Hi team.
I've been asked to give you some insight into my background.
I grew up in a provincial New Zealand city... "Gisborne".
There I attended Gisborne Boys High school.
I'm from a large family of 6 siblings.
In those days it was rare to have a family boat and the seas around the East Coast are notorious for their unforgiving nature. I did however take part in the school rowing club. This was based on the river system in Gisborne.
I had as one of my pastimes, surfing, which gave me a love of the ocean and a healthy respect for it's power.
Other family members did have boats, mainly fizzys and off the beach centreboarders. These however were only really available to me in holiday periods. I learned to water ski, and had a few days it playing game fisher.
My Uncle was the first to take me sailing on a Keeler. Man I loved it.
My family help each other when we are setting up new ventures and in this I was exposed to a number of different experiences. My father was always buying old houses and I'd be his lackey in renovating them for re-sale. I'm surprised I didn't end up a carpenter. My middle brother built a kitchen and construction business (empire) in Rotorua and I often spent my school holidays in his workshops. Another brother worked on the land and eventually bought land to convert to a Dairy Unit (Farm). You guessed it, I built his Cowshed and helped with fencing. etc...
I left school in my 6th form year, as my parents business took them to re-establish their base in Rotorua.
I was not keen on moving so far from the sea and therefore left home and started my working life.
As I'm sure is the case for many young people I didn't have much of an idea as to 'What' I wanted to be.
I understood some of my abilities. e.g.I loved Technical Drawing and still do, I also gravitated to building stuff, I needed to be involved in creating something.
Before my 18th birthday I decided to go travelling, which lead me to Aussie (surf Mecca) for about 3 years. There I attended night-school in Architectural drafting, meanwhile I worked days in a number of different jobs based around Sydney. I eventually worked in a drawing office as a Sprinkler design drafts-man where my duties took me into a vast number of different building environments. It was good, but ultimately not what I was seeking. The first computers were just starting to be developed for large corporate entities. the PC operating system was still not a reality.
By chance I happened to find and buy the Gougeon Bros book and the light went "ON". I could see that the diversity in boatbuilding was exactly what I wanted to dedicate myself to. At the 1980-1 Sydney Boatshow I met and discussed my options with some well known Kiwi personalities on the Kiwi stand (best in show by miles) and decided to return home to start my career.
I worked primarily at Tim Lees Boatbuilders in Sandspit for a couple of years built two new yachts there in timber. A Lidgard '45 and a Wright 9.2M extended (9.5M) before taking up an apprenticeship with Robertson Bros in 1983. We did a couple of Vinylester Farr '45s a Cedar core mullety a Carbon/kevlar 10.6M Ross and a composite 16.2M Salthouse planning launch as new projects during this time.
Upon completing my apprenticeship I subsequently moved to work for Barry Jones boatbuilders in Matakana until the 1987 stock market had the industry in retrenchment. There I built a timber Farr 9.2M a composite Beale '45 a timber Townson '45 centre cockpit and a timber Pelin 36. Every yard I worked for had a large number of refits and maintenance work that all staff undertook. I feel often that I learned as much from these jobs as I did from new boat construction.
I then took the opportunity to move to the country again and buy my first home (Jan 1989). She was a roughy, but did give me a first step on the property ladder. The only regret from that period is I was unavailable for Barry Jones when he asked me to help with a 60 Foot Warwick he had an order for...such is life.
After a difficult time (3 years) as a "sole trader", building 'whatever people wanted' Kitchens, stairs, sheds, home maintenance etc...and repairing several local vessels, I took up a call from an 'ol mate that asked me to help him with a project. My Lady and I then left our house to live in a caravan for some time while we built an 11M Wright sailing Catamaran.
Eventually we had an opportunity too good to turn down. A friend of mine (Rob Dainty) had been "sole trading" in his local marketplace on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and was offered a workshop that another local boatbuilder was retiring from. The thing was that Rob hadn't all the gear he would have liked to start up. He also needed a tenant in the house that came with the lease on the boatbuilding workshop site.
to be cont...
