Drunken (Isslington) Bay Dec1938>Jan1939 – Aft hand = Eric Clay
Drunken Bay 1938 – Speed = 10 knots
Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island
Maka Maile + Waitematawoodys Hits 3,000,000 Views
Today’s photo essay on the 1937, Sam Ford built, Maka Maile to me is what makes WW so special – out of the blue a comment gets posted on WW by Perrin Reilly advising that he has a collection of photos of Maka Maile that belonged to his Grandfather-in-law, one Eric Clay. Eric crewed on Maka Maile in the late 1930’s. When launched Maka Maile was 41’ in length, with a 10’5” beam & powered by a Chrysler 77 petrol engine that pushed her along at 12 knots.
Perrin emailed the above photos to me & now instead of gathering dust in some one’s bottom draw, they can be shared with the classic wooden boating community. You can read more about Maka Maile’s past on this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/19/mako-maile/
Waitematawoodys.com Milestone – 3 Million Views
When I started this weblog I never imagined that it would grow into the site that it is today, with just over 2,000 stories & followers/viewers from almost every corner of the world. Obviously NZ tops the list with the USA & Australia 2nd & 3rd, after that its everywhere. As always with sites like WW, it would be nothing without the input of people like Perrin Reilly who take the time to send in their stories & photos, so to all of you – many thanks for sharing. And on that topic, please keep sending in content – whether it’s old photos / stories, restoration projects or just you enjoying your woody.
I would like to slip an apology in – in the first 6>12mths of WW, I only really had 6>8 people who sent me content, I can tell you it was a real challenge doing a daily story back them, now I get over 100 emails a day. So the apology is for not always being able to answer your emails, it’s not that I’m lazy or rude – just busy working on the tomorrows story 🙂
Enjoy today’s WW story & remember there are over 2,000 more in the back library 😉
Alan Houghton
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily 
Pingback: Maka Maile – A Peek Down Below | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news – updated daily
Years ago the old pre 1940ish launches were all but forgotten about and lay in rotton row in aucklands viaduct and around nz ports in the disguise of longliners and towing launches and alike.
We have lost count of the number of doomsday types and self promoting “drips under pressure” who over the years and before days of internet told us to burn some of our projects.
Well we can have a larf at them now. And it is very pleasing for our clan to walk down the marinas each weekend and c our old boats sitting quite happily in amongst all the “tupperware” floating apartments. (Good exercise currently also)
Each to thr own type of boat obviously but Wood is Good.
C
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Thx Rick. Yes saw Dunkirk – went on my own, couldn’t convince the wife that it was something she would enjoy. As it turned out, a lot of blokes (solo) there.
Go & see ‘The Journey’ – its a goodie
Alan
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Wow , I so enjoyed seeing and reading this info to day. Many thanks. Phyllis.
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Alan, you’re a gem! So much history about these old…and not so old woodies. And if you hadn’t started up WW many of them would simply have slipped under the radar. It’s a pleasure to see the derelicts many of which were headed for the fire heap being rescued, restored and given another chance.
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Congrats Alan, fantastic. Classic shots of the crew here
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Brilliant effort, Alan. Have you seen ‘Dunkirk’. The numbers of boats is a bit light but some scenes could easily have been filmed here.
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Congrats Allen, put that in your pipe and smoke it! As the photos on todays post show pipes were obviously the flavour of the day. Peter to answer you question, I know for a fact Alan is a early riser. When we are all tucked up in bed still dreaming of cruising down the harbour Alan is running round like an excited puppy, or in this case readying todays post.
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Great work Alan, thank you.
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Congratulations Alan.
I’m constantly amazed how you find the hours in the day to do it all.
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As always wonderful stories that just keep getting posted. It is surely now the pre eminent site for information on Classic Woody’s. A wonderful job AH, and 3 million views – awesome.
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Wonderful images. Ever since I first saw her in her “new look,” about 1947, I really liked her a lot, but never dreamed she looked so lovely, as original, or even looked as she did at all , when originally built.
I remember her being changed to twin Ford V8s at Westhaven hardstand with 4 exhaust outlets out the stern, about 1946. I was totally impressed & blown away with that exhaust arrangement, being mechanically minded, I wished so much, my dad would do that on JULIANA. — Must say the eyes water now with horror, at the thought of it. KEN R
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