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New dinner cruise is set to start in April

The 118-foot boat finds new life after being previously used in N.Y. for 9/11 evacuees.

By NICOLE HUTCHESON
Published March 9, 2007

The owner of two successful dinner cruise ships in Tampa is expanding to Clearwater.

Troy Manthey, who owns and operates the Yacht StarShip and Lady Tampa Bay at Channelside, will dock his newest acquisition - the Excalibur - in the Clearwater Municipal Marina at the causeway.

The 118-foot boat will be rechristened as the Yacht StarShip II and begin cruising in mid April.

Manthey, who has been operating dinner cruises in Tampa since 2001, was looking to expand regionally. Recently, the 40-year-old purchased the Excalibur from the New York City-based VIP Cruises.

The Excalibur had operated as a upscale dinner cruise boat in the World Trade Center marina. The boat was used to evacuate people after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Manthey said. After the disaster, business never rebounded.

The cost of the boat and renovations will total more than $1- million, Manthey said. After the work is done, the 24-foot-wide boat will have 149-dining seats, a luxury bridal suite, a dance floor, an open third deck, a second deck cocktail lounge and a full kitchen.

The StarShip II will serve brunch, lunch and dinner cruises ranging in price from $40 to $80. As on Manthey's other dinner cruises, Florida residents receive a 25 percent discount.

Manthey's expansion to Clearwater seemed only natural, he said. Often tourists staying at Clearwater hotels would travel to Tampa for his cruises. But for Manthey to make the transition wasn't easy.

"We've always wanted to do business in Clearwater," Manthey said. "It's just been difficult because of the long waiting list."

In the last eight years, only three spots have opened on the marina's boat slip waiting list, said Bill Morris, director of the Clearwater Marina and Aviation department. Manthey secured a spot at the marina by purchasing the Dixie Queen boat from the Spaulding family, which has operated boat tours from the marina for several years. Manthey plans to decommission the Dixie and put the StarShip II in its place.

Manthey relocated his dinner cruise business from Biloxi to Tampa's port in late 2001. He recently renewed the Tampa lease for another 30 years.

"That enabled us to make this kind of investment in Clearwater," said Manthey, who has three children and lives in Riverside with his wife, Jill. "We've been in Tampa five years and seen growth every year."

Nicole Hutcheson can be reached at nhutcheson@sptimes.com or 727 445-4162.

[Last modified March 9, 2007, 08:42:41]