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
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
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 – 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
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
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
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
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
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.
CLASSIC AUSTRALIAN WOODEN MOTOR BOAT – SILVER CLOUD
Today we hop across the Tasman to see and read about one of Australians most beautiful classic wooden craft – SILVER CLOUD, there is a good Kiwi connection in her build materials. The photos and detail come to us via Australian Classic Boats fb.
SILVER CLOUD was built by Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd and launched in 1939, she began life as elegant 65′ luxury motor cruiser for prominent yachtsman Jack Bruce, a vice commodore of the Royal Motor Yacht Club and cousin of former Prime Minister Stanley Bruce.
She was the third Halvorsen vessel of Mr Bruce’s to be called “SILVER CLOUD”. (Later, the Halvorsen launched “Kanahoee” was also renamed “SILVER CLOUD II”).
Constructed from spotted gum frames, New Zealand kauri planking, and a beautifully finished Queensland maple superstructure, SILVER CLOUD represented the high end of pre-war Australian yacht building.
Her accommodation included multiple cabins, dining and deck saloons, a galley, shower and electric refrigeration, with power coming from twin Buda 100hp petrol engines with reduction gears, made in Illinois USA.
Requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy in 1941 for WW2, she was commissioned as HMAS SILVER CLOUD, becoming part of Sydney’s famous “Hollywood Fleet” of converted pleasure craft and motor yachts used for patrol and harbour defence duties.
Armed with Vickers machine guns and depth charges, she patrolled Sydney Harbour during some of Australia’s most uncertain wartime years and was present during the period surrounding the 1942 Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour.
In July 1943 a catastrophic engine-room fire engulfed the vessel. Official reports described much of the hull as burnt beyond repair and the Navy subsequently decommissioned her.
Lars Halvorsen Sons ultimately purchased the damaged hull for 700 pounds and undertook an extensive rebuild, returning SILVER CLOUD to her former glory.
Since then, subsequent owners have done amazing restorative work and enhancements. She has passed through the hands of the Hannan family, Bob Ibbottsen, Gary Rothwell and Dr Derek Freeman — who altered the bow and added the flying bridge to replace the bridge deck style.
Current owner, Robert Hunter undertook an extensive restoration that returned SILVER CLOUD to magnificent condition, ensuring this extraordinary survivor remains one of the most important and beautifully preserved examples of Australia’s classic boating heritage.
SPECIFICATIONS
• Builder: Lars Halvorsen Sons • Year: 1939
• Length: 65 ft (19.8m) • Beam: 14 ft 9 in (4.5m)
• Construction: Spotted Gum, New Zealand Kauri and Queensland Maple
• Current Engines: 2 x Cummins 6B diesels, 120 hp
• Naval Service: HMAS Silver Cloud (1941–1943)
• Class: Channel Patrol Boat (“Hollywood Fleet”)
To Read More On The Craft Built By Halvorsen’s click this link https://youtu.be/HyNO9qUgXew?si=D3Dq1PXIwwYvhCcf
My all time favourite is the 60’ TOORONGA, owned these days by yachtsman – Iain Murray – photo below
Also a WW story on the yard here https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/11/04/the-halvorsen-story/
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 15+ million views 