SAINT ANTONIO

Saint Antonio, not to be confused with her near sister St Antoninio built later on in Nelson (see below) and the much bigger and later Saunders built San Antonio; is one of the Wellington Island Bay type boats although I have it on good advice that she fished out of Rona Bay on the Eastbourne Side of the Harbour.
I suspect that she was build by Joe Jukes at Balaena Bay around 1935. She has a lot of similarities to Wild Duck who is just a bit longer.
In April 2017, I took pity on her and became present custodian. I hope to catch up on a few year's backlog of maintenance as well as some upgrades. No changes planned for the general appearance beyond remodelling the canopy. I probably will not need the rather nice fish hold she has. I also think she would benefit from a couple of masts. A derrick is always an asset on a work boat. And the ability to set a little sail wouldn't go astray.

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We towed her to Whangateau for slipping, preliminary tidy up and engine removal
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Several weeks on the old rails ensured that, despite some adverse weather, the initial workload was finished.
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On closer expert scrutiny, the old 5LW proved to be high mileage and beset by corrosion -it had been liberally anointed with salt water that was not dealt to at the time. Dr Gardner summarised its state in three succinct words and a crawl underneath convinced me.
Time was not on our side. It will be rebuilt in time, sure, but an appropriate alternative has been sourced and will be fitted shortly. I'll keep you posted.