CAN WE ID THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH + Win A Off Centre Harbor Cap

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CAN WE ID THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH + Win A Off Centre Harbor Cap

Todays woody photo was sent in by Nathan Herbert and shows a classic wooden launch probably berthed at Westhaven Marina, Auckland.

Nathan commented that the date was c.1960’s and that the launch had a Woolleys look to her.

She is one of those boats that looks very familiar but we can’t put a name to her.

So woodys – the first person to correctly* ID the launch wins a OFF CENTRE HARBOUR cap. All entries via the WW comments section. *NOTE: WW must be able to verify the launch name. 

VIEW OFF CENTER HARBOR HERE – offcentreharbor.com

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16 thoughts on “CAN WE ID THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH + Win A Off Centre Harbor Cap”

  2. Yeah, Nath. You’re right. Aries was quite high waisted with smaller wheelhouse windows. This one is more of a looker. (To quote from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-“Aren’t you sick of always being right?”

    Nice to see you can admit your errors 🙂 Alan H

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  3. Firstly I’ll say that Aries in in the same set of images from the photographer, further downstream with varnished coamings so there’s no chance. Additional to that; Aries has a lower Windscreen, smaller bridge window side profile, much straighter and more raked sheer, and this boat is much more attractive than Aries.

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  4. Nah Paul, she’s not Scroteus! She had a different gunwhale if I recall correctly and upperworks a bit more modern at the time. Just because a boat had round scuttles fwd early on doesn’t mean that they couldn’t have been modified/modernised/updated to square in some refit.

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  7. Actually looking back I don’t think that is Aries. Looking at the photos of her originally all the way up to today she has 3 round portholes in the bow. The launch in the above photo has 2 square portholes.

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  9. Oh we got off course to peripheral issues. And now, back to Aries Not sure what she had when built (might’ve been big petrols) but she had twin Commer diesels when Ed Carter had her in ’67 and I think he installed them. She was def an Owen Woolley design and very open plan inside for a bridge decker. There were a few sister ships and almost sisters made too. The Commers (Rootes) were very smooth but a bit noisy (organ drone like GMs). Under the wheelhouse floor was a maze of engineering. The horizontally opposed two stroke engines were wide and flat -I think they fitted easily underfloor which is why Ed used them. Daughter Alison might know. Question: Did Owen Woolley ever design or build a fuggly boat? They all were beautiful and had that Woolley look. Highlighted with beautiful nice varnished design features on the coamings.

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  10. Oh Chris, my recollection is that Dufresne was first and she had an open cockpit -large racing yacht style helm with no windscreen or anything aft of the wheelhouse, I loved the way they used it. She had side exhausts, I’m sure. But, so long after the fact, and it was corrected and nobody will mind, she couldn’t fill her tanks completely because weight caused hill flex causing the shafts to seize in the stern tubes.

    Oh I know damn well Dufresne was first because Joyce Watson RIP wife of Capt John Watson RNZN also RIP cruised in convoy with our mob and she used to call her “Dumfries” in error and always had to be corrected. That was mid– ’60s. She never got Durville wrong…..

    Durville was the second iteration of the design and had fairings leading to twin funnels aft of the wheelhouse. Not sure if she had a cockpit up top. Maybe beefed up scantlings.

    Did they both have Gardners? Lotta weight compared with some other engines.

    Send out the dogs if I’m off course! I’ll go quietly.

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  12. The boat in the background is definitely DUFRESENE as Vintage Stramer says, as he is absolutely right about the exhaust stacks on DURVILLE — I have a number of images of DUFRESNE. (added below. AH)

    DURVILLE was built first & as a recall, may have been by Max Carter — KEN R

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  15. Going to put my money on Aries. The launch in the background either being Dufresne or Durville means the year is post 1965.

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