1940’s Woody Speed Boat
Todays woody speedboat was built by Richard Hall’s father and his best mate John Primrose in the late 1940’s. The zoom zoom came from a 1938 Cadillac V8.
The caption on the back of the photos says 35 knots – very impressive – refer the photo below for more more details.
Richard commented that John Primrose had a boatbuilding business in Gisborne, undertaking a lot of Govt. contract work.
Can anyone tell us the name of the speedboat and what became of her?
Discover more from waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 14+ million views
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 14+ million views 
Hello Richard
Email the photo to the address below and I will add to the story. Thanks Alan H
Waitematawoodys@gmail.com
LikeLike
My name is Richard Meyers my dad was Keith and he owned zoom.
I have a great photo of dad driving Zoom in the 40s;
Love to know what happened to Zoom?
My mum is 102 and she cannot remember any more.
LikeLike
The name of the boat was called “Shearwater.”
LikeLike
By 1960, wooden powerboats had become rare since most new vessels used fiberglass or other lightweight materials, including fiber reinforced plastic materials to reduce weight and maximize speed, particularly in racing craft. The art of boat-building in wood has been largely lost since it requires a level of craftsmanship impossible in large scale production boat building.
LikeLike