Sunday 22 September 2013

the POTTS FAMILY album; LIGHTBURN & CO.







Today's Aussie ski boat history lesson comes courtesy of our good friend Mal who can smell a classic from two postcodes away! ...I was well aware of Harold Lightburn's Zeta micro car but this craft has completely surprised me..........
" I had another look at this hull. It is a Lightburn fibreglass hull built in the early 1960's. Lightburn were famous for building the Zeta range of  cars,  cement mixers, and washing machines and many other types of industrial equipment as well as a wide range of affordable boats. The Zeta cars used a Villiers engine, therefore I would not be surprised if the watercraft used a similar engine or perhaps had an early Holden engine. This one should be in a museum as I would not think many survived. There is some brief history on the internet about the company which had a major factory site at Novar Gardens in Adelaide's west which is now an established housing estate not far from the airport."
............. Can not thank you enough Mal, exactly the kind of info/pics/history ASB hungers for. I could not agree more that she should be in a museum and celebrated. What do you reckon peeps?? Does anyone else out there know of other surviving examples? Would love to hear/see anything more about them.

                 ***Hit the Potts label below this post to be treated to a ripper load of boat stuff***





4 comments:

  1. this is charles with redwing, boat, i just bought this lightburn and will restore her

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  2. if you have any info in this boat eamils me at earthdreams2000@yahoo.com.au
    charles

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  3. I've got one sitting in my driveway. Basically just the hull and deck left. Floor was rotten out but the fibreglass is still structurally sound . I was going to restore it but haven't got the time or money to do so

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  4. Im in the process of rebuilding one the same style as the red one above, has been altered slightly the bench seat removed replaced with buckets. Not sure how to put up a pic here
    Thanks James
    Would be great to get these pieces of history back on the water.

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