CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28’ CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – KORORA
Yesterday WW was contacted by Chris Read regarding a 28’ double-ender named KORORA that Chris bought approx. 20 years ago.
The sellers name was Mike (surname forgotten ). He was a vintage car enthusiast and had done a rebuild on the boat with his brother.
The story goes that Mike’s wife was not so keen on boating so KORORA was promptly put up for sale 😦
Chris commented that when he bought KORORA he was told she was built by Joseph Fell in 1905. The accuracy of that intel has since been questioned, as the only boat Joe Fell built that fits her size was built in 1917.When purchased she was moored at Waipapa Landing, Kerikeri, Northland and powered by a 50hp Perkins.
As visible from the photos KORORA is at the tail end of an extensive refit, with the plan to get her in the water for Christmas. Chris has re-powered her with a new 25hp Beta engine.
Chrisr is keen to learn more about KORORA, and a possible clue to her past is when the hull was taken back to bare timber the final topcoat colour was a bottle green.Post launching home will most likely be Milford Creek marina – we like that, another woody for the Auckland waitematawoodys group.
Photos below when the gun whale had been removed as it was too far gone.
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There was a double-ended launch of that name, about that size, and with green topsides, fishing in the Bay of Islands back in the late 70s/early 80s. The bloke who owned her had a brother who also had a small fishing boat up there. IIRC they, like a lot of other small inshore line fishermen, were forced out of the industry when the quota system was brought in.
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