Rautangi

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Rautangi on patrol - original

image002

RAUTANGI
photos & details ex Don Barry

The top photo of Rautangi running at full chat shows Don’s uncle Tim on the cabin top, to quote Don “mad as a cut snake – pipe in his mouth holding fast against the wind… OHS would have a field day” Chances are she would have been petrol powered……. She is flying a PATROL burgee, anyone able to suggest the origin of the burgee?
I’ll sure HDK will enjoy this photo, matches his attitude to helming launches 🙂

The 2nd photo is again of uncle Tim, who was a regular on Rautangi.  With him is here  is Don’s uncle Doug.

Rautangi was built by Collings & Bell& launched on the 18th May  for Mr. L. Stericker. She measures 37′ x 9’6″ x 2’8″ & is currently midway thru a major refit happening at Katikati in the Bay of Plenty but due to changing personal circumstances is listed for sale on trademe.

More photos showing her past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/02/23/rautangi/

Below is a copy the boats official song.

Rautangi - front page [#2] 2

Rautangi - inner page [#2]

Harold Kidd Input

Love it!
Les Stericker was a well-known petrol-head with his racing hydroplanes all called HUM BUG. I think there were 5 of them, the last a “Blimp” type built by Collings & Bell in November 1929, 12ft 6in with a 32hp Elto 4 cylinder outboard, the top go-fast gear of the time. He was a precision engineer in Newmarket. No doubt the 6 cylinder side valve petrol Thornycroft RD6 engine (photo below) in RAUTANGI was well breathed upon.
As for the “Patrol” flag, Lees and RAUTANGI did a lot of NZPBA and RNZYS mark boat etc work.

The RD 6 Thornycroft engine when launched

Thornycroft RD6

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10 thoughts on “Rautangi”

  1. That sounds right. There is a mention in the newspapers of a replacement Thornycroft engine in October 1930. I suspect Les may have got hold of a GB6 ioe engine from the fabulous Thornycroft Army fwd Hathi, a rare 11.3 litre monster that would certainly have got her going! Spares wouldn’t have been a problem for him as he had the facilities to do any engineering at all.

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  2. RAUTANGI must have had a second Thornycroft fitted somewhere along the way, because when I knew her, in 1946 -47, she definitely had a 6 cyl Thornycroft engine with 1 overhead valve & side valve, (I saw it), which may have been larger than the original, & could account for her speed in the above pic perhaps. It was painted bottle green & looked quite different from the one in the pic.
    She also did not have the 2 masts, & was moored under the bridge at Whakatakataka Bay, just around to the right, (towards the OBC), after you go under the bridge & just about next door to Tracey Nelson’s BABS. — KEN R

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  3. When you look at that Thornycroft, it would really be damned difficult to get much more horsepower out of it with its single inlet, tiny carb and internal manifolding, short of supercharging. Good for low end torque and economy, but it would run out of puff pretty low down in the rev range. What a contrast to the 4 cylinder two-stroke Elto, a little screamer!

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  7. Cheap clubroom available for the Woodies this morning -bring your own bilge pump Wynyard quarter.

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  10. Love it!
    Les Stericker was a well-known petrol-head with his racing hydroplanes all called HUM BUG. I think there were 5 of them, the last a “Blimp” type built by Collings & Bell in November 1929, 12ft 6in with a 32hp Elto 4 cylinder outboard, the top go-fast gear of the time. He was a precision engineer in Newmarket. No doubt the 6 cylinder side valve petrol Thornycroft RD6 engine in RAUTANGI was well breathed upon.
    As for the “Patrol” flag, Lees and RAUTANGI did a lot of NZPBA and RNZYS mark boat etc work.

    Like

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