Reuben Trane spent much of his life pioneering boat brands, many of them iconic. He was a beloved character in the marine industry who lived a fascinating life. He was a storyteller, a world traveler, a woodworker and more, but as much as anything, he was always thinking about the next big thing in boating. By any standard, Trane was one of the great innovators.
Trane died April 7 after a long illness. He was 80.
In 1980, Trane founded the Florida Bay Boat Co., which built simple, shallow-draft camp-cruising sailboats called Hens that ranged from 14 to 24 feet. Eight years later, he opened the Florida Bay Coaster Co., which built steel trawlers from 45 to 65 feet and gained fame when singer-songwriter Billy Joel bought one.
Five years after that, Trane helped found Krogen Express Yachts.
In 1995, he helped create the Great Harbour trawlers. By 2005, a year after he left Great Harbor, he opened Island Pilot to design and build fast trawlers that topped out at more than 30 knots. “People wanted to have a faster trawler, so why not make it a real fast trawler,” Trane told Soundings Trade Only in 2009.
In 2006, he co-designed a diesel-solar hybrid cruising catamaran that made waves throughout the marine industry.
Click here for a tribute from Trane’s wife, Cheryl.
