Boats and Politics: The Trumpy

This post overlaps two of my interests: boats and politics. (Originally a Twitter (now X) post.)

John Trumpy Sr. was the son of Casper Trumpy, a shipyard owner in Bergen, Norway. After John Trumpy got a degree in naval architecture in Berlin, and his father passed away, he sold the shipyard and emigrated to the U.S. in 1902.

He started working for John Mathis, a shipbuilder well known for designing an building private yachts. Trumpy would eventually become Mathis' partner, due to his skills as a naval architect, and by 1940 he owned the company and changed the name to Trumpy & Sons.

His yachts, named after him, became well known among the rich and famous. Owning a Trumpy became a status symbol.

These are beautiful boats, inside and out, and you can still find some that have been restored and well maintained.

This Trumpy once owned by Howard Hughes, "Eleanor," was on sale for $525,000 a couple of years ago.

For a full tour of a Trumpy, check out this video of a Trumpy, which was also used in the film "The Menu." It even has the original furniture.

The Sequoia, the presidential yacht for every president from Hoover to Carter was a Trumpy.

Here are some photos of presidents on the presidential Trumpy, Sequoia.

It was recently restored in Belfast, Maine and is now at the Richardson Maritime Museum in Cambridge, Maryland undergoing restoration.

Now you're probably also wondering, Trumpy is only one letter away from the name of our 45th, and soon to be 47th, president. So, was John Trumpy Sr. a distant relative of Donald J. Trump?

Probably not. The "Trumpy" surname is Norwegian and a nickname for a slow relaxed person. The "Trump" name is English and means a trumpeter or one who makes trumpets. But, Trump isn't related to either of those. His German grandfather was a Drumf, which means drum, who changed his last name to Trump.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. For one last look, check out these images in Nuvo magazine. Did I mention how beautiful these boats are?