KITTY VANE – Where Are You
Back in January 2015 I spotted Kitty Vane hauled out at Te Atatu Boating Club, Auckland, colour photos above, where she was getting some TCL. According to her transom home is / was Tutukaka.





KITTY VANE – Where Are You
ARGO – Mason Marine Clipper 26
In recent years there has been a resurgence in the restoration of the Mason Marine motor boats. Aside from being very smart craft, the ability to pop them on a trailer & take them home, cuts out the savage marina costs. Her owner has had her since 1993, in later years she was always a project to be completed but life got in the way.
Todays deep vee Clipper 26, Argo, & is for sale on trademe, she looks a little tired after sitting out in the weather for years but the bones are their. Her looks are deceiving. Her hull has been tapped her out and she sounds good. Internal wood work needs a lot of attention.
Although the Clippers originally never had a flying bridge, one was added with hydraulic steering top and bottom.
This boat comes with a 6.4 GMC Diesel motor (not converted) Volvo stern leg plus the standard bits and pieces that were on her originally.
The photos of her in her original glory are from Pete Miller’s web site. Got to love the photo from the “old times” checking for fuel leaks whilst the character n the background has his smoke.
Argo had a wide beam of 9’6” & interesting construction of strip plank cedar glassed on the exterior and ribs on the interior. Fuel consumption must have been fierce with twin 283cu inboards originally, later replaced by a 440cu Magnum 4bbl and she had a third with a 440 cu Magnum with a 6 BBL carb. But then fuel was dirt cheap in those days.
So Woodys anyone looking for a project?
KORARI II
Received an email the other day from Paul Clarke who purchased in December 2016 the very original 35′ Mason Clipper Korari II. She came from Picton, where she had spent many years, her last owner was a Jeremy Daley. Korari II came north to Auckland in February 2017. Her zoom zoom comes from twin 135hp Perkins.
Paul would love to know more details on her build & past.
CAPRI IV
photos & details ex Michael Fann
Danger – Alert – Not A True Woody 😉
Today’s post breaks one of the fundamental ww rules, it has to be wood………….. but sometimes rules need to be broken (not too often).
Capri IV is a Mason Marine Clipper 24 built in the early 1970’s & if you believed the company hype back in those days “the finest powerboat in the world”.
In recent weeks I have had the pleasure of sharing some time with the her present owner, Michael Fann & her previous owner, Tim Evill. Both gents are wonderful, passionate classic boaties but I understand that it was the owner prior to Tim, a Taupo resident who painstakingly restored her.
Capri IV is 24′ long with a beam of 8′, these days she is powered by a Volvo Penta 5.7L V8 that has her comfortably cruising at 22>24 knots & topping out at 32>34 knots -thats quick for a boat of her size. I imagine that Michael is on first name terms with the the fuel jetty jockey 🙂
I have dropped a copy of the May 1971 boat test from Sea Spray magazine into a slide show for viewing, see below. Click to pause & enlarge.
When launched the Clipper 24′ had a quite a revolutionary launching set-up with a sliding cradle trailer (see photo), further proof of the build skills of the team at Mason Marine, Capri IV is still using the same trailer today – thats over 40 years later.
Some of the sales advertisements make amusing reading, as do the features on Tony Mason.
Enjoy.
Sea Spray – May 1971
Remember to click images to enlarge 😉