Some people buy a boat and simply hand the keys over to their captain with an itinerary of where they want to go. Some owners pop by the pilothouse occasionally with a cup of coffee. Some owners never enter their engine rooms. Dick Rowe is not that kind of guy. The antithesis of a dilettante yacht owner, he not only loves boats, he knows them and appreciates how they work.

In the early 1970s, Rowe and Donna started a small family-owned company called Indmar Products. Today, Indmar is the world’s largest privately held manufacturer of gasoline-powered inboard marine engines. Rowe gets a glint in his eye when he discusses engines, savoring all the dry details the way one might describe a succulent sirloin steak. At the outset of our interview, he warned me he is "dull, dull, dull." Hardly. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Having made a significant impact on the marine world, he received the National Marine Manufacturers Association’s prestigious Chapman Award in 2002 and was inducted into the NMMA Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency recognized Indmar for being the first to develop and sell inboard marine engines equipped with catalytic converters like those in cars. These spark-ignition engines can cut smog-forming gases by more than two-thirds and carbon monoxide by more than half.

Top: The main salon’s décor is traditional with furniture in neutral tones. Bottom: The galley has granite countertops and top-end appliances. (Click images to enlarge)

The Rowes’ last boat was a 60-foot sportfisherman. They operated it themselves, invited family and friends to join them and caught plenty of fish. When the great-grandchildren came along, Donna became nervous about the external ladder and worried about the danger of the little ones falling off the flybridge. She convinced Rowe that they had outgrown their boat. The Fort Lauderdale and Miami boat shows were inked into their annual calendar. When they decided to go bigger, they pounded the docks and did their homework assiduously.

"We kept coming back to Hargrave," says Rowe. "I believe wholeheartedly in fiberglass boats, but I don’t like cookie cutters. I like to be able to change things and do things my way, and Hargrave is always willing to accommodate me. They never say no."

Donna Marie, a 93-foot (28-meter) raised pilothouse motor yacht, was built over a two-year period. During that time, Rowe traveled three times to China to investigate the boat’s progress. During his stint in the marines, he spent quite a bit of time in the Far East and is fascinated by all the good things that have emerged from this part of the world. Rowe says that Michael DiCondina, Michael Joyce and absolutely everyone at Hargrave were wonderful to them. Hargrave was extremely flexible in working with his suggestions and change orders. "I wanted wing stations, and I got them," says Rowe. He especially likes the fact that there are now five stations for handling the boat. "

I also customized the engine room so that you can get to the engines from both sides," says the man to whom the engine room is of paramount importance. "I did this by shortening the fuel tank, and still I added more fuel. I tucked away all the air conditioners on a shelf. I also set up a workbench in the lazarette with a vise and room for all of my tools. Hargrave had an extra refrigerator down there, but I had enough refrigerators."

Top: The master has a centerline king bed facing a 42-inch home theater system. Bottom: The opulent, ensuite marble bathroom. (Click images to enlarge)

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The flybridge is owner Dick Rowe’s favorite place to spend time and relax when he’s on board Donna Marie. (Click image to enlarge)