Gunk-holing up the Weti River in a 1902 Logan – Revisited

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So far there have been over 2,000 classic wooden boat stories featured on waitematawoodys & the viewing numbers (3,300,000) have grown from a dozen people to over 80,000. I have had some loyalists from day one but the big numbers have happened in the last 2 years – so not everyone will have been exposed to all the stories. Over the Christmas / NY period I have decided to take a peek back in time & feature some of the gems from the early days. Enjoy.

Have a great holiday & remember to take the camera / phone with you & snap a photo of any woodys you see. Email them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

 

Gunk-holing up the Weti River in a 1902 Logan Motor Boat

photos ex Jason Prew at the helm of Otira

Despite the CYA Launch cruise / picnic being cancelled Jason Prew & Nathan Herbert + crew decided to launch Otira, the 1902 Logan day boat at Gulf Harbour & explore the upper reaches of the Waiti River. They made it passed the Silverdale road bridge, which is an impressive distance, along the way they passed an ‘interesting’ array of vessels. Enjoy 🙂  As always – click on any photo to enlarge.

For reference see below a recent photo of Otira at Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade

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6 thoughts on “Gunk-holing up the Weti River in a 1902 Logan – Revisited”

  1. My understanding that WAKATU was built for the Nelson Harbour Board principally as a tug but also for survey work. She had a flat bottom so could be driven up on the beach and then float off at the next high tide. When she was built the thickness steel specified was unavailable so they went up a size – she had a thick hull so was never going to sink easily.

    WAKATU was moored on the Auckland Ports wharves and then in the Viaduct Basin in the late 1980s through to 1993. It was intended to be used as a pleasure craft and plans were to move the cabin structure aft. It was on the wharf that the stern was cut out – the intention was to put in steps for diving.

    Vandalism while on the wharves prompted the owner to arrange for someone to live on board – and that person was me. I had to go through a Customs bonded area to aboard. Those years afloat (albeit tied up alongside) were some of the most enjoyable living situations l’ve ever had.

    I used to work in the city and walk to work.

    We used to go across to the Birkenhead Boat Ramp at high tide and run it up on the slip, wait for the tide to go out and then scrape the sludge off the hull and fill up the drinking water tank.

    The owner moved back on board himself in 1993 and the last I saw her was when she was moored on a buoy opposite the northern side of the Harbour Bridge.

    To see her end her days as a hulk up a backwater is a gut-wrench. She was a beautiful craft and I loved her dearly.

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  2. Took eldest daughter and her twins for a gunk-hole of our own on the Wade. Launched at Silverdale and rowed down to sight of chez Welsford. Then up to the pub bridge. Sad to see that the Whakatu is now tidal and took a few pix. Sad, remember her weight built. she was for sale at Bayswater when there were moorings in those happy daze. Lovely tug. Big Paxman diesel (not so nice).

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  3. Some may be interested to know that the much neglected & rusting steel tug is the former Nelson Harbour Board tug WAKATU.
    WAKATU was built by A & G Price in Auckland in 1960 and went into service in 1962. She served the port well till 1985 when sold to Ron and Wendy Stevens of Havelock, as a fishing charter boat, but her draught was too great for low tide navigation in and out of Havelock so they sold it a couple of years later to a Bay of Islands man who wanted to turn it into a floating workshop for his marine work, — (it may have been a Mr Dave Skyrme).– It has now ended up in the Wade River. — KEN R

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  4. I know she’s not a woody, but would love to know all I can find out about the old steel tug, with lots of rust, if anyone can fill in any blanks. — KEN R

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  5. The bridge-decker lying at the “one berth marina” is a Roy Paris, and belongs to small-craft designer John Welsford, who leases the berth, shed, launching ramp and the other facilities from Chris Dickson. John lives aboard when he’s not doing things like helping a bloke sail a pram dinghy round Cape Horn
    Agree about the “G” word; I’d go for the traditional “ditch-crawling” 🙂

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