Some boats are rare. Malolo may be one of a kind.
Built in 1929 and believed to have been commissioned by American author and legendary sportsman Zane Grey during his storied fishing expeditions to the Bay of Islands, this kauri-hulled gentleman’s speedboat has survived nearly a century largely through good fortune and, more recently, extraordinary craftsmanship. As far as anyone can establish, no other pre-war runabout of her type has made it through intact.
Malolo is a Polynesian word for flying fish. It suits her.
Her designer is attributed to Francis Arlidge, Grey’s personal boatman on his New Zealand fishing campaigns, working from American Hacker Craft influence. The hull is traditional kauri, narrow and purposeful at 1.6 metres of beam, with a shallow 0.3-metre draft that speaks to speed over seakeeping. She was laid up around 1940 and, for the best part of eight decades, stayed that way.
What changed everything was a restoration project of rare ambition. Mike Lyon and the team at The Woodshed in Whangārei took on the work with a clear brief: return her to pre-war authenticity, nothing compromised. The result cost an estimated $120,000 and consumed years of specialist effort across multiple trades and two countries.
The heart of the rebuild is a 1942 Ford Flathead V8, model 59A, sourced from California and rebuilt from the bare block by H&H Flatheads in Sacramento, with the camshaft reground specifically for marine duty. Savage Marine in Christchurch designed and fabricated a custom heat exchanger. Professional marine electricians and mechanics handled the installation. The engine now presents as new.
Inside, the attention to period detail is meticulous. A varnished kauri dashboard carries replica V8 instrument dials. The helm is a 1940 Italian car wheel. Engine controls were salvaged from a vintage Wellington ferry. Hand-painted transom signwriting matches the original 1929 lettering, uncovered beneath layers of paint during the strip-back. The deep red upholstery was donated by The Boat Cover Company. The flagpole once flew from Dave Pickmere’s much-admired launch Winsome. Even the bronze rudder has a story: discovered in a hay barn near Matamata, not far from where The Lord of the Rings found its own mythology.
Malolo returned to the water in 2017 for the first time since around 1940, making her public debut at the New Zealand Classic Boat Festival at Lake Rotoiti on Nelson Lakes. She won. In 2024 she drew significant attention at the inaugural Auckland Wooden Boat Show, where appreciation for her provenance and finish was widespread among those who understand what they were looking at.
She is now offered for sale at NZD$88,000 through Parker Marine Brokers, located in the Bay of Islands. For a vessel of this historical significance, finished to museum standard and carrying a credible connection to one of the twentieth century’s most celebrated fishing adventurers, that figure represents a genuinely considered entry point.
Private viewings can be arranged through broker Ian Duncan.
Phone: 021 121 9524 Email: ian@parkermarinegroup.co.nz
Listing: parkermarinegroup.co.nz
