Mystery Launch 15/06

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 15/06

photos from Beth Williams

The launch in the photos above was built by Beth Williams father, Bert Yates for an unknown client. Bert is pictured alongside the launch in one of the photos. During WW2 Bert worked at Shipbuilders in Poor St, Freemans Bay. The boat designer/builder Jim Young, served his apprentiship under Bert & commented that Bert “was a very harsh task master”.
Burt raced on the ‘A’ division Logan, Rawhiti & managed the yacht pictured below (name unknow) that had the sail # E 38

Anyone able to ID the launch & put a name to sail # E 38 ?

As always – click on images to enlarge

Update 16/06/2014 ex Harold Kidd ex Papers Past

Photo of Rawhiti II on 30 July 1935, just prior to her launch. Photo states built by Mr. R Lang for Mr. H Yates.

Rawhiti II July 1935

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10 thoughts on “Mystery Launch 15/06”

  2. C.E. Shakeshaft owned Weiti in 1956 reg E-85, and also when she was re-registered in 1957 as F-16.
    Your AYMBA card records should hopefully sort that out.

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  3. I’ve seen this boat around through the years regularly in the 40s to 60s — looks a little bit like YASAWA to me but not her of course

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  4. I wonder if Bert Yates worked for Dick Lang, built RAWHITI II in Dick’s yard, was manpowered to one of the two amalgamated companies for war work from Dick’s yard and then built a Dick Lang-styled (maybe even designed) launch on his own account post-war? That would fit the facts conveniently.

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  5. True on Couldrey, that was off the cuff. I see the nice Supercraft hull style in her where I suppose Couldrey often did a slender stepped sheer. Dick Lang cabin similar to Islander, LM etc etc but such an unusual yet individually attractive bridge…. similar to the later Brin Wilson sedan launches.

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  6. That’s brilliant However, one small problem. RNZYS records (undated, sadly) show C.E. Shakeshaft owning RAWHITI II. Maybe someone at the Squadron was relying on the number alone?

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  7. Rawhiti II seemed to go through a series of confusing re-registrations, brought about partly by her leaving Auckland at least twice and also through the changing of rules in the AYMBA as to just what they were classifying as a ‘short-ended keeler’ with in F-class.

    When created in 1947, those yachts re-registered into the new F-class, decimated the old E and C-class registers. By 1957, with a proliferation of small short-end keel yachts having been and being launched, the AYMBA re-jigged the F-class which resulted in a swag of “not-so-short-enders” going back into the C and E-classes.

    Rawhiti II started life as E-38 in 1935 owned by Yates 1935/1937; W.A.E. Parris 1937/1946;
    Re-registered as a short-ender with F-8 1947 Owner W.A.E. Parris.

    She pops up again in 1954 Registered as F-16, owned by J.C. Greenaway of Tauranga, taking the number of the Lidgard built Waimana, which had just been sold to Christchurch.

    She loses her number again (careless) probably by being sold out of the AYMBA region and her number is taken by Weiti, a Woollacott design owned by C.E. Shakeshaft of Bucklands Beach in 1957 (which had been in the E-class a year earlier).

    In 1957, Owned by M.F.& H.E. Flynn on Hamilton she re-appears registered as E-61. Her old number E-38 was apparently not considered as the Colin Wild Val class were being re-classified as E’s and E-38 went to Valhalla (which was F-38 the year before).

    From there she vanishes and is unregistered until 1973. In 1969 when the Auckland Yachting Assn allocate NZYF numbers to all boats on its register (whether currently registered or not), Rawhiti II is given number 553 but it is never taken up until 1973 when she is registered by D.W. Jones of Howick.

    Since then – no new registrations. Probably still out there somewhere.

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  8. PS Just for the record, I am convinced that the two RAWHITIs have been confused in Mrs Williams’ anecdote. The Logan RAWHITI was in Sydney until 1946 when Hec Marler sailed her back to Auckland. I have spoken to Bruce Marler who cannot recall Bert Yates sailing on her after 1946.

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  9. Nice launch but it’s not in Arnold Couldrey’s list of his designs. He included boats built to his design by others.
    The yacht is easy; she’s RAWHITI II, built by Dick Lang in 1935 for N.Yates. She was owned by W A E Parris from 1938 to 1946 at least, was owned by C E Shakeshaft later than that and by D W Jones of Howick in 1973 with the sail number 553. She was a 25ft shortend keeler, often wrongly attributed to Lidgards.

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