New Zealand Naval Architect Allan Mummery

[CQR25]

I would like to have any news about this yachts' designer and his main projects.

There is any one who knows his yacht named Marimba 44?

[Marinheiro]

I am pretty sure Allan is retired now, last I heard living on Waiheke Is near Auckland. He is an architect by profession who designed a variety of yachts of all types from long skinny gulf cruisers, steel, ferro and aluminium offshore yachts, a couple of fast centre board schooners and the occasional racers primarily Ice Fire and Oz Fire.
One of his aluminium designs currently for sale
MUMMERY 46 1982 For Sale in New Zealand
and a classic timber ketch
Mummery Ketch

I am not sure about a Marimba 44, Allan designed 2 yachts for Eric Wing in NZ both named Marimba, the first was 24' in wood, the second 34' in steel

[CQR25]

Thanks a lot for your reply. I found a yacht built in Europe following a Mummery's design. It seems well done but have a strange interior layout.
Sailing World - Occasion - Marimba 44 Aluminium

[Marinheiro]

Interesting, many of Alan's commissions were one-offs so they reflected the owner's wishes. This yacht reminds me quite a lot of another Mummery design owned by a fellow I worked for 30 odd years ago.
I have not been able to find Alan's contact details, but if you send Henk Haazen an email he should be able provide them
Tiama » Contact

[CFR]

Hi from Germany i own a Marimba 44 designed by Alan and 3 where built at the same time in germany at Sandmeier. All 3 ships are made with different interiors. pls feel free to ask something.
the boat is really a nice one with very good seagoing behavior, strong built with best lewmar and selden material.

[Gin Tonic]

Originally Posted by CFR

Hi from Germany i own a Marimba 44 designed by Alan and 3 where built at the same time in germany at Sandmeier. All 3 ships are made with different interiors. pls feel free to ask something.
the boat is really a nice one with very good seagoing behavior, strong built with best lewmar and selden material.

Hi,

I´m interested buying a Marimba 44 (this one from sailing-world). What are your expiriences with the boat? Thanks for any information !

(Geht auch auf Deutsch!)

[CFR]

Hi Gin Tonic, i keep it in english so it might be helpfull for others, but you can also send a PM. I have my Marimba now 2 years and meanwhile foun number 2 in Berlin, the 3. one is under sale in sailing world. I am happy with the boat although the last owner was negelecting some maintenance but this has nothing to do with boat itself. It is tough, has avery nice round shape not like a Reinke, has a good seabahviour . I was asked from visitors if it is a Hutting..... New such boat would cost me 450-650.000 EUR....I dont know the advertised boat but as all 3 boats have been built at the same time at sandmeier and i have still many old invoices i can say at that time they only used best equipment like Selden, lewmar etc. at such old style hardware is still servicable. I just chromed my Lewmar 52 winches.... My engine is a small SABB 2 cylinder with only 30 HP which is really only for calm wheather. my boat weighs 14 ton with 100 sqm sail area, i reach easily 7.5 kn at BFT 4-5. I have 1000 lietr water and 500 diesel and a lot space in the bilge which is completly white painted with no corrosion at all. I have recvd all picture of the adverised boat and inside it is totally different from my one but looks good to me. have a visit and see if you like the style, cant making anything wrong if you want some serious ocean ship.

[Gin Tonic]

Many thanks for your opinion about a marimba 44. I have only to convince my wife, because someone told her about "galvanic corrosion" at aluminium boats. Now she fears, that we spend al lot of money for a sick boat. We visited the marimba 3 weeks ago. The hull seems o.k.

Do you know any expert, who can check it?

[CFR]

Allways the same fear.... wood will rot, plastic will have blister /osmose, steel will corode and alu will have galvanic corrosion. all materials are compromises. i bought the bought the boat 2 years ago without any expert. I checked the electrical system which is most important and it was nicely made. All the other corrosion you can find by optical inspection inside / outside . I had non below the water line but ofcourse some issues arround stainless steel bolts in the deck. I like the solid feel while sailing no motions or sounds like this lightweigt charterboats. The paint system was very good fully intact epoxy coating under water and even inside everything painted, real good workmanship. All issues i had are connected to old hoses, toilet, electronics but this is quite normal with any older boat and now i know every corner. this year i will even use cooper underwater paint because the hull is so good painted. my anodes are fully intact and i belive they have been there since 10 yeras or more. only the zinc at the prop is eaten which is necessray. go ahead and maybe we can have a meeting with all 3 boats in the baltic in the next years. if you like we can talk at the phone, just send me an pm

[Gin Tonic]

I have also a very well impression of the hull and the boat in all. Inside, the whole boat is painted. No sign of corrosion. Outside, under water the painting is also intact. With the exception of a little bit corrosion / defective coat at the outlet of black water. In this area, i have to remake it.

The owner is electrical engineer. I hope, he has knowledge about his job.

Maybe if we reach an agreement about the prize we see us next saison in the baltic sea. If it´s o.k. I will ask you some more questions, if it´s necessary.

[CFR]

you are wellcome, maybe he designed my electric also because he is the first owner and did with the other 2 guys togehter. i do not have a teakdeck but the teak i have in the cockpit is best quality which you will not get again, so take care about the teak. your boat was offered at 245 first and i wrote the makler that if he can sell that boat he can sell my one immdtly, after that they reduced it to 185. there should be some room downwards.
anyway goodluck and pls contact me again if you have questions or buying the boat so that we can exchange ideas and experiences

[mandala]

I know the MARIMBA story well. In 1979 I worked with Alan on the design for my new cruising yacht, which was to be about 45'. We started with his Marimba 24, which had had a good race performance, then looked at Eric Wing's Marimba 34. Eric co-owned STEEL YACHT AND LAUNCHES, and built this in steel. He won the ROUND NZ 2-handed race in this boat.
Alan then drew the lines out to 43. Adding a clipper bow that I wanted brought the LOA 45'9" . I built this in round-bilge, rolled 4mm steel, launching 1983 in Tauranga NZ as Yacht MANDALA. MANDALA is thus a Marimba style up to midships, with the forward sections altered to generate the clipper bow. She is an exceptionally pretty boat, and has performed well, over>100K ocean miles.
I circumnavigated on an eight-year trip from 1991 - 1999. I saw one of the German-built yachts in Preveza, Greece -which my crew recognized as a Mummery only because it was such a nice looking yacht!

[CFR]

Nice to hear, i just finishing the last bits and pieces and will start my travel in may down south from germany to the the MED and later the carib. it is really a nice lloking boat and i hear this quite often especially after i installed a aluminium dodger with real glass windows

[Stuarth44]

I built five of the Mummery yachts, Cape Providence--owner at time Tony and Dawn Evens
Caper for John Hollings under Lloyds, smallest Lloyds build in NZ
Kitzel for Greg--someone!
Nimbus 11 on spec a 55 foot pilothouse sold into Southport and then on to New Gold Coast owners
there was as far as I know never a 44 Marimba
Allan designed me one same as Erics but with a sugar scoop, so she was 36 in alloy
some of my builds can be seen here

Canal River Boats

[Stuarth44]

I never heard of a Marimba 44 before, sorry been absent from the forum awhile, it fact years
One thing abt Mummery yachts is how quiet they are esp. upwind, very round and later years no ventral line, just a tight U fore
this is Nimbus 11, I had great fun forming the bow--no joke, it was satisfying, not as easy as steel, because the edges cant be shrunk to put the bend along the stem