Stephens Brothers Boat Builders

[FlyWright]

Stephens Bros boats were west coast elite status vessels like the Trumpys of the East Coast in their day. Much like a Learjet is today for the rich and famous.

This is a great summary and an interesting presentation of the Stephens history by Rusty Areias, former CA Politician and owner of three or more Stephens yachts.

The video starts at the dock walk at the end of the informative presentation. Go back to the beginning to see the start of the presentation.

https://youtu.be/9LU0U2fgPJc?t=3553

 

[Adopo]

Nice, years ago I would visit the docks in Sausalito and drool over the Stephens one often found there near Spinakers....

 

[hollywood8118]

Learjet is today for the rich and famous.

Sadly Lear is also no longer
Hollywood

 

[FlyWright]

Learjet is today for the rich and famous.

Sadly Lear is also no longer
Hollywood

Dang!! I didn't know that. It shows how disconnected I have become from aviation in retirement.

 

[Adopo]

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1961-stephens-motor-yacht-8175929/

 

[garbler]

Years ago I did quite bit of paint, bright work and carpentry work on Julie Andrews’ 90’ yacht ‘ Impulse ‘ ex ‘ Lark ‘built by Stephen’s Bros. A very nice lovely lines vessel but no comparison to a Trumpy. Trumpy built very lovely yachts but they were known as coastal houseboats built to much lighter scantlings than Stephen’s Bros. You didn’t go to sea in Trumpy’s. ‘ Impulse’ was registered in Grand Cayman and spent most of her time between Canada, Los Angeles, Mexico and the Caribbean. As I recall her captain was Mr. Wong from Hong Kong and schooled in England, a real class act.

I painted her topsides by myself with a tender who mixed, swapped my Purdy brushes and set up planking as it was done at Newmark’s marina in LA harbor afloat. One side was a long hard four plus hour job then we’d do the other side next day. I was the only guy she’d let paint her hull except a guy named Alvarez in San Diego. The yacht had the most tricked out saloon windows I’d ever seen. You could crank down the glass panels until they clicked and stopped then turn a lever ( as I recall ) and reverse turn the crank and copper screens would come up. Never seen this feature before or since. Working for her, or should I say her agent, was always pleasant unless her interior decorator showed up. He was a wack job. That’s another story in itself.

Rick

 

[Moonfish]

There’s a nice looking mid-60s Stephens flush deck cruiser named Jason on the hard in Port Townsend (came up from CA about 5 years ago). It is for sale. Would make a nice cruiser/liveaboard.

 

[garbler]

Moonfish that’s what I’m talking about. Lovely lines classic motor yachts like Stephen’s Bros and Burger and the old Defoe yachts of Bay City, Michigan. American built seaworthy, comfortable and seakindly old school motor yachts that cruised the Caribbean, Med wherever they were asked to go. I worked on the yacht ‘Chanticleer’ for Ralph Evinrude and Francis Langford back in the late 60’s. She was a gorgeous Defoe built motor yacht that cruised offshore for many years with owners that treated me much better than my parents.

Rick