What is Waitemata Woodys all about?
We provide a meeting point for owners and devotees of classic wooden boat. We seek to capture the growing interest in old wooden boats and to encourage and bring together all those friendly people who are interested in the preservation of classic wooden vessels for whatever reason, be it their own lifestyle, passion for old boats or just their view of the world.
We encourage the exchange of knowledge about the care and restoration of these old boats, and we facilitate gatherings of classic wooden boats via working together with traditionally-minded clubs and associations.
Are you a Waitemata Woody?
The Waitemata Woodies blog provides a virtual meeting point for lovers of classic and traditional wooden boats. If you are interested in our interests and activities become a follower to this blog.
The Vessels Featured
The boats on display here (yes there are some yachts included, some are just to drop dead stunning to over look) require patrons, people devoted to their care and up keep, financially and emotionally . The owners of these boats understand the importance of owning, restoring and keeping a part of the golden age of Kiwi boating alive. The boats are true Kiwi treasure to be preserved and appreciated.
Keith and Heather Nicholson sent in the above photo of an old post card of the Whangarei Town Basin. The photo first appeared on a Mitchell Hutchings fb post.
In the photo, lower right, we can see a launch hauled out – so todays question is – can we put a name to the boat?
Heather mentioned that their beloved woody – Paea (photo below) was for sale on tme. An amazing classic, the 72’, 1942 ex Harbour Defence Motor Launch (P3552) offers so many boating opportunities.
29-09-2023 UPDATE – photo below of Paea about to be relaunched after some TLC – TLC doesnt really fit a vessel the size of Paea 🙂
05-10-2023 UPDATE – Back in the water. we understand that six months ago the boat was put inside a shed and dried out, the seams were splined and the hull was fiber-glassed. The Fodens were removed and replaced with Cummins. (details & photos ex Ken West)
The owner / restorer of Miss Wahoo would probably frown on my suggestion – but this 2.4m restored woody hydroplane would look amazing hanging from the rafters in a boat shed, bar, man-cave etc. Or maybe attached to a wall vertically.
Or of course you could pop a small outboard on the back and have some serious fun. Uber cool xmas present for the kids / grand kids 😉
It is currently on tme and I reckon will sell quickly.
Check out this short 1955 movie of hydroplane racing in the UK.
Another photo from the Andrew Donovan collection, I have feeling I may have posted this one b4 but can’t locate it on the WW site ,so maybe not. Each to their own but I do like the design, very salty. Thoughts on name and builder?
Help Needed Identifying This Launch – Caesars Palace > Paris > Alena
Can not read the name (something Palace?) and the tme seller doesn’t know the builder or year, but commented that mid 1960’s looks right. Also others have mentioned she has a certain ’Shipbuilders’ look to her. But all the aside, we know she is 34’. Made of strip planked kauri and powered by a Ford 90hp diesel that sees her cruising at 7 knots, with a max of 9 knots. Home berth is the Hibiscus Coast. Can we expand on the above.
Also they would have to win the award for the most ‘off-the-wall’ question on the tme listing – see below 🙂
UPDATE – seems the boat has had multi name changes – thanks to Darrin Kennedy we now know she was called Paris and before that Alena and probably something else b4 that 🙂 https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/02/26/paris-alena/
Today’s photo comes to us from Lew Redwood’s fb and shows a collection of support vessels assisting in the 1965 (April) National Spearfishing Contest, underway in Deep Water Cove, Bay of Islands.
Of most interest is the launch on the right – not sure how you would describe her – pilot house launch? , 1/2 a bridge-decker 🙂 Its not Tasman but very similar. Some of the big Colin Wild > Salthouse launches (Lady Crossley, Turongo, Trinidad ) followed this design.
UPDATE – Launch Identified by Ken Rickets as Isa Lei (Taiparu).Photos below ex Ann Hood via Ken Ricketts
Harold Kidd Input – ISA LEI was built as TAIPARU by Lidgard Bros at the Western Reclamation, Auckland for J. Carlton of Sunny Bay, Kawau and launched on 7th December 1939 with a 6 cylinder 90hp Graymarine petrol engine. In 1946 she was owned by C. Pryce Jones. I H McRae owned her in 1953 and it was he who changed her name to ISA LEI. Roughly 1954 to 1975 she was owned by Lloyd and Jim Somner. I think her sistership was WAKATERE which spent a lot of her life in Tauranga.
Let me draw your attention to a scary fact – there are only 10 weeks till Christmas Day, so my question to you is – will you be on the water over the Christmas / NY holiday period?If you have been thinking that 2021 is the year you move up to owning a classic wooden holiday home – read on.
KIARIKI Woodys with age-less classic looks, racing pedigree and un-rivalled provenance are very few and far between in New Zealand, so when the time comes for an owner to start looking for the next custodian, the drums start beating.
The yacht Kiariki was designed by owner Jack (John) Brooke and built by John / Jack Logan / John Salthouse and launched in 1959. Using the best kauri, her specs are 40’ x 8’9” x 6’. During the Brooke family ownership period she was always one of the top 3 yachts in the K Class fleet. But to the Brooke family Kiariki was as much a family cruiser as a racer, and John Brooke had a wonderful ritual of recording every cruise in the form of a chart overlaid with caricatures of notable and amusing events – refer examples below.
After a period of ownership outside of the Brooke family – Russell Brooke acquired Kiariki back in 2009, completing the ownership circle – grandfather > grandson and commenced a restoration at the Salthouse Yard – Russell’s brief to the yard that originally built her was simple ‘return her to the thoroughbred form she was in when she was launched’. The work included her decks stripped, caulked and painted – new fastenings, teak rails, sea-cocks, hatches and skylights. The cabin top roof was replaced and her interior was refitted. Not surprisingly her planking did not need repair – originally fitted by Jack Logan, his perfectionist approach meant the hull was still as good as it was when it was new.
I would recommend that anyone interested in Kiariki or in fact the K Class, should purchase a copy of the magnificent book ‘K CLASS – The Hauraki Gulf’s Iconic Racer – Cruiser’.
Chatting to one of the leading lights of the K Class division, they had this to say “Kiariki is one of the faster and larger boats in the fleet and of course with great provenance. I was on board a few years ago and she certainly appeared to be one of the best in the group”. Another K Class owner commented that he recalls that in Kiatiki’s last season of serious racing, she beat Katrina (one of the fastest boats in the fleet – then and still today) across the line in 11 straight starts – so whilst a very comfortable cruiser, to use the horse racing term – Kiariki has got legs.
I can advise that we have been tasked with finding the next custodian for Kiariki – so woodys if you or someone you know wants to be cruising this summer – initial expressions of interest to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
30-10-2022 UPDATE – Kiariki has had a post winter tidy up, and will be ongoing detailing over summer. The K Class would have to be one of the smartest looking keelers afloat.
Today’s photo is a kosher woody – built from kauri planks, she measures 16’x7’, flat bottomed, and powered by a 4 cyl. Cirrus-Hermes aero petrol engine. She had a top speed of 45mph, consuming 4 gallons per hour. I suspect after one hour you would have been deaf for the rest of the day. And woodys – she was built by one of our boating building royalty – none other than – Percy Vos. (photo ex Andrew Donovan collection)
SEA SPRAY MAGAZINE – Volume 1 – No.1 December 1945
I was ‘flicking’ thru my much treasured copy of the above (thank you Dave Giddens) and my eye stopped on page 23, titled ‘Jottings Of The Month’ which talked about the decommissioning of Auckland’s yachting fleet that had been laid up during WWII.
Page reproduced below – mentioned are – Ariki, Tawera, Little Jim, Rainbow, Tamatea,Ranger, Iorangi, Ngatoa, Prise, Rawene and Aramoana. Also covered in the article is the sad loss of life of the skipper (W. E. Lawrence) of the 1913, Les Coulthard built 22′ launch – Minx. Lawrence drowned in Patiki Bay, Waiheke Island trying to retrieve Minx’s tender that had come adrift while at anchor. See & read more on Minx here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/06/27/minx/
Judith Gardiner sent in the stunning photo above of Te Rauparaha when owned by Mr Harry James Mills of Upland Road in Remura, Auckland. Harry had 4 sons – Adrian, John, Douglas & Robert.
Judith commented that her father Walter (Keith) Young was friends with Robert Mills. Keith, born in 1925 and a builder, also built boats in his spare time. Later on, he went farming in Silverdale, just north of Auckland. One such sailing boat was called the Iona.
Judith recalls that Keith would often talk about the Baileys, through his family line, his father’s side he / we are related. The Baileys, Scotts (From Scotts Landing in the Mahurangi) and Archibald Young ( Judith’s 2nd great grandfather) were all involved in the ship building and related activities. Archibald was apprenticed to George Darroch and Archibald was at one time the master of the ‘Sovereign of the Seas.’ When he retired from the sea, he worked for George T. Nicol who was also a boat builder.Judith also sent in the 1914 photo of the Bailey family.
I have also posted below photos of Te Rauparaha (named Samara) from her current tme listing, I understand home port is Noumea, New Caledonia. I won’t comment………..
The above photo surfaced on the OBC’s fb page a little while back and didn’t really spark much chat, other than that Paritai Drive was looking very bare – only one house 🙂 , the model of the bus on Tamaki Drive must help with the date – so woodys can we date the photo and possibly ID any of the vessels?
New Flag For My Boat – A little big (7’x4’), but the real McCoy – cotton cloth, everything sewn on, bronze fittings.
Back in 2014 Toroa made an apperanace on WW (link below) and generated a lot interest in the comments section. What we learned was that she was built by Chas Bailey & Sons c.1950’s, is 28’ in length (including the hanging off bits at both ends) with a 9’ beam of and a draft of 2’6”. Constructed of kauri, in 1966 she was bought by Coastguard and used until 1968 as a patrol boat and training vessel. The price was 4000 pounds paid for with the assistance of the ASB Bank and the Golden Kiwi lottery. What became of her after 1968 is a tad cloudy but owners may have been, John Cheswass / Water Keen / Michael McMahon. https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/10/07/toroa/
In approx. May 2014 Brian & Judy Simpson purchased the launch and transported her to Lake Taupo, where she remained for the last 6 1/2 years, before being hauled out for some TLC that included a repaint and anti-foul. Brian advised that Toroa was recently slipped back into the lake after the refurbishment which was done by Judy and Brian, under the watchful eye of Larry Palmer, boat painter extraordinaire at Taupo Marina. Larry also trailer-ed Toroa out of and back into the lake.
Toroa is powered by a 4 cylinder, 4L Ford diesel engine, fitted in the 1980’s. She uses around 4 litres an hour at 1700 revs achieving a comfortable cruising speed of 6-7 knots. In the top set of photos above she is looking very grand. In the 2nd set we see her being hauling out.
