NZ’S UNIQUE MARINE ENGINES – Part One

Todays WW story is a little (or maybe a lot) out of the normal WW story style i.e. we are focussing on marine propulsion > engines not craft.

The story has been pulled together by Ken Ricketts, who comments while he has endeavoured to be as factual as possible 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.

There are many sections to the story and the intention is to publish one part a week. 

WW are very conscious that most readers have limited interest in engines, h.p., gearbox ratios, prop sizes etc – BUT a very high % of the WW site visitation is research based, so the thinking is this data needs to be recorded for future recall. HOWEVER if the viewing numbers show low interest, an option is to just load the data up in one go.

So woodys over to you have a review / look and lets see the interest factor.

As per any Ken Ricketts item it will be riddled with typos and mistakes, but as stated the primary intention is to get the data in a location for future access. Over time we will ‘fine tune’ it.

NAPIER LION PETROL W12 (3 BANKS OF 4 CYLINDERS) PETROL AIRCRAFT ENGINES – CONVERTED TO MARINE USE BY POWER MARINE UK

A NAPIER LION MARINSED 500HP W12 PETROL AICRAFT ENGINE BY POWER MARINE UK, as used in RNZAF PATROL VESSEL W1, DURING WWII

ENGINE ROOM AS ORIGINAL IN W1 DURING WWII with 3 x PETROL NAPIER LION 500 HP AIRCRAFT PETROL ENGINES, AS ORIGINAL. — NOTE THE 3 GEAR LEVERS & ENGINEERS CHAIR 

ABOVE 2 IMAGES ARE OF THE CENTRE ENGINE VEE DRIVE GEARBOX/REDUCTION GEAR FITTED AS ORIGINAL, TO THE FORWARD-FACING CENTRE NAPIER LION W12 ENGINE, IN W1

THE 3 ORIGINAL PROPELLERS DRIVEN BY THE 3 NAPIER LION 500HP MARINISED PETROL AIRCRAFT ENGINES, AS FITTED TO W1. 

REPLACING A W12 NAPIER LION MARINISED 500HP AIRCRAFT ENGINE IN W1 DURING WW II.  

NOW BELOW, W1 AS A FULLY AIR CONDITIONED LUXURY PLEASURE CRAFT, AS AT 2025

W1 – WITH HER BEATUTIFUL GENTLE FLAT WAKE AT 22 KNOTs c2020 

W1 – HER ENGINE STORY. 

All RNZAF craft, have a permanent identification number, allocated  to them upon entering RNZAF service, & whilst only the number is ever actually sign-written on the boat, in all paperwork, & in the spoken & written word, they are all prefixed with a letter, & in the case of this craft it is a “W,” thus the craft referred to herein, was IDed as “W1” when it arrived in NZ & was therefore known  as “W1”, which has now  been given this title, as the boats official name, along with the special marine RT call sign of ZMWI.

She was originally imported new from UK by the RNZAF c.1940, & after her RNZAF service ended in c.1951, her designation & name of W1, was changed to CARROMA in the 1950s, by the Alright family, of Panmure, who did the first & second pleasure craft conversions to her, to become a pleasure craft, & now it has been reverted back to W1 by Francis Uren, the present owner who has created a 3rd new super luxury set of coamings & fully airconditioned fitout. 

She had 3 of these 500hp W12 cyl engines which were in 3 banks of 4 cylinders, as per the above image, as original , with the 2 outer engines facing aft, with conventional mechanical gearboxes, & the centre engine facing forward, driving a vee drive/reduction gear unit, so all 3 propellers, where in a  perfect line across, at the stern, (refer above image), as original, when ordered by the RNZAF in early WWII.

During her WWII service, she had to have a fulltime engineer, sitting in a padded chair, with soundproof earmuffs, in the engineroom, when the engines were running, & when she was at sea, controlling the gearbox reverse leavers on instructions from the bridge, & supervising the engines. 

The original engines were replaced initially, in the early 1950s by twin 6/71 GM Detroit diesels, by the Alrights, & later by one 600HP 8V/92-TI Detroit by current owner Francis Uren. post 2010 which she still has today.

HUDSON HOME MARINISED 6 CYL PETROL CAR ENGINE.

HUDSON 6 CYL PETROL CAR ENGINE as used in the yacht SUNDOWNER. (image unavailable)

Only one yacht/motor sailer called SUNDOWNER had this 1930s vintage engine, which in the later 1940s, had an issue with one cylinder & piston, so in the typical NZ No. 8 wire fashion, the owner of the day, simply removed the offending piston, & made it into a 5 Cyl Hudson home marinised marine engine. —It ran well enough, it but sounded funny in the exhaust.  

STUDEBAKER 1930s HOME MARINISED FLAT HEAD 6CYL TRUCK ENGINE

This was a very quiet, smooth running, reliable, low revving engine, originally fitted to the ROYAL FALCON, in the 1930s, & was replaced in the later 1940s, with a factory built marine petrol engine, & the Studebaker was sold to  Bill Waters, who installed it as original, in the 34ft GAY DAWN, in the early 1950s,  as she was being built by him & his son Brian. 

Ralph Ricketts, bought GAY DAWN in 1956, with that engine, & replaced it in 1958, with twin diesels, – (refer later engine listing.) RR sold it.

ROYAL FALCON IN HER STUDEBAKER ERA

GAY DAWN ON LAUNCHING DAY SEPT 1953 WITH HER STUDEBAKER PETROL ENGINE

CROSSLEY MARINE DIESEL ENGINES 

A TYPICAL SMALLISH CROSSLEY ENGINE, PERHAPS SIMILAR TO THAT IN THE LADY CROSSLEY

LADY CROSSLEY POST 2020 

There is the only example known to me, of these engines, in NZ pleasure craft, & that was in her namesake boat, the beautiful LADY CROSSLEY, built for Seager Bros. Ltd Auckland, who were the agents at that time, as a demo boat for these engines. 

However, they were 2 cycle direct reversing, — (as are all or most direct reversing engines), — which meant that one had to stop the engine, & restart it, running the opposite direction to go in reverse, which of course had to be done in the engine room, on directions from the helmsman, up in the bridgedeck. this was highly unsatisfactory, & quite dangerous in this type of use, & after only a very short time, they were replaced by twin Gardner 6LW diesels which she had for many years & may still have.

FAIRBANKS MORSE MARINE DIESEL ENGINES    

FAIRBANKS MORSE 4 CYL 1930s DIESEL PERHAPS SIMILAR TO THAT IN LADY MARGARET 

LADY MARGARET BY DICK LANG. WITH FAIRBANKS MORSE DIESEL ENGINES – THEY HAD SIDE EXHAUSTS- SEE STEAM – WWII-  LATER ENGINES IN LADY MARGARET DID NOT HAVE THESE, – THEY WENT OUT THE COCKPIT CABIN TOP IN SHORT STACKS

FAIRBANKS MORSE DIRECT REVRSING 2 STROKE DIESEL ENGNES, AS USED IN AUCK. PASSENGER & VEHICULAR FERRIES PRE 1958 – 

AUCKLAND HARBOUR PASSENGER FERRY, WITH FAIRBANKS MORSE DIESEL ENGINE c1950s

THE LADY MARGARET ENGINE STORY 

Whilst these are mostly used in very large versions in ocean going ships, & large craft, they did or do make smaller engines & there was at least  one example of these in Auckland, I am aware of, & there may be others,  & that is in the 1939 Dick Lang built, LADY MARGARET, for Ted Clark, who installed 2 of them, when she was built, which were ultimately replaced by 2 x  6 cyl Fodens, in the mid/later 1950s. (no image available of  Fairbanks engine)

AUCKLAND HARBOUR PASSENGER & VEHICULAR FERRIES 

These engines were also used for many years, in Auckland Harbour vehicular & passenger ferries, in a very slow revving, 4 cylinder direct reversing, —  (must be stopped & restarted, to run the other way for reverse), — 2 cycle version, with 2 engines, with one engine facing a propeller at each  end of the boat, up until the Harbour Bridge opened in 1958, except for one or 2 passenger ferries, that had one single 8 cyl version, & I think a few passenger versions may have been  kept in use, for a year or 2 after 1958.

NORDBERG PETROL MARINE ENGINES 

NORDBERG 100+hp petrol engine, similar to those fitted as replacements for original engines, to LADY DIANA & MAKURA

LADY DIANA. AS SHE LOOKED. WITH HER NORDBERG PETROL ENGINE. – EX B WORTHINGTON.

MAKURA IN HER EALRY DAYS – THE NORDBERG ERA

NZ agents for these, were Seabrook Fowlds Ltd Auckland, in the 1950s, & the M.D. Phil Seabrook, had one fitted to his LADY DIANA, replacing her original Austin Skipper 100, in the later 1950s, for which his company also held the agency, at that time. 

A second engine was fitted to his brother-in-law, Cranston Leighton’s MAKURA, after he sold her to brother in law Phil Seabrook, in the later 1950s. 

Both of these engines have long since been replaced with diesels, & they are the only 2 examples that I am aware of, ever in pleasure craft, but of course, there may be well others, & look forward to any input from other boaties or engineers to confirm this, but these engines never became really popular & a big seller.   

RUSSELL NEWBERRY DIESEL ENGINES.

MOVARIE WTH HER 2 RUSSELL NEWBERY 40HP MARINE DIESEL ENGINES. c. LATER 1940s. 

These are made by the RN Diesel Engine Company Ltd., which was founded in UK in 1909, & is still manufacturing engines today in UK, & there is only one example in NZ, that is the 1938 built MOVARIE. 

These were 2 x slow revving 4 cyl., 4 cycle engines & were 40 H.P. Russell Newberys, as original, which were eventually replaced by 2 x Ford Diesels in 1960.

BMW MARINE DIESEL ENGINES & STERN LEGS.

BMW 6CYL MARINE DIESEL ENGINES WITH STERN DRIVES 

While made in fairly substantial numbers by BMW, only 1 pleasure craft in NZ  had them, which was a standard designed Formula 4000 Vindex & it had 3 of them with stern drives. 

LEYLAND MARINE & MARINISED DIESEL ENGINES.

LEYLAND BEAVER PRE MARINISED 6CYL DIESEL ENGINE.

LEYLAND PRE MARINISED 6CYL DIESEL TRAIN ENGINE SIMILAR TO THAT IN THE SHENANDOAH   

TWIN LEYLAND CUB  6CYL HOME MARINISED 95HP DIESEL ENGINES BEING INSTALLED IN THE GAY DAWN 1958-59

ISLE OF ARAN with LEYLAND COMET 6 CYL DIESEL 

BLITZEN WITH HER 2 X LEYLAND BEAVER DIESEL ENGINES

GAY DAWN WITH HER 2 NEWLY INSTAALLED LEYLAND CUB DIESELS AT THE B.O.I. 1960 

LEYLAND 4 CYL DIESEL ENGINE – ONE OF 2 AS FITTED TO THE LANAI 

LANAI WITH HER 2 X 4 CYL LEYLAND DIESELS 

JULIANA READY TO LEAVE HOME FOR THE WATER, WITH HER JUST FITTED LEYLAND CUB DIESEL 1947 

RAIONA POST LEYLND COMET ERA.

SHENANDOAH WITH HER LEYLAND TRAIN ENGINE

There are a very few Leyland engines that were ever fitted to pleasure craft, & are all 6 cyl., except for the LANAI. which has or had, 2 x 4 cyl. Leylands. 

Other craft included the RAIONA, with a Leyland Comet, fitted by the Alf Secombe, in place of a previous petrol engine. Also, there was the Guthrie’s Leyland Comet, the original engine, in the ISLE OF ARRAN. 

The SHENANDOAH also had a Leyland 6cyl. home marinised train engine which was fitted around the 1990s. 

Ralph Ricketts fitted 2 x Leyland Cub Diesels to the GAY DAWN in 1958-59 in place of its previous single Studebaker truck engine, later removed & replaced by a single Ford Diesel, by a later owner.

The only other pleasure craft was a Leyland Cub installed in the 30 foot SAGA, by owner/builder, Kings College master, Mr Val Maxwell. 

The beautiful big bridgedecker BLITZEN, is/was also powered by 2 x Leyland Beaver, locally marinised diesels.  

Ralph Ricketts fitted 1 Leyland Cub to the JULIANA in 1947, which he removed in 1956 & replaced with a 4 cyl Buda Diesel, he bought from John Warren who had removed it from his ARCTURUS, that had been built for him by McGeady a few years earlier, & he replaced the Buda with a 6 cyl diesel. This was replaced in the JULIANA, with a 6 cyl Ford Diesel, by the owners of the day, the Algie Brothers, of Algies Bay, Mahurangi, about 20 years later.

RR fitted the Buda to the JULIANA in place of the Leyland because he had another brand-new complete engine, & he fitted the 2 of them in the GAY DAWN in 1958-59

Two Leylands were fitted to the iconic passenger ferry BAROONA, replacing her previous single engine, around the later 1950s/60s.    

THORNYCROFT MARINE PETROL ENGINES.

THORNYCROFT 4 CYL TEE HEAD PETROL ENGINE, identical to that which was marinised & installed in the JULIANA, while she was being built in 1930 by Sam Ford. 

THORNYFROFT 6 CYL PETROL MARINE ENGINES WITH ONE SIDE VALVE & 1 OVERHEAD VALVE  (no images available) 

MANOWAI in her THORNYCROFT ERA

RAUTANGI with her THORNYCROFT 6 CYL petrol engine.

JULIANA on her relaunching day in 1946 after her THORNYCROFT TEE HEAD 4 CYL PETROL ENGINE, SEE ABOVE had just been totally rebuilt by owner Ralph Ricketts.

Thornycroft engines had always been produced in substantial numbers in UK, however only a tiny number, in pleasure craft in NZ.

The tram topper MANOWAI had one, in the Claude Atherton era of the 1930s & up to the later 40s, which had 1x overhead valve & 1side valve, as many Thornycrofts, did for many years. He replaced that engine with a twin cyl. Ruston Diesel for use, after that time, as a longline fishing boat. The second & third Thornycroft’s were in the RAUTANGI, & both fitted by or for, Les Sterriker, of Sterriker Engineering, in Kyber Pass Newmarket, one after the other, the last being larger with more HP., than the first one, it was eventually replaced by a Ford Diesel by a later owner. 

There is or was also, around the 1970s/80s era, a UK custom purpose-built rescue craft here, painted orange & blue, fitted with 2 x Thornycrofts, which was moored at Matiatia at one time. 

RQLPH RECKITTS  purchased the JULIANA in 1946, & she had a 1920s vintage Thornycroft Tee head 4 cyl petrol truck engine home marinised, running on salt water, which was her original engine, when she was built by Sam Ford, In 1930, which was absolutely identical, to that shown in the image attached, which was not in very good health, when RR bought her, so he  immediately totally rebuilt it in 1946 himself, not knowing at that time, he would be removing it in 1947, to fit a Leyland Cub diesel in its place, he had later acquired, & he fitted an additional distributor ignition system, as part of the rebuild, of the Thornycroft, as well as retaining the existing magneto, giving her dual ignition. 

MEADOWS 4 CYL PETROL ENGINE AS FITTED TO THE LEAH by Dick Daniels in 1946

MEADOWS 6 CYL PETROL ENGINE as fitted to TEAL & RNZAF flyingboat harbour patrol craft in the1940

LEAH with the newly installed MEADOWS 4 CYL, with her newly home marinised MEADOWS 4 CYL PETROL ENGINE – 

MEADOWS 2 x 6 CYL PETROL ENGINES fitted to TEAL flyingboat harbour patrol craft c1950s

Only 1 of these engines used in pleasure craft, it was a 4cyl version painted bottle green, as they all seemed to be, (as were all the Thornycrofts as well), in the 30ft bridgedecker LEAH, for Dick Daniels in the mid1940s. 

TEAL had 2 of them in some harbour patrol craft for flying boat patrols fitted with twin 6 cyl versions of the engines) the RNZAF.also used them in a number of their patrol craft, in the 1940s to around 1960. 

AEC DIESEL ENGINES

AEC 6CYL DIESEL ENGINE, home marinised, as fitted to the INEAWA

INEAWA WITH HER AEC  6 CYL home marinised, DIESEL ENGINE

Only a handful of these beautiful smooth quiet running UK built diesel engines, in pleasure craft in NZ, which are now no longer made. The AEC company was bought by Leyland many years ago, & production eventually ceased. They can be compared very favourably to an 8L3 Gardner, with their sound, & smooth quiet running. 

There is at least one large bridgedecker similar to the BLITZEN that has 2 of them & also at least 1 other single engine, smaller boat.

FAY & BOWEN PETROL ENGINES

FAY & BOWEN 6 CYL 1920s PETROL ENGINE as fitted to the MARGARET S

MAGARET S with her FAY & BOWEN 6 CYL MARINE ENGINE

There has only ever been one boat with one of these engines, & that is the MARGARET “S,” which had one from 1923, until after 1967, now almost certainly replaced by a diesel, as most boats are, these days.

LOEW VICTOR (KNIGHT’S PATENTS), 4 CYCLE PETROL ENGINES

LOEW VICTOR 4CYL PETROL 1913 MARINE ENGINE

LOEW VICTOR 4CYL PETROL 1913 MARINE ENGINE in the boat of the same name in c1913s

A 32ft launch was built by Bailey in 1913, with a 25H.P. engine of the same name, showing a good turn of speed in the images, however she appears to be one of just a small number of craft with these engines.

BUDA PETROL & DIESEL MARINE ENGINES. 

BUDA 1940s 6 CYL MARINE DIESEL ENGINE, SIMILAR TO THOSE IN AMAKURA IN THE 1940S, & THE MAHARATIA WHEN BUILT c1949

ARCTURUS – HER ORIGINAL ENGINE WAS A 4 CYL BUDA DIESEL  (no image)

JULIANA PASSING THROUGH PARNELL ON HER WAY TO THE WATER WTH HER NEWLY FITTED 4 CYL BUDA DIESEL EX ARCTURAS 

REHIA WTH HER c100HP BUDA FLAT HEAD 6 CYL. PETROL ENGINE, WHICH HAD DUAL IGNITION, WITH 12 SPARK PLUGS, FED FROM A SINGLE 12 POSITION DITSRIBUTOR CAP, & A BENDIX REVERSE CONTROL SYSTEM, & THROTTLE, WTH 2 LITTLE 6 INCH LEVERS, IN A DUAL SMALL CONTROL UNIT. – VERY RARE IN THOSE DAYS.THIS WAS HER ORIGINAL ENGINE FROM NEW, WHICH SHE HAD FOR A GREAT MANY YEARS, & OWNER, BILL RYAN, IS STANDING IN THE DOORWA.

MAHARATIA IN EARLY YEARS, WITH HER TWIN BUDA 6 CYL DIESELS.

Only a comparatively small number of these in NZ, because the company was bought by Allis Chalmers in 1953, & manufacturing finished that year.

There were however 5 in total, fitted with 2 to the AMAKURA, during WWII, by the navy, which were removed & replaced by 2 x Graymarine petrol engines, by the owner of the day, a Mr Widderspoon in1947-48, as they were belching huge amounts of black smoke out both sides, as she had side exhausts by then. She was moored at that time, at Hobson Bay, just by the Judges Bay bridge, under the other side. There was also the ARCTURUS, that had a 4cyl Buda Diesel installed during construction.  

The MAHARATIA also had 2 x 6 cyl Buda diesels as original, when built by Roy Lidgard, & at his Kawau Island property in 1947 & towed to his Auckland shed to have her engines fitted Auckland shed, which were a number of years later replaced by 2 x 6LW Gardner Diesels.

The 32 ft ARCTURUS was fitted with a 4 cyl Buda Diesel new, by boatbuilder Mac McGeady, (Supreme Craft Ltd) for John Warren, of Mission Bay, with installation by Tracy Nelson, which John W., later sold to Ralph Ricketts, & which was then installed in the JULIANA, for many years. Ultimately removed by the Algie Brothers of Algies Bay, Mahurangi, & replaced with a 6cyl Ford Diesel around the 1990s.   

DAIMLER BENZ V12 DIESEL ENGINES

DAIMLER BENZ 1350HP DIESEL ENGINE REMOVED FROM THE HYDROFOIL MANU-WAI FOR OVERHAUL

HYDROFOIL MANU – WAI, WITH HER V12 DAIMLER BENZ 1350HP DIESEL ENGINE

Only ever been one craft in NZ that had one of these engines. They ran at comparatively low revs (under 1500 RPM) & had to have hot engine oil pumped through the engine for 20 minutes before starting when cold.

This craft was the Auckland based passenger ferry MANU-WAI, which provided the first high speed passenger services to Matiatia Bay at Waiheke Island, & also to Pakatoa Island, in the Hauraki Gulf. The engine was based on a marinised aircraft engine of around 1400HP., with engine revs governed to around 900rpm

VM DIESEL MARINE ENGINES

TWIN VM DIESEL ENGINES 

LADY KIWI (EROS) WITH HER TWIN VM DIESEL ENGINES

These engines are still made by VM Motori Ltd in Italy which started life as a standalone company, in 1947, however it has had a checkered career, of various part owners, & has ended up today fully owned by Stellantis or Fiat. 

The only boat with these engines, is the first 40 ft Vindex to be built, designed by Jim Young, & built by Orams, of 2 skins of Kauri, in Whangarei, in 1972.

She is the EROS, built for Auckland bed manufacturer Alf Broadhead, sold when he died, & is now renamed LADY KIWI, & her original engines were replaced probably around 15 years ago now, by the above 330 HP versions of the VMs.

STEARNS MARINE PETROL ENGINES WITH ONE SIMILAR TO ONE OF THOSE ABOVE, FITTEDTO THE COLIN WILD BUILT LADY MARGARET, AS ORIGINAL  

STEARNS PETROL MARINE ENGINES c1926 

LADY MARGAARET (BUILT BY C. WILD) WITH HER STEARNS 165 HP PETROL MARINE ENGNE c1929 

F B Stearns was born into a wealthy family, & by his teen years, had developed a passion for cars & engines, so his father “indulged” him, with the creation of F B Stearns & Company, being established, in the late 1800s, & by 1907 the it was producing its first production run of vehicles, with a side valve engine he had built.

In 1911 he developed an association with the Willys (Overland) organisation, which had already developed a beautifully quiet smooth running “Sleave valve,” engine & his company from then on produced all sleave valve engines & their cars were from then on, known as “Stearns Knight.” 

They also manufactured marine engines. Steans retired from the company actively in 1919, & it was sold to Willys (Willys Overland), in 1925, & the company was wound up in 1929, so Stearns marine engines were only ever produced for a very few years.

Auckland businessman H. O. Wiles acquired the NZ agency for Stearns marine engines, sometime around the 1920s & fitted a 165HP Stearns engine to the beautiful 42 ft LADY MARGARET, that Coiln Wild built for him in 1927.

She was very fast for her day & he entered her in various competitive events successfully. 

She is one of our all time great classics of NZ, & these days, sports an artificially aspirated 6 Cyl Ford diesel.   

NOTE – MORE INFORMATION TO VIEW EX READERS IN THE REPLIES SECTION – click below

READ PART #2 OF THE SERIES HERE – https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/04/12/an-insight-into-nzs-unique-marine-engines-part-two/