Yearly Archives: 2017

We Love Long Weekends

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We Love Long Weekends

In the photo above (ex Baden Pascoe) we see members of the Auckland Power Boat Association enjoying the 1st picnic of the season at Takapuna. Hopefully a lot of you will be out & about this weekend enjoying the spring weather & giving the boat a treat.

MY GIRL UPDATE

One person who will not be afloat will be Jason Prew, life for Jas at the moment is centered on the rebuild of his classic launch My Girl. Search the name in the WW search box to see details.

Jason has a great blog recording the work being done – link below. Check out the scale of this project!

http://www.my-girl.co.nz/mygirl/Restoration/Restoration.html

Big WW story tomorrow – lots of photos (a tease below) & if you or anyone you know is looking for a classic wooden launch that requires nothing done to her – you have to read Mondays story 😉

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Help Wanted Finding Old Family Launch – LISA

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Help Wanted Finding Old Family Launch – LISA

Earlier this year I was contacted by Philip & Phillipa Goddard who were looking for details on the 28’ launch Lisa that in the mid 1960s, their family cruised around Waiheke Island in. They only owned her for a few year but they have many fond memories of her.

Philip is not 100% sure of the history below, but would like to think that maybe someone else can put some light on it.

They were told that she was built pre 1900 & initially launched in the Manukau Harbour but later moved to the Waitemata. At some stage a person called Ken Simpson owned her, Philip can remember him coming aboard at some stage & pointed out a rib that he had replaced.

Philip commented that she was a great sea boat that had a burst of speed if you opened up the throttle. One of his lasting memories is using the toilet directly next to the running uncovered petrol engine J

Philip’s father is now in his early 80s & would love to hear what became of Lisa.

30-06-2022 Input from Philip Goddard

My father (Bill Goddard) has just composed the following from what he remembers of Lisa.
We are still looking for her!

She cost five hundred pounds in 1963 and was on Salthouses slip at the upper harbour and I brought her down to little shoal Bay with the help of one of their employees.
She was pretty rough and had no engine cover and the toilet opposite was a galvanised funnel with a straight outlet to the side of the hull and needed the motion of the boat to work correctly.
Needless to say on a calm night in North Harbour Lisa could be seen occasionally rocking frantically.
On one occasion anchored in North Harbour a favourite anchorage of ours a chap rowed alongside and asked if she was the old Papete.
I recognised him as the owner of a substantial electrical business in Auckland his name now escapes me.(Ken Simpson ?)
I said as far as I knew she was named Lisa however he asked to come aboard and on lifting one of the side bunks he pointed to a rib which he said he had replaced many years ago.
He said she was originally on the Manakau and had a funnel in those days and was transported across to the Waitemata.
We had her for a few years near our home in Little shoal Bay where we pulled her up on the hard with a tractor in those days and many a time we witnessed a tractor getting bogged and then another tractor helping and on one occasion a third tractor to escape the rising tide.

MV CLEMATIS – An ideal floating bach

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MV CLEMATIS – An ideal floating bach

WW readers will be familiar with my views on how compared to the price of waterfront property these days, you can buy a classic wooden vessel for a fraction of the cost, that offers the same benefits + more.

Clematis at 45’ is one such vessel, launched in 1939 & built of kauri by Miller and Tonnage Ship Builders in Port Chalmers for J. Falconer & Sons of Timaru.

Her past has seen her serve with the New Zealand Maritime Department, initially in the NZ Navy during WWII & with the various other ad hoc parties until 1995. She was the only vessel still attached to the navy, serving from WWII until c.1995. She was seconded to the US Navy during WWII & during this period she was refitted on three occasions and even given a copper bottom by the Americans for her use in the Pacific Islands. She was later a training boat for the Maritime Department and Ministry of Fisheries.

She was eventually sold to Christchurch businessman, Bryan Mullaly, in 1995, who based her in Picton. Later use saw her working for a time in Lyttleton as a whale watch boat. Back then (c.1995) she was powered by an Isuzu truck / bus engine, converted to marine use, this replaced a Gardner diesel.

Mullaly sold her to her present owner, Pam Holt in 2003 & Pam brought her up to Coromandel & Gt. Barrier, where Clematis became her floating home. Her large saloon, galley, 2 cabins and spacious covered deck made her ideal for enjoying the spectacular scenery and sea life.

With lots of blue ocean miles under her belt, Clematis is a proven seaworthy boat. Having been in MSA survey (expired) for 18 passengers, 10 to Great Barrier Island.

Pam’s days afloat are over & she is looking for a new custodian for Clematis, whether as a floating bach or a fabulous event venue or for sightseeing cruises.

You will see in the photos that she has recently had a lot of TCL applied & is now offered for sale. Interested parties can contact Pam direct at pamclem@hotmail.com

B/W photos below from launch day.

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Input from Russell Ward

Below are two photos, the colour one is a shot of her on Otago Harbour set to Russell by Ian Mclean –she spent a lot of time in Dunedin –Sea Cadets boat.

The b/w photo shows Clematis on the right in working rig. To her starboard is Aorangi’s bow, Shenendoah and over astern a smattering of the pride of the Auckland fleet. Centre stage, wearing her original funnel in pride is Melodeon.

This pic would be in the ’50s or early ‘60s. A view of the viaduct before it became a eating and watering and posh boat hole 🙂

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Input from Peter Marshall

Actually, Brian Mullaly sold CLEMATIS to me around ’95 and I took her to Lyttelton. She was put into survey as a commercial boat in 2001 but was almost immediately involved in the destruction of the marina at Magazine Bay and was out for the 2001-2002 summer season.
Expertly and comprehensively repaired by Stark Bros., CLEMATIS then operated as Godley Head Dolphin Company watch out of Dampier Bay and around the Banks Peninsula until ’95 when I gave up the cause of making Lyttelton a reasonable environment for chartering and she was bought by a young woodworker from Auckland.
As an added note, she was lent to the Yanks during WW II, who took her up into the Pacific and clad her hull in copper to protect her from worm and used her as shallow water picket duty. The Navy League had her on Otago Harbour for around 30 years, and scads of harbour-dwellers knew the sound of her old Gardner.

Aries

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ARIES

Aries was built by Owen Woolley in 1957 for Max Burrett. Peter Walsh, who owned her for 2>3 years c.1982, watched Woolley building her. Her original engines were twin ex-USN 6 cylinder Chrysler Crowns of 1943 vintage. These were later replaced, with twin Commer diesels, when Ed Carter bought her c.1967.

The photos above were taken during Peter Walsh’s ownership c.1982. The photos were sent to me by Allan Keane who commented that Aries was in a sorry state when Peter Walsh purchased her, she had a leaky Commer 105hp engine and very bad bilges.

Peter did a substantial refit at his yard in Onehunga & repowered with twin 135hp Commers, which gave her an impressive 14-15 knots.

Peter sold her to a farmer up in the Bay of Islands and says he shed a tear when she sold – he really loved and admired her.

The photos are at Connells Bay wharf, McMullen and Wings marina, and at Peter Walsh’s yard Onehunga.

Thanks to Harold Kidd & Russell Ward for details on her past ownership & means of propulsion.

Any woodys able to supply more info on her past?

View 2015 photo of Aries in previous WW post   https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/08/25/aries/

MORE DETAILS AT THIS WW LINK https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/10/22/aries-4/

Cavalaire – A peek down below

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CAVALAIRE – A peek down below

Built by Brin Wilson in 1967, she measures 34.76’, with a 10’7” beam & draws 3’3”. Kauri carvel planked & powered by a 120hp Ford 6cyl. diesel.

That’s about all her trademe listing tells us, can any of the woodys expand on her provenance? Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads-upJ

25-06-2019 Updated photos ex new trademe listing

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Eunice K

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EUNICE K
I was recently contacted by Karen Bennett concerning the launch – Eunice K, pictured above in 1980, that her father, Mike McDonald, owned on the 1980’s. Karen & her family lived in Thames & used to cruise around the Coromandel area.
Karen was prompted to contact WW by an old friend John Managh, John had also owned Eunice K, previous to Karen’s family buying her, this was in the  late 1970’s early 1980’s. The McDonalds went on to own the launch Taree, photo below during their ownership in 1987.
Do we know what happened to Eunice K & is she still on the water?

25-10-2017 Update

Received an email from Henk Van Wijk to say that he was pleasantly surprised to read the WW story on Eunice K & he was able to advise that approx.. 8 years ago he found her in a pretty sad state of disrepair and as the family were looking for a project, they purchased Eunice K & renamed her Pathfinder in 2009.

Hank had always been curious about her history & when he compared the photos posted on Woodys of her in the 1980 to what she looks like today, he commented that she obviously has had a few changes done to her.

Hank would love to learn more about her early years, they know that she was built by Collings and Bell in 1948 and was previously owned by Rod Barker and was based at Pine Harbour, Auckland.

Pathfinder has spent most of her time in the lower Hauraki Gulf, and in summer up in the Bay of Islands. Hank commented that she is loved and well used by his family. The photos below show her when they found her and what she looks like today.

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Update 28-05-2021 ex Dean Wright – photo below of Pathfinder , berthed at Tutukaka.

Link to Taree on ww here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/05/01/taree-a-peek-down-below/
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Jack

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JACK

The clinker Jack belongs to woody Dean Wright, they got Jack from Picton back in 2008, a 8’6″ kauri clinker. From what Dean has learnt she was probably built by the Jack Morgan yard in the 1960’s. If anyone recognises Jack and has any more history, he would love to hear it.

 The story of Jack as told by Dean

He’s always been a leaker despite long spells in the briny to take up. You’ll see from the photos 3-4″ of water sloshing about and the bailer afloat, we decided that 2016 was going to be his birthday and he was going to get tight.

We stripped him back to bare, cleaned out the lands then took him to boat builder Bob Van Pierce (owner of the mullety Cora) for his opinion.  He thought she was recoverable but she’d need three and a bit new planks and a general refasten. And while we were at he’d fix the bulge in one side of her hull and bring her back into her original shape. Bob did all the smart stuff and I got on the end of the dolly. Thanks Bob, you did a fantastic job.

The first photos show the general condition of the planks we replaced, splits and bits missing.

A few replacement planks & Bob scarfed one in. Spotted gum for the ribs. The steam box was cranked up, ribs loaded in & then bent in. A few broke but where were spares. Ribs were nailed from below and riveted.

Then primer, Prekote and topcoat prior to new purple heart thwarts being fitted. Bob also added rubbing strakes.

Then Jack came back home to your the shed and was ready for bottom paint & signwriting by artist Lester Hall. Thanks also Lester for the beautiful oars complete with welcome swallows. These have been decorating my wall for the last 5-6 years, they got a hell of a fright being immersed in salt water.

Then the bronze rowlocks were fitted & new floorboards in + nylon rub rail secured with copper wire. 

First outing was planting trees with Project Island Song. Over a day, we got half a litre in the bottom, pretty happy with that.

The old dinks – Ken is not happy, he’s been relegated to barge duties.

 

And While On The Topic Of Wooden Boats

The NZ Traditional Boat Building School has just released details on its latest courses, see below. The presenter / instructors are legends in the wooden boating community. In the past the courses have been oversubscribed, so get in early or miss out.

To register – email tanya@nztbs.org.nz       or call 027 – 45 33 55

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Lyttleton Basket Case ( Kia Ora) + Yum Yum

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Lyttleton Basket Case – Kia Ora

On Nathan Herbert’s recent trip south, he spotted the above ‘yacht’ in Lyttleton. From her stern, it would appear she was named Kiaor or Kiaok – the last letter is part missing. Anyone able to tell us about her past?

 

What Happened To Yum Yum?

Woody Daniel Renall contacted me to say he had been fortunate to visit Neil Beken at his boat building spot in Beach Haven. Neil gave Dan a bunch of plans he had acquired for Dan’s yacht, Jonquil.

While there he showed Dan a picture of a yacht he restored in the 1990’s called Yum Yum, very similar to Gloriana. It was owned by someone in Wellington and was trucked up for a couple of classic races in Auckland.

Neil mentioned that Yum Yum had vanished and nobody had been able to track her down.

So woodys – can anyone shed some light on Yum Yum’s whereabouts & have a photo?

Harold Kidd Update – KIA ORA was designed by Prof R.J. Scott of the Engineering School at Canterbury and built for himself by Jack Collins of Lyttelton in November 1898 as a 5 rater cutter to replace an earlier 2 rater KIA ORA Collins owned. She was in the BRITANNIA/MOANA mould with a spoon bow. She was racing, later under a yawl rig, until the 1960s.
Very historic Lyttelton yacht in the same category as PASTIME.
YUM YUM and her Herreshoff inspiration is discussed in passing in my article on IDA in the November Boating NZ (plug)..

Airforce Patrol Craft + An Unusual Car

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Airforce Patrol Craft

The above photo is dated 1939 & is from the Tudor Collins collection. Only really posted it to have a boat in today story.

15-10-2017 Harold Kidd Input
The launch in the pic is one of the Hubert Scott-Paine 40 footers imported at the beginning of 1940 for TEAL and taken over by the Air Force. W6? Below is a photo of W2.

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But for some serious boat porn, check out James Dreyer’s latest photos of ‘Laughing Lady’ on his Seven Oceans Boatworks Facebook page – click link

The really story is the XK150 Jag below, It was owned by Mr Gardner of Gardner Engines in the UK), Thats him standing alongside it. He re-engined it with a Gardner diesel back in the late1950’s. Rumour has it while the acceleration was not great once off the line she was a flyer 😉 Probably priceless if still around today. Boat & Jag photos ex Ken Ricketts

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15-10-2017 Harold Kidd Input – Lyn Buchanan of John Chambers & Co put a 4 cylinder Gardner in his Packard about 1931. Photo below.

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Irish Woodys

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IRISH WOODYS

Good friends & supporters of Yachting NZ via their winery ‘ Lawson Dry Hills’ – Tim & Pauline Evill have been on an extended promotional tour of Europe & Tim being a passionate woody has been sending me a selection of woodys spotted on tour.

The photos above are from Dublin & Galway, Ireland, Dublin being one of my favourite world cities & a must do if you are in the UK, so many people do Europe but never hop a plane across the sea to the Emerald Isles.

The first photo shows a very smart motorboat that was for sale on the Dublin canal. Amazed Tim didn’t buy it, he has a habit of collecting stuff 🙂
The next photos show some beautifully restored Galway hookers in Galway port. Still used for fishing.