RANUI
I had these stunning photos of Ranui sent to me yesterday by her previous Wellington owner, Sven Baker, who spent 3 years bringing her back to as new with a no expense spared refit that included rebuilt engine, major hull repairs, total repaint and varnish inside and out.
Sven used her for one summer in the sounds and then sold her to an Auckland owner, so she’s now back on Auckland where she belongs 🙂 , Sven’s words not mine, but I agree !!.
Ranui was built c.1947 by R Lidgard for Hec Goodfellow. On launching day she was 38′ but in the late 1950’s / early 60’s she had 6>8′ added to her length. Quite an unusual build for NZ, obviously heavily influenced by the USA Chris Craft marque .
So the big question is – where is she & who owns her ? – I want her in the CYA launch fleet 🙂
Remember: by clicking on a photo, you can enlarge it 😉
B/W photo below, as launched, taken by Ken Ricketts c.1950
Update from Harold Kidd
Hec Goodfellow owned Shed 8 at Ngapipi Road where he kept RANUI. On the back wall is still the name plate for the 30ft runabout METEOR Sam Ford (Invincible Boat Co) built for him in May 1931 with a 225hp Kermath. She did 25kn with ease. Hec sold her in the late 1930’s to Coastguard as a patrol boat, shortly after which she was taken over by the Defence Force and fitted with a Ford V8. She was put up for tender as war surplus in 1945 and later bought by Alan Beamish-White who had Lanes remodel her and then he used her on Lake Okataina.
She was reported as still in existence in Thames not so long ago.
Jim Francis kept LADY MARGARET II (the Lang one) in Shed 8. It is now owned by Chris Dickson.
And just to prove what a trainspotter I am – below is a photo of the Meteor name plate, on the shed wall Harold mentions above 🙂
New photos from today – 12/07/2014
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New photos added
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Apart from Hec Goodfellows RANUI, there was a tourist launch RANUI on Milford Sound in 1936, the other LIdgard RANUI built for passenger work in Tauranga for E.G. Williams which was wrecked with loss of life in December 1950, only 17 days after she was launched, RANUI II in Picton long-term from the 70s, the big auxiliary ketch RANUI built on Stewart Island and finished by George Andrews in 1936, the former EL ALAMEIN built by Vern McGeady in 1945 for Rotorua but later renamed RANUI on Taupo, and there were bound to be others.
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Just wondering how many RANUIs there are about the place? I know of at least three others with that name.
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There was an OKATAINA on Taupo from about 1960, owned by J.H. Kay of Taumarunui. She’s not mentioned in the website devoted to the history of Taupo vessels but the Taupo specialists will be able to help here.
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An old family friend Peter Redwood, I’m sure, had Okataina when he retired to Taupo in the ’70s. I recall that boat (assuming I got the name right) was a bit bigger than 30′ and had a strangish top but I don’t remember her being hard chine. Peter was an avid trout fisherman.
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OKATAINA was built in September 1938 by Sam Ford for Beamish-White of the Okataina Fishing Lodge for trout fishing on the lake. She was 28’x9′ and had a 91hp Gray. Beamish-White later bought METEOR for use at the lodge. METEOR was distinctive in that she had a Honduras mahogany hull which was pretty up-market at the time. A slight correction to the above, METEOR was actually built for Hec’s father, William (in 1953 Sir William) Goodfellow.
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Greetings Harold, there is a launch at Thames – hard chine, carvel plank,about 30′, with rather ho-hum cabin arrangement named OKATAINA. Same boat maybe?
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Hec Goodfellow owned Shed 8 at Ngapipi Road where he kept RANUI. On the back wall is still the name plate for the 30ft runabout METEOR Sam Ford (Invincible Boat Co) built for him in May 1931 with a 225hp Kermath. She did 25kn with ease. Hec sold her in the late 1930’s to Coastguard as a patrol boat, shortly after which she was taken over by the Defence Force and fitted with a Ford V8. She was put up for tender as war surplus in 1945 and later bought by Alan Beamish-White who had Lanes remodel her and then he used her on Lake Okataina.
She was reported as still in existence in Thames not so long ago.
Jim Francis kept LADY MARGARET II (the Lang one) in Shed 8. It is now owned by Chris Dickson.
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Was she not in one of the sheds on Ngapipi Rd sometime back? Jim Francis suggested her one time when I was on Lady Mag. I seem to see a bit of Ngaro in the Ranui. Always wondered where Ngaro’s design came from -another fine Lidgard boat and one of his best.
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