John Haines, A.M - Industry mourns the loss of a legend

by Bob Wonders on 25 Aug 2009 The man known far and wide as ‘Hainesy’, John Sydney Haines, AM, has lost his battle with cancer and passed away over the weekend.

He was 72-years-old.

The legend passed away in the Wesley Hospital, Brisbane, with family by his side. He is directly survived by wife Alida, sones John Jnr and Greg, daughter-in-law Belinda and grandchildren Alixandra and Zara.

John Haines was a ‘towering giant’ of the recreational boating industry, a man who was at the coal face when fibreglass became the material of choice for boat manufacturers.

He has left a mark on the industry that may never be equalled.

John Haines was a many of many attributes; boat designer/builder, offshore racer, businessman, father, grandfather, family man and patriot.

A proud Queenslander and an even prouder Australian, he took great delight in the fact that he was born on Australia Day (January 26, 1937) and when he was awarded the Order of Australia and became John Sydney Haines, A.M. he ranked the award as “one of the proudest moments in his life.”

The John Haines story began nearly 50-years ago on the NSW Central Coast when John, a keen water skier and powerboat racer, built his first boat.

It led to an ambition to become “a pro” and with brother Garry at his side the pair formed a company that would eventually become almost a generic description for fibreglass runabouts, Haines Hunter.

Haines Hunter enjoyed success right from the start and when it began attracting strong interest from companies and investors offshore, things were looking good for the Haines brothers.

Unfortunately, an injection of funds from overseas companies about 1980 led to the brothers forced out of their own company. John put it to me more succinctly some years ago; “We were shafted,” he told me.

In 1984, John Haines surprised the industry at large by forming a new company and going head-to-head against the company that still carried the Haines Hunter name – he called the new organisation Haines Signature.

With John Haines at the helm it was only a matter of time before the new company became a major force in Australian boat building. In a move that pleased him enormously, John was able to reacquire the original Haines Hunter production facility when his former company went into receivership.

He created the new home for Haines Signature at Wacol, west of Brisbane, where The Haines Group, comprising Signature, Traveller, Seafarer, Suzuki, Nautique and Walker Bay are still produced and marketed today.

To look back over the life of John Haines is to look back over the very foundation of Australian recreational boating.

It would be fair to say that millions of Australians have at some time in their life enjoyed a day on the water courtesy of John Haines and staff.

Many of his designs have become legends in their own right, none more so than the famous ski and ski race boats the ‘Essos’ (1600SO and 1800SO) which between them probably won more ski races than one could tally.

John used powerboat racing as his R & D facility.

He has probably won near enough to every event on the powerboat racing calendar, including the once famous Sydney-Newcastle offshore which he made his own.

State titles, national titles, Bridge to Bridge ski races and the punishing offshore marathons from Cairns to the Gold Coast, all resulted in John Haines being first to greet the chequered flag.

On the boat building front, boats either designed or built with the John Haines touch have won Australian Boat of the Year awards on an astonishing 34 occasions (I recall voting for a couple of them) as well as taking out category and runner-up honours too often to list.

John Haines was never backward in coming forward to assist the boating industry wherever he could and served on numerous committees involved with the establishment and advancement of Australian boating safety and performance standards.

About three years ago, John Haines stepped back from the day-to-day company operations, but he was indeed fortunate in having two sons eminently capable of continuing the ‘family trade’.

John Haines Junior and Greg Haines will continue building on the tradition established by their late father over nearly five decades.

Many will remember John Haines as a spectacularly successful boat manufacturer, as a mate, as a boat racer, employer or friend, but according to his family he would appreciate most of all being remembered as ‘Poppy’ who adored his grandchildren and as a devoted father and husband.

I’ll remember him as a most approachable man, always able to find time for the media and arguably more knowledgeable than most when it came to boat manufacture.

To the entire Haines family, all at Powerboat-World, Marine Business News and Sail-World extend deepest sympathy and appreciation for a wonderful life.

John Sydney Haines, A.M., we may never see his like again.