Malolo may be one of a kind. Pre-war runabouts of her type that have survived intact are, as far as anyone can establish, simply nonexistent.
Built in 1929, this kauri-hulled gentleman's speedboat is believed to have been commissioned by American author and legendary sportsman Zane Grey during his celebrated fishing expeditions to the Bay of Islands. She has endured nearly a century through a combination of good fortune and, in more recent years, restoration work of the highest order.
The name Malolo is Polynesian for flying fish. It suits her.
Her design is attributed to Francis Arlidge, Grey's personal boatman on his New Zealand fishing campaigns, drawing on American Hacker Craft influence. The kauri hull is narrow and purposeful, with a beam of 1.6 metres and a shallow draft of 0.3 metres that prioritises speed over seakeeping. Around 1940 she was laid up, and for the better part of eight decades she stayed that way.
The restoration that changed her fate was no ordinary undertaking. Mike Lyon and the team at The Woodshed in Whangārei took on the work with an uncompromising brief: return Malolo to pre-war authenticity in every respect. The finished result cost an estimated $120,000 and drew on years of specialist effort spanning multiple trades and two countries.
At the core of the rebuild sits a 1942 Ford Flathead V8, model 59A, sourced from California and rebuilt from the bare block by H&H Flatheads in Sacramento. The camshaft was reground specifically for marine duty. Savage Marine in Christchurch designed and fabricated a custom heat exchanger, while professional marine electricians and mechanics handled the installation. The engine presents today as new.
The interior carries the same commitment to period detail. A varnished kauri dashboard holds replica V8 instrument dials, and 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. Deep red upholstery was donated by The Boat Cover Company. The flagpole previously flew from Dave Pickmere's much-admired launch Winsome. Even the bronze rudder has its own story, having been 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 those with an eye for provenance and craftsmanship recognised what they were looking at.
She is now offered for sale at NZD$88,000 through Parker Marine Brokers in the Bay of Islands. For a vessel 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 asking price.
Private viewings can be arranged through broker Ian Duncan.
Phone: 021 121 9524 Email:
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