If we subscribe to the notion that reincarnation is the rebirth of a soul in a new body, we'll understand why Bill Prince and F. Todd Warner joined forces to produce Posh. On paper — or should I say, on the CAD screen — this 21st century commuter yacht is an updated version of the original, which John L. Hacker designed in 1936 for cinema magnate Joseph Cooper.
She belonged to a family of three seminal designs that Hacker created just prior to the start of World War II in Europe. Her siblings are Tempo and Thunderbird — the former for Jules C. Stein, founder of Music Corporation of America, and the latter for George Whittell Jr., who at that time, owned the Thunderbird Lodge on Lake Tahoe, her current home. Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo bought Tempo from Stein and made the boat famous by using her in his concerts on Long Island. Warner currently owns Tempo.
He also owns the original Posh, and he initiated the design and construction of this new iteration to pull together many of the Art Deco design elements of Hacker's iconic trio and showcase them in a single yacht built of wood-epoxy laminate and seasoned with the latest high-tech machinery and electronics. Warner selected Brooklin Boat Yard to build her.
The original Posh, built in 1939.
Although the underlying shapes of Posh-1939 and her new sibling look quite a lot alike, especially from the sheer line to the datum waterline (DWL), Prince gave Posh-2013 enough individual character to stand on her own. On both versions, a stainless-steel rub rail defines the straight sheer line from stem head to transom. Without it, the subtly rolling transition from topsides to crowned decks would blur and rob us of an important focal point. Absent that visual reference, would we think that the hull is a trifle bulky? I don't know, but I'd bet against that perception, because the exquisite tumblehome aft slims both yachts the way a Spanx T-shirt tames a man's burgeoning love handles.
