North Shore Outboard Boating Club
HISTORY OF THE NORTH SHORE OUTBOARD BOATING CLUB
CONVENOR – ACTION COMMITTEE
FIRST COMMODORE
Before coming to Auckland in 1945 I had done a lot of yachting, and naturally took up the sport here sailing most weekends and holidays on an A Class keeler. I really enjoyed competitive big yacht racing but I was seldom home at weekends, so decided to adopt a less intense boating interest. About this time, Bryce Hart, a well known Takapuna identity and a close neighbour, had just had built an open 12.6´kauri clinker boat powered by the only outboard motor then available, a 4hp Seagull and he asked me to crew with him, which I did. Though our range of operation was restricted by the Seagull motor, Takapuna to Rangitoto was it, we could fill the boat with snapper just about any time we went out. The problem was not how many we could catch, but what to do with them after we had caught them!
After a few years Bryce decided to give up boating so I bought the Seagull, put it on a smaller boat and carried on fishing off Rangitoto. As the larger outboards became available, I gradually built up until in about 1960 I got my first cabin boat, a 15-footer built by Arthur Nixon and powered initially by an 18hp Johnson, later replaced by a 30hp Merc. I then joined the Outboard Boating Club Auckland but found it a long way to go to attend meetings.
I thought after a while that we should have a Club on the Shore, so when Jack Stewart and Ted Frost asked me to assist in widening the launching ramp on Takapuna Beach at the foot of the Promenade, I willingly accepted. Others who helped included Murray Follas, Gordon Bennett, Barry Hopkins, Ian Boucher, Bruce Snedden, Bill Manning and Geoff Byers. Although on the day of pouring concrete I was physically unable to assist because of a damaged knee, I came down with a crate of brown sandwiches which were readily accepted by our expert buildings-cum-ramp extenders.
Whilst enjoying this "after match" function, the idea to form an Outboard Boating Club on the North Shore was raised and generally agreed upon and I was asked to initiate the formation of such a club. I therefore contacted a few boat owners I knew, and we met at Geoff Byer's garage in November 1961. It was there agreed that a Club should be formed, and I was elected convenor of the action committee. At a subsequent meeting a full committee was formed, and I was elected Commodore, thus commencing a period of intense involvement with the Club as Commodore until August 1970.
As most of our original members belonged to Outboard Boating Club N.Z. Auckland, our first intention was to form a branch of that Club, but after discussions with them we decided to go ahead on our own and form the Outboard Boating Club of N.Z North Shore. On 8 March 1962 a well-attended public meeting was held at the Milford Cruising Club Rooms, Craig Rd, Milford. The first monthly meetings of the Club were held at the Bandroom, Taharoto Rd, Takapuna, and though the early attendances were sparse, membership and numbers attending the meetings gradually increased.
One of the most important aspects of the Club has always been in instruction of people new to boating in the fundamental principle of seamanship and safety on the water. This has been something from which members have benefited, together with the social activities of people with a common interest.
As the Club built up, the main objective in our future planning was to have our own launching facility, possibly also a Clubhouse. Regretfully I must mention that the greatest disappointment of my years with the Club was our inability to convince the Takapuna City Council that we were a responsible group worth listening to, and that we and our engineer and adviser Bain McGlashan knew how a launching ramp should be designed and built. I personally put in countless hours dealing with them but no matter what I said, they always thought they knew better. Present members are assured that the design of the existing ramp is in no way the work of the Club! One can only hope that the Council attitude will change for the benefit and safety of all boating community on the North Shore.
Before progressing into the chronicles of the Club's history, I believe it is important to first set the scene as it was in the 1950's for those who wanted to go family cruising, did not lean towards sailing and wanted to do more than row a small dinghy.
In the early 1950's most small boats were either clinker, carvel or planked and although there were a few racing 25hp outboard motors about, the most power available for the high power enthusiast was a 10hp West Bend or Johnson outboard. About 1951 a couple of 12ft boats were built to an American design using exterior plywood. The bending of plywood around a frame was indeed a new art.
During 1952/53 imported true marine plywood appeared on the N.Z. scene and outboard motors had increased to 14hp with gear change, and in 1953 to the enormous 25hp Johnson with gear change and remote controls. Accordingly a number of North Shore residents – mainly in Norwood Road, Bayswater – later to be called "Plywood Alley" – built 19ft and 21ft cabin plywood boats. Jim Menzies, Bob McRae and others were definitely the trend setters.
John Mallitte, then the editor of "Sea Spray", recognised this trend and recorded it in the pages of his magazine. By 1955 the numbers had quickly grown and the outboard power increased to 30hp. Although there were strict import restrictions in force, many outboards were appearing as travellers returned from overseas and/or overseas currency was found.
John Mallitte then called a meeting of interested persons and the Outboard Boating Club of New Zealand, Auckland was formed. Many of it's members were residents of the North Shore.
The North Shore played a very significant part then in the growth of outboard boating. From 1954 onwards there was a terrific upsurge in all size of trailer boats with motors and plywood and waterproof glues – Aerolite and Aerodux. Trevor Geldard recalls those busy days demonstrating to many boat clubs and at retail shows, the new art of fibreglass sheathing of plywood home built craft. We had the new Hartley designs with varying Vee hulls, 12' or 15' or the experimental 20', gull wings from Cole – It was all go.
Then during 1958 North Shore builder Jack Stewart, an O.B.C. Auckland member, found towing his boat to the city a chore, and the launching of 'Naiad', a giant 10ft cruiser on Takapuna Beach was a pest as well as a hazard so he wrote to the Devonport Borough Council about the inadequacy of Torpedo Bay high tide ramp and asked that it be upgraded. The outcome was that if Jack Stewart arranged the labour, the Devonport Council would supply the materials. Accordingly, Jack asked a builder friend Ted Frost and outboard service agent Bob McRae for assistance. So with Jack's 2 cu ft concrete mixer, Devonport Council's builders mix and cement, the three widened and lengthened the Torpedo Bay ramp over the next eight weekends. The ramp there is still very much the same today thanks to these three - useable at most tides but the very low, for up to about 18 and 20ft boats.
A few phone calls and visits to Council staff later, it was agreed that Takapuna City Council provide the ready-mix and Jack Stewart, Ted Frost, Ken Morrison, Ian Boucher, Bill Manning, Barry Hopkins, Geoff Byers, Gordon Bennett and Murray Follas would prepare, box and pour the concrete. This job took only two or three weekends as a front-end loader was "borrowed/acquired" to scrape away the sand at the toe and ready mix was quicker than mixing your own – particularly as it had to cure a bit before the next high tide. As Ken Morrison recalls, it was at the last ramp/beach access pour "after match" session that the idea for a North Shore Division of O.B.C. New Zealand was mooted.
They all then looked to Ken Morrison to "get to it" and so Ken Morrison with his wide range of contacts through his insurance business and his membership of Takapuna Businessmens' Association convened a meeting at Geoff Byer's garage, Como Street on 15th November 1961.
For a couple of hours, 12 outboard enthusiasts discussed whether to form a separate Club or to join O.B.C. of New Zealand.
An Action Committee of Ken Morrison – Convenor, Harry Clark, Noel Franchi and Frank Burgess was elected.
At the next meeting called on 20th December 1961, 45 people had been invited to attend and a motion was passed "that a Club be formed on the North Shore to be called – Outboard Boating Club of N.Z. North Shore Branch Inc".
Officers elected were K. Morrison Commodore, H. Clark Club Captain, K. Braithwaite Secretary/Treasurer, and N. Franchi, F. Senior, R. Chapman, M. Follas, D. Read, G. Byers and M.W. Pearce, Executive.
Objects and rules were discussed for later action.
That meeting lasted one hour! Another Executive meeting was held on the 8th February 1962 prior to the first public general meeting on 8th March 1962 at Milford Cruising Club rooms to which all trailer power boating people on the North Shore were welcome and 44 attended.
A proposed all-tide reef ramp plan was shown to the meeting by Harbour Board Civil Engineer Bain McGlashan. The meeting agreed that it was desirable but first they had to increase membership. Membership subscriptions were set at 30/-
At the next Executive meeting Geoff Byers told the meeting he would donate a Cup for competition amongst club members.
The first regular monthly meeting was held at Takapuna Band Room, Taharoto Park on 17th April 1962 with Tony Mason as guest speaker on "Seamanship" 22 attended.
The Club could therefore be considered now as established with the main objective of improving launching facilities, interchange of data, social gatherings and better insurance cover, etc. Meeting night was to be the first Thursday in the month.
At the June 1962 General Meeting the guest speaker was Alf Lock, North Shore boat builder, on "plastics in trailer boats".
The first A.G.M. was held on 5th July with all the existing Executive being re-elected with the addition of Jim Weatherup and "Wives were admitted to the Club at existing membership rates".
On 25th July, the Club was advised of the formation of N.Z. Council of Outboard Boating Clubs (later to be N.Z. Trailer Boat Federation).
---------------------------------------------------