Well, this one about takes the cake for me as it just popped up on yacht world today. Chime in if you have ever dined here: Forbes Island. While not technically a boat, it does float and can be moved. Thing I remember about it was that I think in the dinning room there were underwater portholes that were off a battle ship. Very cool, and Forbes confirmed to me that there were a number of porno films shot in the bedroom back in the day. Ohhhh..the glory days of San Francisco when it was a great city....I was there many times in a former world many moons ago. Those were good times. The insurance company rep we had sure knew what the guys liked to do in the city, great food and wine at Masa's, and Mitchell Brothers Theater for desert lol. For sale, asking 1.5mm
Designed and built by the well known ship creator of the many prestigious floating homes today in Sausalito, CA - Forbes Kiddoo. Forbes’s experience and consummate skills as an engineer, builder and craftsman were all called into play during the construction of this island retreat. Five years were invested making the 75’ x 42’ long submersible shell buoyant with reinforced concrete. It has a 25,000 gallon water storage tank, multiple fireplaces a 19 foot bar of Honduran mahogany.
The island has 17 handcrafted doors and 55 antique portholes. In addition to its many rooms it boasts a 600 square-foot salon capable of seating 100 people. A wine cellar maintains a constant temperature of 58° and can hold 1200 bottles and three oak barrels. Complete with an arched chain and brick doorway the cellar is eerily reminiscent of Poe’s “Cask of the Amontillado” or Jules Verne’s version of “20,000 Leagues under the Sea”
There is an airlock within the wine cellar with a massive door to withstand changes in pressure and is completely functional as an underwater entry or exit route and decompression chamber.
It has been meticulously maintained by its current owners and Forbes Kiddo himself has offered to share additional information about its history which includes hosting guests such as Tony Bennett and John Wayne. See more about its history on You Tube at the link below.
Enjoy dining next to its underwater portholes while watching the fish swim past, escape via an underwater diving hatch, or retire to the grand bedroom suite fit for a captain of his or her own private world and so much more. In the 90’s Forbes added a 40 foot lighthouse which offers outstanding views.
Check out our gallery of Forbes Island as it looks today.
Unfortunately, Forbes Island has been setting for-sale in a less lustrous location for some years... Holland Riverside Marina, Brentwood. At least that's the last place I've seen it. Mid to late 1980's I occasionally tipped a few in Sausalito restaurant/tavern while chatting with Forbes and his pals.