I know its not REALLY motoring related, but it is beside the motorway, so I thought I would ask here, also coz this is the only place on the MBs that I hang out too. Does anyone know anything about the boat that has been moored beside the Hobsonville bridge for years! Used to have lots of blue tarps on it, but they have all disintegrated now. a mate thought there was some history about somebody dying on it and the owners couldnt bear to sell it because of this.
ralphdog1,
Jun 23, 4:40pm
Try the Yachting/Boating thread in the Category suggestions section, that has turned in to defacto boating board, over 1000 posts
drog,
Jun 23, 4:47pm
*Motonui*,ex WW2 Fairmile.
drog,
Jun 23, 4:54pm
Further research indicates that the Fairmile might in fact be *Kahu*. My apologies accordingly.
rob_man,
Jun 23, 4:55pm
That boat is an old Fairmile torpedo boat built in the 1930s, originally fitted with massive petrol engines. I forget how many there were originally but they were built here from triple plank kauri according to someone I once knew. The Ngaroma, which was the link to Gt Barrier Island for many years was another Fairmile. There were numerous myths about that particular Hobsonville boat including a story about a large GST fraud but an article in The NZ Herald a few years ago debunked them all and there is no story at all, just a boat that needs a lot of work
cuda.340,
Jun 23, 6:04pm
it was going to be a floating casino at one stage n operate outside the 5 mile limit, but something went wrong with the finances. umpteen years ago i was asked to do some work on it but things turned to custard before i started, lucky for me huh!
jason18,
Jun 23, 9:57pm
What an awesome boat
dlegg,
Jun 23, 10:34pm
Fairmiles were built in the early 1940's during WW2
granada,
Jun 23, 10:44pm
Yep, I know the family that own it., doesnt come up in conversation much. Is it just a passing interest or do you have a spare 20 million to do it up
rob_man,
Jun 23, 11:00pm
I knew I would have one detail wrong.
westygirl1,
Jun 23, 11:28pm
There is something about that boat. everytime I go over that bridge I am drawn to it. Thank you to whoever posted the link above. But now to of seen photos of inside it just makes me want more. would love to actually go aboard one day
whqqsh,
Jun 23, 11:51pm
its been there for many years, the hull below the waterline must have its own ecosystem by now
rob_man,
Jun 23, 11:56pm
Looking at the pics in that auction it appears to have been copper sheathed. I'm pretty sure the Ngaroma was too.
The boat was for sale om T M early this year . No motors but the bottom was regularly cleaned by divers. The fairmiles were very prone to dry rot and were built in Freemans Bay for the Americans as a fast patrol boat with petrol rngines. They were used in the Pacific Islands and had a short planned life. The N Z navy had a few which were sold off in tje early fiftees.
les6,
Jun 24, 12:11am
ok,heard you the first time!
paul271,
Jun 24, 2:05am
No, just a passing interest. I took my boat up the harbour for a look around a couple of weeks ago, had a great day, went all the way to the bridge at Rivehead. On the way back we had a look at the ship, was looking very sad, and had been targeted by vandals too i would say, as the doors to the cabins were open and it looked like some things had been broken.
juli55,
Jun 24, 4:07am
Fairmiles, in particular, the Ngaroma, ROLL in a swell.The Ngaroma rolled into Mansion House Bay, Kauwau, one year and the crew spent hours hosing down the deck.Passengers horribly sick.The alsp have a HUGE lump of concrete in the ballast to help correct the roll.
rob_man,
Jun 24, 4:23am
Quite a round bottom and a narrow beam, navy crew would have just had to put up with it I guess. Might have been a bit steadier with full fuel tanks though, did I see 9000 gallons mentioned somewhere! I remember being told once they used around 100 gallons an hour at full speed with the original petrol engines.
trogedon,
Jun 24, 2:51pm
Interesting reading this. I've seen it there since the late 80s. I always have a look at it as I cycle up or down the bike lane.
the-lada-dude,
Jun 24, 2:58pm
me o'l dad who is now a 93 yo was a radio man on one of these up in the solomons ww2 when the americans were starting to push the japs back through the pacific. they were sub chasers and had only depth charges. he was there @ guadalcanaland it wasn't a pretty sight. i'm pretty sure he said they had scott petrol engines. they could roll in a swell that bad that the mast cross trees would almost touch the water i'm sure they were an english design with the american scott engines
the-lada-dude,
Jun 24, 3:21pm
and by the way, they thought the yanks had the best of everything, and the nz crew would sneek in to the american camps, for fresh baked bread, fruit juice, and well cooked food using the best and " hard to come by " ingredients ( nz butter, cheese, potatoes etc )oh ! and heaps of nz ice cream. he said the yanks had the best of everything, from bulldozers, cars jeeps, caravans, you name it , but once the had cleared the japs out they wouldn't take this stuff with, they woulddig a friggin big pit and dump virtually all there equipment into it, and then bugger off to the next island assault with new stuff ! and of course these pits became a kiwi sailors treasure trove
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