AN INSIGHT INTO NZ’S UNIQUE MARINE ENGINES – Part Six

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AN INSIGHT INTO NZ’S UNIQUE MARINE ENGINES – Part Six
Todays WW story follows on from earlier stories – link below to Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five 
As per pervious stories in the series the content has been pulled together by Ken Ricketts and ‘polished’ byPatrica and Ken’s daughter Corinne Pettersen. As always we have endeavoured to be as factual as possible but there will always by matters others will either know more about or be able to correct errors – so woodys do not hold back in commenting.

PART ONE – https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/04/04/an-insight-into-nzs-unique-marine-engines-part-one/

PART TWO – https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/04/12/an-insight-into-nzs-unique-marine-engines-part-two/

PART THREE – https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/04/18/an-insight-into-nzs-unique-marine-engines-part-three/

PART FOUR – https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/04/26/an-insight-into-nzs-unique-marine-engines-part-four/

PART FIVE – https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/05/03/an-insight-into-nzs-unique-marine-engines-part-five/

BENZ DIESEL ENGINE – BENZ OM59 55HP 4CYL DIESEL ENGINE PROBABLY SIMILAR TO THAT IN THE MANUNUI

MANUNUI WITH HER 55HP 6 CYL BENZ DIESEL ENGINE DURING WWII

MANUNUI AS BUILT AT SPEED WITH HER BENZ DIESEL ENGINE 

The MANUNUI was built for Percy Colebrook in 1939 by Bill Couldrey and had a medium / slow revving 6 cylinder 55 hp Benz Diesel engine fitted when built, which she retained until 1963 when it was replaced by a 100 hp Perkins Diesel. 

CRUSADER V8 MARINE PETROL ENGINES

TWIN CRUSADER ORIGINAL V8 PETROL ENGINES HAVING SERVICING, FROM THE RIVA TRITONE “LOLA,” WHICH ARE STILL IN HER TODAY. 

Crusader engines, while major marine engine suppliers in America and other countries, have only made a cameo appearance in New Zealand, with only a handful of these lovely engines in use here, as far as I can ascertain.

Overview: The only craft I personally know of for certain is the stunning 1962 Italian-built Riva Tritone, LOLA.

However, WINSOME II may have had one, back around the 1950s when owned by Andy Donovan. I know her previous Chrysler 8-cylinder inline engine was replaced around that time by a V8, that was either a Crusader, Chris-Craft, or Flagship. However, the memory banks have failed me, making it impossible to determine which of the three it is, so come on, you WINSOME II experts, help me out here!

In the 1960s, Crusader Marine Engines was a prominent brand worldwide, providing inboard power for many boats, particularly cruisers and sport fishermen. They were known for their premium quality and reliability, used by leading boat manufacturers like Chris-Craft. 

Crusader engines were based on standard automotive engines, but were marinized for marine use, with many of them based on Ford engines, and later with Hercules and Chrysler base units.

LOLA WITH HER 2 X CRUSADER 270HP PETROL ENGINES 

LOLA, the 1962 Italian-built Riva Tritone Aperto, has a LOA of 27 ft and is one of only 15 in the world. 

It is believed to be the only original Riva in New Zealand and a stunning example of boat restoration, all completed in NZ. Only 3,000 Rivas were built between 1950 and 1966, and she still has her original engines. She lives, or did live, in her own, purpose built, fully air conditioned boat shed, on the banks of the Marlborough Sounds.

WINSOME II – MAY HAVE HAD A CRUSADER V8 PETROL ENGINE IN THE 1950s /60s ERA – POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES ARE FLAGSHIP & CHRIS CRAFT 

CHRIS CRAFT PETROL ENGINES.

CHRIS CRAFT 1950s 6 CYL FLATHEAD PETROL 135hp ENGINE SIMILAR TO THAT IN THE GLENIFFER IN THE 1950s

These are another brand of engine that is sold in huge numbers worldwide, particularly in America, where all genuine Chris-Craft boats are built. However, they have only made a cameo appearance in New Zealand, with most of them coming here in imported Chris-Craft boats.

There are a few New Zealand-built boats that have or have had them. I have only ever seen a petrol version, although naturally, they do produce diesel engines in their lineup. All the engines they produce are based on other major engine manufacturers’ base engine blocks and are marinized by them. Hercules is a major engine block supplier to them.

GLENIFFER WITH HER CHRISCRAFT 6 CYL FLAT HEAD PETROL ENGINE RUNNING ON KEROSENE IN THE 1950s – OWNER PERCY JENNINGS IS AT THE HELM.

Input copied from previous post, ex Harold Kidd.  – “Trevor Davis sold GLENIFER to P J Jennings of Paeroa in 1937 and he sold her to George Manktelow of Paeroa in about 1959. The Gleniffer was replaced by a 6-cyl Chris Craft (Hercules block) during the 50s, converted to run on power kerosene with a Model A Ford Zenith carb.”

FLAGSHIP MARINE ENGINES

FLAGSHIP 1958 250HP V8 PETROL MARINE ENGINE – BASED ON A CHEV BLOCK

There were a number of these engines that found their way to NZ in the 1950s/60s era and this is one of the possibilities for the V8 engine that was installed in the WINSOME II in that era by Andy Donovan who may also have had an agency for them, around that time.

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16 thoughts on “AN INSIGHT INTO NZ’S UNIQUE MARINE ENGINES – Part Six”

  1. Pingback: NEW ZEALAND MARINE ENGINES – Seven Part Series | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily

  2. Pingback: AN INSIGHT INTO NZ’S UNIQUE MARINE ENGINES – Part Seven | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily

  4. Thank you Chris, for your valued input into CACHALOT.

    Also, thank you so much for putting me on to the image of OM59 55hp Benz, re MANUNUI, richditchnz, & Alan Sexton, as a grade one, source of engine knowledge with the data re the Crusaders in LOLA.

    Image of the OM59 added to the post.

    This is all wonderful support from you all, & is exactly what I hoped would happen, that we all add our little bits, to build up a great dossier, of this special part our boating history. Thank you all so much. — KEN R

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  5. I did a quite a few Xmas cruises with Andy Donovan in ‘Winsome II’ in the 1970’s. The Chris Craft Chev V8 was very smooth and quiet, right up forward out of the way in the galley. Cruised at 8 knots but was capable of 22. Cachalot’s (sperm whale) engines were Chris Craft Lincoln 430 cubic inch V8s with eye watering fuel consumption when wide open. 4 barrel carbs. Tom owned City Haulage so I assume the company paid the fuel bill.

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  6. Thanks so much for this series of articles on marine engines. It’s so interesting to read about the various powerplants and the vessels (many known to me) they are or were in. Such a great resource and a springboard for much more on line research.

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  8. Perhaps to expand a little on twin conventional drives as referred to in the LOLA section.

    Only boats with the propellers having opposite rotation & turning out will have complete maximum maneuvering ability, which I have proved, because 2 of our family’s 3 twin engine boats, had one to one drives, with L.H. pops, & the last boat, TIARRI, had counter rotating, 4 blade 22×22 Bri Ski’s turning out & she was amazingly different & unbelievably better to make do as she was told.

    Only when the props turn out, can one turn a boat around on its axis without it moving forward or backwards, in my experience, on our boats.

    If the props. turn in, the maneuverability is lessened but it gives more thrust & this system is used on vessels such as twin screw small & larger tugboats etc., where thrust is the most important factor.

    I know of a number of lovely pleasure launches with reduction gearboxes, in which the props are both turning the same way, & if those owners replaced the reduction box on one engine, with the opposite hand rotation, turning out they will be amazed at what happens.

    I actually can’t understand engine suppliers, or installing marine engineers, installing same direction engines in boats, with reduction boxes & not getting it right. — KEN R

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  9. 2 very large Chris Crafts installed in Tom Pearce’s CACHALOT was right, & would be appropriate, as from recall, Andy Donovan designed her, & if so, as the agent, he would obviously have specified those engines.

    As an aside, when she as brand new, I was talking to Tom P, when he was aboard her, on her berth one day, at Westhaven, & I remarked that CACHALOT was a good trick name, & l told him I hoped he caught plenty, which went down like a lead balloon, as he informed me that Cachalot was a type whale which I obviously had never heard of.

    Talk about mortified with my backend really kicked in.– I have never forgotten my huge booboo, even after all these great many years.

    She had a sistership built after her, that had one very large 6 cyl. Caterpillar turbo diesel, — KEN R

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  10. Manunui is now powered by a 135 Perkins Diesel engine.

    Bill

    On Tue, May 6, 2025 at 12:05 AM waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden

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  11. A brief summary of Crusader engines history can be found here https://marineenginedigest.com/profiles/crusader/50th.htm Of note their original engines were marinised Cadillacs. I very much doubt they marinised any Hercules engines and no record of Chryslers. GM was their principal OEM supplier (who also supply Mercruiser and Volvo), the engines were/are marinisations of small and big block Chevy V8’s and some 6 cylinders, both inline and V6 . However it does appear they also marinised Ford “Cleveland” V8’s, mainly the 302cu.in from the 70’s to the 90’s.

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  12. Mananui‘s Benz Diesel was likely the OM 59 released in 1933 for small trucks. It was a four cylinder 3.8 litre and appears to be the only size producing 55 hp pre war. The five and six cylinder Benz diesels came after the war. Picture on Wikipedia with a cut away engine at the Mercedes Benz museum.

    Looking at the sea trials photo in 1939 it seemed to push Mananui along at a respectable speed for 55 hp.

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  13. And Tom Pearce’s Cachalot which I think was built by Gladden had two Chris Crafts when launched. I believe they were 440 Chrysler base engines. They were replaced with two 6 cyl Iveco diesels I understand. The logistics of arranging petrol for her at out-of-town ports was apparently a bit legendary….

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  15. Winsome II was fitted with a Chris-Craft V8 – a 327 Chev which was actually set up backwards with the transmission on the front end of the engine and the flywheel facing the front of the boat. I assume this was to get a RH propeller rotation without using an opposite-rotation engine. It remained in the boat until after Andy’s passing, and was replaced with I believe a 6cyl Nissan diesel by the next owner in Russell.

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  16. One thing I forgot to mention above is that as one can see. both LOLA’s propellers turn out, (perfection!!), which almost certainly means she must have reduction gears fitted to the gearboxes, which I am surprised at, for a small highspeed craft, but there is still the possibility of course, the starboard engine could be fitted with a different camshaft(s) from her port engine so the starboard engine would run the other way, with a one to one drive, with her having Rolls Royce type quality & perfection, in every detail she has, this is always a possibility, as it also looks to me, that the propellers are very small, for reduction gear drives, in this incredibly beautiful little boat– KEN R.

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