HUIA
Recently WW was contacted by Simon Truebridge the current custodian (Simon’s word) of the 48’ wooden ketch-rigged motor sailer – Huia. Huia was built / launched c.1951>1953 and was the first vessel built by the founders of Gough Engineering in Invercargill. Huia is planked with Australian tallow wood and apparently Joe Gough was friendly with the workers who had worked at the Prices’s Inlet Norwegian whale boat maintenance facility on Stewart Island, hence Huia’s strong Scandinavian influence. Powered by a Gardner 6lw that is rumoured to be perhaps 25 years older than the boat, the thinking is that it started life on standby genset duty in the basement of the British Admiralty Headquarters. The rumour goes on to say that two of these engines, along with transmissions, a hydraulic windlass that sounds remarkably similar to Huia’s, & various other equipment mysteriously arrived in Invercargill soon after the end of World War II, fortuitously just as Huia was taking shape…..
Simon believes he is her 5th keeper, the Goughs having kept her in Bluff until 1972. The boat still raises great interest whenever she returns to Bluff.
Any woodys able to tell us more about Huia’s past?
Almost Had To Excommunicated My Daughter
Currently holidaying at Lake Como in Italy, they hired a runabout for the day, now you would think the woody DNA would kick in, but nope – they hire a plastic boat 😦 She saved herself by sporting a WW shirt 🙂
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Ted Sims (MBE) was my stepdad and I spent time on Huia as well. Ted loved her and was very proud of her – he was looking forward to his retirement and sailing Huia in the Sounds. I was rather hoping to be invited on the Dunedin to Picton voyage, but sadly Ted passed away just before that was supposed to happen – which was the same time he was awareded his MBE. We had a large mooring bouy in the deep water outside of the house ready for Huia’s arrival. Ted didn’t sell her but he did sell a lot of other things – including his home at one stage – to keep his men employed during quiet times at the ship yard. When I was back in Dunedin Ted and I would take Huia out past the heads and around the bouy and back – I got to steer (was about 17 at the time) and Ted stoked up the coal range so we could have tea, cake, and a chat when we got back to the berth at Sims Engineering’s wharf. If the current owner reads this – I have brass ships bell with Hua’s name on it. Ted had it cast to install on Huia but alas the two were never united – how nice it would be if we could do that for Ted and for Huia.
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Kia ora , Allan Montgomery is my old man.I spent a fair bit of time on her he bought her up from Dunedin wif some of mates. Shame he sold her stupid greedy sisters wedding I believe. Awesome vessel very seaworthy a Colin Archer design , never seen anything close in NZ probly plenty in Scotland. Apparently she in nelson now .
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Kia Ora,
Ted Simms bought a batch in Beeches Bay, Queen Charlotte Sounds , he was going to spend his retirement exploring the Sounds in the Huia, he sadly past away either before or soon after his retirement and the Huia was sold to a Picton Paua diver Allan Montgomery.
I did servicing work on the Huia, she was a beautiful craft, the old Gardner ticked over like a clock, if I remember rightly the engine room was right aft behind the wheelhouse, with a very short prop shaft, which made for a roomy front cabin. I often wondered what become of her.
Monty also had an old English self righting life boat that he got me to recauk and paint for him, be interesting to know what become of that craft.
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Huia was owned during the 1980,s by Sims Engineering. Ted Sims replaced her original telephone box wheelhouse with the current one. I believe that during a business downturn he sold Huia and kept his men employed,
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unusual layout down below – cant help but feel it would have been better as a flush deck
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