16 thoughts on “Moana”

1. Pingback: Woody Photo Gallery | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily

2. Defiantly 38 foot. This was our family boat in the 80s. Owned by Greg Casey. The history of this boat is amazing when you look back over the years, we had some puzzled onlookers as I used to drive her at the age of 10 with cat and dog standing on the bow.
   There is a photo somewhere in the family archives showing 2 x water skiers behind her coming out of Bon Accord harbour in the mid 80s. I would love to get my hands on her!

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3. I remember the Moana well from the sixties when I was at Primary school and used to visit Taupo in the hoildays. She was a charter launch on Lake Taupo then and used to moor at one of the finger jetties that still exist today for the charter launch fleet in the Taupo Boat Harbour. I used to drool over her ‘big ship’ features like portholes, the elegant raised foredeck, and the bridgedeck weelhouse. It was a big step up from my father’s open outboard powered clinker built boat that dated back to 1924 we used to explore and fish the southern end of the lake. The Moana came up for sale sometime in the sixties for 800 Pounds. My father contemplated buying it with a view to running it as a charter boat but unfortunately for me he changed his mind and eventually bought a 19 foot Vistacraft hardtop powered by a 135Hp Mercruy outboard when he retired to Taupo several years later. Dad never did go into the charter business and the Moana dissappeared off the Lake in the mid Seventies as verified by Graeme Willcox in his reply above.

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4. I believe 38 as she is much bigger all round than Menai

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5. Update from Bill Belton
   I owned Moana from 1998 to approx 2004. During this time I refastened with silicon bronze screws and repaved the coamings with mahogany [on the fly bridge] covered the decks with ply and F/G and took out any rot or short planks from earlier dings. I also fitted new electronic with a plotter radar various auto helm displays auto pilot inverter new alternator, freezer compressor and letrosan toilet. Fully auto anchor winch. So although Moana was a 1939 boat she had the same live-a-board comforts of a much later boat. I used her from the Bay of Islands to the coromandel extensively and never experienced any seas she couldn’t cope with. We also put in an inner spring mattress and better shoer with engine driven hot water so she was a very comfortable boat. She had had the fly-bridge fitted when I bought her and I always was torn between the practicle side and the classic side as to if I should remove this.
   I stripped her to bare wood several times and finally after a stint in a shed at Orams where I had the exterior up to a mint standard I sold her as I didn’t have the time or money to continue to maintain her.
   Moana remained as a memory that was hard to erase and in about 2009 I saw her again at Westpark looking a bit sad and for sale, however, before I could buy her back she was sold and after later meeting the new owner it was clear she had gone to the right home as he had several boats and the ability to both maintain and restore them. It is a testament to these boats that quality built in 1939 will last if maintenance is continued. I can only praise the design and building skills of Sam Ford who was ahead of his time with a 10ft 6in beam in 1939. She was as sea kindly and capable as anyone in our cruising area needs. Moana 1939 by Sam Ford a deserved “Woody”.

   I had the double swing doors replaced with sliding doors in 1999 and when the decks were covered with ply and glass I did not have the same beltings re-fitted so this changed her appearance a little. I also took out the opening window in the centre of the wheelhouse and had a sliding hatch fitted in the dog house to make entry easier. Bill Belton owner 1998 t0 2006

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6. I had the double swing doors replaced with sliding doors in 1999 and when the decks were covered with ply and glass I did not have the same beltings re-fitted so this changed her appearance a little. I also took out the opening window in the centre of the wheelhouse and had a sliding hatch fitted in the dog house to make entry easier. Bill Belton owner 1998 t0 2006

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7. Ken, in the interests of historical accuracy,
   1. MARISTELLA was launched without a flying bridge. That was a later affectation, possibly because TE RAUPARAHA sported one when launched in December 1938, the first fitted in this country.
   2. Her original engine was a 50hp Ailsa Craig diesel. The Gray/GM was installed by the Navy in WW2 for rationalisation purposes.

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8. In her flying bridge format I see many resemblances to the MARISTELLA, which originally had a 4-53 GM Detroit & lived for a time in her early life till the mid 194s, in Wakatakataka Bay & then went to Plimerton I think it was — Wellington region anyway, — & as far as I know, may still be there — both fantastic examples of the “Ford Concept” of the mid later 1930s, except of course, the MARISTELLA had her flying bridge from new. — KEN RICKETTS.

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9. New photo from Lake Taupo c1970’s added

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10. The “alleged activities during WW2” would be of great interest to all WW followers. I would like to identify which of Sam Ford’s boats she was, McGeady’s or Atkinson’s for example.

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11. If it is indeed the Taupo Moana I can give you a detailed and interesting history of her past. She belonged to my Grandfather W A Tylee who operated her as a charter launch from 1965 until 1975. Far from being moored most of the time, she was a busy working launch. Grandfather was an engineer who repowered her with an AEC diesel not long after he purchased her and carried out various modifications. As a child I enjoyed many family outings on her. I would very much like to get in touch with the current owner as I have information of her past that I am sure would be of much interest. This includes her alleged activities during WW2.

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12. She could be one of the two 38 footers built by Sam Ford just before the outbreak of war in September 1939. One was LADY NGAIRE for Shelley B Atkinson which does not appear as such postwar and the other was for Vern McGeady to replace his 1936 Sam Ford-built 35 footer LADY PAM, completely burnt out off Motuihe in October 1938. Again, no postwar trace.

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13. Clearly the bulwark and belting have been changed. I’m not sure I agree on the portholes and think it is just the angle of the photo creating a parallax error. If you look at the aft ports compared to the rubbing strake below (which appears to be the same in both photos) then they appear in the same place for both photos. Equally the forward porthole – if in the older photo you sight it relative to the deck step which is visible and take that line into the wheelhouse windows, then again it appears to be in the same place for both photos.

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14. I believe she is 38 feet. Studying the two photos together is very interesting because there are differences in the hulls. The raised bulwark which runs aft of the step, abeam the wheelhouse door, in the 1950’s Taupo photo, is not there in the recent photo. The port above the forard lower port is further aft in the recent photo. The belting is raised and lengthened in the recent photo. The toerail which runs from aft of the step (freeing ports are just visible) in the 1950’s photo, is not there in the recent photo. The aft ports are in a different position relative to the cabin windows above. But the name in the 1950’s was Moana – you will have to believe me on that. So is this indeed the same boat? If so, what happened to cause all these changes? If not, where is the Taupo Moana now?

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15. She’s always puzzled me. What length is she?

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16. Fantastic, solid looking boat! I love the extra portholes, a neat feature.

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