CLASSIC WOODEN WORK BOAT – ARAHINA

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 Arriving from Auckland on 31 October 1925
Going about her business on a calm Wellington Harbour
1954 at the start of her 18,000 pound refit, which included a new wheelhouse

Classic Wooden Work Boat – ARAHINA 

Back on August 24th WW draw attention to the Wellington ex Pilot Boat – ARAHINA and how she was desperately in need of a new custodian – At the time Paul Drake commented as below, then sent in the above photos from the past.

ARAHINA arrived in Wellington from Bailey and Lowe’s yard in Auckland on 31st October 1925. On trials she achieved 10 knots with her 100HP Fairbanks Morse engine. In 1954/55, ARAHINA had major work done on her structure and a new wheelhouse added. This was done by Wellington Harbour Board shipwrights, at a cost of 18,000 pounds. In 1979, she went to Jorgensen’s in Picton for another refit, and on her return (under tow) she had the 193HP Kelvin engine fitted. She was sold into private ownership at the end of 1987 and relocated to Picton.She is remembered by one Wellington pilot who knew her well as “a narrow gutted single screw vessel.

She was a seaworthy vessel but tended to broach severely in a following sea, as was often experienced off Pencarrow in a southerly”. On one such occasion when she picked up speed on the face of a large sea astern, her stern picked up and over she went, throwing her Launchmaster into the corner of the wheelhouse as he tried but failed to keep her on course. The pilot and engineer eyed each other as they made for the open wheelhouse door. But ARAHINA recovered herself and all was well enough.

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3 thoughts on “CLASSIC WOODEN WORK BOAT – ARAHINA”

  2. With the rally polly stuff (again I re-quote Athol Burns “Why would you want to go to sea in a boat that doesn’t roll?”); you can sea (!) the merit of a wheelhouse sunk into the deck like that original one. Raise it another 5-8′ and the crew is surely gonna be flung side to side a lot more.

    Also look at a lot of the old Mainland workboats -thinking of M & T cos I was in Dunnoes a long time. The wheelhouses were quite narrow so the skipper could almost rest his elbows on both sides so as not to be flung side to side while holding his mug of tea.

    Now consider her ass-end for a moment. If it came to a point like damn -near all the other pilot boats in NZ, she’d allow a following sea to part gently and not try to pitchpole her. She’d not broach, just let the oggie go past. Do you see many old Scottie trawlers with duck asses? Nah they are all pointy.

    I hope she finds a good owner who will use -not abuse by living aboard; and sort out her myriad woes. Maybe reinstate that good old funnel she had.

    Yeah.

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