Florence

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FLORENCE

The above launch is a recent arrival at Bayswater marina & while she has a CYA sticker on a cabin window the vessel is unknown to me. There are several classics named ‘Florence’ but this one is a bit of a mystery – her double end design suggests she may have started life a tad south of the Waitemata harbour. Anyone able to shed some light on her ?

ps also has a 4sale sign on her

Input from Owner -Dean Muollo (edited by AH)

Hi Alan, I see there has been a bit of interest in my boat today.
She is a Miller and Tunnage (hull obviously), top has been built and designed by myself, went back in the water on Dec 15 2015.
Below are a few photos of her, previous to my ownership.
Hopefully these might spark up peoples memories, keen to find out any more about her history.
I’m new to the CYA. She is very reluctantly for sale 🙂

My beautiful picture

My beautiful picture

161960530_full

My beautiful picture

Input from David Balderston

Below is a photo the FLORENCE at her usual berth at the Port Chalmers pilot jetty, under the bow of the OTOROA. Taken late 1983.
Instamatic camera unfortunately. She was owned by Norm Menzies and attended all ship arrivals at Port Chalmers. About 1990, he sold her to a young chap who carried on for a time. Then it was decided that a lines boat was not needed so he was left in the lurch, the last I saw of her was moored over near Company Bay.

florence

11-03-2016 Here’s another  (below), it shows her tucked in at the pilot jetty, under the bow of OTOROA, I think February 1992, when the QE2 came, That was, I am pretty sure, the last time we used her as a linesboat. The QE2 had a special tie up system based on what was normal at Southampton which required two linesboats, we used our own TOILER and Florence chartered in. The rest in the picture, NEW ERA dredge, KAPU, OTOROA and KOPUTAI. The bloke in red is Pilot Malthus.

FLORENCE & Friends

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23 thoughts on “Florence”

  2. my grand father joe Potter had the Florence in the 60s and 70s. Its was used as the lines boat. Many memories of going out with grandad for picnics or yacht races at back beach. I have a few old pics and I actually have an original life ring of the wall at home. Great to see these new pics of her all renovated

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  3. Thanks Simon. Good to hear your part in the history. Do you remember who you bought it off back then. Do you remember the toiler as well as I think this was used also around then. I’m trying to track down some history on the toiler as my grandfather owned it for sometime

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  4. Hi all, I used to own and run the Florence as a lines boat at Port Chalmers, Dunedin. I’m sure I took it over around 1989 and sold it 1995 to a local Dunedin man in company bay. The last involvement in lines work was the QE2 perhaps around 1993!
    I was in Russell last week and spotted it moored near the car ferry. It was looking great. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to track down the owner.
    Simon

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  5. Does anyone have some further information on the Toiler lines boat the the Otago Harbour Board used to use. My grandfather had it built for himself to use as a linesboat I think, would love to know a little more though on this. Last I knew it used to be tied up behind the fertiliser wharf at Ravensbourne.

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  6. Florence’ moved over to Edwards Bay about 1993, bought by Neil Brown,a local yachtsman who moved temporarily to Whangarei in the 1960,s to build ‘Maraval’ a 33ft Woolacot style keeler. He had sold ‘Maraval’ and his intention was to use ‘Florence’ for Stewart Island trips.A very unsuitable boat for a trip like that. Anyway, age beat him to it and I always wondered what had happened to the ‘Florence’

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  7. The photo of florence in the otago dock would have been when Joe Potter owned her when she was used as the lines boat for The Otago Harbour Board Joe used to bring her around to the Port Chalmers Yacht Club on regatta days as this would be about mid to late 1960s Richard Taylor would have been the last owner before Port Otago ceased using a lines boat he was a boat builder at Miller and Tunnage and had an arrangement where he was able to leave work at m&t to do the lines jobs when he sold her she went over Edwards Bay or Broad Bay .I must say she looks fantastic now tis a hard thing to get a cabin right on a long slender vessel but that is perfect

    f

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  8. Pingback: Florence | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news

  13. And not forgetting Mervyn Kenny’s “Florence” ( along with Wainui and Raumona etc all part of the “Red Funnel Line” – Picton). Have photos of those boats somewhere working the Sounds in the 1930’s (passenger, cargo carrying, barging Whale Oil etc.), My Father use to knock around with one of Mervyns son’s (Bill) when they were young boys. Apparently one of Florence’s more regular and spectacular tricks was for the funnel to catch fire, but not to be fazed, there was always a supply of wet sacks on hand for this very thing. If I remember correctly hearing also, she had an ancient old Thorneycroft in those years, , and the boys job was pre heating it with a blowlamp as part of the days first start up procedure in the Autumn / Winter months.

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  17. Greetings,

    Is this the NZ built boat featured and front covered in the wooden boat mag several decades ago? Toyota engine hand made propeller, easily towed with a little Mada/Toyota ute. It is only a few decades old. I will hunt out the mag.

    Justin Jordan

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  19. There was a canoe stern Florence in Careys Bay a former lines boat for OtagoHarbour Boatd subsequently owned by Denis Jerram, a fisherman
    That Florence would have been at most 26ft long cockpit boat

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  21. Correct – she was a line boat in Port Chalmers once. Reputed to have been an early Miller & Tunnage build, and originally a fishing boat. I sent in a few shots of her a little while back, just after her re-launch here at Hobsonville Marina. Reference to that posting may have more info.

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  22. there was an old otago harbour board line boat named florence !
    would post a photo if I knew how 🙂

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  23. This looks like the FLORENCE that was the linesboat at Port Chalmers in my time as pilot, 1981 – 94.

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