In Our Wake: Queen of Lake Tahoe
When you think of Lake Tahoe, what comes to mind? Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing? Towering, pine-forested slopes dropping into one of the clearest alpine lakes on the planet? Well, what about one of the most stunning yachts ever built? Probably not—unless you’re familiar with a 1939 Hacker Craft called Thunderbird.
Thunderbird was the brainchild of George Whittell. Born in 1881, Whittell was an heir to the fortunes of the family that created the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. He risked his life alongside Ernest Hemingway as a World War I ambulance driver and after his father’s death in 1922, opted to enjoy his inheritance. Becoming a true California playboy, Whittell was known for financial acumen (he sold all his stocks before the Great Depression), a collection of Duesenberg cars, a Douglas DC2, a Grumman Duck seaplane, a pet lion named Bill, lots of women and, ultimately, a sprawling 40,000-acre estate and chateau on Nevada’s Tahoe shoreline that he called Thunderbird. For the property’s speedboat, only custom design from the legendary John L. Hacker would do.
The pair dreamed up a stunning yacht that, according to Tahoe-raised wooden boat fanatic and photographer Steve Lapkin, was inspired by the fuselage and cockpit of Hacker’s beloved Douglas DC-2 and the down-swooping lines of his six Duesenburgs. For nearly $90,000, Hacker had Huskins Boat Works of Michigan build a 55-foot oak-framed, mahogany-planked speedboat whose upper “fuselage” was crafted from stainless steel. She featured fold-down bunks, cabin heat, a galley and hot and cold running water in her luxurious head. Pushed by 550-horsepower Kermath V-12 engines, she could exceed 50 knots. “She has no equal in the nautical history of wooden runabouts,” said Lapkin. “She’s a standalone.”
Whittell blasted a 600-foot long tunnel from his house and a space for a hidden Tahoe boathouse out of solid granite. But after being rejected for World War II service at 60, he and his boat became reclusive (he also reportedly didn’t want Thunderbird drafted into service). Ultimately, friend and casino magnate William Harrah convinced Whittell to sell Thunderbird and Harrah put her to good use, entertaining politicians and Rat Pack entertainers like Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra from her gleaming decks. He installed dual Allison 1,100 horsepower V-12 aircraft engines that could push her north of 60 knots. “It’s like, you start up a Ferrari, or a Porsche,” said Lapkin. “When you pull up alongside, the engines are distinct—they’re definitely part of her signature.”
Eventually, Whittell’s estate passed into the hands of the nonprofit Thunderbird Foundation—and that is the beauty of today’s situation. While most of Tahoe’s glorious wooden boats have been sold and shipped off, Thunderbird hasn’t, and won’t be, either. These days, you can tour Whittell’s chateau, behold the yacht’s glory and maybe even take a cruise. “No other boat on Lake Tahoe is that iconic,” said Lapkin. “Thunderbird is the last vestige.”
This article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boats/in-our-wake-queen-of-lake-tahoe
