POSH, the flagship of Mahogany Bay, is a 1937, 54’commuter, designed by John Ludwig Hacker and built at the Huskins Boat Works in Bay City, MI.
Christened as WeeJoe II, POSH has been featured in a number of boat publications including Speedboat, Commuters, and Classic Yacht. WeeJoe II was one of only three Hacker designed-Huskins built boats ever made. These three Hacker boats are among the most famous, and some say the most beautiful, commuter style yachts ever built.
First in the series, built in 1936, was a 44-footer, for Jules Stein, then chairman of the Music Corporation of America (later known as MCA) for $65,000. Two years after his acquisition he sold the boat to his friend, and one of the biggest MCA artists, Guy Lombardo. Guy Lombardo campaigned the boat under the name TEMPO (the same name that he used for his race boats).
WeeJoe II was built second, and was equipped with original 6 cylinder Packard engines for Joe Cooper of Poughkeepsie, NY. Cooper owned a series of theaters in the Midwest, including some that unveiled Cinerama technology. He purchased WeeJoe II for $75,000.
The third boat in the series was built for George Wittell in 1939, and includes a stainless steel cabin roof which was designed to mimic the lines of his DC2 airplane. This boat sold for $82,000. He named the boat Thunderbird, after his estate on Lake Tahoe, part of which is known today as Incline Village. Thunderbird (the boat) is now a part of the foundation that cares for Thunderbird (the estate) on Lake Tahoe.
These three boats represent the most limited of limited production, and, in many ways, it’s amazing all three have been preserved, and still exist. We are honored to have both Tempo and WeeJoe II (POSH) as part of the Mahogany Bay Collection.
Sometime in the 50’s, WeeJoe II ended up in Canada in an area known as the Back of Bays. In 2003, we brought her to Minnesota. We rechristened her POSH, in honor of our dear departed friend Bob Speltz. Speltz, the co-founder of the Land O’ Lakes chapter of the ACBS, wrote a series of books called The Real Runabouts featuring several wooden boat manufacturers. In volume three of his series, he described WeeJoe II as 'posh' because she was such an elegant commuter boat.
POSH is now the flagship of Mahogany Bay. Spend an afternoon on Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka, and you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her sliding through the water.
She is not a boat that's available for charter, but she is a working girl. She has been instrumental in raising funds for local charities. Often donated as a live auction item, our POSH cruises have raised several thousand dollars for charities that fit our giving criteria, such as:
Childrens Theater Company
Big Brother Big Sister Minnesota
The Humane Society
Perpich Center for Arts Education
Western Communities Action Network
The Hope Chest
Phillips Eye Institute
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church
St. Therese Catholic Church
St. Martin Episcopal Church
Tasks Unlimited
If you'd like to include a POSH Cruise as part of your charity fundraising event, please send us information about the charity, the event, and the past five years totals of funds raised at the event, as well as the scheduled date of the event. We will review your information within 2-3 weeks and contact you with our decision. Please submit it to:
Mahogany Bay
2642 Commerce Boulevard
Mound, MN 55364
