RAEMA
Raema a 1940 Collings & Bell bridgedecker, has just changed hands & is now berthed at Port Motueka. She is 34′ LOA, 9’2″ Beam, 4’3″ Draft & powered by a 120hp 6cyl. Ford diesel.
On board there is a plaque saying ‘Raema RNZYS’ & she is rumored to have been once own by a past rnzys commodore.
Her owner would love to know more details on her past & see some early photos if they exist.
Harold Kidd Update
RAEMA was built in late 1923, not 1940. Her first owner was Gordon Bartleet, who had REHIA built by Colin Wild in 1939. I can find no contemporary reference to her builder, but Collings & Bell is almost certainly correct because she had a 4 cylinder Doman engine for which they were agents.
In March 1924 Bartleet sold her to Moller who was then Commodore of the Takapuna Boating Club and bought her back from him in September 1928. In October 1930 Percy McGill of Rotorua bought her, keeping her until the winter of 1933 when Horsley bought her. She then appears on the Kaipara in 1938-9 owned by Bo Bogle and then R. Smith (unless that’s another RAEMA). Then nothing in Auckland. She does not appear in the RNZYS records up to the mid 1960’s (which is where I’ve got to in transcribing them).
PS The only photograph I know of is at the Matakohe Museum and numbered PAHI 88. It shows her at the 1938 Pahi Regatta.
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We are the new owners can you send any information to damenchurches@gmail.com
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hi i am the new owner after
Melane and have had the pleasure of enjoying Reama’s graceful feel and lines
She is currently slipped at Motueka marina peninsulas societies yard where im giving her a walletful of freshness preceding her 100 th birthday in 2023
The usual waterblast antifoul thing which has much to my delight not reveled anything untoward
in fact there is very little “wet” wood and her kauri hull appears solid underwater only 1 small area around 1 of the keel coolers was weeping so i scraped out the area of wood , rtv and unidentied black stuff. dried out the area 4/5 days later area still dry so patched it with epoxy and a timber insert; no sign of electrolysis which i have found on previous boats less than half Raemas age to be the norm. great news.
We have built a new belting rail along her sheer lines which will bthe flared deck ends from bashing into poles on her way out, this also adding 150mmm to a small walkway from midships to the rear of boat. Also the rear platform has been extended 400mm allowing a safer stand and retrieval area
Im finding fittings buried in years of paint to be made of bronze so all these are being polished as i find them. plans to restore cabins back to timber exterior have been thwarted by common sense regarding the sheer amount of work required however the boom has been brought back to an 11 coat of clear and the mast will follow i adore this boat and want her to stand proud at her 100th thanks for reading and if there is any new knowledge of her histroy id love to hear from you pics to folow
Cheers Gort
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Very interesting!
I just want to sell her to someone who will look after her and restore her. She has such a wonderful history.
Many thanks
Melanie
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If it helps, ESTEVAN was owned by Dr J E R Edgar of Orakei Road in 1966 and R G Shaw of Dominion Road in 1973
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Ken, can you confirm? I think sh was named “Estevan” in the late ’60s and ’70s. She certainly got around and was sen in all the usual cruising spots. I never made contact with her owners. I was too into Colin Wilds and the bigger bridgedeckers.
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That would be wonderful Harold thank you very much.
My email address is melaniejanecordes@hotmail.com
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Hi Melanie. Would you care to send Alan your email address and I’ll send you a print-out of my database on RAEMA over Christmas? I’ll also have a go at getting a copy of that pic from the Matakohe Museum for you to see whether or not it’s the same launch. They’re very helpful people.
Be aware that her present bridgedeck configuration is highly unlikely to be original.
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Hi there Harold my name is Melanie and I am the owner of Raema. Thank you so much for your response. I am so interested in her history. She is a wonderful old launch and when I find a picture of how she used to look I would love to restore her. Regards Melanie
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PS The only photograph I know of is at the Matakohe Museum and numbered PAHI 88. It shows her at the 1938 Pahi Regatta.
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RAEMA was built in late 1923, not 1940. Her first owner was Gordon Bartleet, who had REHIA built by Colin Wild in 1939. I can find no contemporary reference to her builder, but Collings & Bell is almost certainly correct because she had a 4 cylinder Doman engine for which they were agents.
In March 1924 Bartleet sold her to Moller who was then Commodore of the Takapuna Boating Club and bought her back from him in September 1928. In October 1930 Percy McGill of Rotorua bought her, keeping her until the winter of 1933 when Horsley bought her. She then appears on the Kaipara in 1938-9 owned by Bo Bogle and then R. Smith (unless that’s another RAEMA). Then nothing in Auckland. She does not appear in the RNZYS records up to the mid 1960’s (which is where I’ve got to in transcribing them).
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