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LEFT The 34-ton tug Waiomana.
BELOW The Chris Robertson-
designed and built Del Ray being
launched in 1973.When Henry left in Lees 1969, Burnnand took over as sales
manager. As well as Auckland, Lees Marine by then had opened
branches in Australia and Singapore. The company offered a
comprehensive line-up of marine engines, as well as PRM, Paragon,
Twin Disc and Borg Warner gearboxes, so it became a one-stop shop.
In 1982 Forest Products, owned by Elders, bought Lees and, as
is often the case, the shift to corporate ownership didn’t deliver
what was promised. The freeing-up of import controls activated
by the David Lange government meant genuine marine engines
were considerably easier to obtain, which, combined with the 1987
sharemarket crash, put a major dent in Lees’ profitability.
With Lees struggling financially, management decided to wind up
the engineering side and Lees soon ceased marine conversions. In
around 1989, Lees sold its remaining spare parts, patterns and jigs
to Burnnand.
Thankfully for the thousands of owners of Ford marine engines
up and down the country, from his workshop in a double garage
besides his house, Burnnand continues manufacturing and supplying
Ford marine spare parts to this day. Throughout these years he has
continued building boats in his spare time.
After selling the tug his next boat was a Richard Hartley 5.2m
Vixen. Fitted with twin 110hp Mercury six-cylinder outboards,
Starflight II topped out at around 60mph. Burnnand entered her
in the 1967 Epiglass 40 powerboat race, which he won by over 20
minutes.
He then got into jet boats. Borrowing a mould of a Rex Henry-
designed 16’ runabout, he and son Glenn laid up two hulls and