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RESTORATION UPDATE – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANAPOURI 

Our last major update on the restoration of the 43’ 1960 built classic wooden bridge decker was in November 2022 – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/11/28/manapouri-refit/

Then in December 2023 we had a note from Mark with some photos of a rather smart helm chat he was building and advice that the project was still underway but any boating in the summer of 2023/24 was not a happening thing.

Back in June 2025 after chatting with Mark he sent in todays photos with the promise of some ‘almost finished’ ones, so I held off. Sadly the promised photos never arrived so after a year I post the above and fingers crossed this bumps Mark into an update 🙂

TRAVEL BACK TO AUSTRALIA’S GOLDEN AGE OF WOODEN BOATS

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TRAVEL BACK TO AUSTRALIA’S GOLDEN AGE OF WOODEN BOATS

Today we share a film titled ‘Hard to Windwaed’ from the 1956 Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Filmed nearly 70 years ago the race is still one of Australia’s top sporting events. The manic race start very similar to what we see these days. 

The course is approx. 680 miles and depending on the weather, can be one of the most demanding sailing events on the international calendar.

Lots of pleasure craft to be viewed at the start and some wonderful close ups from on board. The film won numerous International awards for sporting event coverage.

Having visited Hobart several times for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival it was remarkable to see how little the Hobart waterfront has changed – well done Hobart on retaining the bones of such an amazing venue.

(Film comes to use from – State Library & Archives of Tasmania)

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT – WELLINGTON’S CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT

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HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT – WELLINGTON’S CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT

I’m guilty of a lapse that a lot of us northern woodys fall into – that being, we forget about NZ’s capital city Wellington as a home to some of our best classic wooden craft. 

Auckland, the Bay of Islands and the top of the South Island tend to dominate WW content. So it was so good to receive a trip report from Auckland based woody Geoff Fiebig (SV CAPLIN) from Chaffers marina in Wellington.

Extra special to see that the 49’ woody VANESSA was now in her new home and looking very salty. VANESSA was Geoff’s reason for the trip, hopefully we can get an insight into the project he has been commissioned to undertake. If you missed her story on WW when she was 4sale with the Wooden Boat Bureau, check out this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/10/23/ready-to-unwind-this-summer-classic-motorboat-vanessa-ticks-all-the-boxes/

The next woody is the 26’ 1925 Colin Wild built launch – LITTLE TASMAN, another woody that slipped thru our hands and headed south. Not before an amazing restoration at the hands of Colin Brown and Josh Hawkw at their Omaha yard. Check out this WW link and view the video of the project. https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/17/little-tasman-restoration/

Lastly we have the 1964 Ben Hipkins built  50’ bridge decker – RANGIORA looking the best she has in a long time – well done to her owners.

RANGIORA has had an interesting life , check out this 2022 WW story that backgrounds her partial sinking in1973 after hitting rocks off the northern coast of Waiheke Island, Auckland. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/01/04/rangiora-sinks-off-waiheke-21-09-1973/

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLASSIC YACHT – MAY BELLE

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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLASSIC YACHT – MAY BELLE

Classic wooden boat aficionado Brian Peat sent in the above b/w Winkleman photo of the yacht – MAY BELLE, that Brian understands his great-great grandad once owned.

Brian commented that on page 148 of Ronald Carter’s ‘A Yachtsman’s Memories of Long Ago’ reference is made to May Belle being launched in 1890 and a few years later owned by a couple of grocers in Karangahape Rd – “Peat being one”. My ancestor had a large grocery shop in K Rd and despite the surname spelling inconsistency I have other reasons to believe it was him. During research for my Des Townson book, I heard May Belle was still around, but didn’t hear where it was.

Can we help Brian out to what became of MAY BELLE.
( I took the opportunity of colorising the photo – as below)

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – MAY BELLE was always largely in my mind as a child because she was the crack E Class keel yacht raced by “Babs” Webster. My father’s WAKANUI (E34) managed to get the legs of MAY BELLE by 1938 and became scratch in the E Class. Her hull form was very similar to JESSIE LOGAN although a keel yacht. I am pretty sure she was built by Logans as a fishing smack.

After Babs sold her some character put a car roof on as a cabin top. It looked like a mid-thirties Chevrolet. Inevitably it rusted out very soon. I saw her in a house property at northern end of Beach Road Browns Bay and made an unsuccessful attempt to buy her around 1977 and bought LOLOMA (E24) instead. LOLOMA was another boat that my father had connections with through her builder J.J. O’Rorke who lived near us in Westmere in later life.

MAY BELLE was then sold to a chap who took her to Snapper Rock Road in the group of houses on the left towards Kyle Road where she was visible propped up in the front yard. Again there was no interest in selling her.

Her next move was to Pokeno in the old main street to the south of the garage where again she was propped up in a front yard. Her condition was not improving. That’s the last I heard of her, sadly.

My father had huge regard for Webster and MAY BELLE.

MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT BAYSWATER – TAWHIRI

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MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT BAYSWATER – TAWHIRI

Being a resident of Devonport I’m a follower of a fb page titled ‘Original Devonport Locals’, recently Geoff Glanville posted the photo we see above.

The location is Bayswater, just along from the waterfront clubrooms of the Takapuna Boating Club. 

The building still stands today (photo below) but in poor condition and is the subject of heated debate between local residents, sporting clubs (rowing) and the TBC. The TBC several years ago built very smart new clubrooms at Takapuna Beach, but refuse to give up the peppercorn lease on the Bayswater building.            

Recently there are noises about an extensive refurbishment, but time will tell.

Anyway, back to the photo, which is from the E.B. (Jim) Menzies collection, can we put name and possible date to the vessel.

INPUT ex KEN RICKETTS – She is the TAWHIRI, built c.1946 by Roy Lidgard in his Kawau Island shed, & taken to Auckland to have her 4cyl Lister diesel engine installed, (in a box come table,) in the centre of the main cabin. Later replaced, with a 6 cyl. Ford diesel, by Uuan Berger, who owned her in the 1970s, after which she floated about 6 inches higher in the water in the bow. (photos below ex KR)

WOODYS ON TOUR – THE FRENCH RIVIERA

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WOODYS ON TOUR – THE FRENCH RIVIERA

As we enter mid-winter I thought an injection of sun and sapphire blue water might be appropriate. 

Yesterday Maurice Bryham, owner of the classic woody – IONA II sent in todays gallery of photos from  Côte d’Azur (southwest corner of France)

Maurice commented – ‘some wooden boat photos from Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Med. Great to see so many wooden boats being well looked after.  Still some traditional boat yards too.  

The wooden fishing boats are still in good use.  The brother and sister caught those fish at 7am-8am with their dad and then selling them on the foreshore at 9am with their boat in the background.

30C, sunny every day and crystal clear water’

CLASSIC LAUNCHES AT GREAT BARRIER ISLAND

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CLASSIC LAUNCHES AT GREAT BARRIER ISLAND

Todays woody photo comes to us from Gt Barrier Island fb via Ian McDonald. Ian commented that the photo was captioned ‘ Nagle Cove, Great Barrier, 1960’s’.

Obviously the uber cool game boat LADY DOREEN is front and centre, can we ID the launch behind her, very distinctive windows / ports configuration.

The photo looks slightly familiar but I can not find it on WW, the presence of the ‘NZ Tourist Air Travel’ flying boat is probably playing games with my memory. 

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH SILVER FIN (TUARANGI)

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH SILVER FIN (TUARANGI)

Following on from Saturdays WW story on classic wooden launches hauled out at the Te Atatu Boating Club, today we see the launch – SILVER FIN getting some TLC. (photo ex Geoff Fiebig)

SILVER FIN has made several appearances on WW, and in 2018 Bryan Wagstaff sent in the b/w photo above and confirmed that SILVER FIN was built by Lidgard Bros for a H.S White & launched in 1950, when launched she was named TUARANGI. 

White sold her in 1951 to Bruce Winstone. She was 42’x12’x4’3″ and originally had twin 90hp 6-cylinder Redwing petrol engines. During Whites ownership, she blew up while refueling at Whitianga.

Bryan’s father, Eric Wagstaff, purchased the damaged boat from the Bruce Winstone. It was collected from Whitianga and towed to Tauranga by a boat called RAINBOW which was an old bridge decker owned by Eric. RAINBOW had a marinised Rolls Royce engine and was built for the Mills Bros who were Bay of Plenty farmers. Post the explosion the roof section from SILVER FIN  was basically upside down and pretty much in place on collection. The boat had been beached at Beach Road, Otumoetai.

The boat was lifted onto a transport trailer by Bert Godfrey, the founder of the NZ Lumber Company and moved to Eric’s joinery factory in Judea. The top was replaced and Eric consulted with Willy Oliver, who was a friend, on the design of the new cabin. The motors were replaced with 60hp Fordson diesels converted by Lees marine.                                              Back in 2018 Bryan commented that the family enjoyed many a trip on the Silver Fin. She was chartered for game fishing for a while in the days of Bob Gray. 

The boat was sold c.1959 to Dr. Kennedy the family doctor, who painted the boat green. Back in 2016 she was for sale and at that time was powered by twin 110hp Hino engines.

MYSTERY 1965 COROMANDEL LAUNCH – LADY WINN

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MYSTERY 1965 COROMANDEL LAUNCH – LADY WINN

Earlier in the week todays photo popped up on the ’Timespanner’ page and comes to us via . The comment was that the photo was from Graeme Macdonald and captioned ‘ Boats of Coromandel Harbour, July 1965’, and was taken by Pat A Macdonald.

The centre vessel is quite a beast, very beamy. Doesn’t look like a commercial craft – can we ID her.

INPUT FROM RUSSELL WARD & HAROLD KIDD – the launch is Sam Strongman’s LADY WINN

Nice to see the cold snap has not stopped some woodys from enjoying their craft – photos below of FELICITARIE and SUSAN JANE in Oneroa, Waiheke Island. Photos ex Angus Rogers from onboard CENTAURUS,

CLASSIC WOODYS HAULED OUT AT TE ATATU BOATING CLUB 

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CLASSIC WOODYS HAULED OUT AT TE ATATU BOATING CLUB 

One of the WW cadet reporters (Geoff Fiebig) was mooching around the TBC yard yesterday and spotted a few woodys out for some TLC. The 28’ L. Coulthard built – PANIA was dockside.

The woody in the top photo – GALA LASS , is new to me, can we learn more about her.

Back in my advertising agency days we used to have an in-house air brush artist (photo enhancer), he was one of highest paid eg he drove a Porsche….  These days we all have access to ChatGBT – I asked them to convert the photo of my wife’s granddads yacht ALEXA C7 to colour – 10 seconds later – its done. So woodys don’t be afraid of AI, embrace it, it is just a clever tool. Remember life before email and mobile phones.