The owner of Pirate, Bryce Armstrong, sent in the above photo of the 32’ Bob Swanson built launch. She was launched in 1977 and was the last launch Swanson built. The original owner in Picton finished the topsides
REO MOANA
“I am prompted to write a few lines about Reo Moana after seeing her coming through the Albert Channel and arriving in the Bay of Islands, she looks so different with the extra top hamper that has been added. Her current owners have recorded that she was built by Roger Carey, this is not correct, see below.
I worked at the Carey yard and in 1963 we commenced work on a Roger Carey design of a 51’x15’8”x 7’ fishing boat for John Buchanan of Cascade River. She was carvel planked in karri and launched in 1964 named “Compass Rose” The moulds of this Roger Carey design were then taken across to another Picton boat builder Bob Swanson. Bob’s yard was directly opposite the Carey yard at the southern end of the harbour, it was formerly the site of Ernie Lane’s boatyard.
Bob was commissioned to build a boat to this Roger Carey design by Bill and Sylvia Kenny of Red Funnel Launches and an associate. She was built multi skin and was powered by a 6LX Gardner. There was talk that the boat was to do a Pacific cruise that was to include Tahiti but the cruise did not come to fruition. She was put into service with the Red funnel fleet, it was also at this time that the pine plantations in the Sounds were starting to be harvested and with a substantial tow post Reo Moana was regularly used to tow rafts of logs to Picton. Her spacious after deck also proved ideal for work in and around the Marlborough Sounds.
In the above photo she can be seen in the Red Funnel colours, I was involved with salvaging the fishing vessel Ascot that had sunk in Cloudy Bay and we used Reo Moana as the salvage vessel to tow Ascot into Port Underwood to pump her out and then continue the tow to Picton.
Seeing her now, photos below, I suppose she is handy for charters in and around Auckland, but with the windage from the considerable extra top hamper that she now carries, I think she would be more that a handful going alongside wharves in the Sounds in some of the extreme wind conditions that can be experienced at times.”
34’ SWANSON LAUNCH
21-08-2019 Input from Graham Taylor – “Graham Wilkinson had many skills, one of which was an expert prop tuner. He made many a fast prop for us when we were racing speedboats and chasing NZ speed records. One particular propeller did set a new record for its engine class with a two way run over the measured mile. On that occasion the slip factor was just 6.7%, amazing when the “norm” is often around 33% !
We even flew to Australia when he lived there to collect a new prop and carry it home carefully so it would not get dinged when freighted normally.”
SILVER DOLLAR
SILVER DOLLAR
In the last week my spies have sighted Silver Dollar at Great Barrier & Kawau so as my mother used to say “she gets around”. All I know is her stern says Scotts Landing, Mahurangi & was built in 1958. Keen to learn more about this launch with an unusual cabin.
Update from JohnWicks
he and her sister-ships were built by Bob Swanson at Blackwood Bay in Queen Charlotte Sound in the 50s. Bob later moved his boatbuilding operation to Picton, at what had previously been Ernie Lane’s yard. As a small boy I was at either her launching or that of “Maritza”, one of her sisters.- memory not wot it wuz 
She hasn’t been lengthened, though that dodger over the cockpit is a later modification.
Neat that she still has her original 2 cylinder “Jimmy” shoving her along. Those hulls are easily driven, and don’t need a lot of power.
I’ve always thought those boats were very handsome; my admiration is tempered by the difficulty of getting from the helm station at the forward end of the house to the foredeck. My father had the slightly smaller “Palomino” which had a more conventional sedan layout and was easier to work single-handed..
Updated Photos (20/03/2014) from Paul Stichbury (ex Ken Ricketts)
The b/w photo was taken c1958 at the launch at Blackwood Bay, Picton. According to John Wicks (who was there with his father, but not in photo) the gent centre stage with the braces & hands in pockets is Bob Swanson . The photos also show her original (& still there) engine at the time of being reconditioned in 2011, all that was required was new sleeves, pistons & bearings (there was no wear on the crankshaft).
