How It Used To Be Done – Launching of Quo Vadis
Todays woody photos come to us from Lance Lange via Nathan Herbert and show the launch that Lance’s grandfather and boatbuilder Phil Lange built – Quo Vadis.
Quo Vadis was built for the Hopper family.and the photos are from her launch day – must have been a very proper occasion – even had a man of the cloth in attendance.
In the last photo above, I’m assuming the launch to the left od Quo Vadis is Nathan’s – Pacific.
Photo below of Quo Vadis taken in Jan 2020
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I recall the occasion as a youngster aged around 7(son of Ian Hopper). There was quite a crowd for the launching of Quo Vadis. Being constructed of strip plank Kauri she took on a lot of water over the first few days afloat needing extra bilge pumps to keep her above water until eventually self sealing. The launch to the left was certainly the Pacific.
Ian installed a rather large lumbering Lister diesel engine. There was something peculiar to the harmonics of Quo Vadis, after many years of game fishing she never boated a Marlin but attracted an unusual amount of Yellow Fin Tuna.
Leigh Hopper
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