MANUIA
photos & details ex owner Tony Butcher
Manuia was built by Joe Slattery in 1930, according to Harold Kidd (but Tony has 1928 in his mind). Tony bought her in 2010 off Julian Richards, a retired boat builder of Bayswater, Auckland. Tony is a serious woody with an impressive past of classic ownership – Linda which he brought off John Salthouse & he also had 1/4 share in Lady Gay which was brought off Joe Wilson.
I note from the above photos that since buying buying Manuia Tony has done a lot to her, but thankfully for such a pretty launch, she still looks the same as when purchased. Tony told me he likes his home comforts & a good roast so an upgraded galley in the cockpit, water pressure system, main saloon table where on the list. Tony has also re-powered Manuia with a 100 hp Yanmar diesel and done all the brightwork inside.
Tony has been told Mr Henley senior (of Henley Prop’s) had her at some stage. Apart from this & the Richards ownership period Tony is light on her past & ownership details – so woodys can we peel back the layers?
Harold Kidd Input
MANUIA was indeed launched on 6th February 1930. She was built by Joe Slattery at Judges Bay for Sam Keen of Parnell.
Subsequent owners include Bill Alder c1950 (still with Kelvin), W.R. Croft (1966), Les Vercoe (1973), Jack Nears then Paul Jones of Whangaparaoa 1990. Paul died quite recently.
I make the assumption that Richards bought her from Paul. Paul was a stalwart of the Vintage Car Club with a fine Alvis TC21/100.
Alan might like to print the Auckland Star image? (he has 😉 AH)
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Ken – I remember your name – My Father was Les Vercoe. I hope he didn’t owe you any money because he’s been dead for almost ten years.
For all his faults Dad loved that boat and we spent weeks away on it every summer. He spent every weekend playing with it and fixing it.
I remember the Kauri bench top, the fussy electric fridge which was eventually replaced by a gas model, lack of head room and the odd day when we put up the sails, killed the engine, and basically drifted with the tide.
We had it moored at Half Moon Bay when there were only two piers, and later at Hobson Bay and then Te Atatu.
Most summers in Bon Accord and weekend trips all year to Islington Bay and the bottom end of Waiheke.
He was active in the volunteer coast guard and we used to do the odd tow.
I am amazed and pleased to hear she is still being looked after. I kayak in Hobson bay where some of the richest mussel beds are on the hulls of once loved old boats.
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Hi Tony
Email a copy of the photo to ww & I’ll share it with everyone.
Cheers Alan
waitematawoodys@gmail.com
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Hi Tim, I have had a few woody’s in my time and when I retired I sold my causer caprice and started looking for something smaller. I found Manuia at Bayswater, and the rest is history. If you send me an email address I will send you a photo of her as she is today, and you can put it on your wall. T.
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Julian Richards was known by most as Harry, a well known and respected Bayswater man.
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Hello, So glad I just came across this, I grew up on Manuia and still have a picture on my wall. My Dad (Henryk Dudek) brought her with a house in Poplar Rd Whangaparaoa off David & Ann Eastwood in 1995 and then sold her in 2004. During this time Dad spent many weekends refinishing and scrapping off old paint. The sides were orange paint which he made bright and varnised every summer, he raised the wheelhouse a few inches so we could stand and I replaced the dashboard with my own DIY when I was probably 13, he also repowered from a 60hp fordson to an 80hp. We moved to Gulf Harbour and spent most summers from there out to Tiritiri Matangi, Kawau and Waiheke. I have so many memories and photos of this boat, it makes me happy to see her being looked after.
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Hello, So glad I just came across this, I grew up on Manuia and still have a picture on my wall. My Dad (Henryk Dudek) brought her with a house in Poplar Rd Whangaparaoa off David & Ann Eastwood in 1995 and then sold her in 2004. During this time Dad spent many weekends refinishing and scrapping off old paint. The sides were orange paint which he made bright and varnised every summer, he raised the wheelhouse a few inches so we could stand and I replaced the dashboard with my own DIY when I was probably 13, he also repowered from a 60hp fordson to an 80hp. We moved to Gulf Harbour and spent most summers from there out to Tiritiri Matangi, Kawau and Waiheke. I have so many memories and photos of this boat, it makes me happy to see her being looked after.
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Clearly a case Nathan of the younger generation have to tidy up the blunders of the older generation.
You guys are wonderful and an inspiration.
😉
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Exactly! And yes the whole deck will be removed, the tram top was very well constructed and has bronze tie rods, extra longitudinal structural members parallel to the outer hull etc which are easier to just be fully rid of. For’d hatch for sure, and I like the idea of a butterfly hatch but there is the possibility that she may be le-originale spec…. I’m not sure how long the companionway hatch can be as the windscreen position will determine this…
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That’s right, she going to look really sweet. I wonder, is he ( you shall be helping I’m sure) going to remove the deck in order to place some new beams over the beam shelf or scarf onto the ends of the existing?
I think a butterfly hatch is acceptable, perhaps not as big as Wenna’s, and forward hatch and perhaps a hinging or sliding hatch through the companion way, would make it much less of a tunnel.
Then I think you would want it in writeing that the next owner wasn’t going to one day reinstate the tram top again.
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Jason will be shaving My Girl’s tram top, and on her svelte shape he will be crawling through her like a Great Escape tunnel!
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Hi Tony,
Thanks for your pleasant reply. I had wondered how feasible it would be to remove a tram top from an original flush decker. Of course it would come down to some ideal measurements. I had just wondered if it hampered you in any way but it sounds like your still very happy with Manuia.
She looks just fine. : )
Pam
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Yes you are right you can not stand upright. All my other boats I could stand
upright, it took me a couple of week to work out I could not stand up! But we
are having a lot of fun in her.
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Nice!.
Tony does she have head room or stooping head room throughout.
Thanks for the snippet of photos below decks.
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Harry/Julian same person
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He has 😉
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MANUIA was indeed launched on 6th February 1930. She was built by Joe Slattery at Judges Bay for Sam Keen of Parnell.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19300206.2.92.4&srpos=1&e=——-10–1—-0keen+slattery–
Subsequent owners include Bill Alder c1950 (still with Kelvin), W.R. Croft (1966), Les Vercoe (1973), Jack Nears then Paul Jones of Whangaparaoa 1990. Paul died quite recently.
I make the assumption that Richards bought her from Paul. Paul was a stalwart of the Vintage Car Club with a fine Alvis TC21/100.
Alan might like to print the Auckland Star image?
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Julian was the name Tony B gave me, hopefully Tony will see the post & comment.
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I knew thee MANUIA from 1974 to at least 1976, hen she belonged to Les Vercoe & lawyer, of the office of Bodley Vercoe & Moon, & at that time she had a 4 cyl Ford Diesel which had electrical problems Christmas 1974 & he heard I may be able to help, as I’m an electrician originally, & that’s how I met him, He later did some legal work for me for a short time, as a result of that Christmas meeting. – Harold is sure to remember him as for various reasons, he was very well known in legal circles in his day.
He owned her for several years a was also passionate about classic boats & kept her very well, in fact she, by recall, looks exactly the same now as she did then. — KEN RICKETTS
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You note he purchased her of Julian Richards – perhaps that should have been Harry Richards ??, as I remember him doing some of the initial work on her interior.
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