Professional Skipper Magazine from VIP Publications

C O A S TA L C HARA CTERS LAUNCHING DREAMS: THE LIFE OF PERCY VOS BY BADEN PASCOE T he world of wooden ships and boats has certainly disappeared from Auckland���s waterfront and it is now hard to imagine what these places once looked like. There were many boatbuilders: WG Lowe and Son, Lidgard Bros, Ship Builders Ltd, Collings and Bell, Dick Lang. The list goes on. The main building material was kauri and other native timbers, and these places had a unique smell about them as this timber was sawn and machined. The men who worked at the yards possessed a wide set of skills that are hard to find. For a start they were taught how to understand the characteristics of the timber, and to select it for various uses so that it would endure years of service. Understanding nature you may call it today! By eye and experience that was passed on to them by their seniors, they learned how to create the shape of a boat that would meet its future required uses, and to create it in miniature as a half model. The stocks were right below his office stairs, and it wasn���t often that he came down those stairs and did not get involved, even when things were, okay. From here they would transfer its lines onto the well-used workshop floor (lofting), and from here make the temporary frames and moulds. The bones would soon start to stand up and longitudinal battens nailed around to show the lovely flowing lines. And so it goes on, until the boat is launched. There are so many aspects to explain about what it takes to build these boats it could fill a book, and yes, there are many books on wooden boat building, but the abilities of the very best boat designers and builders come from within ��� just like artists. Percy Vos���s life in boatbuilding started at the very height of wooden ship and boat building in Auckland, and ran parallel with that of the industry, until both Percy and the industry both came to an end at virtually the same time. Percy Vos started his boatbuilding career as a boy in 1913, in the partnership of Harvey and Lang Ltd. Ernie Harvey was apprenticed to the great Charles Bailey Junior who in my mind was the greatest all round designer and builder this nation has ever seen. From my understanding Dick Lang was also a Charles Bailey Junior apprentice, and he and Ernie learned their trades at the same time. Harvey and Lang boats were up on the same quality shelf as Logan, 26 Professional Skipper January/February 2013 Bailey and a number of other smaller builders around town. These two boys were obviously passionate about their profession and in time they became the benchmark for those who wished to be in the top league. In 1916 life changed for Percy Vos as he and school friend Theo Lowe (son of Bill Lowe, WG Lowe), had signed up as territorials and now volunteered for a lifetime adventure they would never forget. They boarded a troop ship in Wellington and headed for Southampton and then onto the death fields of Passchendaele, Belgium. They returned to New Zealand in 1919 and Percy went back to finish off his apprenticeship with Ernie Harvey who by now had split with Dick Lang and relocated to Poore St, which is now behind Sailors Corner. Life was back to normal and Percy was in his dreamland absorbing knowledge like a sponge and racing mullet boats hard every weekend. Waipawa built in 1940 for Waitemata Fisheries. This boat established P Vos Ltd as builders of good quality workboats for competitive prices before World War Two In 1922 Ernie decided to move to the thriving fishing port of Thames, the port that many of his purpose-built fishing boats worked out of. So without a thought he offered his business to Percy and from what I understand, the deal was done in a matter of minutes. Their relationship was like a father and son, and Percy simply paid the rent to Ernie who in turn paid it to Hendersons, who later became Ship Builders Ltd. Ernie even let Percy use a photo of the launch Sunray he and Dick has built when they were with Ship Builders before the War. Goes to show how close these men were. P Vos Ltd built quality clinker or ship lap dinghies as their bread and butter income. They also built small pleasure and work launches as well. Percy was known to Devonport designer Bert Woollacott and Bert chose him to build his keeler Rambler, the first of many Woollacott designs. He also built two stunning 22ft L class mullet boats, Malita and Marika, both in 1934. The very first Bob Stewart designed boat named Anita was also built at this yard. Her transom shape is almost identical to the legendary Stewart 34 shape. She is now moored in the Tamaki River and looks as sound as the day she was launched. Small launches were also designed

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