Lady Margaret For Sale – Buyer Beware

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Lady Margaret A Peek Down Below

Lady Margaret was built in 1948 by Peter Gardiner in Whangarei, given her looks, to a brief that must have said “I like Chris Craft boats, build me one”.
She has a 3” double diagonal kauri hull, & is powered by Ford 120hp twin diesel engines, one of which (port side) is seized.
Her seller, an infamous lurker on WW, has either tried to or has sold several boats in recent times, I won’t comment on these boats as the last time I did I was told – “we know where you live / where you keep your boat – be careful……………..”
On her trademe listing the seller states that the boat was listed by one of Auckland’s biggest brokers for $112k, then $98k & now he is selling it for $49k ono. I wonder why the falling asking price ? Dockside chat tells me she has been hauled out in the last year, can anyone enlighten us on the reason for the haul out & the nature of any work?
You can read more on her past at this 2013 WW link https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/16/lady-margaret-2/
Tip Of The Day: WW always encourages people to do a survey b4 buying a classic wooden boat.
UPDATE 09-08-2018 Photo below (dated 11/04/2018) sent in be a woody.
Lady M oops 11:04:18
UPDATE
Lady Margaret – Listed on Tom Nesbitt website – the asking / starting bid is $40k
Robin Gae – has just appeared on the same site, I’m told a coat of paint & its now double the purchase price. Nice of him to use some WW photos + video in his listing.
UPDATE 23-09-2018 After being banned on trademe the seller has now popped up on facebook marketplace
UPDATE 24-09-2018 SOLD – see below (owners name deleted)
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52 thoughts on “Lady Margaret For Sale – Buyer Beware”

  1. Hi all, I’m the grandson of Peter Gardner who built and owned the Lady Margaret. Would like to know more about its where abouts, condition n owners. Thanks Craig.

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  4. It will be a scam. Probably one of his mates or, likely, a new Identity, the bloody scoundrel

    >

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  7. UPDATE

    Lady Margaret – Listed on Tom Nesbitt own website – the asking / starting bid is $40k

    http://bosunslocker.co.nz/chris-craft-12-8mt-twin-ford-120-kauri-construction1948-nz,name,100160,auction_id,auction_details

    Robin Gae – has just appeared on the same site, I’m told a coat of paint & its now double the purchase price. Nice of him to use some WW photos + video in his listing.

    http://bosunslocker.co.nz/classic-motor-launch-well-known-12mt-built-1934-heart-kauri,name,100148,auction_id,auction_details

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  8. Hi Waitemata Woodies. Dean here from Marine Survey New Zealand. Been following this thread with alot of interest. I’m a timber boat builder by trade and love surveying New Zealands classic launches and yachts. I reference this website often to clients purchasing Nzs timber beauties. JOE RICHARDSON I would be really keen to meet and drink free beers!! Any time…

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  9. Hi all
    I have The Boatbuilders at Half Moon Bay.
    Would love to show you around some of the classics we currently have with us and share some stories. I will even supply the beers!!!

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  13. Orams did do the repairs, Orams didn’t do the repairs. Never owned Royal Falcon, but sold Royal Falcon… I hope the Dementure is not going to result in somebody’s purchace biting them in the butt.
    I see reserve has been met on trademe. Nice boat and cheap at that price as long as it has been reasonably honestly represented.
    I do feel sorry for Tom and appreciate his love of boats.

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  14. I think everyone is satisfied that the vendor has a problem. He admits to being elderly and having “dementure”. I confess I’m beginning to feel sorry for him. Why bait him more?

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  22. Bare wooding is surprisingly easy with a wide flame blowtorch, a friend did it this way on his yacht and is much faster than heat gun

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  23. I love the boat, and as someone below said, the boat should sell on it’s own merits, except, you’d have to bare-wood the whole boat to try and figure out where the bodge was.

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  24. Hey Tom……. I hope you’re still watching even though you are blocked. A question: If I were to go to a certain boatbuilder at Half Moon Bay, and ask him if he had to take you to Court [ or maybe the small claims tribunal, not sure which], would he confirm or deny it ?

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  25. The last classified listing had a comment along the lines of …”work done by Orams, the best boat builders..,”

    About 10 years ago as a student I purchased a car from this seller, and evidently I must have had tunnel vision. I was blinded by the sellers gentlemanly facade and common interest in boats, so blinded in fact that I believed him when he said he was selling for his son overseas, that the car had a current warrant, and that all main electrical worked. None of the above were true and I was taken for a ride so to speak. Even the garage who had failed the warrant was owed money. Luckily I found ways to repair the vehicle and sold it ASAP. It did make me feel sick to the stomach at first mind you.

    What a pity all of this is, as the boat could actually be sold on its merits and all those bad repairs re-done by a proper tradesman.

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  27. let me know when tickets are available for court and ill be there. On the other hand he did say he had Dementia so will probably forget to turn up. Surprised someone of his age of 80 is so deceitful and threatening…

    My favorite trade me comment he answered was – “Asking stupid five questions it is you who need altrasounding”

    wonder what price he will get for it. He has said it is already sold though…
    Johnny- was a nice looking boat with beautiful woodwork inside etc. Id say it was a good buy for the Price he paid around 22k. Suppose not every boat of age is going to be perfect.

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  28. Great comment Murray – There are more than likely a lot of us “Woodys” hoping that he will follow through on his threat “ I will see you in Court Mr Houghton”. They’ll have to sell bloody tickets to get in probably – there’ll be be standing room only 🙂

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  29. Anyone surveying her will see the ply in the topsides put in a year or so back to replace the timber that had rotted due to deck leaks, in fact a surveyor witnessed it and couldnt believe it. (not done by boatbuilders) I guess its too wet for Tom to burn. He is remembered well by the old Okahu bay team this has been his MO for over 30 years. The asking price is always a multiple of what he paid…

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  30. Hi Ryan ,its said you had a good look over it, how was it in general, nice looking boat, but the current owner sounds bitter and twisted, and hard to get a truthful answer on anything!! Cheers

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  31. Hello Tom Nesbitt

    Up until today I have let you comment on waitematawoodys, I don’t ‘blacklist’ people or ban them, but I made an exception today – you are blocked.

    Good bye

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  33. Think for memory there was electrolysis around where the drive shaft comes out from hull. I know the engineer who they bought the spare engine from for $7.5k. would of been at least another $5.5k to have that engine installed. Last time it was for sale someone paid for a full report on it and that wasn’t the person who bought it in the end…

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  34. This boats previous trademe listing was withdrawn by the seller, which also means all the comments (40+) are automatically deleted. They have just relisted it, this time dropping the price from $49k to a starting price of $25k. WW was sent some of the previous auction comments that a would be purchaser saved (via screen grabs). Unfortunately only a selection but concerning in the content.

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  35. She is listed again , reckons he is too old for boating, with one motor having seized ,I have asked a few Qs was interested till I came on here to check her out.

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  37. Ryan Agate. Where was this boat listed when you were looking at it. Seems like a place to spot bargains.

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  38. HI. Was sold for $22k 6 months ago (including a $5k mooring ) I was going to buy it and spent many hours going over it. Is a beautiful boat. a couple of storms ago it broke off the pole mooring on the takaki river and washed ashore.,

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  39. This guy seems to somehow acquire these boats and attemt to sell them on for a profit. One of the questions he won’t answer on trademe is how long he has owned her.
    We all know that there is not a profit to be made in our classics in all honesty.
    I’m am not going to say that he is misrepresenting Lady Margaret, but buyer beware. (He blacklisted me before I was able to point out that I am the owner of a 50’s woody, I do know boats, I can do research and I was genuinely interested in Lady Margaret)

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  40. Nesbitt seems to be ignoring the First Rule of Holes i.e “know when it’s time to stop digging”. Indeed, if you go back through his feedback on TradeMe, there’s a listing for Royal Falcon which he appears to have sold in about June 2016 and yet he denied ever owning a boat by that name to someone who enquired about it. Alzheimers or Dementia ? Let the readers of WW decide. He seems to be extremely economical with the truth in any event and, doesn’t understand that threatening people sometimes has the opposite effect of galvanising them into more action.

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  43. Good morning Tom Nesbitt,
    Isn’t freedom of speech a wonderful thing – I allow you to comment on WW but you block myself & others on trademe.
    I will pass, on your kind offer of meeting.
    I would be interested to know what you refer to in regard to slanderous,false,untrue statements.

    ps congratulations – your spelling has improved, 10/10.

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  44. You now very well when I said I new you address it was to issue a write for your comments and allowing other two use you site four others two slandear people .
    I let go fast time but you sees indulge in spelling lays .
    Retrace these lays.

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  47. Haha my wife sez I’m annoying sometimes but has never offered to do any varnishing ! Hmmmmmm.

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  48. I just re-read the article and missed this bit “we know where you live / where you keep your boat – be careful……………..”, Sounds like a clear threat to me. Who is this jumped up pillock and why does he think it’s ok to threaten people. Cam annoys me at least twice a year bit I don’t threaten to go round and varnish something of his.

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  49. Known her for years when Gordon Brown owned her.
    Used to haul her on his slip away in herne bay. When he bort her she had two petrol chris craft engines. The twin fords were taken out of the lidgard Tandara of John McCullough and fitted to lady Margaret without even having a oil change. Gordon’s pockets were imperial and his arms metric !!!
    He only had one speed and she cld fair whip along and he used her extensively. Gordon made the hard top in his bak yard moulded off the neighbor’s spa pool cover.( so the old boys rum/coffee rumours went😁😁)

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  51. I seem to remember that he was the guy who did a “qiuckie” of some sort with a boat named “Vacuna”

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  52. always liked the look of this boat. I saw it on trade-me recently, and well yes. Then I read the questions and all was revealed.

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