Classic Boat Show
Lake Rotoiti’s Annual Fest
The event – held at Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park in early March – drew 110 entries and several hundred spectators.
Beattieful is named after the original builder and is owned by Porirua’s Graeme Dutch who says it was used in the Pelorus Sound from 1961-2002, in Kaiapoi from 2002-07, and is currently homed in Picton.
The 16-foot clinker is powered by a 60hp Yamaha outboard. She is a veteran of the Show and won the Mathieson-jeffcott trophy for the Best Motor-powered Craft in 2010.
Judges spokesman Ben Cox said Beattieful stood out for her authenticity: “The attention to detail, the standard of the finish and
touches like the deck hatch and little table in the cockpit really impressed us.”
He added that the overall standard at the show was very high, representing a love of boats “from the backyard builder to wealthy enthusiasts with impeccable, imported boats.”
Elray III is a vintage racing hydroplane, and restoring her, says co-owner Peter Rainey, was a “mad but extremely interesting labour of love.” Her rotten and engineless hull was discovered in Hokitika.
“When Elray was built in 1967 she was the fastest boat in New Zealand and featured on the cover of Seaspray magazine that year. What’s really special is that we had the original driver, Jon Jarvie and his wife, the daughter of the original owner, Jock Appleton, coming down from Auckland to see Elray on the water.”
Rainey says the massive restoration was a community effort helped by Peter Stillwell and Richard and Donald Walker. Elray is now resplendent in her original colours and is powered by a big-block Chevy.
“Part of our motivation is the potential we see in New Zealand to get a historic race circuit going. This has become huge in the USA and right now we know of six other racing boats being restored, just in the South Island.” BNZ