46 | Lees Boatbuilders MARINE Quality Stainless & General Sheetmetal Fabrication • ARCHITECTURAL • COMMERCIAL • MARINE • JOBBING • WELDING WSM is proud to be associated with LEES BOATBUILDERS LTD, a local company providing essential services for the Marine sector. The team at WSM takes pride in producing quality fabrications for LEES BOATBUILDERS LTD interesting and varied projects. WARKWORTH SHEETMETALS LTD Malcolm Patterson P: 09 425 7366 E: wsm@helix.net.nz 27 Woodcocks Rd. Warkworth 0910 www.henleygroup.co.nz (09) 443 5886 henley@henleygroup.co.nz Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Henley Group is a collection of companies and products that merges over 100 years of engineering experience in the Marine, Industrial, and Energy sectors. Products manufactured and represented cover both the domestic and export markets. • Driveline Design, Manufacture, and repair • Thordon Bearings • TIGER Propellers • Henleys Shaft Seals Keeping classic boats ship-shape Lees Boatbuilders has built a strong reputation for specialist restoration work, including the renovation of classic boats. T T Kelly Deeks “People bring us tired boats and we turn them back into something special. We work on timber, fibreglass, and even forcement vessels.” Lees Boatbuilders is proving longevity and specialist craftsmanship still have a place in New Zealand’s changing marine industry, with the Sandspit business continuing to attract boat owners seeking high-end restorations, refits, and maintenance, 75 years after it first launched on Kawau Island. Originally founded by Tim Lees at North Cove, before relocating to the current Sandspit site in 1963, Lees Boatbuilders has adapted alongside New Zealand’s marine industry, and since the share market crash of 1987, it has built a reputation centred on premium restorations, refits, and maintenance for vessel owners that value craftsmanship that lasts. Tim’s son, director Greg Lees, says while the current recession sees the market quieter than usual, Lees Boatbuilders remains committed to the quality workmanship that has made it a trusted name for generations of boaties. He says the changes reflect a broader shift across the New Zealand boatbuilding sector. When Tim first started out on Kawau Island, timber craft were a core part of coastal life and local transport, and New Zealand yards launched significant numbers of new vessels each year. The industry changed dramatically after the share market crash, with production increasingly moving offshore. Greg still owns the last boat built by Lees Boatbuilders, a Pelin Hallmark launch, which he named Timeless, in honour of Tim who passed away halfway through the build. His daughter, Rosie, also built her own Pelin Classic speedboat, Summertime, at the yard in 2013, for which she won the Hans Jessen trophy for best boat of the show at the 2016 New Zealand Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Show. Over the past 15 years, Lees Boatbuilders has built a strong reputation for specialist restoration work, including the renovation of classic boats. “People bring us tired boats and we turn them back into something special. We work on timber, fibreglass, and even ferrocement vessels,” Greg says. That work can involve structural repairs, repainting, interior upgrades, anti-fouling systems, and painstaking surface preparation. Foreman, Dale Collins, who has been with the business for 30 years, has a reputation as an excellent spraypainter and craftsman, and has brought a lot of custom to Lees Boatbuilders Annual haul-outs and anti-fouling remain a regular part of ownership, with boats operating in one of the harshest environments possible. “Boats are always in the water and always exposed,” says Greg. “They need constant care.” Greg returned to the family yard in 1992 after time working in the commercial world, taking over after his father’s death and continuing the business into a new era. Now 35 years into his own stewardship, he says Lees Boatbuilders may no longer launch new vessels, but its role is still vital. “There will always be a need for this facility, and for skilled people here,” he says. “With the yacht club and marina next door, there will always be boats needing repairs and maintenance.” He says some of the most rewarding projects involve preserving classic craft for future generations. “We often talk about 100-year hulls. If they are restored properly, they can be as good as when they were built in 1926.” For Greg, that enduring value sums up the business perfectly. “We are about keeping good boats alive, keeping them tidy, safe, and ready for their next chapter.”
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