Polaris II: Fishing Boat to Research Vessel

Build Date

Stephen Godfrey (Jack) Guard

Boat Builder

70ft/21m

Length

Beam

Jack Guard

Polaris II was the last and biggest boat built by Jack Guard and is said to be his favourite build. She was built as a spec job which was on Guards mind for so long her hardwood keel was used as a workbench in the boat shed before the build even began. Guard states in Voices from the sea that Polaris II was brought by Richard Pollock and was “the biggest and best boat we’ve ever done.” Having built over a hundred boats, its is quite an honour for the Polaris II to be Guard’s favourite.

The build took 14 years to complete but although it was designed as a longliner, the Polaris II had a rocky start as a fishing boat. Laurie Hills was her skipper in these years

Otago University

In 2006 Otago University purchased Polaris II as a research vessel using the Leading Thinkers development initiative. Run by the Department of Marine Science at Otago University, Polaris II is the largest of the five vessels they have available for maritime research and teaching. Their website says Polaris II can be used around NZ’s coastline including the Chathams and subarctic islands.

As a research vessel Polaris II has been converted for research trips and supplied with all the equipment necessary to research the depths of the ocean and beyond. Although Polaris II was a large boat for Guard to build it is a small one in terms of research vessels so it is amazing what kinds of research can be undertaken onboard. The Polaris II can be self-sufficient for 30 days and can take up to 15 people including four or five crew. It is often booked up, with only 100 days a year when its not at sea. A tour of the Polaris II from around 2020 is available on YouTube.

Although the Polaris II has received lots of praise for the amount of research it has facilitated, Otago University have started looking at a replacement. Their plan is to build the Polaris III which would be a larger, more cost-effective and faster vessel. The university has committed $500,000 towards the new vessel and in 2019 a Texas philanthropist also committed $250,000 towards the new boat.

References

To research Polaris II we used the Otago University website, Otago University Magazine, Skipper.co.nz and the book Voices from the Sea – The stories of some Nelson and Marlborough fishing.

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