Red Swan Rising
Boat design isn’t just about looking good on the water — it’s warpaint.
Let’s start with the obvious: from a strictly practical point of view, nothing beats a white hull and white deck. Easy to maintain, easy to repair, and it stays looking sharp season after season. If we were speaking purely as boat builders, that’s the advice we’d give.
But some teams are ready to stand out.
Some coaches — and some crews — believe that identity matters. That visuals can ignite courage.
That the way you look on the water can stir something deeper.
When your boat reflects your pride, your story, your fire…
it can unlock a little extra something.
A little extra power.
A little extra speed.
A little extra belief.
The Story of the Red Swan
Each custom paint job we do is a modern-day battle cry — carved into carbon, etched into memory. It’s the flash of colour your opponent sees as you charge down the course. It’s pride. It’s belonging. And it’s the beginning of a story that starts with courage.
This is the story of the Red Swan.
Westlake Boys’ mascot is the swan — but is it red? Is it green? Ask five rowers, get five answers. We leaned into the mystery and gave it wings: a sharp, abstract take on the Red Swan, layered with Westlake’s red, green, and white.
We didn’t consult Jo Shotter first — we wanted it to be a surprise. (Sorry, Jo — it was a bold move!)
But the inspiration struck, and we didn’t want to put out that fire.
It felt right.
And as it turns out… it was.
Because when these boys took out the Springbok Shield, that swan flew.
The white hull and deck? Still practical. Still clean. Still sharp on the water.
But the design — that bold, defiant Red Swan — did more than look good.
It gave the boat a voice.
Visual identity doesn’t just turn heads. It has the power to fire up a crew. It unites them under a banner. It sharpens focus. It may unsettle rivals.
As one of the commentators put it during the Maadi Final:
“This is a war.”
A war of will. Of focus. Of heart.
And the Red Swan was built for that war — in the A Final of the Springbok Shield.
A final at Maadi has the power to define your future.
It can rewrite three years of struggle.
It can change how you see yourself — forever.
And when you step into that moment with your brothers — when you feel the weight and fire of your shared story — something happens.
You row harder.
You row better.
You row as one.
You row as a swan.
To the Westlake Boys crew:
We’re proud of you. You carried that boat with power — and you made it fly.
To the coaches who dream big:
Whether you want warpaint or clean lines — we’re here for all of it. We ride alongside you.
For future insight into how other warrior paint jobs came into being — including Rangi Ruru, St Margaret’s, Samuel Marsden, and Christchurch Boys’ — stay tuned for upcoming episodes of the Laszlo Log.
We’re here for rigging and grinning –
The Laszloz
