Reflections
The Bob Newcombe story
While the high-profile America’s Cup teams of professional designers, boatbuilders and painters deserve our respect, it’s easy to forget that the bulk of our marine industry actually comprises small businesses and sole traders. Like Tauranga’s Bob Newcombe, who’s spent over 20 years painting boats. This is his story.
Born in 1954 in Hamilton, Newcombe’s association with boats and painting traces back to his great grandfather, Charles (Herbert) Green, who worked as a foundryman for Collings & Bell boatbuilders and painted houses during quiet times at the boatyard. He started sailing (aged eight) by crewing for his father Brian in the latter’s Cherub (#20) on the Hamilton Lakes. He soon progressed to his own dinghies, initially a P Class and then a Moth. “I loved the Moth – it’s always been my favourite.”
Newcombe left school early to begin a coach painting (car painting today) apprenticeship with Bryant Road Panel and Paint in Hamilton. He managed to get through his 9,000-hour apprenticeship in only four years, qualifying in 1973. “The same year I got married,” he chuckles, turning to his wife Kaye (nee Morrison) as she rolls her eyes.
Apprenticeship complete, Newcombe joined his good friend Stewart Esplin at Hamilton Industrial Spray Painting. “As far as a painter goes, I’d put him as the best I’ve ever known. He was totally self-taught.”
The pair soon generated a name for themselves locally by being willing to spray paint anything – cars, boats, furniture and industrial products. Besides the enamel and Nitrocellulose lacquers then commonly used, the pair sprayed wood stains, baked enamels and textures. They’d often mix their own paints for special jobs and developed all manner of tricks to get the right finish.
For example, to get a wood grain effect on furniture, they’d submerge the item in a dipping tank to give the wood grain effect, then quickly spray it with hot varnish. Heating
the varnish allows it to be sprayed thicker without using solvents so it lasts longer. This trick works equally well on single pack, turpentine-based paints.
Their reputation was such that paint companies would offer them new products to test, which didn’t always work as well as expected. “The public doesn’t realise what goes on behind the scenes with paints. They [paint companies] certainly make their share of mistakes.”
Given their interest in boats, the pair painted a number of dinghies and trailer yachts. Esplin even found time to build a timber Noelex 22, which he named Yuk. (Newcombe spotted Yuk listed on Trade Me last year, still with her original Lusteroid two-pack paint job).
Moving to Tauranga in 1980, Newcombe headed up the spray painting division of Hoverd Industries, a refrigeration company. He initially painted all the refrigeration panels with two-pack paints, before switching to powder coatings.
These coatings proved popular with other customers and Newcombe’s division was soon taking on outside commissions. This ceased when Mcalpines took over Hoverd’s in 1997.
Sensing an opportunity, with partners Buddy and Jeanette Craig, Newcombe and Kaye set up a three-way partnership they named Tauranga Powder Coating. Nearly all of his customers followed him to his new company and it proved an immediate success due to its “can do” attitude. “If it could go through an oven, we’d powder coat it.”
Aluminium windows and doors were the most common items through the oven, but Newcombe also powder coated cast-iron engine blocks, aeroplane, go-cart and motorcycle frames, stock car chassis, poles and lamps for subdivisions, and aluminium boats.
“We’d powder coat Marco Boats up to 6m in length. Mrs Ransom would bring the boats down from Morrinsville, all acidwashed and we’d do them over the weekend.” But this success came at a price.
“We were working three shifts, virtually 24 hours a day, with a staff of 14. The thing is, your own profits don’t go up that much. You’re just creating stress and worry for yourself and become a tax collector for the government.”
Fortuitously, around then the partners were offered a generous sum of money for the business, which they accepted with alacrity. Worn out physically and mentally, Newcombe was keen to take a break, at least until his good friend David Peet asked him to paint his Townson 9.6m, Pipe Dream.
Delighted with the result, the gregarious Peet quickly drummed up more business – Newcombe and his wife were soon flat out. “We painted heaps of Townsons. Some in Tauranga but, because we were a truly mobile operation, we’d travel all over for work.”
Initially, the Newcombes set up as a mobile business travelling to jobs in Auckland, Whatatane, Whangamata and Rotorua. But as their fame spread, they’d only work in Tauranga, most often from the shed adjoining the hardstand. In fact, many Auckland boaties brought their boats down to Tauranga for painting.
For the next 20-plus years, the Newcombe’s never spent a cent on advertising – all work came via word of mouth. They developed an honest, old school approach to their work. They’d provide an estimate for a job and wouldn’t go above it – no matter what. But as most jobs came in below their estimate, the customer was only ever asked to pay the lower amount.
“Doing it that way worked out really well. It’s called honesty. You have to go home at night and sleep. We become friends with nearly all our customers.”
Although they had the odd person try to pull a fast one, they soon learned to avoid these customers.
“Those that ripped us off obviously had planned to do that from the beginning and we soon learned to recognise them in advance.”
The couple worked as a highly efficient team – Newcombe would do the spraying, Kaye did most of the sanding and masking. Typically, the pair would sand the whole boat, then undercoat it in one major session. They’d then sand and finish
paint the hull, because that was easy to mask off with drop sheets. From here they’d start at the top and work down. Decks would be done last because these would be used to walk on. This way, any overspray was confined to the undercoated areas.
A full repaint of a 10.4m yacht – keel to cabin top – would typically take the couple three weeks. This efficiency was an added bonus to their customers who were paying a daily rate for the Tauranga hardstand shed.
Besides excellent preparation, Newcombe believes in applying plenty of paint. “Lots of people make the mistake of thinning paint down too much, and while that might look good, all that thinner’s evaporating into the atmosphere and not building up the paint thickness.” Another mistake people make is excessive buffing. “Every time you buff, you’re removing paint.”
While some customers wanted a superyacht finish and were prepared to pay for the extra time and work needed to achieve it, Newcombe was always conscious of painting the customers’ boat to suit needs and wallets. “Most people don’t need a superyacht finish – the main purpose of painting a boat is to protect it.”
The couple have no idea how many boats they painted over the years, but they’ve ranged in size from a P Class to the 24m maxi yacht Nicorette, and everything in between. “Nicorette’s crew helped us with that job, but virtually all the others we did with just the two of us. Some of those 16m launches were a big job for two people.”
All things come to an end and in 2019 the Newcombes decided to retire. By then Kaye had had enough sanding. “When I was doing the last one, I thought, ‘this is my last one, I don’t think I’ve got another one in me.’”
And although Newcombe didn’t say as much, one senses he’d had enough too and it was time to indulge in his own projects such as restoring his classic Citroen Light 15.
But their retirement has left a big hole among Tauranga’s boaties. In fact, more than a few have belatedly realised that having such skilled, honest, hard-working and efficient marine tradespeople on hand locally is the exception rather than the rule. “The Newcombes are irreplaceable, really,” confirms their old friend David Peet.
Enjoy your retirement Bob and Kaye Newcombe – you’ve certainly earned it.