Zircon

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ZIRCON
photos & details ex Kevin Peet

Kevin sent in the above photos yesterday of Zircon & it got bumped to the top of the ww posting list for the simple fact that he has done a top chop & lost the flybridge 🙂
When purchased, a few months ago, she very run down & Kevin has wasted no time in giving her a make over.
Not a lot is known about Zircon & her name is probably not her as launched name.
She is 34′, powered by a 6 cyl. Perkins & built with glue edged carvel planks. Her previous owner understands that she was built in Whangarei in 1959 as a commercial fishing boat & based in Coromandel.
Prior to Kevin’s purchase, home was W Pier at Westhaven.

Todays challenge woodys is can we shed some light on Zircon’s past? – design, builder, previous owners / names etc

Photos below are as purchased

20-04-2016 – Roger Turnbull sent in the  three photos of Zircon below. One of them shows the coamings and flying bridge as it was when Roger purchased her.

19-01-2018 Update

Ewan Kerr emailed in the 2 photos below of Zircon, taken when his family owned her.  They bought Zircon in February 1986 from a gentleman by the name of Athol Myers who at the time would have been in his 70’s or 80’s. They used the boat as a family cruiser and sold Zircon in March 1988.

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17 thoughts on “Zircon”

  1. Pingback: Zircon | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily

  3. Hi all, Great to see these pictures of Zircon! My Dad bought her in the mid/ late 60’s and owned her until @ ‘79, after us kids had left home and the boat had deteriorated on the mooring in Opua.
    I have lots of pictures from the early days, including one of when she was first purchased, at anchor in the Wade River, Auckland. Dad cruised up to the Bay Of Islands in 69 where we used her every weekend. Great times. I will be seeing Dad (now 84) today (4/1/2020) and will will get more info for those who are interested.
    Matt Fearnley

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  4. to get some facts up to date
    She is a Phil Lange.
    Built about 1964.
    She is not Quo Vadis
    She has a 645 Perkins 130 hp. It is the Original engine, Phil Lange recalled the vessels history once i mentioned the engine.
    She is carvel, but not glued according to Phil Lange,
    She must not be painted with dark colours or 2 pot, as this will crack at the 1,1/4 inch kauri strips edge, According to Phil Lange..
    She has a cabin top in front of the bridge which is original, unlike Quo Vadis.
    According to Phil Lange, Rodger had a step son who probably knows her name, Roger had remarried.
    FRED CHAMBERLAIN was Rogers Father…we think.
    The family farmed on 2 sides of the island, so…
    Which side Roger farmed we don’t know..yet.
    Help

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  5. Still no clues to her launch name…!
    I Contacted Phil Lange, he told me he built the boat for Roger Chamberlain., Roger took possession of the boat without a name and indicated that Roger Chamberlain would have named her.
    She was used as the pilot for the family farm
    Ponui island and towed a 79 foot kauri barge mainly to the Tamaki wharf.
    Name…?
    Thanks everyone

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  9. Our family owned this boat in the 80’s or 90’s. We were based in Auckland. Randomly decided to google this tonight. Can find out more accurate info if need be.

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  11. Also the builder will have been Phil Lange who is still alive- the grandfather of a builder who works with my dad. I have video of him launching another one, Quo Vadis to full fanfare at Whangaparaoa for the Hoppers with my family’s Pacific in escort. It must have been pre- ’62(date amended from prev) as Kotanui would have made the escort trip had she been built yet.

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  13. I know that Zircon is not the original name, Unfortunately can not remember what we were told it was at the time.

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  14. Are you sure of Tiri? My family the Hobbs farmed tiri until 1972 when it became doc land. We had Pacific to tow the barge and then from 1964 Kotanui also, although just how much barge towing she did im unsure.

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  15. Zircon was built by Dick Laing in August 1964 at Whangaparaoa for Chamberlains of Tiritiri Island. She was built as a work boat to pull barges. She was then sold to a new owner in Kawakawa, Bay of Islands. We found her in the Opua basin in a run down condition in 1979. We undertook a major rebuild at Ashby’s boat yard. She was relaunched in 1982 with redesigned coamings, flying bridge and interior.She was used by us as family cruiser in thr Bay of Islands. Please contact me for further details, photos etc.

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