WAIPAWA
The photos above show the Percy Vos built boat, Waipawa, back in September getting ready to leave Napier after a week sheltering from a storm.
The skipper’s name is Pete & he was heading north to Whangarei after spending a winter in the Fiords and Stewart Island.
Photo sent in by Michael O’Dwyer. What do we know about her?
RAINDANCE
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Good Morning woodys.
Merry Christmas to you, where ever in the world you are. ww has followers in just about every country in the world, outside of NZ the biggies being Australia, USA, Canada, France & the Pacific Islands (I think this is cruising yachts) – the numbers are amazing with site views just about to hit 2,500,000 views.
On a personal note I hope Santa has found you & you received what you wanted – I learnt years ago that there was only one way to be happy on the present front, either buy it your self or leave very clear instruction 😉 ( see below)
I intend to keep posting stories over the Xmas / NY period but at times may be challenged by internet reception so bare with us if we miss a day 😉
A request – use your camera (even the phone is good) to take any interesting woody related photos when you are out & about over the break & email / txt them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com.
Have a great break & if you are on or near the water take care, play nicely & be kind to fellow woodys. Alan
Now I mentioned above that I liked to be ‘involved’ in my xmas present selection – this year I was lucky to have a daughter living in London & when she asked what I wanted for xmas I pointed her London’s 400+ year old marine chandlery – Arthur Beale. Your similar to what your Foster’s used to 😦
The present is magnificent boat horn, made in Italy & delivered by hand from London by a friend of the daughters returning home for xmas. It arrived 2 days ago & was installed yesterday by my good friend Colin Pawson – I can hear Harold mumbling about it being too shiny, Jason P saying that it sticks out like dog balls etc but I love it & most importantly it makes a noise closer to a Harley Davidson than a Vespa scooter. It replaced a horn that was more suited to a Honda Civic 🙂
A Small Woody Quiz – Good Prize
Morning Woodys,
I hope you have all finished the madness that is the run-up to Christmas Day, every year we all ask ourselves why we stress out – but its all about the kids, I hope I never have a Christmas Day / present opening without little ones around – they make it special.
Now the above photos are from the Tudor Collections collection at the Auckland Museum & were emailed to me by Ken Ricketts, they are dated Feb 1940 & the location is Kawau Island – the question of the day is whose boat & who are the people ? A big ask I know but I’ll put up a ww T-Shirt & a Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade 2017 calendar for the 1st woody that gets the boat name & one of the names of the people aboard. I’ll need some proof of ID, as I have know idea of the answers 🙂
Answers via the comments section on ww.
Almost A Woody
Today’s story features a Mason Clipper24 that has very good provenance – she was Tony’s own boat and he called it M. Y. Clipper. The later years of production Tony Mason used a fiberglass mould for the hull but all the internals are beautiful timber.
It has been fully restored to a very high quality by a David Smith in Auckland and Dennis Catchpole, who sent me the photos, purchased the boat three years ago. Dennis commented that he always remembered the Clippers as a young man as being the Rolls Royce of power boats when they were built, and the family did have, for many years a Pelin, which were also beautiful boats, and of course Pelin, worked for Tony at one point.
This boat has an interesting history as it was used to take Prince Charles across Lake Taupo fishing in 1980 (photo above of both of Tony with the Prince)
The Catchpole family love the boat and have had a great deal of pleasure from it. They keep her in the marina at Kinloch, and it is powered by a GMC V8 and can do a very impressive 55k at full speed. Most of the time she cruises around at 35k.
The link below will take you to other ww stories on Mason Clippers. Enjoy
https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Mason+Clipper+24&submit=Search
VALHALLA A PEEK DOWN BELOW
Valhalla featured on ww back in April of this year but we had no interior photos, Ken Ricketts has just emailed me the above. You can read more about her & her past, including photos at this link. Enjoy 😉
23-12-2016 Update – photo below (ex Ken Ricketts) suggests that she was named Valhalla 1 when launched but the plate looks newer than the 1960’s so the jury is still out.
Looking For A Xmas Treat?
The above little beauty, Lady Alice, just popped up on trademe, perfect for the lakes or as a Mahurangi boat.
Now this one is a tad special, she is a Percy Vos boat so almost royalty on the classic wooden boating scene.
Her details are – 12’6″ kauri clinker, built 1950 & powered by a 8hp Kohler petrol inboard – with electric start, perfect for the old woodys with a bad back 😉
Her current owner has owned her for 33 years which is a rarity with a boat this size. I don’t know much about trailers but she sits on a ‘Hosking’ trailer which supposedly makes launching very easy.
This ww story is not a commercial listing – I just saw the boat & thought someone needs to buy her (asking $8k)
And seeing its Xmas , I’ll give a copy of Baden Pascoe’s book ‘Launching Dreams – Percy Vos – The Boats & His Boys’ to the woody that can tell me where Percy Vos served his boat building apprenticeship ? Answers via mail to waitematawoodys@gmail.com , prize draw 9.00pm 21-12-2016. (copies available from badenhp@xtra.co.nz )
NGAIO
This one (there are a few with that name out there) was spotted off Northcote last weekend by Nathan Herbert, he commented that her bow sheer has hints of the ex Winstone owned, Lidgard built – Tuarangi > Silver Tip. Details on her at the links below
Todays look https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/24/lidgard-42/
As launched look https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/13/wairangi-2/.
Any of the woodys able to supply more details on Ngaio ?
28-05-2021 Comment from Tony Holcroft (owner) – My lovely old girl is “yet another Ngaio”. I would love any /all the info I can get on her as she is out of the water getting some much needed work to restore her and is now up in the Kaipara and myself and family are looking forward to many, many years of fun and great memories to be had with her! I desperately want to find out her story and life befor so if there are any leads you can give me on her past it will be very much appreciated
Laughing Lady Getting Dressed Photos
Todays ww post is a wee peek into the final stages of Laughing Lady’s restoration at the Whangateau boat yard. Photos ex James Dreyer’s ‘Seven Oceans Boatworks’ facebook page – click here to see more on the project https://www.facebook.com/sevenoceansboatworks/?pnref=lhc
In the last few days James has used the services of a good old fashioned master craftsman with experience in the hot rod movement to apply some of the finishing touches to LL.
Given the level of presentation that LL will have when launched one would have to wonder where her home will be – certainly not a swing mooring in the Tamaki River, probably a boat shed or maybe even one of the dry docks?
ww awaits details on the splash date, must be fast approaching 😉
30-12-2016 The original plans have just surfaced. Read more in comments section.
04-05-2017 – Owner James Dreyer hard at work at the Whangateau Boat shed.
CERINARA – Sailing Sunday
ww has had a request from Gary Chaplin for any info on his brothers ketch, Cerinara (pictured above), that originally came from New Zealand and is now based in Queensland Australia .
All they know about her is that the hull of Cerinara was a John Alden design & was registered with sail number 6841. She was found in mangroves somewhere and then the topsides were completed & launched in approx. 1990. Probably in Auckland.
Gary is unsure when she went to Australia but he reports she is a beautiful girl and lovely to sail.
Any woodys able to supply any more details on her kiwi past?
24-12-2016 Hauled out photos added.
2017 Centerboard Regatta
Some how the above event slipped below the ww radar – who ever does the publicity for the event need s a nudge 😉 Not much in the way of regatta photos but Baden Pascoe & the coastal rowing guys attended & sent in the photos below. Hopefully some had a camera & they will send ww some photos 🙂
MELITA
WW1 Mystery Launch – Stanley
The photo above was taken in Wellington during WW1. Sent in by Baden Pascoe who has offered up a copy of his book ‘Launching Dreams – Percy Vos – The Boats & This Boys’ to the first woody that can ID the launch (middle) tied up along side the wharf. Entries via the ww Comments section. Its not an easy quiz but the prize deserves a toughie 🙂
Copies of Baden book can be bought direct from him – contact badenhp@xtra.co.nz the perfect woody Xmas present.
The answer is – the launch is called Stanley, see below zoomed in photo. No winners 😦
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