Raira

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RaIra

photo ex Brian Fulton

Brian took the above photo in Woolshed Bay, Coromandel over the 2015 Xmas / New Year period. She is called Raira & is based at Panmure.

Interested to learn more about her.

Harold Kidd Update

RAIRA was designed by Charles Collings but built by her first owners, the McLeod brothers, Ted and Ray, and J. Verran, at Bayswater and launched in February 1915. She was 38′ x 38′ x 9′ x 3′ and was originally fitted with a 3 cylinder 30hp heavy duty Twigg, built in Auckland. She usually cruised with AUMOE after Alex Foster (of Fosters) bought her in 1919/20. The bridgedeckerisation was done by W.G. Lowe & Son in 1937 when owned by N.J. Campbell.
Her lines were published in the N.Z. Yachtsman magazine in 1914.

Photo below ex Jason Prew (Wairiki) of Raira crossing the Firth of Thames on the 27-12-2015

08-01-2016 Input from Jonathon Aston

Raira has been our family launch for the last 13 years and have many great memories. In 2009 we put Raira onto a large shed and over the next 3 years completely re-ribbed, refastened & re-corked her hull with thousands of copper nails & roves just like the McLeod brothers did when building her all those years ago as well as replacing all her keel bolts with new silicon bronze bolts. The stern deck was added in the 70’s & the bridge was added in 1982 by a local boatbuilder while based in Tauranga. She was brought back to Auckland in the early 90’s & has been based at the Panmure  Yacht & Boating club since.

Original lines & recent photos ex Jonathon Aston

 

 

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17 thoughts on “Raira”

  2. Hi all….if anybody is interested I am the current custodian of Teina…..

    Bought last year (2020), virtually on 1st sight…

    While looking for a launch ” project ” I stumbled across her on the hard at Panmure…a month later she was mine..

    She has just had 50+ years of grime removed from under her derelict 371 Detroit…

    Her vintage IRM ZF hydraulic gearbox has just been joined to a 90’s factory marinized Isuzu C240…

    So in the coming months she will once again move under her own steam….
    Then I can start on her many issues…

    Like refitting her 2nd mast…
    Upgrading her paintwork…
    Replacing her many mod-cons which have died a salty death…

    She is parked on the tamiki river and visited almost daily, via Leader boatbuilders…if anyone is keen to view her..
    Tom Solleder….

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  3. got an old mate who use to own her.,he has the some original papers ..sale agreement ect
    this is the bloke who put on the stern deck in the 90s ..he would be happy to pass them on to the current owner..please contact pete ..petejfisher@gmail.com

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  6. Hi All
    Raira has been our family launch for the last 13 years and have many great memories. In 2009 we put Raira onto a large shed and over the next 3 years completely re-ribbed, refastened & re-corked her hull with thousands of copper nails & roves just like the McLeod brothers did when building her all those years ago as well as replacing all her keel bolts with new silicon bronze bolts. The stern deck was added in the 70’s & the bridge was added in 1982 by a local boatbuilder while based in Tauranga. She was brought back to Auckland in the early 90’s & has been based at the Panmure Yacht & Boating club since.

    Cheers
    Jonathon

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  7. Ken, many years ago, when you and I first started comparing notes about old launches, you mentioned those visits aboard TEINA and I noted at the time that she was originally a flushdecker (which was not any surprise) but I gained the impression from you that she had been converted to a bridgedecker by 1950.
    In the light of your 2016 comments, it’s clear that I misunderstood you.
    But I must say that, at the same time, you stoutly maintained (and I recorded the fact, fully accepting it) that R.W. Grant’s THETIS was TEINA’s sister-ship.
    That was simply fantasy.
    It took me several years to identify THETIS as the Fred Mann-built KORAMA.

    Cheers.

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  10. Nathan, I’m sure you’re right and that W.G. Lowe & Son’s 1937 work was simply to make her over into the configuration she had in the image on Brian Worthington’s excellent site. The McLeods replaced her with TEINA, designed by Gladwyn Bailey, using the same Twigg power. It was TEINA that got an early bridgedeck. I mix the two up readily. TEINA was owned by the slipmaster at Milford for several years in the 80s when I hauled LOLOMA out there.

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  11. Harold Can you please tell me how this ties in with a flush decker with 2 masts owned by the McLeods in the later 1940s, called TEINA which I was invited aboard by them when I was circa 10-11, (1946-47) a number of times, which also had a Twigg, (right in the bow), which they kept at Bayswater. — They were friends at that time of the them owners of KARAMA, ( THETIS) which was also kept at Bayswater. — KEN R

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  12. On Brians site there is a photo of her with no bridgedeck, in colour with composite game poles and bucket hats… 70’s onwards methinks?

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  13. RAIRA was designed by Charles Collings but built by her first owners, the McLeod brothers, Ted and Ray, and J. Verran, at Bayswater and launched in February 1915. She was 38′ x 38′ x 9′ x 3′ and was originally fitted with a 3 cylinder 30hp heavy duty Twigg, built in Auckland. She usually cruised with AUMOE after Alex Foster (of Fosters) bought her in 1919/20. The bridgedeckerisation was done by W.G. Lowe & Son in 1937 when owned by N.J. Campbell.
    Her lines were published in the N.Z. Yachtsman magazine in 1914. If anyone’s interested I’ll post them off to Alan.

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  16. With that Tauranga board on the stern, one of our contacts down there must know her?
    The things you see at this time of year! Steamboat Victoria steaming down Beaumont Street this morning –with steam up on trailer obviously ready for a quick getaway.

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