Matahui

Posted on by

MATAHUI

Lindsay Aitcheson, the new owner of the motor-sailor Matahui would like some input from the collective brains of ww followers.

It is Lindsay’s understanding that Matahui was designed by Athol Burns & launched into the Waiwartu  Stream in Wellington in 1955 (refer above photo ex Turnbull Library). Lindsay understands she was built as a fishing boat to long-line in Cook Strait. The builder is unknown but ‘could’ be Frank Dellabarca as he built several Athol Burns designed fishing boats e.g. MV Cristina (featured previously on ww).

Anyone able to shed some light on Matahui & her past??

06/11/14 -Updated with more photos from Lindsay Aitcheson (click to enlarge)

14/11/2014 Two photos of Matahui below ex Pam Cundy when owned by Tim Hall , he used her as a commercial fishing boat. He sold her to build another commercial fishing boat, ‘Skip Jack’ a 38′ Aztec. These days Skip Jack operates as a charter boat out of Gulf Harbour.

Discover more from waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 14+ million views

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

17 thoughts on “Matahui”

  1. my father was a fireman/mechanic at lower Hutt fire station during the 1950s his name was Allan Curtis and I know that he worked on the matahui as the mechanic/cook on various recreational fishing trips in cook straight with the owner and I believe builder , mr Hector , Hume , the then chief fire officer of the newly built lower Hutt fire station. I was born in 1955 and was to young to remember these events myself but do remember being told of these events by my late father, will endeavor to research this further with my surviving family hopefully there maybe surviving photographs .

    Like

  2. Pingback: Matahui | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news

  5. Hello
    i believe the fire Chief was a Mr Hume and he was the chief at Lower Hutt fire station where my mum was the cook in the mid 1950’s -glenda Gale

    Like

  7. Ta for putting Tim’s photos up for us.
    As Russell had noted Tim had replaced the 30 hp Coventry diesel for a 4LW Gardner. Robert Henderson carried this work out.
    Tim said he believed she had been a Cook Strait Hapuka boat. I shall quiz him on this further when he comes by.
    Tim carried out repairs to her when he first took owner-ship of her, replacing a large section of her cabin top and beltings and renewing a mast.
    My preference would be for the cabin style seen in the profile drawing above. I had the pleasure of working on an Athol Burns designed yacht Maco Polo. I believe she is in Wellington now.
    Built with huge timbers as Maco Polo is – Matahui has seemingly suffered no harm through those years as a work boat.
    Pam

    Like

  10. Thanks Vintagesteamer, great to get your reply. Matahui is at present in Nelson, where she has been for a number of years. Mike Ballard was the previous owner. Dunedin will be her new home in the new year. She has accommodation for 4 and the gardner is a great old motor. 3 litres an hour at 1050rpm. Looking forward to you excavating your file box to find out more. I have been a fan of Athol Burns boats since purchasing a 14ft double ender a number of year designed by him. She was build like a brick S—house.
    Cheers Lindsay.

    Like

  13. Hi Lindsay. I’m Steamfan. You be gentle to her: I fell desparately in love with her when Max Rolf -electrician on Kawau- had her moored in Schoolhouse Bay -late ’60s. She was in the original rather-dainty deckhouse condition and had a 30 hp Coventry Godiva fitted. I next saw her fishing out of Leigh (Tim Hall) and sometimes moored off Scotts Landing looking a bit rough in the ’70s. He fitted the Gardner. Next she was at Tauranga and then went down to Nelson.
    She was short on accommodation with the midships hold but she looked better IMHO. I think Max might have done the alterations -he said he wanted to.
    I’d have to say that Gardner would be a bit overbearing in her -the Godiva was tiny in comparison and easy to live with. A few Burns yachts had them.
    I corresponded a lot with Athol in the ’80s and all this is in storage. I will dig it all out sometime.
    She never fished out of Wellington Athol said, just a pleasure boat. He did say who built her -it wasn’t Dellabarca.
    Back with more when I excavate down to the file box.

    Like

  14. Thanks for that it’s the site I got the copy of the plan from. I haven’t been able to find out much about Athol Burns. Considering the number beautiful wooden boats he designed here is vey little information on the web about him. I hope all this history hasn’t been lost for ever.

    Like

  15. Thanks for the reply. The only information I could find on Frank Dellabarca was that he was an Italian fisherman and guided the first swimmer to cross Cook Strait.

    Like

  17. If not Dellabarca, the builder could have been Barney Daniels, who also built a number of boats to Athol Burns’ designs, though I would have expected the boat to have been launched from his yard at Balaena Bay in that case.
    That profile drawing has all the hallmarks of Burns’ work, and the photos also say Athol Burns

    Like

Leave a comment