The hull of 1924 kauri boat Iona arrived in Whanganui last week after a journey from Northland.
Whanganui architect Elinor McDouall - who bought the boat online - intends to make it into a tiny house.
She had not seen the vessel before it arrived and said it was even better than she thought.
She discovered the hull had a deck, with hatches, and one big space underneath. The timber, 50mm thick, was in good shape, she said, and that might mean she would not need to cover it with copper sheeting.
"She's a gorgeous boat - she looks so good naked that I don't want to put any clothes on her," Ms McDouall said.
