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Woodenboat NZ Name Search Yacht Result
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Searching for RESULT |
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Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 21:16:52 +1200 Dear Sir Through your magazine I was hoping that either you or one of your readers could help me with information on a yacht I just bought. The name is "Result" and she was built in Auckland in 1902 in a class/design known as a harbour racer (I think). She is 24 foot long but probably was about 27 foot as the counter stern has been cut off. >From what I know so far she spent the first four years racing in Auckland and the rest of her time in the South Island - Christchurch and Dunedin. Any information whatsoever would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Geoff Gorrie Invercargill |
I forwarded the request to Harold Kidd, marine historian and author of a number of books on New Zealand's maritime heritage.
Editor
From Harold
That's a curly one!
I had no idea there was any connection between an Auckland Result and the Dunedin Result until now.
However, apart from confirming that there was a Result in Auckland in 1902, I can't help much.
This Auckland Result (there were several, from time to time) is mentioned as entering both Home Bay SC and Ponsonby Cruising Club events in November and December 1902 in the "22 feet & under" class but there is no owner's name or other detail.The first extant PCC membership list with names of yachts is 1903/4 season and Result ain't there. The size doesn't fit, though, does it?
The attached pic of Result shows the counter. I can't place what Geoff means by a "harbour racer" as a specific class. With the dimensions he gives she would have been too small for the 24 foot linear rater class very popular in Auckland. Two of these went to Otago shortly after, Miro and Matua, and were "First Class Yachts" there, while "Result" was a "Second". She looks to me like a "one-off".
I'm intrigued to learn of her Auckland origins and must find out more. I'll try to get a line on the original owner of the 1902 Result if I can and then it should all fall into place, builder etc. But see below with some doubts.
I would like to know, in particular if she is a built-down keel yacht or was possibly a centreboarder originally? This would open the field up hugely. The 1912 pic attached makes her look like a built-down boat.
In the National Maritime Museum's archives there is a list of yachts that were looked after by Alf Wiseman at Back Beach, Port Chalmers in 1905. Result is included. However the next references I have to her in Otago are from 1909 onwards.
As I see it, there are two main scenarios [with variations];
1. The Auckland Result, built about 1902, is sold to Dunedin, either by 1905 (as per the Wiseman list) or 12 months or so after (as per anecdote). There she remains. There are two main worries about this
(i) at 27' or even at 24' she would never have entered the 22' & under race.
(ii) there are no other records of this boat racing in Auckland or doing anything at all that I have encountered.
A later Result (16 footer) was built by G.E. Norris in 1910 for G.E. Bennett of Devonport. Bennett could have owned the 1902 Result. Often happens that names get recycled like that. But my database doesn't help with that avenue.
2. She was built in Auckland and shipped to Dunedin
(i) immediately
(ii) after a couple of shakedown races as above and perhaps a short summer cruise to Kawau/Waiheke, as people did when they bought in Auckland from out of town.
(iii) after 4 years in Auckland under another name and then the Otago owner renamed her Result.
I have no owner's names in Otago, unfortunately, although a trawl through the ODT for 1905 onwards during the periods around the various regattas should produce that info eg Broad Bay Regatta and Otago Regatta around New Years Day, Ravensbourne BC Regatta around 1st March, Port Chalmers Regatta around 20th December. Then go to the families with those names in the phone book and, in my experience, you'll get a strike pretty early in the piece provided the name isn't Smith, Brown etc. What I'll look for here is a reference to the sale of such a yacht to Dunedin, or just out of town, in the newspapers. Failing that, I'll build up a profile of the boat and see when a similar boat disappears from Auckland in the database. I've spotted a couple of possibilities. One of the things I've learned is that, once a boat leaves town, it's as if she was never there, within a very short space of time.
Keep in contact!
Harold
haroldkidd@woodenboat.net.nz