SS ROMP

photo ex classicboatnz

Now I know nothing about this vessel but I’m sure Russell Ward (Mr Steam), our waitematawoody of the month, will chip in with some more info.

Over to you Russell 🙂

Harold Kidd Update

Russell, where art thou?

I don’t want to steal his thunder but she’s too nice a little thing to be left in the lurch.

Percy Ginders, her long-term Ngunguru owner, thinks she was built by Robert Logan Sr around 1885. That’s certainly possible. She was a 25ft launch used on the Tauranga Harbour between 1910 and 1918 by Soljak & Rosenfeldt for bringing in flax gathered by maori workers in the various estuaries. She appears in Whangarei in 1927 as an under 5hp motor launch. Percy secured her around 1969 and did a lovely job of restoring her shapely hull and installing her steam plant which I understand is an A.C. Mumford unit.

Percy ran her on tourist trips up and down the Ngunguru River for many years (and may still do so).

Now, come on Russell, bring us up to date?