Iconic Australian boats tie up at National Maritime Museum
Published
Tim Barlass
On a humid and partially overcast morning, we relaxed in the cockpit of Magellan built in 1988, a 46ft timber-built long-range power vessel that has just arrived from Brisbane.
No matter the muggy day, the vessel’s more than adequate air conditioning makes for a very pleasant environment alongside the museum’s Heritage Pontoon.
The Magellan, owned and built by Bill Wright is the first of 16 boats soon to arrive at the museum to celebrate the legacy of one of Australia’s most esteemed boatbuilders, Norman R Wrights & Sons, of which he is third generation owner.
From 70-foot opulent pleasure cruisers to authentic dinghies used as props in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, to police boats and Sydney Harbour and Palm Beach ferries, Norman Wright & Son has built them all.
1911, Jannett.
Norman R Wright archives
Dolphin II at 61’9” built in 1967 is capable of 20 knots was designed as a ‘fast entertainer’
Norman R Wright archives
Through two world wars and the Great Depression, the company has navigated the vagaries of the Australian economy to survive for 117 years, seeing rival shipbuilders come and go.
It all began in 1909 when Norman Wright senior, aged 24, purchased an ailing boatyard with borrowed money and opened the boatbuilding and design business in Newstead, Brisbane.
At the age of 16 he had already designed the 10-foot skiff Commonwealth which won three Australian titles with Norman at the helm. Thereafter, he never looked back. During the Second World War, Wright’s became part of the Allied war effort refitting vessels for military use and building new craft.
Where it all began, the original shed in Brisbane.
Norman R Wright archives
Ron, Norm Snr and Norm Jr.
Norman R Wright archives
Today, that legacy is celebrated with a diverse flotilla arriving at the museum that includes Jenny VII, at 28ft ‘trailor sailor’coming from Tasmania and from Brisbane Bali Hi (pilothouse cruiser, 75ft, 1964), South Pacific II (long range cruiser 66ft, 1962), Ontario (pleasure vessel, 54ft, 1996) and Boxer (gaff sloop, 23ft, 2002) and Jannett (likely first motorboat on Noosa River now pleasure boat, 20ft, 1913) from Noosa, along with plenty of other vessels.
Bill Wright says it is a long haul for some but the owners are all very passionate boating people.
Of the company’s survival, he says: “[The family] were all boat builders or naval architects so even when we're right down to one or two men in the shed during the Great Depression in the 1930s we were able to survive because we had no overheads.
“The other reason is that we've always looked for new technologies. Our naval architecture side of things is state-of-the-art. We have been doing tank testing since the 1960s. We now do computational fluid dynamics (CFD, a method for simulating water flow around hulls) when we're designing the boats to make sure they're optimized for performance.
All the new boats are all composite, which means they're built out of the very latest epoxy resins, glass, carbon, Kevlar depending on their application.”
Building boats of this calibre, he has inevitably had to deal with the rich and the famous.
“So what was that like?” is the leading question.
"It can be challenging, but some of them are extremely nice people,” he replies.
“Can you name any names?”
“I'd prefer not to.” he says diplomatically.
No doubt part of the winning formula that has ensured the company’s longevity.
The fourth generation is already on board at the company and the order book includes two pilot boats for PNG and a high speed patrol boat for Queensland Parks and Wildlife.
