Seaway

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SEAWAY

This rather fine looking launch was listed on trade earlier this year, at the time the seller stated she was a 1930 Sam Ford. In discussions with Harold Kidd & Nathan Herbert, the collective thinking is that is not the case, Harold commented that a chap called Fred Brake called all his launches SEAWAY or a variant of SEAWAY & he suspect he owned this one once. She certainly wasn’t built by Sam Ford as SEAWAY in 1930 (if at all).
So woodys what do we know about this classic? I seem to recall she sold & is now moored off Herald Island, but I could be wrong 🙂

8 thoughts on “Seaway”

  1. Pingback: Seaway – A Peek Down Below | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news

  2. Ross, there are records, so long as the owner registered the boat with the APYMBA, belonged to a club, got into the newspapers etc etc. Unfortunately Brake built several SEAWAYs. The 1958 Lanes 38 footer was registered with APYMBA by Fred Brake and her next owner, A.E. Hayman, who was also a Squadron member in 1960-2. There are other SEAWAY entries with the AYA plus SEAWAY FAIR, but I can’t figure out which is which.
    So, at the moment, you have been provided with two totally anecdotal sources, one from Pat Emtage and one from Ken Ricketts. If I had a choice I would go for Emtage.

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  5. Seaway is making her way to Nelson via Mana marina. I hope to have her moored off Monaco this weekend. I would love to know her history and original name if it was ever changed.
    Seaway is powered by a 60hp ford that was replaced like for like in the early 2000’s. She is single skin carvel kauri. Paperwork states she was berthed in pine harbour for many years, owned by an older couple. She had a large game fishing rig bolted to either side so I wonder if seaway was build up north of Whangarei. Cheers Ross (current owner)

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  7. My husband Jim started work as an apprentice at Lane Motorboat Company in Panmure, in 1953 and he recalls all of the Seaway launches were built there for Fred Brake over the next seven years. He thinks there were four, and the photo shown is definitely one of them, but he’s not sure which. They were all similar. Fred Brake was a customer originally, but ended up workling at Lane’s full-time.

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  8. I agree that in no way could she be 1930 or Sam F., & also my parents lived next door to the Brakes & knew Fred well, & all his boats from round 1950 onwards & she was not one of them at that time. — she looks to me as mid to later 1940s, by the flare & coamings styling, which would seem to fit in as original for that era, & could be built by Roy or Fred Lidgard, or Strongman, amongst others — I don’t think she ever belonged to the Brakes, they would have spoken of her, I’m sure, somewhere along the way to my parents. — KEN R

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