CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH STERLING GIRL RISES IN PRICE

Posted on by
Reply

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH STERLING GIRL RISES IN PRICE 

It seems the southern woodys haven’t quite received the memo about the classic wooden boat market reset.

Back in 2018, while wandering the Picton waterfront, I had to be practically dragged away from the 1913 bridge-decker STERLING GIRL.

Back then, she ticked just about every box for me — 35 feet, Bailey & Lowe, ex-workboat, a wood fire and, best of all, a Ford Model T steering wheel/helm. (Yes, I know… I’m shallow.)

And in my eyes – absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.

At the time, STERLING GIRL was priced at 26k, which seemed pretty fair value. Fast-forward seven years and she’s apparently still looking for a new custodian — but the asking price has risen to 29k

Perhaps she has been re-powered or received some serious TLC along the way. Or perhaps there’s simply now a broker involved and a commission to accommodate…

The real challenge may simply be geography. For a northern-based woody enthusiast, getting STERLING GIRL relocated could add a significant chunk to the purchase price.

Seven years later, I still think she’s a stunner.

CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORSAILER – NAMELESS

Posted on by
3

CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORSAILER – NAMELESS

Todays woody is a recent addition on tme, thanks Ian McDonald. The 47’ Sang designed motorsailer NAMELESS was built in 1953 in Miramar, Wellington. Powered by a 65hp Albion Albatross diesel engine (1947).

Her owners of 25 years say she needs a tidy and some maintenance, but at sub 100k NAMELESS is a lot of boat and she has the X factor ie a looker.
A great selection of photos from her build / launching.

CLASSIC CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK 

Posted on by
4

CLASSIC CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK 

Todays classic woody photo was sent in by John Dawson, and was a flash back for me. My father built me a P-Class but as was typical , built it x4 the weight (1”+ marine ply) of the plans and it took 3 of us to launch it. Sailed like a pig and it was painted yellow. It didn’t get a lot of use and sold as a duck shooter punt. I was told I was a ungrateful child (they were right, I was). Not sure of the date of the photo but the bike, attire, and car would suggest late 1950’s > early 1960’s.

How cool would have this young guy been, owned a bike and a yacht ✔️

I DISCOVERED WHERE AMERICA’s CUP BOATS GO TO DIE

On last weeks travels to Whangarei I called into Port Nikau and there looking very lonely were 3 of New Zealand’s Americas Cup yachts – NZL60, NZL84, NZL92 (lost the cup to Alinghi) – anywhere else in the world  NZL60 would be on permeant display somewhere a little more fitting. She successfully defended the Americas Cup back in 2000. The first boat to defend and retain the Cup outside of the USA.

CLASSIC SEACRAFT WOODEN CLINKER 

Posted on by
3

CLASSIC SEACRAFT WOODEN CLINKER 

WW has run numerous stories on the very appealing classic clinker runabouts built by the Seacraft company in Auckland. Well maintained examples tend to be snapped up by the ‘lake crowd’, todays woody is already at Lake Taupo, would be nice to liberate her and let some salt water into her kauri hull.

What we learned from tme – built in 1956, 14’ in length, 2012 30hp Mercury o/board + what appears to be a good road trailer. Asking price 15k

Park her in the drive and wave goodbye to the marina robber barons and annual haul out costs

113 YEAR-OLD CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH GETS SOME WELL DESERVED TLC

Posted on by
Reply

113 YEAR-OLD CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH GETS SOME WELL DESERVED TLC – LEITNER

Back in September 2013, classic wooden launch – LEITNER made an appearance on WW and the story over the next couple of years generated a raft of intel on her past and photos.  We learnt that she was built in 1913 by Harvey & Lang.

Forward motion these days is via a Perkins 6-354 diesel engine.

When launched she was very smart flat top launch and over the years there have been several additions , all visible in 2913 WW story  https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/09/21/leitner/

Robin Elliott commented re her restyling in a very kindly way saying – ‘at some time she was converted to a sort of bridge-decker type’. As seen in the above photos I took this week at DOCK5 in Whangarei.

Nice to see she is getting the TLC she deserves.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH VALMARIE – HOW DID IT COME TO THIS

Posted on by
1
2013

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH VALMARIE – HOW DID IT COME TO THIS

I was mooching around the Whangarei waterfront during the week and spotted the launch VALMARIE hauled out at Dock5.                                                                 I did not recognise her until up close and spotted her name board. Even then I had to do a count / location of port holes and cabin widows to confirm she was the same vessel that last featured on WW back in April 2014  https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/04/10/valmarie/

Back in 2014 VALMARIE was for sale on tme and looking very smart. Another example of how quickly these woodys can go downhill if they do not get any TLC The last photo above was from 2013.

And on the subject of classics going down hill – I am very happy to report that the classic wooden launch – TRINIDAD has a new owner and been moved closer to Auckland. Her days of neglect in the far north are over. I hear her new owner is already planning to restore the bright work ✔️

1912 EARLY SETTLER LAUNCH – SEABIRD

Posted on by
1

1912 EARLY SETTLER LAUNCH – SEABIRD

Todays classic woody is named SEABIRD,  a very popular name on WW. This one made a brief appearance on WW back in December 2020. At the time we learnt from Harold Kidd that she was built at Motukaraka, Hokianga by Kelsey Bros to their own design for their own use in April 1912 with a 6hp Automatic engine. The last photo above was from the 2020 story. 

SEABIRD has recently popped up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) where we are told  she is 27’ in length, double skin kauri hull, powered by a 80hp Hino diesel. SEABIRD has spent most of its life on the Hokianga and was built for the sheltered but demanding waters of this harbour. 

Her owner commented that she was “looking a tad shabby right now but the bones are there to get this back into great vintage condition”. She served originally as the Kelsey family launch, as well as a Butter Boat and School Boat.

WW hopes a new passionate owner is found for SEABIRD – her location, condition and style/configuration will be challenging but these earlier settler launches need preserving.

CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SQUID

Posted on by
Reply

CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SQUID

Today again thanks to Robyn Kellian’s Leigh based photo album, which comes to us via Tobias Forsyth we get to view another vessel. It’s safe to assume, given the visible ‘number plate’ AK255 / AK2551?, the launch is a commercial fishing boat, it’s design and presentation hints that she may have had a foot in both camps – commercial / pleasure.

The photo is tagged – SQUID, that combined with an unusual design should spark a few sleeping neurones with some WW readers and we will learn more about SQUID.   

WHERE ARE THEY NOW -THE FATE OF THESE CLASSIC CRAFT

Posted on by
4

WHERE ARE THEY NOW -THE FATE OF THESE CLASSIC CRAFT

Todays classic wooden launch photos once more come to us from Robyn Kellian via Tobias Forsyth so we can safely assume the location is the Leigh region.  The question today is what’s the background to this series of photos – we have a work (fishing) boat donating her wheelhouse to another classic woody that appears to be a recent pleasure boat refit.

So can any of the Leigh based readers enlighten us on what became of both vessels and put an approx. date to the photos. 

INPUT ex GRAHAM ROWE – The first boat featured (fishing boat 3621) is La Vega. She was built by Millar and Tunnage using Totora planks on Pohutukawa ribs, launched 1965, and fished from Leigh until 25 November 2009 – the last entry in her Log. I know little about her ownership but on her last commercial fishing trip she was crewed by Nick and Jarrod, and hearsay suggests that her owners were two brothers nicknamed ‘Swampy’ and ‘The Animal’ Walker?

Sometime later she was bought to Helensville by Dave Cook and I purchased her from Dave after she had been sitting from 2016 with a non-functioning Mitsubishi 6D-14 engine in 2020. Since then, I have been restoring her. La Vega is 11m LOA, 3.9m beam and draws about 1.2m. She displaces about 11 Tonnes.

The doghouse being removed is possibly to enable an engine replacement. The doghouse shown is the one that was on her when I purchased her, but alas is no more, due to extensive rot. The sliding door however was salvageable and will go back on her in due course.

ATHOL BURNS CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER – TEIGENES + Sea Scout Hall Needs Your Help

Posted on by
Reply

ATHOL BURNS CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER – TEIGENES

Back in Oct 2019 we featured the 1956, Athol Burns designed 32’ motor-sailer – TEIGENES on WW. https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/10/14/teigenes/

At the time she was looking for a new owner on tme. She sat on a marina berth at Westhaven for a longtime with a forsake sign on her. I past her whenever I was on-route to a couple of woody launches that the Wooden Boat Bureau were selling on the same dock.

She then disappeared so I assumed she sold. Fast forward to the weekend and we are doing the Sunday morning waterfront dog walk and I spotted TEIGENES hauled out at the Devonport Yacht Club.

At a glance she is overdue some TLC -fingers crossed thatswhy she is hauled out :-).

(2019 photos below)

MORE DEVONPORT NEWS

One of Aucklands coolest waterfront abodes is the Calliope Sea Scouts hall, the building is perched over the sea front and just like our craft is always in need of constant maintenance – the crew that look after the hall are seeking help via a fund raising campaign – see below for details.