Weatherly and Transit

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WEATHERLY & TRANSIT
photos & details ex Juliana Cooke (nee Turnwald) Note –  in the above photo, despite the tags , Transit is the boat on the left & Weatherly on the right 😉

ww knows very little about the above photo other than both boats, Weatherly & Transit,  were once owned by a Patrick Lovett. Obviously from the caption the photo was taken in 1982 & show a very different view of Westhaven from today.
Seeing those two poles bought back memories of standing cold, in the mud, anti-fouling a yacht with the skipper sitting (dry) on the bank issuing instructions, as the tide was coming in 🙂

What do we know about these launches & where are they today?

11 thoughts on “Weatherly and Transit”

  1. Hi Colin.
    I remember meeting you when Dad bought Weatherly from you.
    Any photos would be great to see.
    Thanks. Matt.

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  3. Oops a bit late but just found Weatherly on here.
    She was built by Cyril Freeman when he was the Forman at Shipbuilders and launched 1964.
    Cyril originally built her as single screw but he loaned his other boat Wai-happiness for a trip and she ended up on the rocks. All Cyril salvaged was the engine a 60hp ford diesel and now could not afford the six cylinder as originally planned so bought another 4cylinder and put one on each side.
    One had a 2:1 and one was 1.5:1 reduction with odd props to suit. (Manuals)
    I bought her off Cyril’s wife after he died around 1977. I swapped her from twins to a singe 6cyl ford I got off Ernie Seagar easily done as the keel and log were already done. After a refit on the interior to suit the new engine I left Shipbuilders and took her snapper long lining. The chemist then bought her off me. What an awesome sea boat we used to take her around the back of the Barrier when you might see three or so other boats around there over Christmas. Wish I could say the same today lol.
    I have many old photos of her including under construction I’ll dig them out and get them on here for you WW to ponder.
    Colin.

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  4. Hi Matthew, great to hear from you & that you recall spending time on our boat in Mansion House. — Please drop me email at kenpat@ihug.co.nz if you would like to, & I will give you my details for a catch up — KEN R

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  5. Hello Ken. I remember spending the day on your boat Tiarri with Dad (Pat Lovett) at Mansion House Bay. Must have been mid 80s.
    Sorry to see that Tiarri ended up in a bad state.
    Regards,
    Matthew Lovett.

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  6. Hi All.
    This is indeed Weatherly on the right and Transit on the left, taken when my father first purchased the bigger boat. I remember the day. Weatherly was soon repainted in similar livery as the smaller Transit with white cabin sides and light blue cabin top. She was built in single skin kauri and was a very distinctive looking launch with an extremely flaired bow. She was originally powered by twin diesels and used as a commercial fishing boat for many years, with a claim to fame for taking part in the search for a missing overboard crewman from the pirate radio station, Radio Hauraki’s vessel.
    When Dad bought Weatherly she had been converted for cruising and repowered with the single Fordson 90.
    We cruised Weatherly for around 8 years (often in tandem with the Turnwald family on Robyn Gae) until just before Dad passed away in 1990.
    Unfortunately all of our old print photos of both Trasit and Weatherly have been misplaced. I’d be really grateful for copies of pictures of either boat, especially Weatherly. It would also be interesting to hear of her whereabouts now.
    Cheers,
    Matthew Lovett.

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  7. Hi Alan, yeah I guessed that!;-). I spent a bit of time on Weatherly with Pat and his sons, cruising the Gulf. Transit was I think Pat’s first foray into launching and due to his height, (he was a tall guy) he decided enough bangs on the skull from Transit’s low cabin was enough so sought out another boat with ample headroom.

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  8. Pat Lovett was a pharmacist, practicing in the shopping centre at the start of Dominion Rd Extension, Mt. Roskill, for many years, from at least the1960s to mid 1980s– he was my pharmacist for much of that time, as my GP was practicing over the road, & Pat & I talked boats on many occasions,

    The WETHERLY is the boat on the right & was built by Roy Steadman at Shipbuilders & Pat either owned her from new, or bought her when she was fairly new, & owned her for a number of years, using her regularly, She had a 6 cyl Ford Diesel, & as I said in a previous post, has a full half circle deckline at the bow which looked really lovely form all angles.– This concept pioneered by Roy S. & as far as I know was first used on his own lovely little 28 footer NAUTY GIRL circa 1949. — KEN R

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  11. I think it’s the other way around…the boat on the left is Transit, on the right is Weatherly.

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