Description
BOAT TYPE: Vintage Yacht (Marconi)
YEAR LAUNCHED: 1937 COUNTRY OF CONSTRUCTION: United States YARD: Davis & Son ARCHITECT: Olin Stephens (Sparkman & Stephens Inc. (S&S))
HISTORY: The United States presidential yacht was, when Kennedy was elected, a 30m motorboat. Passionate about sailing, JFK would have preferred to replace it with a sailboat, and chose Manitou. He would have spent a lot of time there, to the point that the yacht was called “the floating White House”. A small sabot-type bathtub is hidden in the hold. In the wall, a closed niche houses a revolver, made available to the president for his security. Renamed by the president “Honey Fitz” in honor of his grandfather, it was equipped with a communication system allowing him to be in permanent contact with the White House. It is said that the boat was once home to Kennedy’s illegitimate lovemaking with the actress Marilyn Monroe.
Manitou was sold at auction in 1968 and used as a sail training ship for underprivileged youth. It is said that Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy tried to buy her, in vain. In 1999, the yacht was bought by the granddaughter of James Lowe, the owner who had built her. She was carefully restored. This restoration preserved the President’s cabin (including the bathtub hidden under the floor).
In 2010, she was bought by 4 co-owners who restored her again and transferred her by cargo ship to the Mediterranean in 2011. Manitou now competes in classic regattas on this sea.
AND TODAY? In 2010, it was bought by four co-owners and has since participated in classic regattas in the Mediterranean.
TOTAL CONSTRUCTION: Approximately 315 Artisanal Hours
| Ship model component | Material used |
| Frame | Plywood |
| 1st layer | Meranti |
| 2nd layer | Meranti |
| Varnish | |
| Wood sealer | Epoxy |
| Paint | Acrylic paint |
| Mast | Pine |
| Sails | Dacron fabric |
