NOHOMOANA (Rasputin)
photo & details ex Russell Ward

As Russell says – no prizes for guessing whose stable this woody came from, pretty obvious its a Sam Ford.

When Nohomoana was in the ownership of Capt. John Watson (c.1967) who was a great friend of Russell’s  father, they cruised together for many seasons in their launch Naiad. Prior to Noho, John had Wanderer the 30 foot old woody. Russell’s Dad had Ngakiwa at that stage.
Russell was told that Nohomoana means “She floats on the water”. Engine was a 6 cylinder Ford Lees Marine conversion.

Russell would like to know where she went and whether the name was changed. He has spoken to Bill Belton about whether his boat Moana was her.
Noho spent a lot of her time filtering the waters of Half Moon Bay through her planking and a lot if time was spent pumping the bilge.

Harold Kidd Update

This one has always puzzled me.
First, the maori name. “E noho ra” is a common way of saying goodbye, by a person leaving, to a person staying behind. The verb “noho” means “remaining”, “being in a place”, so I guess “nohomoana” could mean exactly what Russell says, “floating on the sea”, in a nicely poetical way.
As NOHOMOANA, she first pops up in 1952 owned by W.S. Wagstaff. In 1953/4 to 1962 at least she was owned by J.R. Butcher. Her engine was a Graymarine (unspecified). Again her build date is stated to be “1941” which is implausible.
J.R. Watson owned her in 1973. Webb & Taylor owned her in 1983 when they (allegedly) sold the rights to the name NOHOMOANA to Gary Barnett of VALHALLA and renamed her RASPUTIN.
As to her origins, there were a couple of Sam Ford standard express cruisers being built at the outbreak of war in 1939 which “disappear” and I think she’s one of those, LADY NGAIRE, for example, which he built for Shelley B. Atkinson and the boat being built alongside Atkinson’s launch as a replacement for Vern McGeady’s burnt out LADY PAT.
MOANA was on Lake Taupo in the 50’s. I don’t know how she fits into this conundrum but I’m sure she does.
Someone out there will have the answers.

30-07-2015 – photos of Rasputin at Westpark Marina ex John Wicks