By Steve Natale:

“Would you like to take a ride on the Thunderbird yacht?” This was the question asked of me by my contact at Liquid Blue Events, the people who do such a remarkable job promoting the Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance wooden boat show. After reading the e-mail six times over to make sure I was not dreaming, I gratefully accepted the offer. A friend who was also in Tahoe for the boat show dropped us off and through the iron gates of the Thunderbird Lodge my wife Mary and I went. We ascended the long curved driveway and my anticipation grew as the elegant stone estate came into view. This was the home of the fabulous Thunderbird yacht.

The Thunderbird was commissioned by George Whittell Jr., a wealthy playboy with a penchant for women, big game hunting, card games, exotic automobiles and of course, boats. It has been said that he pulled fifty million dollars out of the stock market in 1929 just before it crashed thus allowing him to indulge in whatever he pleased during the Great Depression. His Tudor revival Thunderbird Lodge, completed in 1939, included a card house, a house for Mingo his pet elephant and a splendid 100 foot long boat house for the Thunderbird yacht. There is a 600 foot tunnel cut through the rock connecting the boathouse to the main house that provides not only privacy but a way to transport supplies to the yacht.

Close to the main house, a series of stone walkways weave their way past decorative gardens and allow gorgeous views of the lake. They continue down toward the boathouse. A stairway then takes you the rest of the way down to it. At the bottom of the stairs, the bow of the regal Thunderbird is the first thing I see. The gleaming chrome, mirror-finish varnished mahogany and brushed stainless steel all flow together to create a floating masterpiece that is so mesmerizing that I can hardly believe it. I have seen this boat before but here, in it’s original boathouse, it looks even more impressive. Perhaps I was struck by a sense of history, realizing what important artifacts this boat and it’s home are.

Soon we were on board along with another eight or ten lucky people. The Captain went over a few details with us, and soon began the procedure for starting the engines. My ride on the Thunderbird was about to begin.

The Thunderbird is truly unique and one of the most visually striking wooden boats there is. Designed by John L. Hacker, it was built in Michigan in 1939 by the Huskin’s Boat Works at a cost of $87,000. The 55 foot Thunderbird was first launched on Lake Tahoe in 1940. It features a stainless steel upper cabin with a double planked mahogany hull. George Whittell was fond of fast, high-tech machines and owned a DC-2 with a similar stainless steel skin. He would also order no less than five custom-bodied Duesenberg automobiles, including a spectacular 1931 Duesenberg Model J Long Wheelbase Coupe that featured a one-off polished metal roof. You can take a ride in it just below in a video courtesy of Gooding & Company and see it in the center photo just below.

Power for the yacht was originally provided by twin 550 horsepower V-12 Kermath engines making the Thunderbird capable of speeds up to 60 knots. When Bill Harrah purchased the Thunderbird from Whittell in 1962, he added a flying bridge and removed the Kermath engines, replacing them with two 12 cylinder Allison V-1710 engines. These are the same engines that were used in the P-38 fighter plane. Detuned for the marine application, they still produce an incredible 1,100 horsepower each. Bill Harrah called the Thunderbird his “70 mile per hour cocktail lounge” and treated famous friends like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to cruises on the lake.

I felt like a celebrity as I lounged in one of the deck chairs, sipped champagne and watched the beautiful Lake Tahoe scenery slip by. The thunderous sound of the massive motors coming to life in the boathouse had given way to a deep, soothing hum as the Thunderbird cut a swath across the calm morning water. I moved around the boat, making my way forward to chat with the Captain, Aaron Pearlman. I asked him how he liked his job “I love it. I can’t wait to go to work each day!”, he said.

He has been with the Thunderbird crew for many years, but was just recently named Captain after the previous Captain retired. He spoke about how fortunate he was to be at the helm of such an amazing craft and a piece of living history. The Thunderbird is now owned by the non-profit Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society which relies on donations from the public to maintain and operate the yacht.

Before long, we were pulling up to our destination, the Sierra Boat Company, site of the annual Concours d’Elegance wooden boat show. The dock was full of wooden boat fans. All the boats at the show are beautiful, but there is only one Thunderbird. With hundreds of people watching and taking photos, Captain Pearlman skillfully pulled in to the dock. My thirty minutes of fame were over but the memories will last a lifetime.

Now that you have learned the whole story behind Wittell, his Duesenbergs and the yacht, watch the video below showing our ride on Tahoe aboard the incredible Thunderbird. All photos courtesy of Steve Natale Photography.