The original owners were the Dobbin’s . Here is some history as told from the (now) 85-year-old daughter of the original owner of Firebird, Leslie E. Dobbins: 

The Dobbins Family were music enthusiasts. The Firebird by Stravinsky was the origin for naming the boat Firebird. 
 

Leslie’s father (Hugh) married the daughter of Lewis Marshall Lloyd, a Missouri Senator, turned Los Angeles land baron and inventor. While on his land he lit his cigar and due to the methane levels, it blew up. He struck oil. Supposedly, there are many family members still getting paid. 
 

Leslie E. Dobbins, graduated from Stanford and was a Mechanical Engineer. Leslie and a friend invented a 4-cycle diesel engine he was president of the company. According to his 85-year-old daughter, It was either sold to Cummings or it was a hostile takeover, depending on who you ask. 


Leslie’s house in Berkley was built by Julie Morgan, the same architecture who worked on the Hearst Castle. When Leslie and his wife Dorothy moved to Seattle, they loved their house so much that they had Julie Morgan build them an identical home in Seattle. Dorothy was one of the founders of the Berkeley Women’s City Club (now the Berkeley City Club), which also was built by Julia Morgan. The building was financed entirely by Berkeley women, a lot of it from the Dobbins Family. 

The Dobbins Family is credited for being very philanthropic. According to Leslie's children, he always told them the more you have, the more you have to give to others. Most of the family is described as prominent California philanthropists and a socially prominent family in Berkeley. The Dobbins Family established Presbyterian churches at Santa Barbara, Golden Gate. Cayucos. Berkeley and many other places. 

Current owner purchased the boat from the estate of the previous owner in January 2017.  Firebird was a longtime member of the St. Francis Yacht Club..