CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – AVALON RESTORATION UPDATE #1

Back in Feb 2020 one of the WW spies spotted the launch – AVALON ‘parked’ on a lawn in Auckland’s north shore. From the subsequent WW story , linked below, we learnt that the 24’ AVALON was built be Sam Ford and launched in 1954 . AVALON has enjoyed one extended family ownership since new and at the time Tobias Forsyth (MV Callisto) was planning to give the launch a birthday. The top photo (launch day) above was sent in by Cameron Pollard Feb 2020 https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/02/17/mystery-sam-ford-launch/

Fast forward to Nov 2021 and Tobias gave us an update, link below, which included a wonderful collection of historical AVALON photos over the years. He also shared a design sketch of the thinking re the ’new’ look (4th photo above). Nov 2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/29/resurrection-of-avalon/

Then last Friday the gallery of work-in-progress photos above landed in the WW inbox. The Forsyth family, including father Ian (MV MEOLA) are very talented chaps as you will see from the work underway.
Tobias commented that it had “been a busy few weeks with some big milestones but plenty of work has gone on since she was installed outside my kitchen window. Getting onto the shiny bits new with new solid Honduran mahogany cabin sides with a slight more sleek take on Avalons original design, engine is in and things are progressing well. Hopefully she can be in the water for summer 2026 in a rough and ready mode.”

As always – click on photos to enlarge 😉

UPDATE ex TOBIAS FORSYTH – AVALON will be re-powered  new Mercruiser 3.0 petrol engine with new hydraulic transmission. 

The old engine (Morris Naviigator) was too far gone and finding parts made it uneconomical. Its still sitting in my garage if someone looking for parts as there’s all sorts there and spares too including the Paragon box with 2:1 reduction. Would make a good static museum piece as it’s quite neat with the hand crank start etc. it seems too good to take to the scrap dealers. 

The new engine is half the weight, 8 x more HP , narrower and shorter, so gives me much more internal room. And it should be nice and quiet inside the cabin when running. Plus she may boogie a little faster now.

I intend to tow her around the country and visit a lot of the lakes and hard to reach spots right down south in the future so she will be a full trailer boat now. Plus the anniversary races etc.

Tobias also commented that he is the second owner of Avalon, his grandparents had her hull and cabin sides built by Sam Ford in early 50’s and grandfather transported her home on the truck and finished her outside their kitchen window over a period of about 6 months with what ever he could find that would do the job, tounge and groove and canvas cabin tops. They then kept her at their wharf in Helliers Creek that Avalon help build as she towed the logs to Riverhead to be pressure treated and milled before towing/carrying them back rather overloaded at times.  Tobias’s Grandma used her regularly well into her 80’s before she ended up on the lawn . Tobias’s  mum Carol is the baby in Granddads arms on launching day. 

AVALON is a genuine one family owned vessel since new.