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Led by class veteran Tim - Te Guru – Bartlett and long time stalwart Russell Davis, members of the Auckland 12 foot Skiff fleet have set themselves a winter boat building project, with the end result up for grabs for anyone willing.
Yachting New Zealand’s Regional Support Officer, Hamish Hey stopped by the Absolute CNC factory on Auckland’s North Shore where the project is starting to take shape.
Hey says, “Usually you spend this time building a boat for yourself, but the not the Auckland 12ft Skiff fleet. They are building one for an unknown somebody else. What better winter activity than building a new boat.”
The team led by Bartlett and Davis have been making steady progress in recent weeks and now have something that definitely resembles a boat. Their motivation is to encourage growth in the fleet as well as have a bit of fun along the way.
“On Saturday we saw the front and rear tank bulkheads glued and taped in,” says Hey, who leant a hand.
“The gunwale support tube was also fitted and glued. Murtle the Turtle (the centre case) was also released from her mould and is ready to be fitted. The crew were back at on Sunday and fitted the mast post and the main structural bulk heads. Next task is to add a foredeck.”
You can follow the progress of the team in their boat building endeavours via Facebook on the New Zealand 12ft Skiff Sailing page.
If you are interested in sailing a 12ft skiff or even finishing this boat, sailing it, and making it yours, contact hamish@yachtingnz.org.nz and he can put you in touch with the right people.
