Triton

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TRITON

Photo & story by Russell Ward

This gorgeous ship was built by Colin Wild for Ken Butland. I knew her when she was still in her prime and Joe Tatham (New Zealand Motor Corp CEO) owned her in the ’60s -He could afford the petrol and upkeep. She was down at Big Muddy and so were we –anchored alongside so I rowed over. He had to shift anchor and I helped out. She did go well –two big petrol engines. So burbly and smooth. Arrrgh! She was long and thin, quite a hard turn to the bilge, and she would go like stink if given some juice!

I have often thought that Triton might have been part inspired by a Thornycroft launch pictured in Philips-Birt Naval Architecture of Small Craft at p 250 although the Thornycroft boat is hard chine and has a reverse sheer. Triton was a real man’s boat, a sailor’s boat. I distinctly remember the abundance of ex navy fittings and switches –for example those huge chunky push buttons that HDMLs and frigates had to call the watch below, sound the siren etc (presumably they were NOS when she was built). Triton might not suit everybody in her original guise, but she was ideal for her original owner who used to show the ways of the sea to aspiring young seafarers. She had an open bridge (don’t downgrade it by calling it a flybridge. It was a BRIDGE dammit!). It was complete with voice pipe to the chart table directly below in the wheelhouse where the young sailor navigator would be plotting the course and yelling it out up to the helmsman. There was another helm as well as engine controls in the wheelhouse. Those lovely old chrome Morse levers on a circular escutcheon with ramps to stop you over riding neutral without pulling the lever bodily outwards – one each side of the console. She had elegant wood panelling below –so classy.

My picture shows her when I last saw her in Lyttlleton a little down on her luck. Layne Stephens put the shed on over the flying bridge some years back I am sure it made her more livable, but it is not for me, I am afraid. Most of the lovely woodwork was painted over. A little sad. But that’s the problem with age, (especially when we can remember some of these boats when they were new).

There are two things worth mentioning –Harold Kidd reminded me that Colin Wild refused to fit the open bridge and Lane Motor Boat Co finished her off for Ken Butland. The other detail, Joe Tatham told me in ’62. Mitchell, a subsequent owner to Butland, was very tall and her wheelhouse was raised about 6″ -you can see where the plank was grafted in. More obvious than then when the teak was bright finished.

Rumour is that she is available –c’mon someone. Come and get her.  

Hope there will be more details emerging.

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12 thoughts on “Triton”

  2. Seeing Triton with that modern wheelhouse and aft dodger addition is a little like hearing a 7th chord – I have to run to a guitar and resolve it or my neck hairs stay on edge.
    So does anybody have a picture of Triton in Ken Butland’s time or Joe Tatham’s with her open bridge? It had a massive RDF aerial in it at that time too I think.
    Please?

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  3. According to Don Hunter, who really should know, LADY EILEEN was fitted originally with new ex-USN twin JPB Chrysler Crown 8 cylinders, out of the box, fresh water cooled, Paragon boxes and a single rudder. Don said both Chryslers were RH rotation. Her later Ford D series WERE handed.
    Again, whose anecdote is to be believed?

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  4. Asolutely right that Mahara only had one engine — can”t thnk where Harold got the idea that I had told him she had 2 engines — she also had a side exhaust with a cowl over it, a few inches above the water line below the bridgdeck. On thinking back, my recall is, the other “Supa Crafts” all had 2 engines except her — the LADY EILEEN certainly did, with her matched handed pair of 8 cyl in line Chrysler Royals with twin carbs, that I saw a number of times. — KEN RICKETTS

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  6. Something stirred me up on Triton again -can’t think what! I mentioned Triton’s very tall owner who heightened the wheelhouse after Butland’s time. Was his name Mitchell? I seem to recall that he had Trinidad built and had her upperworks that bit higher to accommodate him.
    Mahara was mentioned in the string. She had just one Kermath when I helped (largely by watching and listening to the curses and pushing this and that) Ted Senior trying to start it at Kawau one holidays. Nice smooth runner.

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  7. The whole subject of US marine engines is a fascinating one; Many were based on automotive blocks like Ford, Chrysler, Waukesha, Hercules, Continental Red Seal etc. even Packard. I do have an early gasket book which is sort of a Rosetta Stone as it lists many individual head gaskets as being applicable to certain marine engines as well as trucks. For example some of the little side valve Grays were based on Continental engines that were used in cars, light trucks and even pumps and fork lifts for several decades after their automotive use was over.
    The standard repower for little launches used to be the Rugby engine which was a Continental or the Jeep which was a Willys.

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  8. Remember that Triton’s Greymarines were petrol engines. Thetis ll’s were, and still are, Gray diesel -unrelated to the Gray 6/71 screaming demons we all remember in the HDMLs and Fairmiles. The 6/71 and derivatives were an amazing creation of Boss Ketering at Grays. Later GM and still later Detroit. Ketering invented the Bendix type automotive engine starter -he was very well off -Delco was his firm.They celebrated a million GMs made during the war -they were everywhere.

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  9. Ken Ricketts once told me that MAHARA had Redwings originally (I wrote it down at the time, and dutifully put it on my database) so no doubt he’ll chime in with a rebuttal.

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  10. Yep, I would have noted if they were Kermaths -Mahara had a Kermath -quite a different kettle of fish and much smaller. Also Col Senior seemed to have trouble starting Mahara’s engine sometimes. Triton’s started with a roar when the buttons were pushed. Sounded nice.

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  11. TRITON was built for Ken Butland and Peter Cornes in 1955. Despite Ken’s recollections, her first engines were Grays, not Kermaths.
    THETIS II was built by Lanes for J.R. Butland in 1955 and also had twin Grays.
    My authorities for these statements are the APYMBA records and Lloyds Yacht Register. I guess it doesn’t matter a row of beans, but I just loathe misinformation, however trivial.

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  12. I remember the TrIton very well. The Butlands had 2 almost identcial boats built — the other was the THETIS. Had not realised Triton was started by Col Wild — I knew she ultimately came out of the Lane Motor Boat shed & Thetis was built by Lane Motor Boat after her as I recall, 3 or 4 years later. Triton was always painted grey on the hull when owned by Ken Butland . Had 2 largish Kermaths as I recall almost like a miniature H.D.M.L. in many ways even to the paint colour KEN RICKETTS

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