Flirt

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FLIRT
photo & details from Judith Wallath

Today’s photo of Flirt was sent to me by Judith Wallath whose recalls that before WW1 her uncle Fred Briggs, solicitor of Whangarei, owned this small launch and used her on the Whangarei Harbour for fishing trips and outings.  He had four sisters and with friends they had wonderful times at Urquarts and Smugglers Bay etc.  In 1915 Fred left NZ with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and on the strength of his NZ boating experience was made sub-lieutenant in the Motor Patrol headquarters at Torquay in England, patrolling the English channel looking for submarines etc.
This photo of Flirt was possibly taken in Urquarts Bay.  Fred on the left.  Judith commented while she was anchored in Urquarts last summer they saw a launch somewhat similar to Flirt though slightly longer, moored there.

Any of the woodys able to contribute to details on Flirt & what became of her?

Harold Kidd Input

This FLIRT (there were several) was built for J.F.S. Briggs by Percy McIntosh in Whangarei and launched about October 1912. She was 25ft with a 4hp Palmer engine, upgraded in April 1913 to a 5hp Zealandia. Briggs sold her to E.J. Jones who raced her at the Onerahi Regatta until December 1919 as FLIRT. Jones changed her name to VICTORY soon after, but I lose track of her in 1921, probably because of another sale/name change.

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8 thoughts on “Flirt”

  1. Hullo Alan and Harold. I had no idea that my comment on Flirt would raise such a wealth of information about her and other boats of the same name. I have another one or two boats up my sleeve but need to check with owners before commenting. The woodys site is great – I love it.
    Judith W

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  2. Lionel moved to Havelock (Sth Island) quite some time ago. This Flirt is just the latest of the last boats he will ever build! Launched with a lot of razzmatazz at Lake Rotoiti Classic Boat Pde must be five+ years back.

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  3. PS There were a couple more FLIRTS including a fishing boat lost off Tokomaru Bay in 1928. It was a pretty popular name, possibly because of the FLIRT schooner and brigantine that had been in local waters since the 1840s.

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  4. Here I go, drifting the thread again, but that interests me (the top bit). When was Hamlett’s boat built? Last I heard of Lionel Jeffcote (a fine boatbuilder!) he was retired and had moved from Christchurch (or Lyttleton?) to live in Havelock. (The real one, not Havelock North :-))

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  5. There was a FLIRT speedboat on the Manukau in 1912 owned by the Jeffs brothers, possibly built by Les Coulthard, E.C. Lannam had a passenger vessel FLIRT on the Waitemata in 1923 doing excursions to Beachlands (so not the Whangarei 25 footer) and then there’s the Briggs boat. So maybe VI or VII?

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  6. Robert Hamlett had Lionel Jeffcote build him a 30+’ steamboat which he named Flirt. Has a new boiler and an old Simpson Strickland quad compound. Robert bought the engine when it was installed in a Paulsboro’ clinker hull that was unserviceable hence the new hull was built.

    There was a Flirt that delivered the Royal mail early in the 1900s and Robert had the new hull designed by Askew around the aft bronze shoe that protected the prop. He was calling the new boat “RMS Flirt”. So now she has to be Flirt lll does she?

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  7. Hullo Harold. I am very pleased to have more details of my uncle Fred Briggs’ launch “Flirt”.
    Thank you, you are a treasure. Judith W.

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  8. This FLIRT (there were several) was built for J.F.S. Briggs by Percy McIntosh in Whangarei and launched about October 1912. She was 25ft with a 4hp Palmer engine, upgraded in April 1913 to a 5hp Zealandia. Briggs sold her to E.J. Jones who raced her at the Onerahi Regatta until December 1919 as FLIRT. Jones changed her name to VICTORY soon after, but I lose track of her in 1921, probably because of another sale/name change.

    Like

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