Paying homage to the Mahoney Family’s beloved ‘GILFLITE Spitfire’
Story by Tyson Mahoney – pictured below (published by Paula Gill / Gill Girl Productions)
The last walk around our family’s 82 spitfire 2 before going to its new home at the end of last year.
My dad had owned this boat since new, designing this with David Gill to include the extra sliver pin stripes and removal of the GILFLITE drop down lines at the back.
After 40 years being his most prized possession, he made the very hard decision to say goodbye to upgrade to a larger boat to tackle the ever growing boats on the river.
Our family has grown up around and behind this boat, with it filling the best of our childhood (and adult) memories.
It was a very sad day for our family to see this boat leave the driveway for the last time but we will always have the fondest memories of our GILFLITE.
We hope it provides its new family just as much joy as it’s brought ours.
The boat:
308, dog clutch, unbelievably reliable and trouble free (the standard bent prop here and there over the years), the windscreen was broken by someone leaning on it many years ago and ending up becoming a part of the charm (first thing on new owners list), spent its most of its life on the river in Deniliquin.
Will be very missed. These are very special boats!
(We replaced the GILFLITE stickers before it was picked up hence the bare boat in the video)
Photo Album below – Courtesy: Tyson Mahoney who describes these photo’s as follows;
These photos were taken between 1982 and 1995. It’s very hard to pick this as the boat looked relativity the same the day it was purchased to the day it was sold.
- Kids in the boat – between 81 and 82
- Myself standing in front of the boat wearing a do it in deni tshirt 92
- My mum Gill (Jill) in the boat 92 and 94
- The family in front of the car and boat 94
- All in Deniliquin
The Family that ski’s together stays TOGETHER
Tyson says “Bill Mahony is my father who owned the boat and has a strong attachment to it even to this day”
Blessed Child Hood
Creating Memories
The boat show ones were taken for inspiration of their future purchase of the spitfire, which makes sense why they are of the same boats as the website but the bottom 2 photos of the spitfire at the boat club in Deniliquin…
Btw.. the two boats pictured, my mum wanted blue, my dad wanted red.. they got red, my mum was never happy about this… 40 years on she loves the red and would only get a red boat because of what this boat represents for our family.
#gilflitecult
GILFLITE a style of life
Thanks for your heart-felt story Tyson, like they say “the family that ski’s together, stays together” ……. Your beautiful family GILFLITE Spitfire Mk II along with these fabulous photo’s and your farewell tribute will go down in history along with all the other fantastic history in the GILFLITE archives. We wish you and your family all the best, from the Team @ GILFLITE
$ecurity (un-named)
Great story Tyson, Thanks