By ShowBoats International

It can be hard to improve upon an original, especially when its POSH, a 52-foot 1937 mahogany commuter designed by John Hacker and built by Huskins Boat Works. Yet this is exactly what POSH’s owner- F. Todd Warner, CEO of RetroModerne Yacht Design- designer Bill Prince and Brooklin Boat Yard are setting out to do as they introduce this venerable classic to a new generation.

When Warner acquired POSH in 2005, she had already had an extensive restoration in the 1980’s and was “strong, but tired.” Since then, her wood has been restored, and she has been rewired and updated with new instrumentation and a new galley. Refreshingly, her leather has been maintained rather than replace and enjoys a beautiful patina. POSH has been making the rounds at boat shows and classic yacht shows, displaying her restored splendor and drumming up interest in the limited production series of the new breed.

POSH, Tempo and Thunderbird are considered the “triple crown” of American classic commuter yachts from the 1930’s- Warner owns both POSH and 44-foot Tempo. Prince says Warner tasked him with “conceiving a new yacht which would bring together the most iconic Art-Deco design elements of these three boats.”

Built in cold-molded mahogany, the new POSH with be “bigger and faster with stronger performance and cutting-edge technology,” says Warner. She is larger at 54 feet, several inches beamier and has more freeboard and displacement than the original.

While most of her proportion is in line with our contemporary understanding of how a hull moves swiftly through the water, we had opportunities to improve the next generation of the hull to achieve speeds the original never accomplished,” says Prince. The new POSH is expected to top out at 45 knots.

RetroModerne Yacht Design has selected Bartram and Brakenhoff as their listing agent. Contact is Eric Dahler: edahler@bartbrak.com