THE DUCK THAT WOULDN’T DIE
Owned by Nelson’s Peter Murton, Blue Duck is no stranger to the Lake Rotoiti show – she’s been displayed there previously and has won various awards. But this year’s gong is a little special because – if the research is accurate – her new propulsion is her second electric system. The first was nearly a century earlier. This latest version marks yet another chapter in an extraordinary life.
The little clinker’s been fitted with numerous propulsion systems over the years but, tantalisingly, the research suggests she was first electrically-powered when big, heavy batteries and equally big, heavy DC motors were only just becoming established in New Zealand.
Murton has owned for about 12 years and makes his living restoring classic boats (more on this in a moment). Saving her
