b l o w n - u p h y d r o f o i l s

classicf a s tferries

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 1 n 8

2 CFF 4 2001

http://classicfastferries.go.to

Fast ferry photo-featuremagazine depicting thehistory of hydrofoils,hovercraft, catamarans& other commerciallyoperated high-speedferries.

Editor & publishert i m t i m o l e o ne-mail: cff@email.dk

Issued 6-8 times peryear in pdf format.Details on publishingdate for the upcomingissue can be found onour website.

All artwork and lay-outdesigns by the editor,except where noted.

Submittals ofmanuscripts andphotos, old and new,and relevant newsitems areencouraged.

(c) 2001,CLASSIC FAST FERRIES

d e c e m b e r 2 0 0 1 n 8

Former New ZealandPT.20 Manu Waibeing relaunched atBerries Bay, Sydney,Australia in July 1996(Garry Fry)

I N s i d e :

m a k i n g y o u rd r e a m c o m e t r u eb u y i n g a n d o p e r a t i n g a h y d r o f o i l o f y o u r o w n / 4

h a v e a s a f ej o u r n e y !t h e s a d e n d o f t w o P T . 5 0 s / 1 2

o d d c o n v e r s i o n st w o s t r a n g e l o o k i n g v e s s e l s / 1 4

o n t h e C O V E R :

c l a s s i c s h o t ss e e n o n t h e s l i p w a y 3 5 y e a r s a g o / 1 6

H A P P Y 2 0 0 2 !

- see you all there

classicf a s tferries

CFF 4 2001 3

The picture of this month's ScaleBoxmodel was taken through a shopwindow in Auckland, New Zealandclose to seven years ago. In February 1995 Garry Fry, wholives in Australia and was formerlyemployed on the Sydney hydrofoils,went to New Zealand to see his dreamcome true. For some time he hadwanted to buy and run a life-sizehydrofoil of his own and through afriend had learnt about a PT.20, Manu-Wai, being laid up and for sale

accidentally stumbled across the shopin which window a model of the veryvessel was displayed. Garry says, " I enquired if the modelwas for sale as I was a keen hydrofoilenthusiast and had actually just comeover to New Zealand to buy the full sizeManu-Wai. I don't know whether theshop keeper believed me on the latterbut he didn't want to sell, he didn't evenask me to make an offer". When Garrydid not pursue it it was because "I wasnot worried about the model when I

pretty much knew that I almostcertainly would have the real thingto indulge in soon enough". Which was exactly what happened.The hydrofoil was successfullytendered for and a company, SeaFlight Cruises Pty. Ltd., was formedto run Manu-Wai on excursion tripsand charters on Sydney Harbour andelsewhere.

following a grounding in 1993 atwhich the aft foil, shafting and hullhad been damaged. Due to theanticipated high repair cost the ownershad decided to put the vessel on themarket rather than patch it up. While in Auckland to inspect thePT.20, the hydrofoil-owner-to-be

S C A L EB O X

If you can't havet h e m o d e l

r e a l t h i n g- buy the

Turn to get the full story on the fullsize craft !

R i g h t : The refurbished Manu Waifoiling past the Sydney Opera House in

June 1997 (Martin Grimm)

4 CFF 4 2001

Making

your d r e a mc o m e t r u e

uilt by Rodriquez, Italy in 1964, Manu-Waiwas originally delivered to Kerridge-OdeonTourist Services and Waiheke Shipping Company,New Zealand for operation between downtownAuckland and Waiheke Island as well as thePakatoa Island Holiday Resort, then underconstruction. To save on shipping cost, following completionand trial runs in the Straits of Messina thehydrofoil was stripped of any protruding objectthat was not part of the hull or superstructure

B

CFF 4 2001 5

such as the foils, mast and air vents prior toshipping. On arrival in New Zealand thevessel was reassembled under thesupervision of a Rodriquez engineer andentered service on June 22nd after thenecessary test runs and crew training. Very soon after the introduction intoservice of Manu-Wai the owners announcedthey were seriously considering ordering yetanother hydrofoil of the bigger PT.50 type,to be operated on longer routes, based onthe satisfaction with the PT.20. These planswere never carried out however. In 1968 Manu-Wai was acquired byanother local operator, North ShoreFerries, which continued operating thehydrofoil on the Waiheke Island commuterrun until December 1973 when a disputebetween the owners and the Seamen'sUnion had the craft grounded, never toreenter service. It was not until eight years later, in 1981,that the hydrofoil was again sold, this timeto a private individual who began restoringthe craft and converting it into a privatecruiser. Some time later the owner struck adeal with Dominion Breweries to returnManu-Wai to commercial service as a touristferry.

C o m p l e t e l y r e b u i l t

In 1988 the hydrofoil was taken over byManu Wai Holdings Ltd., to be used as aluxury corporate charter vessel still in therole as a hydrofoil for use on AucklandHarbour. For this task Manu Wai wascompletely redone, inside and out. Work included a complete overhaul ofthe main engine which was returned to as-new condition, the fitting of reconditionedclutch (new plates), the replacing of originalelectrical controls with hydraulic unit andthe installing of a new 13 kW generator set.The corroded hull and keel plating werereplaced as necessary before being treatedwith anti-corrosive coatings. All originalframed windows were replaced withcontinous wrap-around style grey tint lexan.

Extensive modifications to the aft salooncomprised increasing headroom by 150mm,the installing of an additional washroom/w/c, fitting of large sliding side windowsand a 3-piece removable lexan hatch/emergency exit. Externally, the aft deck wasspecially widened, the original purposebeing aside from serving as protection forthe aft foil when coming alongside toprovide a landing platform for a smallhelicopter. This was to accompany ManuWai on a circumnavigation of New Zealandto coincide with the arrival of theWhitbread round-the-world sailors at thetime. A documentary was to be made inconjunction with the NZ film commissionbut fell through putting an end to theambitious project. The deck extensions,however, allowed for passengers to moveabout on the open deck whilst at hullbornespeeds. To protect the bow foil when mooring atconventional wharves, guards were fitteddirectly to this port and starboard sides a somewhat unorthodox solution.

O p p o s i t e : PT.20 Manu Wai in full flight at Broken Bay, NSW Australia on September 21st1997 (Martin Grimm ) and as delivered to New Zealand in 1964 (inset)

A b o v e : Impression of Manu Wai in Dominion Breweries 'Kiwi Lager'livery. The KL logo was actually applied to the craft

6 CFF 4 2001

Interior work was carried out to BruceWoods & Brett de Thier Ltd. design andspecifications, including converting theoriginal aircraft-style seating for 72passengers into a luxury lounge-styleseating for 52. A small modern bar/galleywith microwave oven, dishwasher andbeer/soda cooler was installed in theforward saloon. Other amenities includeda complete sound system and TV/VCR.Total cost of rebuild was NZD 1.3million. The vessel, keeping its name, wasrelaunched in Auckland in January 1990. Surprisingly, it saw little use in its newrole and was sold to a company called theCaret Group which intended to relocatethe hydrofoil to the Bay of Islands as atourist boat in 1993. Northland PortCorporation, which had undertaken the1989/90 rebuild, carried out a refit late in1993 prior to the transfer to Bay ofIslands. Unfortunately, on its positioningtrip Manu Wai was run aground on a mudflat while foilborne causing considerabledamage to the aft foil, minor damage tothe propeller and bending of the tailshaft.The bow foil, having a weak link unlikethe aft foil, collapsed and swung back aft. After being salvaged, Manu Wai wastowed back to Northland Port Corp. atWhangarei. The insurance company wrotethe vessel off and decided to sell it bytender some twelve months later.

L i v i n g o u t h i s b o y h o o d d r e a m

Long before this, Garry Fry, a Sydneyresident and dedicated pro-hydrofoiler(see 'ScaleBox' on page 3), had decided hewanted to operate his own hydrofoilservice and began doing feasibility studies. This had nothing to do with Manu Waiat the time though, rather he was aimingat a tourist oriented operation using aPT.50. Having known since earlyteenhood that he wanted to become ahydrofoil captain, Garry joined the UrbanTransit Authority of New South Wales in1981 as a deckhand on, first, the PT.50and RHS 140 and later the brand newRHS 160F hydrofoils. On completion ofthe required deck time he acquired hismasters certificate. But the goal of becoming a hydrofoilcaptain was thwarted by a seniority systemthrough which it would take at least tenyears of service on the conventionalvessels in the UTA fleet by which time,it would turn out, all hydrofoils had beenphased out in favor of catamarans. With the feasibility study in hand but withlimited resources at his disposal, Garrycontacted the marketing section ofRodriquez in 1993 with a proposal for aSydney-based tourist operation.

L e f t : Manu Wai shortlyafter arrival in Australia in

1995. The specially designedsection comprising the mast,

air intakes and life raft storagewas detached from the roof of

the wheelhouse/belvederecabin prior to shipping from

New Zealand (Martin Grimm)

O p p o s i t e b o t t o m :The vessel lifted and placed in

cradles about a month later(Martin Grimm)

O p p o s i t e : The PT.20 as found in New Zealand in February 1995. The craft had beenstripped of