A much-loved family boat which has travelled halfway across the world to the Hauraki Gulf has been given a new lease on life, to serve a new generation of boaties.

Kiwi Peter Everett was brought up in California, where his father bought the 6m Bayliner he now uses for his own family’s boating adventures back here in New Zealand. He reckons it’s a one of a kind here, with most of the original Bayliners produced in the US having inboard motors.

Everett’s father Richard purchased the Bayliner Trophy 2110 runabout brand-new in 1986, and it’s been in the family ever since. The boat, which is appropriately named Flying Kiwi, was originally powered by twin 125hp Force two-stroke outboards, producing a top speed of approximately 39 knots.

“We used to do lots of boating off San Francisco as a family, fishing for salmon and rock cod – we even went out to the Farallon Islands a couple of times,” Everett says. “In 1993 I towed it to LA, where I was living, and used the boat there off Long Beach and out to Catalina Island, fishing and diving.”

When Everett and his wife moved back to New Zealand in 2006, they packed the boat into a container and had it shipped back ‘home’. “It just made sense to bring the boat back with us,” he says.

Shortly before moving back here, he had the boat repowered with a single 150hp Yamaha four-stroke, which provided better fuel economy and lower emissions, but reduced her top speed to 32 knots. Since being back in New Zealand, she’s also undergone a few other modifications and updates, including a rebuild of the transom to create a swim platform, an anchor locker and windlass, and a Manta Marine Stainless top and canopy to protect passengers from the harsh New Zealand sun. “With an older boat, you’re always picking away at it,” Everett says.

The most recent upgrade has been a repower. Everett says while the existing motor was in being repaired, the team at Ovlov Marine loaned him a rebuilt 200hp outboard for the Christmas holidays, “which made me realise how underpowered the boat had been with the 150. We also realised we were getting a lot of cavitation when we were towing sea biscuits and things, because the kids were getting bigger.”

Fortunately, Ovlov had a low-hour, superyacht-trade F300hp Yamaha V6 Offshore outboard available, and Everett decided to go big. “It’s basically twice the power that we had, so it’s like having a new boat,” he says. “The main thing is it’s quieter, and it uses a lot less fuel at cruising speeds. It’s also increased the top speed massively – we haven’t had a lot of good weather lately to try her out in flat water but we have been up to 47 knots.

“It’s been great working with the Ovlov team getting the setup right, to get the best performance out of the engine.”

“We were happy to be able to help Pete, as you can see the connection he and his family have with the boat – he’s always keen to get on it for a fish, dive, ski or a catch-up with friends, on the Gulf, at the lake, or up in the Bay of Islands,” says Lachlan Trembath of Ovlov Marine. “It’s great to see the boat refreshed and performing better than ever.”

With her new engine and other improvements, Flying Kiwi is ready for another few decades of providing family fun – half a world away from where she first hit the water. “She’s been such a great family boat, and we can see ourselves getting a lot more years out of her,” Everett says. “I’ve told my kids – the next engine will be on them.” BNZ