Boating New Zealand — January 2018

126 Boating New Zealand

decks, then fitting them with Chev 350 ci V8s and Hamilton

three-stage jet units. One boat was later fitted with a 400ci

Chev engine and, with Glenn driving, won a jet boat racing

series in Whatakane.

He then commissioned Tony Ward to build an alloy 18’

racing hull, which fitted with the same 400 ci engine achieved

some success in jet boat racing.

Next came a 11.6m Vindex, which he built at home from cold

moulded kauri. Burnnand fitted Starflight with twin Ford 180hp

turbo D series diesels, which he’d marinised himself.

Burnnand had a brief foray with yachts by buying a

Whiting 45 GRP hull and having Keith Eade build a timber

cabin and decks.

In 2005, he bought the 13.7m planing launch, Del Ray, a

boat he knew well. Launched in 1973, Del Ray won the Epiglass

Boat of the Show award. Subsequent owners included Tom

Archie, Bob Ross, Mitch Henderson and John Going, the latter

repowering Del Ray with a pair of Ford 2728T Dover series

developing 200hp each. Going did many offshore miles in the

16-ton Del Ray, including eight return trips to Tonga.

After buying Del Ray, Burnnand rebuilt the engines, which

by then had clocked up 18,000 hours. During the rebuild, he

increased their horsepower to 240 each.

“Those Dover series Fords are a fantastic engine. When I

stripped them down, the crankshaft had barely half-a-thou of

wear [.0005 ins] so we put standard bearing shells back in for

the crank and block. And the Twin Disc gearboxes have now

done 26,000 hours, to this day they’ve never been apart.”

When not on her Tamaki River mooring just off Burnnand’s

house, Del Ray is up on his private slip at the bottom of the

garden. Looking over the beautifully crafted vessel with her

immaculate engine room, it’s hard to believe she’s now 45 years

old. Likewise spending an afternoon with her active, fit as trout

skipper, it’s hard to believe he’s 82 years old.

It seems an important key to active longevity is passion, doing

what you love, and Burnnand’s always done what he loves.

“All my working life I’ve done things I’ve liked doing, I’ve

never regretted going to work.”

It’s sad so few people can honestly say that. BNZ

BOATINGNZ.CO.NZ

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CLOCKWISE FROM

TOP: Del Ray pulled on

Burnnand’s private slipway;

the steering station; her

twin Ford engines.