Canterbury Classic Boats

 We would love to hear about your restoration and building projects!

Email us with details and any pictures you have that would of of interest to other restorers and builders.  Similarly if you have any queries about the projects you are working on, post them in our comments section below and others may be able to assist you from their expertise and experience.

__________________________________________________

FROSTBITE RESTORATION

LESSONS LEARNED

Hugh Hobden

Ribbing a Frostbite is an acquired art needing an apprenticeship in steamology, wood suitability, hammering and bad language! We managed all these and more. First: to choose a long grained timber and machine to the correct size. What looked like suitable beech turned out to be short grained at exactly the wrong place, where the bend was acute at the bilge.

The steamer

Our steamer bubbled away and generally did the job. Our first attempt in the centre of the boat resulted in two broken ribs one after the other – almost in place, a final push and c-r-ack, two pieces now ! We did get two ribs in place over a period of two hours, never mind about getting the job done in an afternoon! Driving the copper nails without pre drilling right through hull and rib was a disaster, the rib split or the nails dived out to the side. So with a growing pile of firewood it was back to the drawing board.

First we reduced the rib size, soaked them in water for a day or two and then steamed them. This did the trick and we managed to get several in with only one breaking in an afternoon!

Ribbing tools

We decided to drill from the inside out and rove the nail on the rib. This is more time consuming but looks very neat. We have a roving punch and another punch with an indentation matching the rove profile to peine the nail end over. Some ribs take a bit of an effort to sit down on the land but they generally will pull down when the rove is driven down hard. Our copper nails have been counted out allowing for a few rejects – the cost is prohibitive to buy a box as you did in days gone by.

Our efforts will not be up to a boat builder’s standard but passable for the intermittent future use the boat will get. We plan on cleaning out the clinker lands on the outside of the hull and using a syringe, inject a brew of epoxy glue and filler for the same reason as this boat will spend more time out of the water than in therefore subject to drying out.

CLASSIC HISTORIC  BOAT AVAILABLE FOR RESTORATION

“Moata” is 32 ft double ender currently stored in Dunedin and available for restoration.

Matt Donnelly writes:

‘Her history briefly is that she was built on a local beach at Ulva Island in Patersons Inlet, Stewart Island in 1905. She has a beam of about 9 ft. Construction is of light, kauri planking with backing strips over ribs and floors with a straight hardwood keel about 5 inches square. When afloat she was very slippery and rode well. In 1920 she was purchased by a Stewart Island family the Traill’s and used as a workboat continued as before. They were farmers at Mason Bay, and used Moata to ferry livestock, and produce etc. in and out of the Freshwater River. Previous to this she was a transport boat to and from Port Pegasus in the south of the Island and in her early years was built only to sail.

Sometime before 1920 her buttock lines were altered for power and I think an 8hp Standard petrol engine was fitted. This gave way to a Lister twin of probably about 19 hp.

She is now very derelict, unfortunately beyond my ability in time and skill to restore.  It may be of interest to someone who likes these labours of love. Rebuilding is a very extensive project, re-ribbing, some floors, planking etc. I do have a copy of an original photo, showing her as a rigged as a gaffed ketch.’

For further information and expressions of interest contact:

Matt Dougherty – Dunedin on Ph (03) 4876121 

“BEE’S KNEES”

Arthur Pretty writes:

• A Gardner / Herreshoff Rowboat
• LOA    18 feet (5.46 metres)
• Beam  46 inches (1.17 metres)

Homebuilt by Arthur Pretty (Christchurch) and launched 30 Sept 2007

Recreational rowing in purpose built rowboats (pulling boats) has been a boating concept for exercise and excursions that has held an appeal for me for a long time. I have also been interested in and sort of fascinated by boat shape, design and methods of construction particularly with wood. To build a boat was a dream.

After seeing a few pulling boats at the Lake Rotoiti (Nelson Lakes) Classic Boat Show around 2002, in particular one ( a Gardner/Herreshoff ) built by Don Currie with length, low freeboard and shape that appealed, I obtained John Gardner’s book from the library  ‘Building Classic Small Craft’.  I found and studied the article/chapter on the ‘Herreshoff Rowboat ‘. Gardner had drawn his plans based on an original L F Herreshoff rowboat design and provides offsets/cross section measurements.

Some years later when I had time on my hands, I drew to scale the offsets and realised then that I had a start by being able to make patterns for cross section frames. This I proceeded to do building 5 frames by laminating each frame with 3 thicknesses of kauri recycled from an old set of kitchen cupboard drawer       s. (This was a departure from Gardners construction method with 46 separate small rib frames 23 per side.)

The next hurdle was setting up a work station to really build the boat.  Wayne Foley in Blenheim helped by simply saying “Just glue (epoxy resin) your wooden work stools to the concrete floor of your garage, set up and fix 2 parallel bearers, set up customwood moulds and sister your kauri frames to these…”.  So, my vehicle was evicted to weather the elements and construction proper commenced.

I was never sure that I was not wasting a whole heap of my time until the boat was lifted off the moulds and set down right way up.  Then I could see with much satisfaction that this project was on course. Up until then, being built upside down it didn’t look pretty.  I had taken liberties changing shape of bow and stern  and created increased sheer to the bow.  Had I made a mistake somewhere or would there be a twist in the hull?

Incidentally, each ply plank required 2 scarf joints (12:1). Each corresponding pair of planks (starboard/port) took me about a full week to shape a pattern out of thinline customwood, transfer this pattern to ply, shape and glue up scarfs, bevel one continuous edge for a 20 mm plank overlap, bevel the face of kauri frames and finally screw and glue fix.

After that it was progress bit by bit doing outer stems, seat risers and gunwales (some good curves here requiring persuasion to bend kauri with steam/hot water), designing and making seats (thwarts). And of course painting and varnishing.

Bee’s Knees is rowed regularly most weeks on the Christchurch Estuary and occasionally at Lyttelton, Lake Rotoiti and Waikawa Bay.

Thanks to Don Currie for rowlocks (bronze offset fork type) and instruction on making a really nice set of curved blade balanced oars that ideally complement the boat.

Bee’s Knees was awarded the trophy for Best Non Powered Boat at the Rotoiti Classic Boat Show 2008. Wooden Boat magazine published a photo in the Launchings section – magazine # 207.

‘WARREGO’

Robert Gibson

In March1935 the Admiralty of the Royal Navy in association with the Royal Naval Sailing Association officially adopted the “Island Class” 14’ dinghy as a vessel for sail training and recreation. The dinghy had been “fathered” by the exceptionally active Portsmouth Harbour Racing and Sailing Association.

The design allowed for the dinghy to be carried onboard Her Majesty’s Ships so that adequate training is sail and racing was available wherever HM Ships were, whether in Port or in foreign waters.

The Royal Air Force Yacht Club at Calshot, England also had a fleet of 14’ Island Class dinghy’s and sail racing was keenly contested between the Forces. The dinghy’s were built at Portsmouth, Devonport Chatham, Rosyth and Sheerness Naval Dockyards and were issued to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force bases in Malta, Gibraltar, Bombay, West Indies, Singapore and the Dominions.

The designer of the dinghy Mr Charles Nicholson and member of the Island Sailing Club, England conducted strenuous trials with special attention to the design of the keel, rudder and rig. The design was found to be fast, strongly built and had excellent seaworthy qualities. Uffa Fox, a most experienced dinghy racer on the Solent designed the rigging and sail plan.

The dinghy’s were built at the Portsmouth Naval Base by Royal Naval shipwright apprentices and were built on a production line except for those individually built by apprentices in their final year of studies as part of their final examination.

The principal measurements of the dinghy are:-

Length overall   14’         Breadth    5’ 51/2”

Depth    2’                              Sail area    124.5 sq ft

Scantlings were:

Keel     -           American elm            Hog      -           English Elm

Sometime after World War 2 the plans and specifications were forwarded to the Royal Australian Navy and production of the dinghy’s commenced at Garden Island Naval Dock Yard, Sydney much in the same manner as in England some 10 -15 years prior and again with naval apprentice shipwrights building them.

About 1963 I joined the Sea Cadets at the Unit, Training Ship Warrego, Woolich, Sydney. As the Unit was on a good part of the Harbour sailing was a sought after activity. All I wanted to do was sail one of the dinghies however, it was some time before this would happen. Back in those days squad and rifle drill played a bigger part of the training. When “Boatwork” was set on the Training Program it was started with swimming tests and sea survival courses. When the big day came for “Boatwork” it was pulling (rowing) a 27’ whaler both single and double banked, this went on for some considerable time. When at last sailing was mentioned it again was in the whaler. It appeared you had to be proficient in pulling and sailing a whaler before consideration was given for “dinghy” sailing. I really wanted to sail a dinghy but training in the whaler seemed endless. To be proficient in a whaler, evolutions consisted of rigging /unrigging, pulling, coxswain both under oars and sail, crew in all positions, sea safety, rules of the road (the navy way) hoisting and lowering on davits, away sea boats, semaphore, learning all this and now only about 14-15 years old.

The day finally came; dinghy sailing was on the training program. I was on the crew list for Warrego, boat No. 354. The dinghy had a coxswain and crew of 3, far less than the whalers, which had a coxswain and crew of 6. Although the unit had three 14’ Island Dinghy’s, Boat No 354 was my favourite from day one. There was just that “something” about her. Twelve months admiring boat No 354 and at last I was to go sailing in her. The coxswain was a SBLT Grimley and I should have known by the name what lay ahead – GRIM.

Boat had to be ship shape and all that. All rigging unrigged, all fittings removed from the boat. Weeks of sanding and varnishing went by, polishing brass and more bloody polishing. New standing rigging and new running rigging spliced on the newly varnished poles and spas.

At last “Warrego” was ready for the water. SBLT Grimley pulled us aside to check our qualifications. Semaphore OK, rules of the road ok, damn, the swimming and sea survival certificates has expired.

I still remember that swimming test, middle of winter, in the shark infested black dirty water of the Lane Cove River, very cold but I did it, certificate endorsed. Now I can go dinghy sailing.

It turned out that SBLT Grimley liked dinghy sailing as much as I did, he never let go of the tiller. I never got to sail her, crew, crew, crew, always on the crew list. We sailed everywhere; full days were sailing on Sydney Harbour, across the heads to Manly Cove only to have to row her home after the wind dropped with SBLT Grimley sounding the words heave, heave, heave, heave, for hours on end.

Happy days on Sydney Harbour

It was the happiest day of my life when SBLT Grimley was transferred out of the place. We all waited for the new Boats Crew list, yes Leading Seaman Gibson, coxswain, I knew the boat well. I had been involved in the maintenance, sailing, rowing and racing of her for over twelve months.

I was coxswain of “Warrego” for a further two years. At one maintenance period replacing the Egyptian cotton sails with a new 4 oz Terylene set, the same sails that are on her to this very day.

I resigned from the Sea Cadets in about 1969 but returned to the unit often and always checked out “Warrego” and freely offered advice to the proceeding coxswains.

In about 1972 the newly elected Federal Government disbanded all Navy, Army and Air Force Cadet Units and all equipment, stores and assets were ‘disposed of’.

End of story. What a shame for everyone really as the Cadet Force was an excellent organization and was only disbanded as a cost cutting exercise by the newly elected Government.  The Cadet Force was re-established about 1978 and known as the Naval Reserve Cadets and I was approached for Officer Training in about 1982, which I accepted as an opportunity to put something back into a fantastic organization. By this stage all the Navy Units had been supplied with “Corsair” class fiberglass sailing boats that in my view weren’t suitable at all for sail training, you had to sit “on it” not “in it”.

Some years went by and I ended up Lieutenant Commander Gibson Training Officer NSW & ACT. This saw me being chauffeured about in Government vehicles doing pre inspections and inspections of the various Naval Reserve Cadet Units throughout NSW and the ACT.

On one of the trips inspecting Units on the North Coast of NSW I asked my driver to stop whilst I had a look through a small coastal museum. As I walked up towards the building I noticed that at the rear of the premises was an upturned timber boat in very poor condition. I was quite astonished to discover that it was a 14’ Island Class dinghy and further inspection found that it had a patch of “plastibond” filling a hole in the bow starboard side that I had patched when I hit the bowsprit of a moored yacht some 15 years earlier. I couldn’t believe it, it was “Warrego”. She looked very sad, had some 30 holes punched through her with a steel fence post, was badly sagged from being upside down for many years and had most of her brass missing. I called my driver and we managed to turn “Warrego” over, she was a very sad sight.

After some lengthy negotiations with the museum staff I was able “to have” “Warrego” provided I replaced her with “something” similar, this was done and that I may add is another quite long story.

I hired a car trailer from the local garage but damn, no tow bar on the vehicle. So around to the local GMH dealer and had a tow bar fitted. When I went to pay for it I was told they had already billed the Dept of Defence as they had a service contract with them. Hmmm, this could spell trouble I thought.

Rescued for restoration

After much huff and puff we had “Warrego” on the trailer and much to my amazement I was offered the two piece mast, spars, sails and lots of bits and pieces, all of which they previously denied having. Back to Sydney we went, I was very happy and couldn’t believe my luck that “Warrego” was mine.  And yes, I did have some explaining to do as to why I had a tow bar fitted to a vehicle owned by the Dept. of Defence.

Some years went by with me pondering what to do with “Warrego”, she really was a mess. I spent one weekend sorting out all her rigging and actually rigged her. Sorting through boxes and sail bags I was amazed that “Warrego” was about 90% complete. This spurred me into action and after approaching many boat builders I was lucky to find Micky Floyd a shipwright from Pittwater Sydney who was as keen as I to have “Warrego” restored.

 “Warrego” was stripped down only in a way that a shipwright knows how. Work was made easier because I knew the boat so well; also I was given a full set of drawings and construction specifications for the 14’ Island Class Dinghy by the RAN archives. “Warrego” was re-ribbed and re-planked, the time upside down did its toll and along with the smashed planks made by the steel fence post made saving any timbers impossible.  Planks and ribs were replaced with spotted gum ribs and Pacific Maple planks as called for in her specifications.

“Warrego” was restored exactly as per her build as Boat No. 354 date stamped 1952.

Approximately 3000 roves and rivets later “Warrego” was looking very smart indeed. She didn’t look restored either as other than the planks and ribs all the other timbers are original or there are a lot of them. Word got about the water as to the dinghy being restored and out of the blue an original Admiralty Flax boat cover in mint condition was given to me as well as a spare rudder, two masts and a boom. I was even given a new tiller still with the Dept of Defence part number attached to it.

In 2003 and after using about three litres of varnish she was all finished. I have shown “Warrego” to the public at two Wooden Boat festivals at Darling Harbour Sydney and at the International Wooden Boat Festival Hobart Tasmania, where she always seemed to be able to pull a crowd.

In 2009 I entered “Warrego” in the NZ Antique and Classic Boat Show, Lake Rotoiti. It was the first time I had “Warrego” in the water and under sail since 1969.

“Warrego” sailed just as I had remembered her, but she seemed a lot smaller now.

 The plans and specifications make for interesting reading in themselves as they show the evolution of the dinghy as new materials became available over the years e.g.

• Gun metal blocks                    -           stainless steel
• Egyptian cotton sails               -           terylene
• Muntz metal buoyancy tanks  -           fibreglass
• Steel wire rope stays              -           stainless wire stays
• Galvanised thimbles               -           stainless thimbles
• Galvanised shackles               -           stainless shackles

“Warrego” has been shown at:

•  2004    –           Wooden Boat Festival, Australian Maritime Museum Darling Harbour Sydney
• 2005    -           International Wooden Boat Festival, Constitution Dock, Hobart Tasmania
• 2006    -           Wooden Boat Festival, Australian Maritime Museum Darling Harbour Sydney (Best Dressed Boat)
•  2009    -           NZ Antique and Classic Boat Show, Lake Rotoiti, Nelson
• 2009    -           Akaroa Boat Show (Best Un-restored Boat)   &     (People’s     Choice)
• 2010    -           NZ Antique and Classic Boat Show, Lake Rotoiti, Nelson(Overall Winner of Boat Show) Jens Hansen Cup
• 2010    -           Lake Hood, Ashburton   (Best Restored Sailing Boat)

‘MAPU’

Paul Pritchett

The latest modification to “Mapu” which I carried out earlier this year was one of many over its 80 years. We bought “Mapu” in 2000 on the suggestion of Pat, who was keen to have a boat that we could leave on a mooring and go out boating whenever we liked.  She was sick of not being able to sail often in the Flying Fifteens which I had raced for 30 years and as we had a mooring in Church Bay it seemed a small displacement launch would be suitable.  Being a yachtie, the thought of owning a stink boat was intolerable.    I rather liked the classic lines of pre World War ll boats and went to Auckland to look at a boat that had been recommended but when I got there the owner decided he wasn’t selling it and put me in touch with John Hager, the owner of “Mapu”.  After a short cruise on the harbour, “Mapu” got the approval of Pat at which stage, John was rather amazed- as in the past anyone he showed over the boat, the man loved it but the wife hated it – very small and not upmarket!

This latest upgrade has in no way restored the boat as it had never needed a restoration job as all the previous owners, all 4, had lovingly looked after her and anyway, restoration, I have learned, is restoring a craft to her original design and as proved in our other boat, “Otira”, an open 1902 oil launch, has turned out to be impractical on Lyttelton Harbour.  Perhaps in 1902 they were not aware of comforts that would be required by the boaties of the future.

Mapu” was designed as a day boat in 1930 by Eric Cox and built in Auckland by Col Wild.  The 6 hp engine was housed well forward under a low compartment which now is part of the area forward of the windscreen – so the original construction of the dodger still remains, including the coamings that surrounded the cockpit.  This format seemed to have survived till WW ll when a keel was formed by 10×4 in. deadwood, including 800lb of lead in the midship section, so it could sail.  At which stage they put a low dodger on and a mast and sail. This made a way of using the boat while wartime petrol rationing was in place.  This structure remained till the late 40s when the mast and sail were removed.

Above: Mapu 1940 with wartime ID, revealing kauri planking in 1980′s & 1992 undergoing structural changes at Hobson Wharf

Not much else changed until 1992 except that owner no 3 sometime in the 80s, had cleaned down the paint, found the beautiful kauri planking and subsequently varnished the hull.   So in 1992 John Hager, had the boat hauled out and placed at the Hobson Wharf, the area that is now the Auckland Maritime Museum, where a collective boat building group altered the layout inside to make “Mapu” an ideal cruising boat. The low dodger was removed and a full headroom coach roof that went right to the aft end of the cockpit was built.  The keel lead was removed and replaced with more timber. The small Saab engine was removed from the forward area where fuel and water tanks, a double berth, a head and sink were installed. To improve the headroom in the main area, the floor frames were removed and cabin sole lowered 5 inches and the present Mitsubishi 22 hp diesel was installed in this area. All these things were improvements and made for comfortable cruising which John and his wife, Helen, used around Auckland until the Pritchett’s took over in 2000.  That year I carried out major cosmetic work – complete repaint, revarnish throughout.

Hanging on a mooring and only pulling her out occasionally to antifoul rather restricted us for using “Mapu” further afield. At that stage, I’d got keen on the idea of going to Lake Rotoiti for their Classic Boat Regatta so in 2004 I built a trailer and bought a small truck which enabled us to travel. After Rotoiti we kept her on a mooring at Waikawa Marina for 6 months and spent some time cruising the Sounds. The following year, after Rotoiti, we towed her north to Auckland where later that month the World Flying Fifteen Championships were being held.  We kept her at the Auckland Outboard Boating Club Marina at Hobson Bay, viewed the sailing and cruised the lower gulf.  After a couple of weeks we hauled her out and went north to relaunch at Warkworth and spent Easter cruising the Mahurangi, Kawau area. With the tidal waters we encountered, it became apparent that the keel from her sailing days was a hindrance as Pat had to get out in chest deep water to push off the shallows. Also the thought that in outgoing tide a stranding and the subsequent ingoing tide could fill the cockpit as she would lay well over on her beam end kept us from exploring some of the more exciting places.

Hence in 2010 the latest modification has taken place – the removal of the 250mls of dead wood keel. This presented another challenge. The fact that 6 metres of 250×100 contained a lot of buoyancy and as “Mapu” was already squatting in the stern due to the moving of the engine aft, some radical changes to the underwater shape were required. Our neighbour, Dan Leech, a yacht designer, with computer software and all the skills to reshape the underwater lines to compensate, drew the sections required. This involved stripping all the paint below the water line and gluing many layers of high density boat building foam, then faring, 2 layers of fibreglass and repainting.

“Mapu” had her first outing at Lake Hood Classic Boat Regatta at the end of March.

Lake Hood Regatta 2010

The next time we expect to use her is to cruise the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands  in January. Hopefully nobody will have to get out and push off too often. (ps We have also installed a depth finder!)

A CLASSIC DINGHY

Richard Coop

Richard’s story of the dinghy he is building.  He writes the following:

This home built 8ft 6ins, classic dinghy is designed by Will Stirling who often features in CLASSIC BOAT U.K.  It is a stable pretty dinghy with a bold sheer, a straight stem, flat floors, a firm bilge and a short turn up to a shapely transom, another reason why boats are “she”.

This is the third clinker dinghy I’ve built, trying to achieve close to perfection, almost impossible I know.  This one needs to be light as I have to haul it up the steep steps at the Purau Bay jetty and will use it as a tender to my 34ft launch moored in the bay.

It is being planked in Gabon mahogany 5 ply, the stem, knees, breasthook, hog, keel and apron are constructed of macrocarpa for lightness and strength, while the transom is of Lebanese cedar, ex.Port Levy churchyard.  The gunwales, strakes, ribs and floors will need to be steamed from home grown N.Z. oak; all scantlings have been home milled, dried and dressed.

I am using my eye more than the previous boats, to make sure the planking lines are sweet, especially leading up to the stem which must have  an upward smile, whereas my Iain Oughtred’s “Auk” dinghy had a droopy grin at the stem.  The garboard plank was a brute to fit and glue but after those two the rest have almost been a pleasure.  I spike out a template in 3mm bison board for each pair of planks so as to get them even on both sides and to cut the finals knowing they are accurate to within a couple of shavings here and there.

Richard Coop - Diamond Harbour

ph: (03) 3294699

BUILDING A PATHFINDER

Brian Haybittle  has been building  Pathfinder.

Check out his Blog at:    http://pathfinderbuild.blogspot.com/

THE BEGINNING OF A LONG PROCESS

Hugh Hobden

A restoration project of a clinker boat is a test of anyone’s fortitude and state of mind, that’s for sure! My moment came after a phone call from Graham Mander who had spotted a 1950s Frostbite dinghy sitting on a trailer while on one of his daily walks around his neighbourhood. Graham, with his extensive boating connections, tracked down the owner and gave me a call, “Know any keen young fellas who would be interested in some boat restoration?” Like a fool I took the bait and together with friend Peter Braithwaite contacted the owner and made an inspection, Peter muttering “…that it had better be good“…

When I first saw the boat it had just been shifted on to the road from its place, right side up (probably for years) full of dirt, leaves and little ngaio seedlings growing happily inside the hull. At least on second inspection it had been hosed out to reveal the interior, a sorry stained sight but without any evident rot; just lots of cracked planks and broken ribs and capping. Peter said “No way!  “But we went to check out the gear, a good Dacron sail, original two piece mast, boom, rudder and centre plate. That sort of swung us.  Peter went from “No way” to “OK” and after some haggling we bought it.

We started off water blasting the interior, something that needs some caution as we discovered, too much and the kauri planking starts getting stripped away leaving big gouges in the timber.. The boat was left to dry out for some time and work began on stripping the paint from the outside. Our most effective weapon was a heat gun and scraper which slowly took off the paint layers applied over 50 years or so. The planking was in remarkably good order, many longitudinal splits and about four planks needing replacement on the bilges. It was evident there had been many other repairs to planks over the years with short pieces scarped in .Most of the splits could be repaired by inserting timber pieces glued with epoxy glue. As these boats were built pre glue era, dismantling is relatively easy; when screws and nails are released it all comes to bits. So plank replacement can be done by grinding off the copper nail fastenings and slipping out the broken plank which can be used as pattern for a new one. The planks we replaced luckily did not require any steaming. These replacement planks were from 30 odd year old kawaka timber sourced by Graham Mander, very clean and dry. They were glued in place but to retain some integrity to the original has been nailed and copper roved as well.

Turned over the long process of cleaning up the badly stained interior began. Most of the ribs had been reduced to a Weetbix-like state and were taken out with various spreaders place across the hull to retain shape. The centre board case has been dismantled, cleaned up and glued back together. Any plans of retaining a varnished interior have vanished, too much dirt has got into the grain and even using the heat gun and scraper has not left the surface good enough for that. The heat also has revealed that the boat had probably been treated with linseed oil which no doubt kept rot at bay.

Much sanding has been necessary inside and the interior will be completely painted and then the new ribs (Southland beech) will be steamed and bent into the hull.

It is work in progress!

Grateful thanks to Graham Mander, Don Brooke (who Peter spent some time with in Auckland tracking down our boat’s history and restoration tips.), members of the Christchurch Model Yacht Club who have sourced kauri timber, photos of old Frostbites and Paul Pritchard who is also restoring a Frostbite !

ANOTHER CHALLENGING RESTORATION

Peter Murton from Richmond in Nelson has recently acquired from Alexandra the 16’ fantail steam launch (pictured below) which has spent the last 15 years as a garden fixture.  He believes that it was built in 1895 in the Invercargill area but is unsure of the actual builder.  He has a new twin 21/4HP steam engine and a black staff water tube boiler to place in her when restored.  Despite appearances the kauri hull is in good condition without any rot.   Peter would be pleased to hear from anyone who may have further knowledge about the boat.

Contacts:

Peter and Angela Murton

425 Moutere Highway, RD 1, Richmond, Nelson 7081

Ph 03 544 1818

www.murtons.co.nz

info@murtons.co.nz

Ready for restoration

Stern section