MYSTERY LAUNCH – MANUKAU HARBOUR
The above photos come to us via Lew Redwood’s fb and the caption reads “1920’s Bill Foots launch, Manukau Harbour”
I’m sure one of the woodys will be able to tell us who Bill Foot was and hopefully some details on his launch.
Check out WW tomorrow, a rather nice entry level woody has just come on the market, a perfect boat to enjoy the world of classic woody ownership 🙂
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Will Foote got Tom Higham and his launch PETREL to tow the houseboat to Huia. This isn’t PETREL and I don’t think the gentleman in the cap can be Will Foote.
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….or Dick Lang, whose moulds Sam used at the start.
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The bow shear line is very Sam Ford for that era — compare with JULIANA, MENAI, etc. — KEN R
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Just in the process of shifting, but somewhere I have the book “Foot(e)prints among the Kauri” but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t mention this launch (if it is this launch) by name. Will find and check.
My grandfather, Robert Kidd, was a contractor running kauri logs from the Karekare mill on wide-wheeled horse-drawn wagons down the beach to the wharf at Whatipu at low tides around 1905-7 until the milling company (Larnach’s?) went bust.
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The Foote’s (with an E) were involved in the early days of kauri logging and sawmilling at the Huia near the Manukau Heads
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The only Bill Foot(e) that I know on the Manukau was W. G. Foote (normally answering to “Will”) who was one of the sawmilling Foote brothers who had the steam launch WHAKAPARA built by Chas Bailey Jr.
After selling WHAKAPARA in 1910 he had Percy McIntosh of Whangarei build him the 27ft launch WINNIE MAY in 1912, but this isn’t WINNIE MAY as her sold her in 1914.
Foote later lived on the Hokianga where he built a 43ft barge/houseboat which he had towed to the Manukau in April 1924.
He was rather eccentric (devoted to fishing) and moved the houseboat around from place to place for a while, usually just inside the Manukau Heads. I wonder if this is the same Foot(e) and the launch was the prime mover for his houseboat?
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