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Jannett

Vessel numberHV000577

Vessel Registration NumberEO46Q

Builder Norman R Wright and Sons

Datec 1912

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 6.1 m x 6.1 m x 2.36 m (20 ft x 20 ft x 7.75 ft)

DescriptionThe launch is about 6 m long by 2.45m wide, carvel planked with a hollow heel down to the keel rather than the more common deadwood keel now seen on many small motor launches. It has a rounded cuddy half-cabin over the foredeck area, and the cabin sides extend aft as coamings around the cockpit.

JANNETT has had many owners but has always been used on the Noosa River. In 1912 it was owned by Colonel Reid, in 1930s it belonged to the Parkyn Bros, and by the late 1940s it was owned by Bernie Bowden. In 1953 Max Walker bought the craft and it remains with his family.

It’s use has been varied, with information that in the 1930s it was involved in tourism and a ferry, whilst in the 1940s and 50s it was a recreational fishing launch. The current owner felt that JANNETT has survived for over 100 years because it is ideally suited to the Noosa River environment and has always had owners prepared to do the required maintenance to keep it operating. Included in that work has been around 13 different motors, the current one is a Yanmar 2GM15 installed in 2010.
SignificanceJANNETT is a 6.1 metre long launch built by Norman Wright in Brisbane, Queensland around 1911. It is the earliest example of a vessel built by Wright whose firm now known as Norman R Wright and Sons became one of the premier boatyards in the state and remains operating under the third generation of the Wright family.