Cloning an old flirt

By ROBIN BAILEY

Whangarei boatbuilder Eric Knight is in the cloning business - and it's booming.

By taking a mould from a 33-foot launch designed and built 90 years ago, he has found a niche market for replicas built in today's maintenance-free materials.

His story begins in 1996. Well established as a designer and builder of catamarans, Knight was looking for a small displacement launch suitable for cruising in areas such as the Hauraki Gulf.

He found the Arch Logan-designed-and-built Coquette, which went into the water in 1912 when the Logans were the undisputed New Zealand champions at creating graceful and successful racing yachts and cruising launches.

Coquette was built for Logan's brother Robert, and named Doreen after their sister. The name had been changed to Coquette by the time Knight bought her. There had been other changes, too. A cockpit dodger was added in the early 20s, and in the 40s the little launch had major surgery. The cabin sides were raised from about midships aft to provide headroom in the living area.

Fortunately this modification was carried out by Bill Cauldry, another master craftsman of his day, Knight says. The big windows which provide superb visibility are typical of his approach to aesthetics.

A Christmas holiday cruise to the Bay of Islands convinced the catamaran-builder that he had made the right choice. In Opua, Bill Aspden, who sold Coquette to move up to a bigger, faster Vindex, was reunited with his beloved Logan. He immediately extracted a promise of the first chance to buy Coquette back should Knight decide to sell.

There were so many inquiries during that three-week cruise that by the time Knight returned to Whangarei he was asking: Why am I not building boats like this?

He decided to test the market. So on Queen's Birthday Weekend '97 Coquette, freshly scrubbed and polished, was one of the star attractions at the New Zealand Boat Show where Knight was offering GRP versions of the graceful little lady.

The interest was there, so with a notebook full of names Coquette was trucked home and the process began of encasing her in removable fibreglass which would become the moulds for the production version.

The exercise involved all sorts of protuberances such as hatch surrounds and beltings having to be chopped off and some non-removable items of necessity becoming a permanent feature of all future boats, Knight recalls.

At the end of '97, with the then 85-year-old launch encased in its fibreglass cast, the decision was made to have the first GRP version of Coquette at the next year's Boat Show in June. It was a tough schedule, but Knight and his team made it and the first production Logan 33 was an immediate hit. He didn't manage to sign up a buyer, but he was confident the sales would come.

The first boat was named Dolly, after the cloned sheep in the news at the time. By the time it was launched another was in the mould. Logan Classic Boats were in business.

Knight kept Dolly and Bill Aspden sold his Vindex and bought Coquette back. Today she often cruises with her clone and joins a succession of other proud Logan owners who get a great buzz out of meeting their 90-year-old matriarch.

Knight says his buyers are seeking a new, low-maintenance and easily handled boat that is cheap to run and stress-free. Many are former yacht owners and a surprising number are new to boating. Most have been over the Logan 33 displayed at the last three on-the-water boat shows at the Viaduct Basin.

Hull No 11 was exported to Toronto where a company formed by a group of keen retired boaters is hoping to create a market in Canada. No 16 went to Australia. Inquiries have been received from Europe but the company has made no effort to tap into that market.

Knight has a healthy order book. The next available boat is No 25, due for launching in July next year, which illustrates the company's biggest problem: being able to meet the demand. It is a problem many other boat-builders would envy.

Logan Boats