Unfinished superyacht goes to auction in US
Boathouse Auctions is hosting an auction for a partially constructed custom project from a US superyacht builder.
The unfinished 168′ (51m) Trinity Tri-Deck motoryacht is said to represent a “rare opportunity to significantly save on costs and build time while still changing the configuration to suit personal tastes.”
Built to ABS classification, the 168′ Trinity Tri-Deck is a six-cabin yacht with a lift connecting all decks, with a top speed of 23 knots and draft of less than 8′ (2.4m).
Currently in secure storage in Gulfport, Mississippi, and surveyed in August of this year, the yacht goes to auction on 11 November, with bidding closing on 14 November.
The yacht is for sale thanks to a strong partnership between John Dane, the former president of Trinity Yachts, and Michael Joyce, the central listing agent with Hargrave Yacht Brokerage, in collaboration with online auction house Boathouse Auctions.
The yacht ceased construction during the 2008 financial crisis, with Dane retaining ownership of it following the sale of Trinity Yachts in 2015. The aluminium hull and superstructure are approximately 95 per cent finished, with the entire superyacht estimated at 40 per cent complete.
A rendering of how the yacht could appear once complete
The sale is billed as a ‘turnkey deal’ with the yacht coming with the surveyor’s report, plus total project costs to date and the estimated cost to complete the project based on bids from qualified international shipyards. The listing also includes 16-cylinder MTU engines, ZF transmissions, Northern Lights generators, and Quantum stabilisers. The opening bid is below the cost of just the engines and transmissions by themselves.
In its 27 years of business, Trinity Yachts developed 27 different designs ranging from 97 feet (29 metres) to 254 feet (77.5 metres) in both aluminium and steel. It delivered more than 50 fully custom yachts, which are still found around the globe.
“To address common concerns about how to get a yacht like this finished, the original Trinity Yachts design and engineering team can help complete the remaining drawings,” says Boathouse Auctions’ Director, Jack Mahoney. “They wish to see this project completed successfully, regardless of which shipyard the buyer selects for final construction. In addition, suggestions and advice for completion are available upon request.”
The Trinity Tri-Deck is not the only superyacht to go to auction this year. In January, the ‘cursed’ superyacht Bella T, once known as Summit One, was auctioned after sitting neglected for 20 years moored in the Port of Cape Town.
Several yachts belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs have also gone under the hammer since the invasion of Ukraine, including Axioma, which sold for £63m at a Gibraltar auction.
