Sea Scouts New Zealand

rdf:langString Sea Scouts New Zealand

rdf:langString The Scout Association of New Zealand, Sea Scouts

rdf:langString The Boy Scouts Association

rdf:langString The Scout Association of New Zealand's Sea Scouts are Scout Groups specialising in water-based activities. In 2017, there were around 900 Sea Scouts in New Zealand in 53 troops around the country. The New Zealand Sea Scouts use a 17-foot cutter as their principal boat – the concept of having a specific boat for Sea Scouts in New Zealand originated in 1944. The first two boats of this class were ready for the 1st National Dominion Regatta in 1945. The original boats were clinker built and used Kauri as the main timber. The rig was a gunter designed so that all the spars could be stowed inside the boat for towing. These wooden cutters are still in use today including the first built. They continued to be built in the original manner until the early 1970s; around 140 were built over this period. In the late 1960s and early 1970, fibreglass versions of the cutters began to be produced, the hull being identical in shape and size but the gunter rig was replaced with a Bermudan design using aluminium mast and boom. These boats are still in production and around 90 have been built.