CLASSIC LAUNCH WAIMEA – SOS
The 29’ classic wooden launch WAIMEA popped up on tme as a ‘free to a good, bad or any home’ offering.
Built from twin planked kauri and powered by a65hp Perkins diesel engine.
Unfortunately she was partially (tbc) submerged , hence the free boat offer.
She made an appearance on WW back in 2020, moored at Waiheke Island at the time – link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/09/10/waimea/
CLASSIC WOODEN WORK BOAT – MANAROA BF.8 305
Todays classic wooden boat – MANAROA popped up on the NZ Cars, Boats …..before 1999 fb recently. Hands down one of the prettiest workboats to grace WW.
The poster Noor E Bidduth commented that MANAROA operated as a fishing vessel as part of the Riverton fishing fleet, during the 1970’s and at the time was skippered by Dennis McManaway.
We learnt nothing about her design / builder but a gent named Tas Beer commented that she went ashore on the Solander Islands > Hautere (the biggest in the group of 3), in Foveaux Strait, Southland and was lost.
Can we learn more about her builder etc and confirmation on her demise.
INPUT ex PETER STRINGER –Built by Jorgensen, Waikawa Bay, Picton. The photos below ex the Jorgensen website show her on launch day and sadly her demise. The photo was tagged – MANAROA went down to the south of the West Coast fishing. She was powered by a V8 GM with a twin disc gearbox. Going by the insurance report she blew an oil cooler pipe on the gearbox and drifted onto the rocks. She broke up before any assistance could arrive.
HENRY GEROS WOODEN BOATBUILDERS – TAURANGA
Todays woody photo popped up recently on a fb link that features historical events from the Tauranga area.
The photo originated from the Bay of Plenty Times, 22 March 1973 issue.
The poster was Rebecca Muir, who commented that in the photo we see Henry Geros and his two sons – Phillip and Michael(r), putting the finishing touches to a 22’ cabin cruiser built in their Tauranga based boat building yard.
Can we learn more about the yard and possibly the design of the cabin cruiser, which to my eyes is very appealing. Being 1973 the AWB’s (average white boats) can not of been too far away……..
DEFIANT — A RATHER MAGNIFICENT CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH
On one of my recent trip north I spotted a rather impressive woody hauled out at in Whangarei named DEFIANT. Hard not to miss her given her size.I had a brief phone chat with her owner Chris Wilkens, and was given the green light to go aboard. Chris went to great lengths to tell me she was a tip inside as he was part way thru an upgrade project.
Excuse the quality of some of the photos, as I edited them to remove WIP clutter.
First impressions of DEFIANT is her overall size , she is huge. As a guide in the photos you can see some ‘LazyBoy’ armchairs – there are 4 in the saloon and they are the full domestic size.
Keen to learn more about her – but for now – designed by Nick Peel, I think 54’ in length, powered by a Gardner engine (possibly 150hp).Home port is Whangaroa, Northland.
INPUT ex PAUL WILSON – built by Dave Bryant, an experienced off shore sailor, as a long range cruiser.
CLASSIC MULLET BOAT WAIATA’s POST WAR TRIP > JAPAN
Todays woody tale features the 1934 Dick Lang built 26’ mullet boat – WAIATA (H15). Probably the most travelled mullet boat ever.
Chris Leech sent in a link to a fb post by the boats owner – Steve Rhodes, Steve had shared details and photos on the ’Sitting There Rotting….’ page.
We learnt that WAIATA was taken over in c.1939 by the Royal NZ Airforce for use in a R&R programme during the war. Fast forward to March 1946 and the airforce loaded WAIATA onto an English aircraft carrier named GLORIA headed for Japan where she continued her R&R duties for the J-Force.
WAIATA returned to NZ in 1948, and returned to civilian ownership. The article below is dated from the year 2000 and provides more background.Steve Rhodes commented he bought WAIATA awhile ago in disrepair and pulled her out and is spending ‘shiploads’ on doing her up. In the b/w photo above we see WAIATA on the aircraft carrier GLORIA along with our troops and the Corsair planes.
Great history, keen to learn more about the future plans for the ‘yacht’ (I suspect from the photos she is now better described as a launch)
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH OM0KOROA RE-LAUNCHED
During the week WW was contacted by Lyndon Chambers the owner of the 36’ classic wooden launch – OMOKOROA, which was re-launched on September 8th. after a 3 year 7mth refit. The woody has appeared numerous times on WW and probably holds the record for the most name changes in her 106 year history – PHENELLA > WANGANELLA > KOTUKU > OMOKOROA. She was hauled out and relaunched at the Shelly Park Cruising Club in East Auckland.
Links below to the the most recent WW stories, whereto can read about her former times.
April 2024. https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/04/25/omokoroa-april-2024-update/
June 2024 https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/06/20/om0koroa-phenella-wanganella-kotuku-omokoroa/
The b/w photo below is from c.1950’s.
MYSTERY WOODEN MOTOR SAILER #2 – WHANGAREI TOWN BASIN – WAIMARIE
Today we have another pilothouse classic woody berthed in the Whangarei Town Basin.
Again as per yesterdays vessel she looks very salty and could be from foreign shores.
Can any of the northern woodys help us out regarding the vessel.
INPUT ex PETER STRINGER– she is name WAIMARIE, and was launched in 1963 – 47′ in length- more details in the article
IMPORTANT EVENT DATE ADVICE – THE OVER NIGHT BBQ CRUISE TO THE CLEVEDON CRUISING CLUB IS NOW NOVEMBER 14
MYSTERY WOODEN MOTOR YACHT – WHANGAREI TOWN BASIN – Riddle of the Sands
Todays wooden was spotted yesterday in the Whangarei Town Basin. I’m not sure how you would describe / classify her – ‘pilot house motor sailer’ / pilot house yacht … open to input. Not a design we see much of in NZ.
Given that WTB is a magnet for international cruisers maybe she is from foreign shores. What ever her roots she is quite a big girl.
Can any of the northern woodys help us out regarding the vessel.
Speaking big girls – the rear on 65′ ARCTURUS, the 1930 John G. Alden (USA) designed schooner is a work of art.
18-09-2026 INPUT ex MARK MCLAUGHLIN – Originally called Solaris, now known as Riddle of the Sands. She is a ferro Hartley Tahitian hull built at Span Farm, with deck and wooden superstructure built by Jim Young.
CLASSIC 1914 WOODEN LAUNCH – MAKORA
The classic launch MAKORA made an a appearance on WW back in Dec 2024, thanks to a 4sale listing. There was a lot of intel at the time but thanks to Harold Kidd we learnt that MAKORA was built by in 1914 Chas Bailey Jr in 1914 for Fred Alison of the Devonport Steam Ferry Co.
Her original power was twin 9hp Andersons (Christchurch built) for which Bailey was the Auckland agent. These days she is powered by a 40hp, 3 cyl. Fordson Dexter engine that gets her along nicely at 7 knots at 1600rpm.Her specs are 35’x9’6″x4′.
Link to 2024 WW story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/12/17/classic-1916-wooden-craft-makora/
Todays photos of MAKORA where sent in one of my woody spotters and we see her hauled out at DOCK5 for some TLC.
Keen to learn if she changed hands in 2024 and where she has been since.
THE IDEAL COMPACT CLASSIC MOTORSAILER
There are a few ‘hard to achieve’ things in classic boat design – one is to create a motorsailer that doesn’t look like a compromise between a yacht and a motor boat and second to create a craft 30’ or less that to the eye looks proportional correct and visually appealing. Most get it wrong.
On a recent web forage on the Wooden Boats of Tasmania fb I came across todays woody that straightaway caught my eye.
The boats name is HUON KELLy and is a design by Terry Lean and tagged ‘Cloudy Bay 30’, built in Tasmania at the Wooden Boat Center in Franklin c.2005/6. The fb poster, Andy Mac, commented that 4 sister craft were built between 2005 >2011.
A quick google search popped up a broker video , link below, from 6 years ago when she was for sale in Sydney. Check it out, a very impressive woody packed with everything you would want aboard but discreetly hidden to give a heritage look.
