About the boat, THE 1948 TASMANIAN BUILT MOTOR CRUISEr

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 La Drone was built in 1948 on the Tamar River, Launceston, Tasmania. She is a 38ft motor cruiser and lived her whole life in Tasmania. In French, the meaning of "LaDrone" is Bandit or Thief which we like to think means she steals your heart as you step into her beautiful interior.

Built traditionally and with carvel planking she is made up of Celery Top pine and boasts a magnificent 1950's décor and blackwood fit out that takes you back in time and makes you feel right at home the moment you step aboard. She got her current layout approximately 25 years ago when she was converted for doing cruises on the Derwent out of Hobart, similar to what we do on the Huon.

She is in commercial survey and is able to carry 12 passengers, with a draft of 0.9m and a spacious, luxurious and comfortable all weather fully enclosed cabin and open aft deck, she is perfect for intimate cruises.

She was built as a private boat with bunks up forward and the engine further back, making her the perfect boat to take cruising up and down the Tamar River, which she did for many years by her builder Arthur St. Clair Mayne, then local bookie Toc Guy until the 1970's.

Before passing custodianship to Trevor Ramsey and moving to Port Sorrell until the late 90's when she was bought buy a shipwright Michael Griffiths and restored to what she is today, with the engine up forward and the cabin decked out with a comfortable 1950's fit out designed perfectly for taking passengers.

After a going back up to Launceston for a while in the early 2000's she was bought down to Heriots Point Vineyard on the Huon River to do private charters.

In 2021 she was bought by me after completing the year long shipwright course at the WBC. With a lot of enthusiasm, and effort, Huon River Cruises was operating out of the same vineyard and taking on a regular flow of passengers.