CLASSIC LAUNCH DELRAY

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CLASSIC LAUNCH DELRAY

During a recent mystery launch story where we were trying to ID a launch moored in the Tamaki River (named NAU MAI) the above photo was recent in by Ken Ricketts , a totally different boat than the one we featured but it did jog the KR memory bank and he later advised the boat was – DELRAY.

She was built by Chris Robertson, in Otahuhu. Her original owner was Lees Bros. Ltd. who were the Ford marine diesel agents in Papakura at the time. KR recalls they used her as a demo boat for the first 2 x 250hp versions of the 6 cyl. Ford diesels that were installed in a boat in NZ.

They did not keep her terribly long & sold her to Mr. Ah Chee the owner of NZ’s first supermarket in Otahuhu. KR commented that there was a story told at that time, that he went away for his very first trip in her and the master stateroom, happened to be right above where the chine enters the water and the story goes that he didn’t get a wink of sleep all night, because of the little ‘plopping sound’ of the waves in the bay on the chine. He was not at all impressed, having just spent a lot of money buying her.

Do we know what happened to DELRAY post the Ah Chee ownership period.

UPDATE – As Murray Deeble pointed out in the comments section – DELRAY is the boat on the slip. I assumed KR was talking about the moored boat. The slipway boat probably wouldn’t have passed the woody test i.e. too modern in appearance and sporting a ‘block of flats’. So the question is whats the moored boat?

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11 thoughts on “CLASSIC LAUNCH DELRAY”

  1. The moored boat is indeed a ferro 32ft Hartley Coastal – Kerevelle. She was owned by my parents in the late 90’s – early 2000’s.

    Dad gave me the keys to her when I was 14yrs old, a friend who could drive a car and I went off on our adventure to the Pine Harbour Marina. Took her over to the fuel jetty and put $20 diesel in, much to the confusion of the marina staff who back in the day had to come and take cash payment and asked where my parents were and did they know I was taking the boat out. Off we went fishing out around Crusoe for the day. Came back in to the marina to berth B2 (hard up against the rocks in the carpark) with marina staff waiting at the berth. Reversed her back in and they kindly handed me the stern line as I stepped off. They were good times.

    As fate would have it I am now moored 2 boats down from Kerevelle looking out of my wheelhouse at her as I type this.

    I wish my current boat was able to part the seas like Moses as Kerevelle did. Sadly 20 odd years has taken its toll on the poor girl though but she still gets used semi regularly by her current owners.

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  2. Hi, I was informed many years ago that Delray and Quetzal were sister ships. Both being Chris Robertson design and build. I was care taker for quetzal for many years then owned by Bob Green. I eventually bought her and owned her for the last 32 years, and recently sold Quetzal now moored at Tairua.

    Cheers,

    Tom Morris.

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  4. Is Delray a sister ship to Amorino? She’d be stunning as a sedan with varnished coamings 😀 (I imagine she was possibly launched in that configuration?)

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  5. Delray was designed &built by Chris Robertson in his shed on Target Rd Glenfield in about 1974.I did the electrical installation on it. A big job in the time.

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  6. The moored boat would definitely not pass the woody test. It is a Hartley Blue Marlin 30 design in ferro cement (previously known as a Hartley Coastal 30 I think). Nice design but undesirable material.

    I’m having a bad day today 🙂 a swimming pool, how did I let that slip by / in 🙂 Alan H

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  7. Sorry about the confusion folks. — I should have cropped the image to avoid any confusion, but it is quite obvious the boat on the mooring does not have a chine line that would “plop,” & as I knew which boat as which, I forgot that others may not, especially if they were not familiar with the noise affects the chine on a hard chine boat can have, at anchor. It is of course the boat on the slip, that is the DELRAY.

    On another note, I wonder if she still has the same 2 Fords? — KEN R

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  8. Umm the moored launch is ?? The one on Don Burnands slip is Delray, she would have been built at Chris Robertsons yard in the Wairau Valley. She was owned in the late 70s / 1980 by Laurie Evans and kept at HMB -later was in Tutukaka with the Goings.

    Thanks for that Murray – yes I was referring to the moored boat – a breakdown in comms with KR. Have made a comment on the main story. The slipway boat (Delray) is way too un-classic for WW – sorry sorry readers for the confusion 🙂 Alan H

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  9. Chris Robertson’s yard was in Target Rd, Glenfield at the time of Delray’s build.

    Current owner is Don Burnand, as I have noted in the Nau Mai post. Delray is pictured on his home’s slipway. Don worked for Lees Marine for many years (sales manager?) and I understand he has alot of moulds for castings for Lees Ford conversions.

    John Mac Farlane wrote an article on Don a few years ago in Boating NZ

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  10. Delray was owned by Gordan & Clare Gilbert for quite a period over the 1970s and 80s. They were often at Kawau and Great Barrier over that period. Cheers, Hilton.

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