John Lidgard was never content to do just one thing. Designer, builder, racer, and ocean voyager, his life was entwined with the sea. From his apprenticeship with the Lidgard Bros on Kawau Island to designing his first yacht at just 17, he built a career that blended tradition with innovation.
By the 1970s he was at the forefront of New Zealand design. Over his career, John produced more than 220 yacht designs; boats that went on to win races, circle oceans, and become part of Kiwi yachting lore. His 1967 design Runaway helped New Zealand claim the 1971 Southern Cross Cup, and in the same year came second in the Sydney–Hobart Race with John’s wife Heather as navigator. Later boats like Regardless and Reward further showcased his ability to blend speed, strength, and seaworthiness. One of his proudest creations was the 60-footer Final Approach, the last major yacht he oversaw.
Many of those yachts remain afloat today, still carrying his vision in their lines and their purpose. Two, Taonui and Imp-Zap, offer a glimpse into the breadth of his craft — one built for himself, the other guided into being for another sailor — yet both unmistakably Lidgard.
Taonui – a personal project, a lasting statement
Launched in 1965, Taonui wasn’t just another commission. It was John’s own boat, designed and built for his personal use. At 12m, triple-skin Kauri, with a round bilge hull, she was both cruiser and racer — a reflection of John’s belief that a yacht should be capable of anything.
Step aboard her today and you find a vessel that still carries that spirit. Two doubles and four singles, full headroom, practical gear, and honest systems. A Volvo Penta diesel, Garmin instruments, and simple but effective sail handling systems make her ready for another chapter. To own Taonui is to own a slice of Lidgard’s story, a yacht that speaks directly of its maker’s hands and heart.
Imp-Zap – nimble, purposeful, and enduring
If Taonui was John’s personal yacht, Imp-Zap is a reminder of his wider design influence. Built in 1978 by Peter Clements under Lidgard’s guidance, she carries the double-diagonal Kauri construction so typical of his era. At 10.4m, she is smaller, more nimble, but infused with the same DNA: seaworthiness, simplicity, and speed.
Her interior is practical, her rig straightforward, her engine reliable. She may not boast luxury fittings, but she offers something more important — capability. Whether for coastal adventures, club racing, or as a family cruiser, Imp-Zap shows why Lidgard’s yachts endure: because they work, because they last, because they invite you to sail.
More than ownership
To own a Lidgard is not to simply acquire a boat. It is to join a lineage of sailors who believe in boats as companions, not consumables. These yachts carry the weight of heritage — hand-built Kauri, tested offshore, shaped by a man whose dry humour and generous spirit matched his fierce talent.
John Lidgard logged more than 250,000nm offshore, most with his wife Heather navigating. Together they proved his designs not on paper but on the ocean, in races like the Melbourne–Osaka two-handed and countless Pacific passages. The yachts still floating today are not relics; they are living vessels, ready to keep sailing into the future.
The timelessness of craft
Timber moves, bends, and flexes — and yet when crafted with care, it can last a lifetime. That is the paradox at the heart of Lidgard’s work. His boats were strong without being heavy, fast without sacrificing comfort, innovative yet honest.
Taonui and Imp-Zap are reminders that boats built with integrity don’t fade. They age gracefully, carrying stories in every plank. For their next owners, these yachts are not just platforms for sailing, but invitations to become part of something larger: a tradition of Kiwi boatbuilding that shaped our identity at sea.
John Lidgard passed away in 2022 at the age of 90. His legacy is found in the boats still sailing, still loved, still capable of adventure.
