The standout story for me in this issue of Boating NZ must be John Macfarlane’s feature on the remarkable rescue and restoration of Kokoru, a storied 1960 Jack Morgan motor launch badly damaged in a marina fire in 2022.
Kokoru had just undergone a two-year restoration and been relaunched weeks before the fire. For her new owners, the fire was devastating, and they couldn’t face rebuilding the badly charred classic yet again.
Kokoru’s future was looking bleak, but what followed showed she was a lucky boat after all, and that – thankfully – there are people with the vision to see what’s possible and the dedication to turn possibilities into reality.
One such person was Matthew Dudley, who bought the scorched and blackened launch from a boatbuilder experiencing second thoughts about the project, and his dedication was considerable, as John’s story ably illustrates. The result of Dudley’s efforts is simply stunning: Kokoru is now as good as new, possibly even better. Hats off to everyone involved in a superb restoration. You can find the story on page 46.
Our boat reviews this month are both of Kiwi designed and built boats. One is a yacht designed by Greg Elliott, an 1150 Tourer, and largely self-built by owner Robert Cross for charter work in the Bay of Islands. We covered Denim’s build in our March edition. The other is a new Frontier model from New Zealand’s largest trailer boat manufacturer, Stabicraft. The Frontier 2050 is the largest Frontier in Stabicraft’s lineup of centre- and side-console sportfishing models. The Profish version we review is packed to the gunnnels with innovative features.
Of course, this issue is filled with all our usual regular columns and a wide variety of feature stories. And with all the attention on preventing the spread of invasive marine species by controlling biofouling on hulls, NZMOA chairman Chris Galbraith’s piece highlighting the diminishing effectiveness of existing antifouling agents, and questioning regulatory delays around introducing new ones proven to be effective overseas,
makes interesting reading. See page 22.
Enjoy.
John Eichelsheim
Editor
