Trinity Yachts
"Overnight Success"
By Matt Gresham
Founded in 1988 as a division of Halter Marine Group, Trinity Yachts LLC delivered its first luxury vessel - a 97footer - in 1990. Since then, the yacht-builder has delivered one or two boats a year, focusing on quality over quantity. In 2000, Trinity's President and CEO John Dane III retired as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer of Trinity's combined parent company Friede Goldman Halter Inc. and acquired Trinity with fellow Friede Goldman colleagues Felix Sabates and Billy Smith. The rest, some would say, is boat building history. "We're getting ready to deliver number 42 next week,"
Norwegian Queen in the fabrication yard.
Dane said in mid-September of the 164-foot Norwegian Queen. "We've grown from doing about two boats a year to six or eight boats a year, depending on the size and complexity. We laugh that we are a 20-year overnight success." Today, Trinity has contracts for 24 yachts to be built between its yards in Gulfport, Miss. and New Orleans, La., shipyards - more linear feet of custom luxury superyachts under construction than any other shipbuilder in the world. Dane said Trinity's growing reputation, combined with a soft dollar has helped sales. "The weak dollar makes it look like our boats are on sale
30 MN
October 2008