When it comes to boats, one is
not enough for many owners

Sure, most yachts have a tender but, for some owners, that second boat is as much about passion as it is practicality. At the top end of the scale for both cost and sheer surprise is the mini-submarine aboard the 164-foot Mine Games. Built by U.S. Submarines, the three-ton Triton 1000/2 can carry two people to a depth of 1,000 feet and stay submerged up to six hours, cruising at a speed of about two knots. The gold-tone sub nestles on the extra-wide swim platform of the New Orleans-built Trinity yacht, and meets American Bureau of Shipping rules. Designed specifically for yacht operations, the Triton 1000 was also offered in the Neiman-Marcus luxury catalog with a leather interior and gemstone accents. Cost? About $1.77 million for the version without leather and baubles. tritonsubs.com.
Boats have long been a driving force in the life of “piano man” Billy Joel, who owns an eclectic fleet of Down East-style yachts to 57 feet. But, for cruising the waters around his Miami waterfront home, his choice is sleek and sexy: this Pegiva Retro Sun is a stylish 25-foot runabout that fairly screams of the French Riviera, yet it is built Down Under on Australia’s Gold Coast where Joel spotted it during a concert tour. Though it looks classic, the hull is fiberglass and the power is a MerCruiser 350, good for about 45 knots. Priced at about $225,000, Pug’s got a built-in champagne chiller to combat those hot Florida days. agyg.com.
For laid-back musician Jimmy Buffett, life has been a string of boats almost as long as his list of hit songs. The current mother ship, Continental Drifter III, is a 124-footer built by Delta Marine as Defiant in 2003, but the word is that Buffett’s true love is Groovy, a $220,000 Tofinou 9.5 that he keeps for sailing around St. Barths. From Latitude 46, a French builder specializing in classic-style power and sailboats, this 31-foot sloop was designed by Michel Joubert as a big, fast daysailer. The lifting keel allows anchoring close to beaches and, though narrow at just eight feet of beam, she has a large cockpit and cuddy cabin. The name? It honors Buffett’s late pilot friend, Groovy Gray, who appeared in Buffett’s Tales from Margaritaville. classic-boats.com.

	No one will see you coming ashore in the nearly $2 million Triton ≈tender to Mine Games
	When Jim McKinley’s not speeding around in his 40-foot Sea Ray, he’s cruising in comfort and silence aboard his cocktail platform, an electric-powered Duffy.
	High profile types including Martha Stewart like to get back to basics, at times rowing to their destinations or getting exercise in their Adirondack Guide Boats
	Pug is a Pagiva, an Australian-built classic beauty that stole the heart of Billy Joel.
	Jimmy Buffett relaxes under sail in a Tofinau 9.5 when he’s not on his 124-foot mothership Continental Drifter III.
	Nasser Al-Rashid bought a pair of these San Juan 38s as tenders to his 344-foot Lady Moura, the 11th largest private yacht in the world.

When it comes to classics, it’s hard to top the mahogany Riva Junior speedboat aboard MitSeaAh, the 156-foot Pendennis performance motorsailer. With just 600 built in the five years between 1966 and 1972, this sporty Italian speedster has lots of varnish plus oh-so-’60s turquoise upholstery. With the original 250-horsepower Chrysler inboard, a “Jr.” sells for about $50,000 on the used boat market.
As one of the world’s largest yachts, the 344-foot Lady Moura has a fleet of tenders, but her Saudi owner chose a matched pair of 30-knot U.S.-built San Juan 38s for his personal toys. Each is Yanmar powered, and has full accommodations for four, although these tenders are generally used for day trips to restaurants and beaches.
Jim McKinley of Cape Harbour on Florida’s West Coast has a 40-foot Sea Ray, but “the secret” of this retiree’s life on the water is a 21-foot Duffy electric launch. “It’s the smoothest cocktail boat you can imagine,” he says of the surrey-topped launch that runs on deep-cycle marine batteries at five knots for more than seven hours. It’s able to carry 12 adults and outfitted with essentials such as cocktail tables, clear enclosures for wind and rain protection and even a fridge. duffyboats.com.
It’s hard to be more energy efficient than an electric-powered boat, unless you go to a muscle powered one, which is exactly what the likes of Warren Luhrs (Luhrs yachts and Hunter sailboats), Reggie Fountain (Fountain Powerboats), and Howard Chen (Selene Yachts) and many others have done with Little River rowing boats. With models designed for open seas, the Little River skiffs range from 12 feet to 18 feet. Designed for one or two rowers—the 12-footer also sails—they provide wonderful exercise and unbeatable fuel economy, too! littlerivermarine.com.
For sheer gorgeousness, there’s the Adirondack Guide Boat. Hand built in Vermont for about $14,000—or you can buy the kit and do it yourself—the company builds just 10 of its 13 to 19-foot cedar gems a year. Martha Stewart, whose big boat is a Hinckley Picnic Boat, is the newest Guide Boat owner. The 16-foot wood-trimmed Kevlar models are easier to come by and more affordable at about $3,800. Perk Perkins, CEO of Orvis, rows the 14-foot Vermont Fishing Dory, which at $4,080 is the most popular boat in the line. Adirondack-guide-boat.com.
It’s hard to remain true to just one boat so, whether you want to dive deep or are content to row quietly along the surface, it’s clear that there is “another honey” for you.