SCUPPER 21 IS NO LONGER SCUPPERED BY KEITH INGRAM T
his traditional styled workboat, originally designed by Alan Warwick in 1977, is now making a revival on the Auckland waterfront with the first new boat for nearly two decades appearing at the recent Auckland
International Boat Show.
Boaters around the coast will recognise this lovely little workhorse, and many are still in use today around our marinas and inshore waters. Sadly, an unknown number have been left lying in disrepair and unaccounted for. When Alan Barson of Maritime and General Engineering, or MGE, found the original moulds for the vessel lying abandoned in a West Auckland paddock, he could see something beyond the grubby, rusting frames and glass shells that lay among the grass and weeds.
The moulds were hauled out of the paddock and after some significant restoration work by Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders in East Tamaki, in conjunction with MGE, they have produced the Scupper 21 (hull 14). She is the first boat to be built from these resurrected old derelict moulds.
This versatile little vessel, designed as a small workboat, is essentially a day boat with some creature comforts. While she is ideal as a marina tender or small towboat, other options like fishing, family picnics, exploring and harbour cruising all come to mind. The Scupper 21 is simple in design and built tough. This example has been finished to the standard of a gin palace rather than a workboat. It would be fair to say that being the first vessel in the revival of this design, she is now a bit flash to be playing bumper boats with.
Clearly the boat builders were on a mission in recreating this sturdy and safe vessel to raise the standard from the trusty workhorse look to a special vessel with character for the discerning boat owner looking for something more traditional in the small boat line.
She is constructed using hand-laid polyester GRP laminates with an exterior vinylester layer. The hull, decks and cockpit liner are all gelcoat finished and produced in female moulds. The integrated hull, deck and cockpit liner creates a strong and ridged hull form.
16 Professional Skipper November/December 2011
Complete with cabin top helicopter
