Ginny B is different from other boats on Lake Taupo.  Houseboats are very popular in America but are hard to find in New Zealand.  An American friend, Jerry Brandy, gave "Rusty" Nairn the idea of making one when Rusty was visiting America a few years ago.  Rusty, a commercial helicopter pilot, built Ginny B himself as a part-time hobby over a period of four years.

 She was launched in 1980 and has since been used for trips around the lake and for charter work.  Ginny B is named after Ginny Brandy, Jerry's wife.

 A standard design houseboat, she has a 4mm plate-steel catamaran hull, is 12 metres long and has a beam of four metres.  Her pontoons are completely sealed and filled with polyurethane foam.  She has one bunkroom, sleeping six, a small bathroom and kitchen/living area.  Outside there is a forward deck with a sundeck up top.

 The boat is powered with a 2.2 litre Toyota diesel engine and has a cruising speed of nine knots.  Because of the catamaran construction and wide beam she doesn't bounce about as much as a conventional boat.

 Ginny B is fully self-contained and functional. The lighting is all electric and there is gas for water heating and the stove.  All the waste goes into a holding tank, which is pumped out when the boat returns to the harbour.  There is a unique table inside her on which a map of Lake Taupo has been laminated onto formica board.  This allows tourists to chart their trips on the lake.

 Rusty has had many tourists both from New Zealand and overseas who have chartered Ginny B and because of her popularity, many of these guests book the boat more than once to have their holidays on Lake Taupo.