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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
14 2 - Patikis-The Early Years The post-war years of the 1950’s and 60’s were boom times for New Zealand. Kiwis were prospering in a strong economy and enjoyingtheirnewfoundleisuretime. Formany,thatmeantweekendsandholidaysdevotedtoyachting. Duetopost-warshortages of some materials, professional boatbuilders were scrambling to meet the strong demand for new yachts. In typical Kiwi fashion, if one couldn’t buy what they wanted, they would make it themselves. Do-it-yourselfers all over the country harvested, scrounged or reclaimed timber and built their own boats in sheds,garages and backyards. Modern materials and fresh ideas begged for a new generation of yachts that were lighter and faster than the rather clunky pre-war“classics.” While yacht racing was experiencing an unprecedented period of growth,even more Kiwis were building yachts for local and world cruising. Peter Colmore-Williams owned a company called Sonata Laboratories, through which he had introduced the Epiglass line of fibreglass and related products to the New Zealand market.The company had already began production of moulded items in glass reinforced plastic (GRP),such as car bodies and washbasins for hair salons,and had even ventured into the boating market with a fibreglassdinghytendercalledtheParsons9. Withastockroomfullof waterproof polyesterresinsandbigrollsglassfibrecloththat he had imported from the U.K.,Colmore-Williams had all the materials necessary for the making of a fibreglass yacht. A keen yacht racer, Colmore-Williams had grown tired of finishing on the trailing edge of the Squadron’s 4th Division on his yacht Taurima. He approached his friend Bob Stewart and asked him if he would design a light-displacement 34-foot racer/ cruiser, employing his space age materials, a yacht that could conceivably finish more towards the front-end of the Squadron’s 3rd Division. It was pay-back time for Colmore-Williams and Bob Stewart accepted the challenge. Late in 1958,Stewart commenced design work on his most famous boat,Patiki,a new type of light displacement boat with a fin keel. Patiki’s bow was nearly plumb, and her stern was short and straight. Stewart considered any overhangs to be redundant, fully appreciating that every inch of waterline equated to more speed. Her beam, rather full for a keeler of the era, afforded her stability while sailing on the wind against her powerful sail plan. Her light weight construction would not only require fewer materials, making her more affordable, but would allow her to be easily driven in all conditions. Stewart’s thinking was perhaps a bit unconventional, if not radical in his day, but is almost universally accepted by modern yacht designers. Stewart was convinced that the key to the success of this new design was in her light weight. He took his line drawings to the talented young boatbuilder and designer, John Lidgard, with whom he was familiar. Lidgard had also been pondering the revolutionary fin keel design for a larger keelboat of his own design, but was talked out of it by his more traditional-thinking father. Lidgard was impressed with Stewart’s concept and believed that by building the new hull using the latest cold-moulded method employing three diagonally arranged layers of timber strips bonded with the new polyester resins, that the designer’s target weight could be achieved. Lidgard was able to fully interpret Stewart’s line drawings and assist him with the creation of detailed plans to be used to build future Patikis. Technology had finally caught up with the concept of a light, strong and fast, yet seaworthy boat. According to Stewart,“keel ballast was kept as light as possible so that a fibreglass hull would not have to be unduly reinforced to take the strain of a heavy keel. As much stability and stiffness as possible was thus provided by the sections and a fairly wide beam,which was also chosen for room and comfort.” Stewart continued the trend his mentor Arch Logan had started with the mullet boats; a wide beam, a fin keel replacing the centreboard, the rudder placed as far aft as possible and a long flat run under the hard bilges for planing speed. Logan had designed small skimmers at the turn of the century and called them Patikis,the Maori name for flounder or flatfish. By applying the name Patiki to his new boat,Stewart honoured this heritage. These early Patiki skiffs later developed into the M class,called the“Restricted Patiki Class”by the Squadron, which to this day is one of the most active one design classes in New Zealand. John Lidgard commented:“The fin-keel was influenced by the flying l5’s popular in the early 50’s. Bill Endean has written that Bob was influenced by the American designer Phillip Rhodes who, in 1933, designed a boat with a separate keel & rudder which is very similar to the Stewart 34.” Apparently Stewart had been musing with designs for a fin-keeled yacht for some time. Among his plans there is a drawing, dated 1950, of a small fin keeler for Robin and Patricia Miller. Boatbuilder Neil Mills commented:“The old fin keelers had a history of falling off.The strength needed to support a keel which