Eunice K

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EUNICE K
I was recently contacted by Karen Bennett concerning the launch – Eunice K, pictured above in 1980, that her father, Mike McDonald, owned on the 1980’s. Karen & her family lived in Thames & used to cruise around the Coromandel area.
Karen was prompted to contact WW by an old friend John Managh, John had also owned Eunice K, previous to Karen’s family buying her, this was in the  late 1970’s early 1980’s. The McDonalds went on to own the launch Taree, photo below during their ownership in 1987.
Do we know what happened to Eunice K & is she still on the water?

25-10-2017 Update

Received an email from Henk Van Wijk to say that he was pleasantly surprised to read the WW story on Eunice K & he was able to advise that approx.. 8 years ago he found her in a pretty sad state of disrepair and as the family were looking for a project, they purchased Eunice K & renamed her Pathfinder in 2009.

Hank had always been curious about her history & when he compared the photos posted on Woodys of her in the 1980 to what she looks like today, he commented that she obviously has had a few changes done to her.

Hank would love to learn more about her early years, they know that she was built by Collings and Bell in 1948 and was previously owned by Rod Barker and was based at Pine Harbour, Auckland.

Pathfinder has spent most of her time in the lower Hauraki Gulf, and in summer up in the Bay of Islands. Hank commented that she is loved and well used by his family. The photos below show her when they found her and what she looks like today.

Unknown

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Update 28-05-2021 ex Dean Wright – photo below of Pathfinder , berthed at Tutukaka.

Link to Taree on ww here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/05/01/taree-a-peek-down-below/
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13 thoughts on “Eunice K”

  1. Pingback: PATHFINDER (Eunice. K) | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily

  3. Edit: I found one image of 1933 but not the one I was thinking of. Moored in Mechanics Bay with aft dodger, tram top and unusual little 1ft tall wheelhouse/meerkat lookout

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  4. Replying to Nathan’s comment Without getting into who is right and who is wrong….and I am no expert on wooden boats, but I have stripped this boat back to bare bones inside and she was clearly a flush decker from looking at her interior sceleton . The only person that would be able to shed some light on this would be one of the earlier owners. Maybe something will come up., I am very interested to find out more about her.

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  5. Bullshit 1948. She is clearly the Mechanics bay boat, and somewhere in the mix I have a photograph of her as a flush decker in the very old days.

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  8. How about this scenario? EUNICE K = LADY VI =LADY VIVIAN which crops up in 1937 going to Coromandel at Easter 1937. LADY VIVIAN is called that because she has a Canadian Vivian engine. After all “Vivian” is not the female spelling of that name. Charles Palmer is the agent for Vivian engines. Charles Palmer had a long relationship with Dick Lang who built the launch which became LADY ADELAIDE in 1947 (although W.G. Lowe & Son did the lengthening) and had a Vivian. I feel there’s something there in the mix of Vivian engine, Charles Palmer and Dick Lang.
    Over to you Nathan.

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  11. As per Harold Kidds comments on WW back in 1939 she was owned or used by Pan Am as a support craft for their flying boat operations at Mechanics Bay. Named Lady Vie or possibly Lady Vi, which appears visible on her life buoys on the back of the bridge deck in the WW post dated 14.1.2017.

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