The Huia
Huia is a 1934 Peter Locke built 26ft. 7” Couta boat, which was sailed singlehanded from Sorrento to Tasmania in 2022 for the 2023 Wooden Boat Festival - a voyage of 14 days through the very special Furneaux Group, a place once teeming with small open gaff rigged work boats. The Huia was in the same family for 50 years in Sorrento, where she was actively raced in Division 1 and maintained by The Wooden Boat Shop. Since her crossing to Tasmania, Huia has had extensive new work completed, including a new cockpit sole, re-paint, completely refurbished deck (re-fastened, many planks replaced & re-caulked) & full-length covers added. Over $30k was spent at Wooden Boat Shop in Sorrento alone, including a complete ground up rebuild of her Yanmar 3GM engine, extensive general maintenance & new standing rigging. Complete with 2022 survey.
The Huia makes a stunning dayboat for friends and family with her large cockpit, able to easily take 4-6 people out for a day exploring Tasmanian coastal waters - voyage across the Channel under full traditional gaff rigged sail and explore the bays for oysters, or venture up the Huon river under reliable motor and a light breeze. She equally makes a fast & classic twilight racing boat with her large & powerful gaff rig - Couta boats are renowned for their sailing performance, with a large race fleet based out of Sorrento, Victoria. There is a contingent of Couta boats in southern Tasmania and I know for a fact they are all itching for some competitive sailing!
List of work done:
2019 - $16k spent @ Wooden Boat Shop for general maintenance, painting, deck & centreboard maintenance - with invoices
2020 - $14k spent @ Wooden Boat Shop for a full Yanmar engine rebuild with invoices
2022 - Survey, new standing rigging, new Raymarine tillerpilot, dual batteries installed with invoices
2023 - (September) antifoul, topsides repainted, new cockpit floor with antislip paint
2024 - deck fully refurbished, including many planks replaced with Queensland Beech. Re-fastened, re-caulked and oiled. All new full-length covers (boom, foredeck & cockpit).
Two mainsails, Jib #1,2,3
We are selling The Huia to fund a cruising boat. Currently tied up at Kettering (Oyster Cove Marina), slip paid up till March/April. Valued at $45k by Tim Phillips of Wooden Boat Shop in 2021.
Huia portrays timeless lines, planked in Kauri with QLD Beech decks & Oregon spars. The Huia is named after the trading schooner Huia, which brought her timbers from New Zealand. In the same family for 50 years before I purchased her in 2021. More info on the history of Huia at the Couta Boat Club website (https://www.coutaboat.com.au/boat/huia-c36/).
Priced to sell at $31k
