Reuben Trane, a descendant of the family that created the Trane heating and air conditioning company in the early 20th century, and who against expectation joined the Marines, spent five years as a filmmaker and then spent the rest of his life pioneering numerous boat brands—many of them iconic—passed away on April 7 after a long illness. He was 80 years old.
Trane was a beloved character who lived a fascinating life. He was a storyteller, a world traveler, a woodworker and more, but as much as anything, he was a boat nut who was always thinking about the next big thing in boating.
By any standard, Trane was one of the great serial boat innovators.
In 1980, he founded the Florida Bay Boat Company that manufactured simple, shallow-draft camp cruising sailboats called Hens, which varied from 14 to 24 feet in length. Eight years later, he opened the Florida Bay Coaster Company, which built steel trawlers between 45 and 65 feet. That brand gained fame when Billy Joel, a fellow boat nut, bought one. Five years after that, Trane helped found Krogen Express Yachts. In 1995, he helped create the Great Harbour and N37 trawlers. Never standing still, by 2005, a year after he left Great Harbor, he opened Island Pilot to design and build fast trawlers, and they were fast, going 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. And in 2006, well before almost anyone else was thinking about hybrid boating, he co-designed a diesel-solar hybrid cruising catamaran. That boat made waves throughout the industry.
Below is a tribute from Trane’s wife, Cheryl:
It is with a heavy heart, I share the loss of our Renaissance man who was our family’s go to, our Google and our Chat GPT, who always had an answer or solution for everything! Reuben, we miss you terribly and our life is much quieter without your presence. Hope you’re soaring in heaven in peace
Reuben James Trane Jr., our captain, United States Marine, master craftsman, visionary navigator, decorated filmmaker, and cherished patriarch, cast off his lines and set sail on his final voyage on April 7th, 2025, surrounded by the love of his devoted family. A true Renaissance man, Reuben charted an extraordinary course through life, building vessels of purpose and beauty, nurturing a family crew of depth and devotion, and steering through every season with grace, creativity, and grit.
Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1944, Reuben attended Choate, and later pursued higher education at Yale University, The University of Miami, and Columbia University. His love for the water would take him far, from the shores of Connecticut to the waters off Key Largo, and ultimately, to the harbors of Ocean Reef. Before embarking on his many civilian adventures, Reuben proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps, where he honed the discipline, resilience, and leadership that would later define his life’s work.
Later in life, Reuben shared his love for the water with his children, building Camp Kangaroo on the Connecticut River, a sanctuary of joy and cherished memories for the entire family. This stood as a testament to his passion for the outdoors and his desire to create spaces of peace.
As the visionary behind the Florida Bay Boat Company, Florida Bay Coaster, Great Harbour Trawlers, Krogen Express, and Island Pilot, Reuben merged classic craftsmanship with modern innovation, designing vessels that were as elegant as they were seaworthy. Each boat he built bore his signature blend of form and function. His work wasn’t just about building boats, it was about building legacies.
His talents, however, extended beyond the dock. A gifted storyteller with a love for the cinematic arts, Reuben found his other creative wind in film production. He was a producer of the cult classic Shock Waves (1977), blending his knowledge of the sea with a flair for the atmospheric and the avant-garde. His contributions to the film world were recognized when Manhattan Melody—a film on which he served as producer—was honored with an Academy Award, a testament to his vision, perseverance, and artistry.
To those privileged to know him, Reuben was more than a boatbuilder, a filmmaker, or a Marine. He was a philosopher at sea, an artist with a bandsaw, a mentor in life’s shipyard. He charted a life rich in travel, literature, and good conversation, always anchored by boundless curiosity. Throughout his life, Reuben was a passionate world traveler, leaving footprints across continents and seas, sharing the beauty of diverse cultures with all who crossed his path. Whether aboard his own vessel navigating the waters of Key Largo or the banks of the Connecticut River, he lived by the rhythm of the tides and a grandchild by his side.
Reuben is predeceased by his first wife, Rosanne, and is survived by his cherished wife, Cheryl, his four children Heidi, Fleming, Jeffrey and Reuben James III, and their spouses, and a fleet of 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who will carry his stories, his laughter, and his love for the sea.
His legacy also endures in every hull he shaped, every keel he laid, every scene he brought to life, and every soul he inspired to sail farther. Reuben had been a proud member over the years of the New York Yacht Club, the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Coral Reef Yacht Club, the Essex Yacht Club, and Ocean Reef Club and Ocean Reef Yacht Club, all communities that shared his love for the sea.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Catholic Hospicehttps://www.catholichealthservices.org/donate/(https://www.catholichealthservices.org/donate/) or Breakthrough Miami https://breakthroughmiami.org/ways-to-give/(https://breakthroughmiami.org/ways-to-give/)
Fair winds and following seas, our Captain Reuben. You’ve crossed the bar, but your light still guides us on!
