In 2019, her long-time owner, John O’Brian, reluctantly decided to sell her. An Auckland couple, Alan and Tracy Gilder, heard about Kokoru and flew to Picton to see her. Little did they know that O’Brian was equally busy assessing them as suitable custodians.
All parties were happy, and a deal was struck. Kokoru was motored to Auckland via the West Coast and straight into a shed for a two-year restoration. Relaunched early in 2022 with gleaming new paint from bow to stern, Kokoru looked pristine. She was just as good internally, with all new plumbing, wiring, fittings, and best of all, new twin Yanmar diesels to replace her elderly BMC Commodores.
Kokoru’s luck tragically ran out three weeks later under the worst circumstances. An adjacent launch at the marina caught fire during a routine engine service that the mechanic could not control. Being just over a metre downwind, Kokoru was engulfed by the fire. Fortunately, the launch sank before Kokoru was destroyed, and local firemen saved what remained.
Looking at the damage, one could be forgiven for thinking this was the end of Kokoru. Her starboard hull planking was deeply charred to the waterline, while the starboard cabin coamings and most of her cabin top resembled a charcoal experiment gone horribly wrong.
Understandably shattered, the Gilders couldn’t face another rebuild and eventually bought another classic launch, Pirate. The new Yanmars were installed in Pirate, and what was left of Kokoru seemed destined for the tip.
Enter boatbuilder Mark Skinner, who, in a rush of enthusiasm, decided that Kokoru could be rebuilt. After relocating her to his front lawn, Skinner had second thoughts, especially since he already owned another timber launch. Then, Matthew Dudley, an experienced sailor who grew up on his parents’ yacht, stepped in. He was searching for a classic launch that felt like a yacht, and as a long shot, Skinner showed him Kokoru in August 2022. “What appealed to me was that she’d just been restored; so much work had been done. Mark convinced me the fire damage wasn’t as bad as it looked.”
Few others shared this belief. The burned-out remains of Kokoru looked terminal, and most people questioned Dudley’s sanity.
Dudley wasn’t immune to doubts either. In the early days, hands deep in charred wood, he would wonder, “What was I thinking?” However, the deeper he went, the more he realised how localised the actual fire damage was.
Kokoru remained on Skinner’s lawn for many months while Dudley cleaned her interior and organised a suitable boatbuilder. This turned out to be boatbuilder Glenn Burnnand of Burnnand Marine, and in December 2022, Kokoru was moved to his Ngapipi Road boatshed. For non-Aucklanders, this is one of the historic boatsheds that line the edge of Whakatakataka Bay, not far from Orakei Marina.
With Kokoru in his shed, Burnnand started on the structural repairs. It was hard to accept, but the only items that required total replacement were half a dozen planks on the starboard side, the starboard cabin coamings, the cabin top, and midship bulkheads. Everything else is the original structure, including floors, fore and aft bulkheads, and aft and forward cabins. Of course, there was considerable smoke and scorching damage; however, Dudley spent countless hours stripping these items back to bare wood and refinishing them.
Kokoru’s starboard side was re-planked in kauri over her original ribs, which made the job relatively straightforward. However, Kokoru’s cabin was a more significant project. Burnnand took patterns off Kokoru’s intact port-side coamings and built new coamings for both sides from laminated plywood. The new cabin top was also built from plywood over new kauri beams.
Kokoru has extremely thick decks, so they only needed to be cleaned and scraped back. Then everything from the belting upwards, including the decks, was glassed in epoxy and painted in Altex two-pack. The carvel-planked hull has been painted using Altex single-pack paints, which are far more flexible than two-pack. While the hull will need repainting regularly, hulls are far easier to paint than decks.
“I wanted something user-friendly, so she’s all two-pack painted from the decks up, which means hugely decreased maintenance over the long term.”
Kokoru remained in Burnnand’s boatshed throughout the project. As it is open to the sea at high water, the boatshed provided a sympathetic environment for
a carvel-planked hull. Even after more than two years out of the water, the hull seams did not move.
Once Burnnand had finished rebuilding Kokoru’s structure, Skinner took over rebuilding her damaged interior woodwork, cabinetry, floorboards and hatches. He and Dudley also did all the interior painting and varnishing, the latter being done in Allwood moisture-cured polyurethane, which was applied by spray.
Early in the rebuild, Dudley removed all of Kokoru’s fittings for restoration or replacement. These were re-installed as each section of the boat was completed; seeing each section finished helped maintain his enthusiasm.
The Yanmars from Kokoru’s first restoration were naturally aspirated and produced 75hp. When Dudley went to purchase replacements, he found the model had been upgraded with common-rail injection, a turbocharger, and an aftercooler, and now produced 80hp. Fortunately, the footprints were identical, and since the majority of the related engineering – bearers, couplings, shafts, exhaust systems, and propellers – remained undamaged in the boat, the installation of the twin Yanmar 4JH80s was straightforward.
Allister Spick of Marine Diesel Solutions at Pine Harbour installed the Yanmar engines in both restorations, and his workmanship is impeccable. The twin engines’ wide spacing allows effortless access to the service points. The batteries, hot water cylinder, and wastewater tank are positioned forward of the engines and are easy to access.
Dudley is a long-time serial restorer of houses, cars, and boats. Despite the grind, restoration projects excite him: “I just love projects; I love the creation.”
When it came to Kokoru’s interior appointments and fit-out, Dudley’s vision was retro-modern. “I am a perfectionist, and that’s why we have used modern technology where we can. However, I defy anyone to tell me that it doesn’t look original.”
Hence, Kokoru’s now sports a fully-integrated CZone system, allowing everything electronic to be controlled from one central station. While the lighting is LED, the fittings are primarily original or new retro-style. The galley features a Wallas diesel-powered oven and hotplate, with a 230V jug, coffee maker, and toaster. The fridge/freezer and WC are also 230V. Consequently, there is no LPG onboard.
The 230V power comes from a Master-Combi inverter, powered by a bank of six house batteries with two dedicated engine start batteries. These batteries can be charged from either engine, shore power, or a flexible solar panel when away cruising.
Apart from some pipes melted by the fire, the plumbing and tanks from the first restoration have been retained, and the exposed chromed pipes in the galley and WC are original. The whole effect is a tasteful, coherent mix of traditional and modern. Kokoru still looks like a 1960s launch inside and out, yet her upgraded engineering, plumbing, and wiring provide all the accoutrements of contemporary living.
It requires someone who has undertaken a boat restoration to truly appreciate the time and money invested in Kokoru’s rebuild. Setting aside the professional contributions, Dudley’s commitment alone has been substantial. He dedicated two weeks each month to working on the boat for over two years. He travelled from his Wairarapa home, flying or driving, and worked tirelessly for up to 15 hours a day during those two weeks, staying on Kokoru or at his parents’ yacht in Bayswater Marina. With his wife Vanessa and their two children, Harrison and Morgan, left at home, Dudley recognises that this time commitment came at a cost. “That took a toll. It was a tough two years, and I feel I missed out on the last two years of the kid’s schooling.”
During the last months, Dudley commuted by car instead of flying, bringing various boat components home for varnishing.
Kokoru was relaunched in January of this year, making it nearly a two-and-a-half-year project. Thankfully, the Dudley family is over the moon with the final result. The bonus has been the people Dudley has bonded with over the project, especially Skinner and Kokoru’s previous owners, the Gilders.
“Mark’s been a huge support, and the Gilders have been fantastic,” he said. Burnnand has also played a significant role in boatbuilding and providing the boatshed.
Unquestionably, Kokoru looks the bee’s knees on the marina, all gleaming paint and shiny varnish. Go deeper, and the quality of workmanship and attention to detail make this one of the finest restorations in the Auckland classic launch fleet.
However, Kokoru’s beauty goes deeper still. Watching her carve through a particularly snotty Waitemata seaway generated by an NE 20-knot breeze kicking against a king tide showed her Cook Strait heritage; she’s a real sea boat.
Kokoru is a lucky ship to have found owners with such incredible passion. May the Dudleys long enjoy cruising the sparkling waters of the Hauraki Gulf in her.
