1987 Boat restoration

Besides his professional career Keith Pine is a keen sailor with a fascination for old wooden boats. He and Dick Couglan are two of the four original owners who purchased ‘Ferro’ in 1987.

In the 28 years that Keith Pine and Dick Couglan have been part owners, ‘Ferro” has had constant improvements and renovation and is still “Quite one of the handsomest launches on the harbour” as quoted by the Auckland Star in 1907.

Ferro was built by Arch Logan for the Ferro Cement Company of Australasia in 1905 and is a 45 foot, double ended, triple diagonal kauri hulled launch.

She was sold to the Auckland Harbour Board in 1909 and used as a pilot boat and medical officer’s boat before been relegated to general harbour duties including oil dispersal and mooring servicing.

Keith Pine is also associated with the restoration of “Jessis Logan”, New Zealand’s oldest racing yacht.