In the days before travel lifts & floating docks
Boat maintenance was a lot cheaper in the early days, you could just head into Judges Bay, point the bow to the shore & power up, a couple of lengths of 4″x2″ & just wait for the tide to go out.
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MATAROA was built by Joe Slattery as KENYA for Len Heard of Parnell in 1928 with a 40/60 Ailsa Craig. So this pic is probably taken during Heard’s ownership ie 1938 or earlier. He sold her to Seagar and replaced her with KENYA II built for him by Lidgard Bros and delivered in early 1940.
The RNZAF took her to Fiji in1943 for towing at Lauthala Bay and put a 6 cylinder Chrysler Crown in her as the Ailsa Craig was thought to be on its last legs and for spares rationalisation.
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Yep, Ken. It’s Mat I reckon.
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It was a good social time for the guys too. Quite often they used to get work done too in between the gas bagging. Used to help the old man at Okahu Bay and then at P Vos yard and would be frequently slaving away while he was topside yarning away. The only power sanding was on the bottom with a disk in a B & D drill and no face mask -my job always.ertainly felt crook after sanding a copper buildup off – A good excuse for my enfeebled brain power.
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The flush decker in the foreground with people on the deck is the Mataroa owned in the 40s & 50s by the Ward family – have sent a pic of her to Alan H for comparison & confirmation
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