Jean: 45ft Jack Guard Built Fishing Boat
1953
Build Date
Stephen Godfrey (Jack) Guard
Boat Builder
45ft
Length
Beam
Building The Jean
Originally built for Merle Raynor of Kaikoura as a fishing trawler. The Jean is one of hundreds of boats built by Jack Guard at his yard in Pukatea Bay, Marlborough Sounds. It is presumed the Jean was named after Merle Raynors niece Jean Brooks who passed away in 1942. Jean Brooks was only in her mid-twenties and was the daughter of Keith and Wikitoria Raynor.
After Merle Raynors death in 1959 his son Russell took the Jean to Timaru and fished with until 1978 when he sold the Jean to an unknown buyer. It is said Max Raymond was the Jeans skipper for around 40 years when she was in Timaru. After this time the Jean worked out of Lyttleton, Oamaru and Bluff.
Other people who are thought to have owned the Jean is Jim Shilton of Havelock and Jack Keen.
After The Raynors
In 2007/8 Vince Armstrong purchased the Jean and took her to Havelock for an overhaul. He spent 18 months working on the Jean to give her a bit of an update and turn her into a pleasure boat. He replaced the ribs, deck beams, gave the 125hp Gardner 6LX engine an overhaul, re-caulked the hull and installed a new wheel house. Whilst removing the engine Armstrong also found the bilge had been filled with concrete.
Around 2012 Armstrong sold the Jean and between 2012 and 2020 the Jean had five owners. The most resent owner is Paddy Girard who in 2020 wrote on Waitemata Woodys that he was living aboard the Jean in Chaffers Marina in Wellington.
References
To research the Jean we used skipper.co.nz and Waitemata Woodys
Related Posts
Polaris II – Guard built fishing boat and now a research vessel
Tio – 55ft Guard boat used for research, passengers, skipper training and as a passenger boat
Imalone – 34ft Boat designed and built by Jack Guard and John McCauley.
Gleam – 42ft boat owned by the Guard family for over seventy years.