Daniel Joseph O’Keeffe, better known as Don O’Keeffe, who personally designed more than 100 boats and yachts, has died. A naval architect for Burger Boat Company for about three decades, he was 90 years old.
A native of Schull in West Cork, Ireland and born on June 15, 1935, O’Keeffe was one of nine children. He went by the name Donal as a child, shortened in college to Don. Family members describe him as being mischievous and gentle, plus having a great sense of humor. Simultaneously, O’Keeffe was creative, always making things with his hands. He was particularly fond of designing and making boats. It isn’t too surprising, considering his grandfather, Maurice O’Keeffe, was a boatbuilder. “I learned a lot from him,” he shared in a 2001 interview with the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Additionally, he and his siblings all grew up with boats. “Nowadays, you give a child a bicycle,” he reflected in that same interview. “We had a boat.”
After pursuing his degree in architecture in Dublin, O’Keeffe moved to the United States, to Connecticut, in 1965. Although he initially did work in architecture, his love of boats convinced him to change careers. The decision defined the trajectory of the rest of his life. In 1978, for instance, he and his wife moved to New Orleans, where he worked for Halter Marine, a prominent shipbuilder. (Halter Marine later became the parent company of Trinity Yachts.) A decade later, they moved to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and he joined the staff at Burger Boat Company.
As chief designer, O’Keeffe was responsible for numerous Burger yachts and superyachts. Among the highest-profile projects, for example, was Windrush (now Arawak). This 91-foot (27.7-meter) raised-pilothouse motoryacht, from 1994, was the first delivery under the then-new shipyard management. Furthermore, her appearance at the Fort Lauderdale boat show that same year resulted in Burger landing three contracts. Yet another important project was Lad, from 1999. The 102-footer (31-meter) features a cockpit for fishing. Like Windrush—and many other O’Keefe-designed Burgers—she’s still around, currently known as Fine Print.
Overall, among all of the projects that sprang from O’Keeffe’s creativity, the most important one is Fiona. A replica of a famous lobster boat from 1893 from West Cork, Fiona bears his granddaughter’s name. “I think the name of a boat is important,” he told the maritime museum. “It reflects what one’s thoughts are and where his heart is and where his love is.”
O’Keeffe passed away at his home in Manitowoc. He leaves behind his wife Marianne, whom he met in 1963 in Dublin and married in 1967 in Connecticut. He further leaves behind his son and daughter-in-law, James and Deanna; his granddaughter Fiona and grandson Elias; and two brothers, Jim and Frank.
Burger Boat Company burgerboat.com
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