How not to sell a classic wooden launch – Huia

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How Not To Sell A Classic Wooden Launch – Huia

List it on trademe BUT

1. Don’t mention the vessels name
2. Don’t mention the designer/builder
3. Don’t mention the make of engine
4. Say it has history but make no mention of it

UPDATE Thanks to ww follower Zach Matich we now know its Huia, built by Demmings & powered by a Ford 60hp. She was previously residing on the Kaipara. More details & photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/06/huia/

10 thoughts on “How not to sell a classic wooden launch – Huia”

  1. Pingback: HUIA – Needs A New Owner | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily

  2. Was trawling thru WW today and realised I hadn’t updated this. Huia was sold January 2015 and is now moored at Russell. Didn’t take long to sell Zach!!! PS Zach can you let Eric Williams know for me

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  3. Zach is right. Huia is a 1918 Deeming built as a log tower for Kings Mill I bought Huia off Ben & Wyn 10years ago. Eric Williams and I made and fitted to skylight when Huia was at Tinopai with Ben’s blessing and no it does not leak!! I removed the aft deck and built the aft cabin when I had her home for the stripping and recaulking I am “torn ” about selling Huia, hopefully someone will love her like Ben & Wyn and then us have

    Robin Smith

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  4. I count not less than 17 launches called HUIA all over the country. And it’s a natural name for any North Auckland launch of the time because of the huge interest i the wonderful Kaipara-built topsail schooner of that name. This HUIA is obviously the Deeming boat, and it’s not hard to see how Forrester built a boat of similar dimensions, at the same time and with the same name.

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  5. The skylight is not original and the aft cabin dodger has been raised since Ben Bradley’s ownership

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  6. I bow to Zach’s superior knowledge of the Kaipara scene. He says Deemings built this HUIA. However a 26-8′ HUIA (maybe another HUIA) is on the list of boats that Arthur Forrester’s daughter Jean Allen reckons he built at either Whakapirau or Helensville. That HUIA was built for Adams of Adams’ Bay c1920.

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  7. Hi John
    The purpose of the post was not to ID the boat, it was to highlight how hard some people make it for others to buy their boat. It frustrates me that brokers emit the name, but this is a private listing & the cardinal sin is not listing the designer/builder – would anyone list a car for sale & not show list the make? I think not. Your old girls are hard enough to sell as it is, no need to make it harder 🙂
    AlanH

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  8. Aren’t we getting a bit carried away here? Sure, it’d be better to have all the detail, but then we WW devotees wouldn’t have fun finding out. Look how much we’ve learned from Zack already!
    Any would-be buyer is going to ask the questions; name, history, power, etc.,etc.
    Obviously the boat has had (ahem!) “systems upgrades” over the years; the galley-in-the-bridge-deck arrangement looks set up for a single hander – for sure the helmsman isn’t going to have to desert his post to get a beer!
    Wonder if the sky-light on the fore-deck is original? Not something I would have added – the rule is; “Some sky-lights leak all of the time, all sky-lights leak some of the time.”
    Omitting the name is common practice. Brokers frequently photo shop boat names out of pics, in an attempt to prevent people approaching the vendor directly.

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