THIS CRAFT IS NOW 10 TIMES THE CRAFT IT WAS IN THE ’50S
First up, the hull was stripped back to bare wood and the deck — the top of the hull, for you car guys — was removed so that the proportions could be corrected. Given that it was a ski club boat in its past life, a second row of seats had been crammed in between the engine compartment and the driver’s compartment. Surely your legs would have been resting on the water-cooled manifolds! This meant the proportions just didn’t look right in Rod’s eyes — and we’d tend to agree — so he reworked the rear opening, shrinking it in size to better encapsulate the engine, before handing the hull over to a local boat builders Alan Craig Marine for specialist hardwood overlay work.
Alan and Blair meticulously laid and shaped the new chestnut strip deck, with iroko used as the inlay and for details such as the gunwale (deck outer edge) and compartment edging. This is an example of real craftsmanship, especially the detail around difficult areas like the raised centre section of the deck. Fortunately, the lower half of the hull didn’t require nearly as much work, although it was stripped right back and then an outer layer of fibreglass laid over for extra strength. It was then coated bright yellow before being passed over to Rob’s Auto Spray in Rotorua for layers upon layers of clear to be applied to the deck.
The interior follows suit, with an elm dash Rod made himself to hold the So-Cal Speed Shop gauges and white Mooneyes wheel, while the upholstery was handled by another local craftsman, Kevin Saunders at Hillcrest Upholstery, who trimmed everything in white vinyl to complement the yellow.