Mystery Launch – 03-05-2018

The above photo is from Lew Redwood’s fb page & dated 31 March 1947 & is caption “Mr Tappenden on a launch”

Can we ID the boat & supply anymore details?

Input from Ken Ricketts

Ken tells us the launch was called the Hoturoa & origiallhy had a large petrol engine ( either a Sterling or Kermath c200hp). She had an older style coamings style, which were replaced in the late 1930s or early1940s, with that you see in the image. She was built by Colin Wild for Alf Court & launched in December 1934 (photo below), & by 1946/47 was owned by a Doctor Horton, of Mission Bay, & had a little 4 cyl Graymarine petrol engine, but she had retained the original huge exhaust pipe out the port corner of the tuck.
He did winter maintenance at Okahu Bay hardstand, as did my family on Juliana, we got to know him, & his daughter, quite well. He had her for several years selling her around the earlyish 1950s.
I lost track of her until her 1990s, when she appeared at Mangonui, adjacent to the road by the Mangonui Fish Shop. She was there for several years again, & still looking as she did in 1946. I inspected her c1998, when she was at Kaingaroa (Northland) (a few Kms., from Mangonui, on the way to Awanui,) — for maintenance & had a look inside. By then she had a 6 cyl Nissan diesel painted light iridescent blue. She was still in fairly tidy & good condition.
Not too long after she went back in the water, one night when she was on her moorings she burnt to the waterline & sank, there were lots of local rumours, about the reason for the fire & her demise.
A beautiful little Colin Wild classic, which on this occasion, in my view, was made even better by her second set of coamings. she is a really sad loss to our classic fleet.