When we talk about barn finds, the image that typically comes to mind is of an old Chevrolet or Ford sitting in a classic American-style barn, coated in a layer of dust, with an old canvas tarp slung over it, and the outline of a guard just visible through the fabric. Even though something like this does occur occasionally in New Zealand, it is extremely uncommon. Steve Hopcroft’s discovery is not a ‘barn find’ with a car, but rather a ‘farm find’ with a boat. Not just any boat, mind you, but a flat-bottomed K-boat from 1968 that has a fascinating past.
The tale concludes in New Zealand, but it begins in the United States of America more than 60 years ago. Larry Dalhoff, the man responsible for the original construction of this Speed Demon-looking K-boat in 1968, is a familiar name to many avid fans of drag racing,only 5.07 metres in length, which is ironic given that the late sixties and early seventies saw the birth of some of the most iconic muscle vehicles we know of today. While driving a loud muscle car can be nerve-racking, this monstrosity would have been mind-bending just skimming the surface of a placid lake.
