CLASSIC LAUNCH RAIRA – BEFORE THE WOOD BUTCHERS GOT HOLD OF HER
The top photo is the 1915 launch – RAIRA, moored in the Waihou River, Te Aroha. RAIRA was built by the McLeod brothers, Ted and Ray + J. Verran at Bayswater, Auckland. – to a Collings & Bell design.
The photo comes to us from the Auckland Library Heritage Collection – McLeod collection via a Nathan Herbert link.
The 2nd photo is from late 2015. Location is Woolshed Bay, Coromandel.
Last heard she was calling Waiheke Island home.
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Raira was at tanners point for quite sometime in the eighties nineties
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Agreed, Chris. There is some style there -might look nice with the old scuttles down aft instead of the rather -in yer face- square windows. The cranes down aft are a bit industrial. But on the whole, I’d pass her. I like bridgedeckers but time made me appreciate the old woodies.
The old down aft dodger made for a sweet ride in a seaway with less flinging up and down. You had to back down on a mooring in a breeze if you were solo as the bow would fall off by the time you got fwd. It wasn’t a bad style but it just fell by the wayside as times moved on.
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Think you are being a bit hard Alan with the words wood butchers. I personally think her new look is very acceptable. There are a lot worse out there that probably deserve your words.
cheers
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