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SOME of the best and most treasured boats are those made by their owners. It is said that there is nothing quite like the feeling a man gets when he has built something he loves by hand.
This rings true for the Tronqueds.
Their patriarch, Ildefonso Tronqued, is a hobbyist with a strong passion for boats plus cars. He started building his own boats right in his backyard in San Juan, Metro Manila and showed them with pride to friends prior to sea trials.
Some of his spectators are beach house and resort owners who insisted on buying his boats.
In 1990, Tronqued Boats was born.
“I remember back in grade school, I would wake up to the smell associated with resin and fiberglass. I got used to the particular sight of workers upon our backyard, and the foreman showing me how boats are made from when the gel coat is applied, the resin will be laid and up in order to when the boat is usually ready for sea trial, ” Marlon Iñigo Tronqued, vice president of Tronqued Boats, recalled.
He grew up to the sights and sounds of boat building once the company was still a small backyard business.
Beyond the particular manufacturing process, he and his older brother Marco were taken to boating events, races and regattas by their father. The constancy, proximity and culture of the boating industry were deeply embedded in the boys that even when they took on their individual professions, both marched back to their passions.
With their father as the chairman, Marco as president and Marlon as the vice president, Tronqued Boats grew to become one associated with the largest and finest boat builders in the particular country with its yard based in Pililla, Rizal.
It is now the first plus only boat builder within the Philippines that is definitely Quality Management System certified based on ISO Standards 9001: 2015. It is also the first, if not the only, boat builder in the country that offers custom-built boats.
“At times, the manufacturing takes 180 days as we closely consult along with the client, they have the say in every phase and everything they want to be put in the boat. We give them a hand to be the artist, ” Marlon explained.
This is part of the reason why Tronqued Boats has not entered mass manufacturing. Accordingly, each boat is unique to the needs and tastes of its owner, and everything has been done with painstaking care and passion.
They build 14-footer boats with canopy which are usually good for search plus rescue; 16-footer power vessels that are used for speed races mostly hosted by the Manila Yacht Club; 28-footer passenger boats; 35-footer boats that are good for large tuna fishing; and a 40-footer vessel that works well within shallow waters and beach landings.
These are successfully sent to all 17 regions of the Philippines.
Majority of their own clients are also prominent private resort owners in Boracay, movie and television celebrities, local politicians, businessmen and some foreign clients who had their motorboat exported to Australia.
Most notable of their foreign clients can be a Polish who decided to migrate to the Philippines after falling in love with his Tronqued ship and the boating lifestyle in Siargao.
“What’s best about our boats is the concept and workmanship that is 100 percent Filipino. We furthermore make sure that our clients know how in order to operate and maintain their own boats, hence, we conduct a two-week training with regard to them and their sea staff. This is our own way of empowering people and helping the industry through responsible boating and maritime safety, ” Marlon explained.
Outside their particular business, the Tronqueds are usually members of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) under the MYC 101st Squadron. The PCGA is certainly the uniformed-civilian volunteers associated with the Philippine Coast Guard with missions of assisting in maritime safety, ocean going search and rescue, maritime community relations and marine environmental protection.
“I started as a sea scout when I had been still a boy. Last 2021, I was already promoted as captain. What I cherish most about the PCGA, though, is the opportunity to help our countrymen from far-flung areas that were hardly hit by storms, ” Marlon said. His brother, Marco, is now a commodore for the same organization.
A family of car enthusiasts
Before their penchant for boats, the Tronqueds were into vintage cars.
“My dad is a hobbyist. He is into classic vehicles, and one that really interested me is his Karmann Ghia. It has the class and simplicity of engineering of its era, plus notwithstanding its age, it can still run, inch he said.
Karmann Ghias were first manufactured in the early 1950s by Volkswagen. It was designed by Italian design house Carrozzeria Ghia, and its bodywork was developed by German coachbuilder Karmann.
The Tronqueds, apart from their other fleet of classic cars, own four of these.
Ildefonso will be also the president of the Volkswagen Club of the particular Philippines.
“Whenever there are car shows, We would go and assist my dad. I also sometimes borrow his Karmann Ghia although I am more of an utilitarian type — I prefer pickups regarding everyday use, especially whenever I am with the PCGA, ” he shared.
The 33-year-old businessman is also a lawyer simply by profession and teaches International Law in San Beda Alabang. Behind his personable character, Marlon revealed that he values his time alone.
“I am sociable and a moderate workaholic. But anytime I feel like I’ve lost time for my family, I step back. Time dropped cannot be regained.
“With all these achievements, though, is God. He is the center of our lives. Also i try my best to give back to our community. ”
The lawyer, businessman, car enthusiast and auxiliary captain makes this a point to give enough time for his family members — his lawyer wife, Sarah, and their 8-month-old son, Vito.
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