Jeremy, Morgan and Zack

  She arrived tired, drab and lacklustre. She will leave with a gleaming dark blue hull with gold trim, on a colour-matched trailer and ready to party on a private lake. In between, she has given apprentices at Andrew Fink Marine in Hamilton a solid sense of achievement. The seven-month restoration was done mostly by third-year boatbuilding apprentice Jeremy Farr and fourth-year boatbuilding apprentice Morgan Roberts with assistance from fellow apprentice Zack Christensen. Hauiti is a small riverboat, built in fibreglass to a mould taken off a harbour boat, circa early 1900s. The current owner bought her for sunset cruises. The apprentices gutted Hauiti and redesigned the interior in consultation with her owner and Andrew Fink. The company also built the custom-designed trailer. Although the galley follows the original design closely, all cabinetry, including dedicated holders for glassware, had to be designed on paper to ensure the cabinetry fitted exactly within the hull shape. Three hatches in the sole, which previously resembled a hopscotch court, are now disguised within the caulking of teak and holly. All timber has the warm glow of kauri. Although she is small, Hauiti represents a wide variety of skills in boatbuilding: refrigeration, drive shaft installation, electrical and plumbing installations, electronics, heating, cabinetmaking and preparation inside and out to 320 grit for painting and varnishing. The decor blends modern and traditional techniques, with a teak grate in the shower and laminated kauri trim on the handbasin. The bi-fold doors are light kauri trimmed with dark kauri and close on concealed magnets. The gloss-white bilges are immaculate. Asked about the big decisions, Morgan says, “Everything was a big decision.” The installation of the 5m propeller shaft had its challenges. Morgan and Jeremy say that working with solid kauri was a daunting experience. “You definitely spend a bit of time making sure you cut it properly to get the most out of it,” Morgan says. “I quite enjoyed designing the plumbing and electrical systems.”