Monthly Archives: September 2020

Tara-Nui

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TARA-NUI
The motor-sailor Tara-Nui is a neibour of mine at Bayswater marina, owned by a friend Richard Poor. I have donated a few layers of skin sanding her in preparation for Uroxsys varnishing. Last week Dean Wright emailed in the above photos of Tara-Nui that he took back in 2010 of her in Homestead Bay, Moturua Island, Bay of Islands. 


Back in June 2015 on WW there was talk of Tara-Nui having a sister ship named Tebor. WW link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/21/tebor-sailing-sunday/At the time it was commented that the vessels were a John Gladden design. Are we able to confirm this and also can anyone tell us more about Tara-Nui’s past. Richard keeps her is top condition and is a frequent visitor to the Pacific Islands. 

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Dione – But Which One

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DIONE
We are going to need so serious input today re the above launch – in the past on WW there has been a lot of chat around the number of launches named – Dione and their provenance. Today’s Dione is ex a recent Lew Redwood fb post and Lew competed that ‘she was the 1933 Allely’s launch in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island’.


Now this is where it gets confusing – previously (June 2018) Lew posted a photo of the launch below and commented it was ‘the Alley family launch, Dione, at anchor at Matiatia, Waiheke Island’. At the time Harold Kidd commented as below (after photo)


On the recent photo fb post HDK comments that he doesn’t think neither of them are named Dione. Now woodys you can see why a simple country boy like me is a tad confused.Anyone brave enough to add their input ? 🙂

NEXT SATURDAY – 26TH SEPTEMBER

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Marlin

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MARLIN
The above game boat photos was included in the bundle of Ken Warne’s photos of his launch Marline – can we uncover more about her, a very distinctive looking woody. Also maybe Jason Prew could just walk across the boat shed at the Slipway, Milford and ask Ken – he is there most days working on Marline.

Speaking of Marline the ’new’ / stripped down dog-house is coming along nicely – photos below. 

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Centaurus Has A Birthday

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Centaurus Has A Birthday

WW readers will recall that in late 2019 Angus Rogers purchased the 1967 1968 Bailey & Sons built bridge-decker Centaurus. After an extended summer cruise she was hauled out at Okahu Bay for a serious overhaul of her systems and to bring her presentation up to the Rogers standard. Last Friday she was eased back into the water (got to love that tractor unit) looking very sharp. One of the additions was a bow and stern water jet thruster set-up, very impressive piece of kits and remarkably quiet. More photos of the project soon.

It will be a shoes off inspection for those woodys doing the Stillwater Woody picnic cruise next Saturday (26th) – I’d better ensure she gets a prime spot on the wharf 😉

Out With The Old – In With The New

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Out With The Old In With The New

Nathan Herbert’s 1917 Joe Slattery built launch – Pacific, had a serious Jenny Craig session yesterday at Milford – out came the 2758 Ib. Lister (Freedom range) diesel engine, to be replaced with a brand new 992 Ib. 100hp FPT / Iveco (Italian) 4 cylinder diesel. That is a saving of over 800kg, thats like asking the All Black forward pack to get off your boat. I suspect the waterline will need an adjustment 🙂 

As always Jason Prew and The Slipway gang were on hand to help, with expertise and the loan of their Hiab truck to collect the new engine. We look forward to seeing the completed installation and relaid wheelhouse. I suspect we will not see Pacific at the Woody Stillwater picnic next Saturday (26th).

Erewhon

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EREWHON

The above gallery of photos of the launch – Erewhon, were sent in by Kerry Alexander. Erewhon was once a very salty woody, sadly these days she is high and dry in Helensville at the Kaipara Cruising Club. In another life, Erewhon was a registered long-liner, owned by a friend of Kerrys, Great Barrier Island resident, Brian Burrell, who currently owns the woody – Lynmar.


Can anyone tell use the designer / builder? And what became of her between long-liner at being parked at KCC.

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Marline Gets A Top Chop

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MARLINE – Gets A Top Chop


Back in September 2019 I spotted the launch – Marline coming up Milford Creek on-route to The Slipway yard. As it turns out she was being hauled for a heart transplant – a wonderful new Yanmar 120hp was being installed. The top two photos above show here in the ‘creek’. At the time I thought – very nice woody, but ……….. pity about the low rise block of flats on top.

So you can image how pleased I was last Thursday to walk in to The Slipway shed and see a team in the process of demolishing the flats. Marline was built in 1950 by Leon Warne in St. Marys Bay, for his own use. Son Ken gave me a guided tour of the boat and detailed the work in-hand. And she will be returning to a more traditional configuration 🙂 Marline is approx 35’ x 11’ 4’ and draws 3’6”. She had a reputation as ’the party boat’ and once aboard its easy to see way – an 11’+ beam on a 35’ boat makes for a lot of living space.I love the original cabin lights – Leon Warne cast them, son Ken still has the mould……….. now that has got me thinking 😉


The gallery of photos below, ex Ken, give us a peek into her past, as you will see, she was successfully used for Game Fishing for many years, out of Tauranga

Around The Yards – The Slipway Milford

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L>R Marline, Connie V
Disturber
Lucinda
L>R Lucinda, Disturber
  • Gweneviere
  • Lonestar

Around The Yards – The Slipway Milford


I was passing thru Milford last week, so took the opportunity to drop in on the team at The Slipway (Geoff Bagnall’s yard in a previous life).I can report that I was pleasantly pleased to see so many woodys hauled out and in various stages of repair – from the annual bum clean right thru to major refits.The one that caught my eye the most was the 35’ Leone Warne built launch – Marline, more on her on Monday, I now have so many cool photos from her past.
The woodys below are at the yard, where possible I have included a WW link to see / read more on each one.


The Slipway yard is one of Auckland’s very few ‘railway’ hail out facilities and both deserves and needs the support of the wooden boating community. If we lose yards like this we will be forced to use yards that tend to have equipment designed for big while plastic boats and that are not wooden boat friendly in terms of planked boats. So woodys support the guys that support us. Contact Jason Prew for details on haul out rates and on-site services. jason@slipway.co.nz

Connie V – https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/12/23/connie-v-saved/
Lucinda – https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/09/30/lucinda-4sale/
Disturber – https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/19/disturber/
Marline – https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/16/marline/
Lonestar – a visitor from Hawkes Bay 😉 more on this project later.
Gweneviere – another visitor from Hawkes Bay and possibly a project.

Total Wooden Boat Porn

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Total Wooden Boat Porn

Over the last week I have had numerous woodys asking if I had seen the YouTube video on one of the UK’s stunning new motor boats – the Spirit P70. My answer was yes I had, so today I thought I had better share it with you. Built by Spirit Yachts to a very simple owner brief – it must be able to cover (non-stop) 1000nm at an average speed of 18 knots, she tops out at 23.5 knots. And budget? – somewhere between 4 and 5 million pounds. That woodys gets you are very swanky vessel, every single item is bespoke – check it out.

Menai

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MENAI – A Peek Down Below


Menai is one of those launches that no matter what angle you approach her from, she looks stunning. She’s a superb example of her type from a boat builder, Sam Ford, at the peak of their craft, restored by an owner with an exacting attitude to authenticity and originality. Menai was built in 1937 from full length since skin kauri, overall length is 38’, with a beam of 10’, drawing 3’.

She underwent a refit in 1983 and then got very lucky when she was purchased in 2007 by the late Peter Smith, who undertook an extensive restoration that returned her to her former glory of one of Auckland’s smartest classic wooden launches. She looks bigger than 38’ and whilst a bridge-decker, her configuration makes her a very relaxing vessel. The wheelhouse even has a wine cellar 🙂 Powered by a very economical 60hp Lees Marine Ford.

1940’s