KAIRANGA – A Peek Down Below
I have admired Kairanga each year at the Mahurangi Regatta and recently she popped up on trademe, so now we get a peek down below. It’s an interesting tme listing, no mention of design / builder, nor year. But she is a looker.
She is 32’, triple diagonal kauri, with a 90hp Ford diesel provide the forward motion. Appears well kitted out.
Chatting with Nathan Herbert, he recalls a mention of being a Bailey. This is backed up by Harold Kidd’s comments back in 2011 on the CYA Forum – HDK said “She is a pretty boat. I have no record of her before 1961 when she was owned by D E Jonas, a member of RNZYS. I’m certain she has been renamed. The cabin top, if original, is reminiscent of those that Charles Bailey Jr used around early 1914.
Anyone able to tell us more about Kairanga?
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Kairanga is triple skinned. 2 diagonal and the outermost skin forward to aft.33ft and 8.5 tons on the travel lift.
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I see that Kairanga is stated as being triple skinned. When my father purchased her he was told that she was to be strongly built by having plenty of ribs, and when it came to construction, she was simply built without spaces between the ribs making her a two skin vessel.
I currently have 44 foot Lidgard designed yacht that is two skins without ribs or stringers. Our decision to buy her 25 years ago was partly influenced by my experience with Kairanga. So have I been under a misapprehension all these years?
Has anyone actually verified how many skins Baileys used?
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Oh Yes – its The Moo alright. Muriel.
.. Chas Bailey (senior i thought.). Owned by our dad Jim Platt.
Bought/gifted by RNZAF after WW2, when it was used as an Air Force and Navy personell tender.
She was offered to our dad as a heavywork boat, as a contract to rebuid and fix Navy and Air Force wharves around the Hauraki Gulf and Marine Dept Lighthouses incl TheMoko Hinaus and The Barrier.He beefed her up and ftted a Huge prop to tow a heavy 50ft wooden barge with pile driving gear with 6ton (drop hammer (monkey)…
She became famous around the gulf for her staunchness and seaworthiness in extreme conditions.
She was sold to his wartime Air Force Pilot mate Mr Jonas, and taken from her home in Bayswater Shoal Bay, around the corner to the Bayswater wharf boat yard by Lidgards ( incl Granddad Roy, Jimmy, young Garry, and Jimmy Thompson. They spent years doing a nice job doing her up for pleasure cruising around the Gulf.
She had an indominable heart of heart kauri. For over a hundred years. And still has..🙃❤
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My parents owned Kairanga in the mid to late 60s. They purchased her through Brian Walden of Eastern Marina the vendor was a farmer on state highway one north of Ngaruawahia. Brian was also a former owner of her. She had “inner spring’ squabs that we were told had been made by a former owner that manufactured mattresses. In regard to her history, we were told that she was built by Baileys in 1912, she had been used in light house and marine construction work that included the outer gulf
Internally at the aft end of the gunnels there was evidence there had been some sort of substantial structure or equipment fitted. She had a substantial handrail and a bulwark capping, both of which were mahogany that had been originally varnished, indicating that she had had a pleasure boat tart up, She had lister diesel with a very large fly wheel that had to be hand cranked up to speed before pressing the decompression knobs, this starting procedure was a times very difficult and lead to my parents selling her, apparently they were not the only owners that sold her earlier than they would have liked. The lister was bright red if that helps identify if she is in fact the Muriel.
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I’m Helen Pirini, Robert Platt’s sister.
Not only did our Muriel (Mu) tow the enormous pile-driving barge, but also a smaller barge of about 20 feet, which would hold all building materials needed to build the wharves!!!
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Kairanga now resides in Totara North after a beautiful eventful journey from gulf Harbour
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Nee Muriel.
My Dad Jim Platt procured her after the war as a work boat to start up wharf building and repairs contracts for RNZAF and RNZN, which he was able to acces as a wartime pilot. I think Muriel had been an Air Force tender at Hobsonville Air Base in the war.
He must have changed the prop on the little 32fter (Aunty Lolly said yes she was only 32) to an enormous throw, so she could tow a 45ft barge with pile driving derrick and 2.5ton monkey, and wharf building materials n 40ft piles around the Gulf. She was used hard out on wharf construction and lighthouses from th Mokohinaus to Corromandel and the Barrier.
She had a HUGE HEART. On wharf building at Rotoroa (Drunken Island) she was called on to do many emergency trips to ferry patients back to Auckland Hospital in a storm through Motuihe Passage when other boats couldnt handle the seaway. Indominatable, Gutsy Little Battler!!
She,ll be good for another 💯 years !😘
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Boat designer Lid from Bayswater, Shoal Bay , (I trust his eye), says it looks SO much like my Dad Jim Platt old launch the Muriel (th Moo). 34-36ft.Triple skin Kauri. He used it as a work boat for towing th 40ft wooden pile driving barge with 2.5ton monket (drop hammer). And smaller work barge for wharf building around the Gulf.
She was cradled between piles on the mudflat in Shoal Bay in rhe mid to late ’50s with a crook motor, and then it was sold to one of dads old RNZAF war pilot mates about 1961. Dad said to us, “dont worry”, we will be getting an A class Keeler. It was the Ida- 1896 Chas Bailly racer.
The Muriel went around the corner n was pulled out at Lidgards at Bayswater wharf where the Doctor had her done up beautifully by Roy Lid, according to Lids Jimmy “Thom” n Garry.
Sound familiar?
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Looks like a great buy for someone, with most of a quality interior in evidence. Triple skin construction looks great! As does apparent rebuilt injector pump. Great sedan shape too. I’d just want to make the for’d berth and midships head situations a little nicer.
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