Adi Kuila (Ma Cherie)

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ADI KUILA (Ma Cherie)

For the last 6 years Adi Kuila has been undergoing a rolling restoration by her owner, Markham Thomson . The information he has on her says she was built by Lanes in 1965 & is 53′ LOA, 15′ beam, 4’3″ draft. Twin engined.
She spent time in Fiji in the 1980’s > 1990’s. There is a suspicion she has had a name change along the way. Correct

Owner is keen to get more info on her past & confirmation builder / year.

UPDATE

Lots of chat in the comments section but sometimes ww just rocks.

Scott Taylor has sent me the images below of when she was named Ma Cherie & owned in 1971 by W. J. Clark @ the Koroleuv Beach Hotel, Fiji.

And more from the current owner (click blue txt to view letter)

Letter to Bob Hawke from Graham Wallace regarding Fijian fishing trip

Update 26-07-2019 – photo below ex Peter Rinaldi

Adi Kuila

23 thoughts on “Adi Kuila (Ma Cherie)”

  1. Pingback: Adi Kutla  / Ma Cherie Flashback | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily

  3. Kia ora, re-opening up this thread. My father spent his childhood on this boat and may be able to provide additional information and insight about the original owner L G Foster. If anyone would like to connect, reach out!

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  5. Does anyone have a contact number or email for Ma Cherie owner Markham Thomson ???

    Thanks Mark Frankham 021 766 181

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  7. I am fortunate to be the heading this list of comments. When I was in Fiji January 1987 to January 1988 running Fish Fiji, I did speak to Lanes about what I had to do to make the ship go faster after the BMW’s were installed and they acknowledged building the ship and advised me of the size of replacement propeller. Funny true story…In my scuba gear, thinking that things were weightless, in water, I decided to take the prop off myself. Little did I know the thing weighed about 40,000 tons, which I discovered whilst plummeting to the bottom of the sea, at 100 MPH still holding the propeller. Absolutely true story of which I have a thousand more of Adi Kuila’s trials and tribulations. If you want me to write more let me know via my email.
    I have a couple of photo’s of it but do not know how to attach it here.

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  8. Pingback: MA Cherie | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news

  9. Info from Peter Rinaldi
    I went to Fiji to take over the company…Fish Fiji which owned the Adi Kuila. Graham Wallace was still the Captain when I arrived in January 1987.
    I completed negotiations with the Sheraton hotel which was still being constructed on Denarau. I obtained a lease on an island whose name slips my mind at the moment and we had a bure built. We imported a powered large cat and had a racing passenger cat built in Suva. We were also set up for scuba diving, banana rubber ducky. Etc.
    The ship used to do 14 knots until Gerhard replaced the twin Listers I think they were with two hi performance Bmw motors. The speed dropped to around 5 to 7 knots. I personally bought two new propellors which took the speed back up to around 10 knots but the gearbox also needed changing which never happened. I live in Australia but am travelling at the moment and have some pics which may be of interest to you when I get back.
    Peter

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  10. Sorry about thread drift, but Nathan Ma Cherie amongst game fishing types appears to be more popular than Lady Margarets elsewhere as a name! I know of at least two others…

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  11. Now single 6LX, she was chartered for many years by John Baker, down that way and he held many fishing records.

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  13. I would emphasise that I said “probably,” because many of the boats of her general type of that era were indeed fitted with the engines, as per my comments, above, but we all know, that especially the later boats, of her ilk & era, were, as in this case, fitted with diesels (quite probably Fords, at that time). — KEN RICKETTS

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  14. The 42′ MA CHERIE was built in Tauranga by Vissor (Kingfisher Boats?) in 1961 and has twin 6LX Gardners. She was recently for sale n TradeMe for $135k.

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  16. No, Ma Cherie at Milford the ex Dive / fishing boat from Whakatane was built by Kingfisher boats in Tauranga in 61 and is nothing like this Ma Cherie. There is another Ma Cherie in Milford built by Dave Jackson in the early nineties, now called Southern Star and soon to relocate to Opua or so the shags in the Milford pohutukawas tell me.

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  17. There are 2 or 3 slightly similar boats, one of them Exclusive Lady which is a bit shorter, has stepped sheer and is a liveaboard at Herald Island out from the wharf. All built for game fishing ‘I have heard’. Associated with the Ma Cherie from BOP now at Milford?

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  18. APYMBA records confirm that she was built by the Lane Motor Boat Co (or by Garth Lane personally, if you prefer that extraordinary myth) in 1962 for L.G. Foster of 4 Awatere Road, Hamilton as MA CHERIE. She was 50’/50’/14’6″/4′ and powered with twin Ford 6 cylinder diesels (not Graymarine, Chrysler, Kermath as Ken wildly postulates, or even Skoda, if he wants to hedge his bets further). Foster still owned her in 1966.
    Ken’s reference to THETIS is rather peculiar because Colin Wild built THETIS’ hull but refused to build the rest of the block of flats on her, which Lanes did.
    It would be great for WW if Ken wouldn’t burst wildly into print with such blah which doesn’t help in the joint search for truth and enlightenment which this blog is so successfully undertaking…

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  19. I agree on the name change also she is very much the Butland’s Lane Motor boat built TRITON & THETIS look in the bow, & hull in general, — compare with the posts on this website of those 2 boats — A lovely looking craft, well proportioned with symmetry & balance, & I would say almost certainly built in the 1950s or perhaps early 60s & very probably had Graymarine, Chrysler, or Kermath petrol engines originally. How wonderful that she is being refurbished — a really special part of our classic fleet — KEN RICKETTS

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  20. Adi Kuila was indeed a Fijian name given to her in 1971 by Mr W J Clark of Korolevu Beach Hotel who purchased Ma Cherie from Mr L G Foster for $30000. According to my fathers records ( HM Taylor Shipbrokers ) she was built by Lanes Motor Boat Company in 1962. 50ft long with a beam of 15ft, powered by twin Fordsons spinning 28×22 props giving 10knots cruising and 14 knots maximum. I do have quite a bit more information Alan which I will try and upload to you.

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