trains of the era, which appears as though it could have contained a gathering space and conference room for the owner and his business associates. The sides of the aft deckhouse sport a rectangular window flanked by two hemispherical windows affording an amply sun-washed space. Through the midship region between the houses is open deck space containing boats, davits and other boat handling and mooring gear.

Trouper surely seems quite staid and business-like. She sports none of the open sundecks commonly found on today’s pleasure yachts, let alone a swim platform or open stern. Only a very small after deck, covered by an extension of the deckhouse coachroof, is visible; otherwise, there is no cockpit per se. (I doubt she would have carried Windsurfers or Jet-Skis even if they’d been available in her day!)

A hand-written note card is framed beside her photo. It reads:


Dear Rosie:

Thank you for designing for me the most beautiful yacht in the world.

Yours,
C. A. Tilt


I am only loosely familiar with our national yachting history with respect to yachts commandeered for military service prior to World War II, but that was evidently the fate of Trouper by 1940. A Google search on the yacht Trouper yielded few results apart from the link included below which indicates that she became a submarine chaser for the U.S. Navy.

Pictures of PC-457, ex-Trouper, can be viewed at:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/010457.htm

These are the only pictures of Trouper – or information on her of virtually any sort – that I’ve found on the Web. Sadly, these old photos don’t do her justice. The picture in our office lobby shows her in her true element, at speed, displaying a gentle bow wave and pronounced “rooster tail” at the transom.

Don Gale
South Salem, NY

 

Don;

Thank you for the interesting history and photos.

In profile Trouper appears very similar in hull form and layout to the smaller Walter McInnis designs; Black Knight/Cassiar, Lions Welp, and Yorel. They are yachts built on a semi-displacement hull of about 83' by 20’, which was originally designed for the US government. Power and speed were moderate, Lions Welp has GM 12V-71s for a top speed of 14k, and Cassiar was built with V-16s for a top speed around 16k.

It is intriguing that Philip Moore's definitive book on commuters (Yachts in a Hurry) does not mention Trouper. I would be surprised if he had not missed some boats that were built/designed/used as commuters. But it does raise the question, what is a commuter?

In a very narrow sense they were private yachts designed and built in the 1870-1928 period, and used to convey one VIP from his estate on Long Island Sound to Manhattan and his office on a daily basis. In a broader sense, they were long and narrow, (as were most powerboats of the period) high-powered and fast, and seaworthiness was of secondary importance. Boats actually used as commuters ranged from 40' up to JP Morgan's Corsair IV at 343' .

But I wouldn't call Corsair a commuter, nor would I call Trouper a commuter, though she may well have been used as a commuter. I would call her a fine motoryacht. Though she would look better if the stern was carried another 5' beyond that aft house.

In my own work I refer to some designs as "Commuter-Styled", that seems to define them without trying to infer that they are commuters. Picky, I know.

All the best, Tad

 

Don,

You might try the National Archives for more information. If Trouper went into military service, then the Archives might find something for you. I was quite intrigued going there twice to research the submarines that my father may have been on in WWII in the Pacific, and it is surprising what they have.

Also, you might try calling Earl McMillen at McMillen Yachts in Newport, RI, where I used to live. The phone number there, the last one I have, is (401) 846-5557. Earl searches out, purchases, and restores commuter yachts to working service in the tourist industry in Georgia. He might know something of Trouper.

Eric

 

Beautiful Commuter

Anyone interested in this commuter yacht subject might like to have a look at this 86' beauty
Le Bon Temps Roule

The website has quite a few photo of the vessel as well as its history as a 'sub' boat. Don't know how long this site will stay up as the vessel has been sold. I was so tempted to buy this vessel.

 

Tad - 'Trouper' does seem similar to Walter McInnis designs; 'Black Knight/Cassiar', 'Lions Welp', and 'Yorel'. I have seen on the net Yorel for sale - Lions Welp is for charter - but I haven't been able to find out if Cassiar has survived. Just curious - is it still around?

I dont know why yacht buyers are not more interested in this McInnis type rather than the 'white, many decked wedges'...perhaps it is the military/navy heritage that puts people off or the medium speed and displacement? They certainly look elegant to me.

 

Obsession with Space has (almost) Killed the Commuter

I believe that most boaters and yachtsmen are more concerned with how comfortably they can live aboard their boats, and how much room they have to offer, both on deck as well as inside, than with aethetics (although styling is also a prime selling point, sometimes even over other performance capabilities). In addition to the "many-decked wedges" and the towering tri-deck "wedding cake" designs the desire for maximum onboard space and luxuries has given us the bulbous-sheared smaller and midsize cruisers with dramatically broadened beams and windage that renders them seriously maneuverability-challenged in close quarters. Of course this desire, exercised in the extreme, can compromise seaworthiness.

Tom Fexas, in his column in Power and Motoryacht magazine, March 2003, gives some of his own insight from design experience. You might wish to check out his article:

http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/columns/spectator/0303spectator/index.html

I understand a French company, Andreyale, is manufacturing a line of "commuter-style" yachts such as Tad mantioned. Of course, Billy Joel makes reference to the Long Island commuters of yore when discussing his latest creation.

Incidentally, I've come across an interesting article on Yachting magazine's site about Earl McMillen's yacht restoration company:

http://www.yachtingnet.com/yachting/destinations/article/0,12727,434441,00.html


I love this forum and enjoy everyone's input! Please accept my apologies for not replying sooner or more frequently. Thanks!

 

At Last!! I've been asking the reasoning behind the apparent Fexas turn around for years - thanks for the link!

 

Of course Tom is right, you can only design boats nobody wants for so long, and then the kids start to get hungry. But, and it's a big but, designers need to stick their necks out and show the way. There is no point in "designing" another multi-level watsup whatever. Each of us has to ascertain where we will draw the line, usually you do the best you can with what you have to work with. But occasionally someone comes along who is willing to subsidize some experimentation and exploration.

A few years ago the average yearly use for Hinckley Picnic Boats was about 30 hours. So fuel use, in the overall scheme of things, made no difference. And I agree with Mr. Fexas that you can make a boat quite a bit wider without things getting out of hand. But he includes a caveat, "if weight is kept in check", this never happens! Boats are wider, higher, with more layers and levels and WEIGHT than ever before.

The Fexas Midnight Lace 44 weights about 16-20,000 pounds, power is twin 220 HP GM 8.2's, she will reportedly cruise at 21 knots burning 14gph. That's not bad. A new Cruisers 45 weights close to 40,000 pounds, has twin 480 HP Volvos, and burns 34gph for 21 knots. Now at $1.25 a gallon that may be possible, but at $5-6.00 a gallon it would be a fair sized proposition.

All the best,

Tad

 

...and of course this can all be taken one step further: the cruising range of these boats borders on absurdity, with many claiming to travel a little over 200 miles between drinks. Add the inevitable owner-must-have's and the weight increases further. A little weed on the bottom, a bit of rough weather.....all of a sudden the boat won't do 150 miles.
And Tad is right - just because those who can afford big, fat, expaensive boats can probably afford to pay for the fuel, doesn't mean we as designers (I include myself in this league somewhat loosely! ) shouldn't strive to produce boats that are as efficient as they can be.....