Author Archives: Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

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About Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

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.

Majestic

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MAJESTIC

Details & photos ex ‘Nelson Mail’ via John Burland (edited by Alan H)

The 14.5m Majestic started life back in 1937 as a commercial trawler & cray boat in Nelson. Built at the famed Wells family boatyard at Whakatahuri at the head of Pelorus Sound by her ex owner Lionel Wells and his late brother Gordon. She was built to their father Claude’s design, using Marlborough Sounds kahikatea (white pine) for the double-skinned planking, and heart rimu for the deck beams and stringers.
The brothers fished out of Port Nelson for many years, trawling for snapper, gurnard and flounder. Wells eventually bought his brother out and took the Majestic cray fishing from Milford Sound for 15 years.
He sold her in 1978 and Majestic continued its fishing career from Greymouth before finally being brought back to Nelson.

Two & half years ago Majestic was facing the chainsaw but was saved by the Motueka owner of Cotton Heavy Haulage in Richmond, Lynn Cotton who gradually restored her at the Richmond boat yard. The fish hold has gone and the accommodation has grown to allow for eight people. The few rotten planks were replaced and rimu and macrocarpa were specially milled to fit out the interior.
Most notably, the old superstructure was removed and replaced with a new one, each to their own but I would have chosen something closer to the original.
In the six years the boat had been idle the 190hp Gardner diesel had seized, but that was soon remedied and on the trip across Tasman Bay to its new mooring at Port Motueka it produced an average 8.2 knots.

Below are photos from her re-launch. One shows 95 year old ex owner/builder Lionel on the left with Lynn Cotton.

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Stone Pony

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STONE PONY

Over the xmas / ny period I dropped the anchor in Matiatia Bay, Waiheke Island for a few hours & spotted the Stone Pony getting some TLC. Its an usual name so there must be a good story there. I was impressed to see the young lady painting at anchor between ferry washes 🙂 I did point this out to the wife & suggest she could get a few tips from her, fyi its hard to duck a backhand on a launch the size of Raindance 🙂

Anyone know anymore about the boat & owner?

Update – I have been told that one of the two tools below would be redundant during the construction of this boat – the other would get a lot of use 😉

Update – A personal tale on ferro built vessels from Michael O’Dwyer

There are are a few subjects that I refuse to argue about(religion,politics,who should be in the All Blacks) because the opinions go round and round and depending on the ignorance or superior subject knowledge of the various protagonists combining that with different levels of blood pressure and room temperature the outcome can be rather quixotic.Plus no one really wins the argument anyway.
Ferro cement boats is a subject I would add to that list. Forums on the subject are filled with a plethora of opinions on the pros and cons of this now dated construction method.
I personally would not buy a ferro boat because my passion is wood but if my family circumstances had been different I would have kept the Hartley Tahitian (Quis Contra*) my father (Michael) meticulously built over a period of 37 years in our backyard.The boat was sold last year to one of the Auckland Harbour Pilots who plans to live aboard and eventually sail back to England.
If looked after and maintained this boat will last a very long time.It will always be original, no new planks,fastenings,caulking and putty there.In my adult years I helped fit the boat out to the point that no ferro can be viewed inside.People ask what it is constructed from because the hull finish is the result of my then 70 year old dad’s six month long fairing programme.
My sentimental opinion maybe somewhat biased but under some of these stoney boats lies a real gem.

Duetto built by Vince Hooker (not Bill) here in Napier is a prime example.

p.s. the cast iron heater in the saloon was the type used in the old railway workman’s cottages.The doors,roll top desk,saloon table leg and most of the trim is heart Rimu.The saloon table top was made from an old Tawa bookcase.There are 54 wire splices in the rigging, all worm,parceled and served.Just about everything you see in the above photos bar the heater,clock,oil lamp and seabird dinghy was constructed in dads garage.It’s a credit to him.

  • “quis contra” is Latin meaning “who is against us? It comes from Dius pro quis contra which means “If God is for us,who is against us?”

 

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Break out the whites – upcoming woody events

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Woody Update #1

UPCOMING CLASSIC WOODEN BOATING EVENTS
There is a lot of on-the-water woody activity in the next month/s so I thought I’d give you a quick heads up. Most of these events are a good opportunity to see some of the classic fleet up close. Even if you are not a CYA member, join in & say hi.

In case the above links did not work – repeated below

http://www.raidnz.org
http://www.woodenboatparade.co.nz/page/wooden-boat-parade-2016
http://www.classicyacht.org.nz

Chandos

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Chandos

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CHANDOS

I photographed the above launch in West Bay, Rakino Island in early January. She is a rather big girl & I would be surprized if the flight deck was an addition, looks like its been there since new. If not then it’s a good ‘fit’.
Anyone able to enlighten us more on Chandos?

Shelly Beach NY Day Regatta

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New Years Day Regatta Jan 1 1914

Remember Shelly Beach ?
photo by W.A. Price ex Historic NZ Photos ex A Turnbull Library

Shelly Beach, Ponsonby/Herne Bay, was a casualty of the Auckland Harbour bridge/motorway development. Back in 1914 it was the site of the New Years Day Regatta.
Any clever woodys able to ID the motor launch & any yachts?

Whironui

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WHIRONUI BY SHIPBUILDERS AT GULF HARBOUR HAVING TLC 28.12.15 - 3

WHIRONUI
details & photos ex Ken Ricketts. (edited by Alan H)

Whironui  is 34′ LOA & was home built & Ken suspects  in the earlier 1960’s, the reason for this being she has a Paragon mechanical gearbox, on a Lees Ford diesel & these boxes were phased out in the earlier 1960s. In terms of designer, Ken feels probably she is a Shipbuilders kit-set as one of a good number of similar hull type, designed boats were sold in this form by Shipbuilders between 30′ & 34′ from c.1960 to 1965. They all had individually styled coamings with 3 glued skins on opposite diagonals, kauri hulls.

Whironui is powered by a 90hp 6 cyl. Lees marinised Ford diesel, with a Paragon mechanical gear box & 2 to 1 reduction gear, most likely still the original set-up.

She is presently owned by Murray Brighouse who along with his son Tony, do a great job of caring for her, & using her as often as possible. They bought her off the late Sonny Cross in 2002, who they believe had owned her from about 1976, during which time she was moored for the entire period, they believe, in the Wade River, which is where she was moored, when the Brighouses bought her. She now resides at Gulf Harbour.

Anyone know anymore about her past & the home build element?

As a comparison – below is a photo of ‘Southern Seas’ which is rumoured to be a Shipbuilders kit boat.

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26-01-2016

Photo from c.1979 ex Ken Rickets

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A Replica Scow – Sailing Sunday

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A Replica Scow  – Sailing Sunday
photos ex Alan Sexton

Alan took the above photos in Nagle Cove, Great Barrier Island last week, just before the wind started blowing.
The replica scow appears to be about 12m in length & is very well done, what do we know about her?

Callie

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CALLIE
photo & details ex Bob Wichman* via Bruce Pullan

Callie was built c.1916 by Bailey & Lowe for the Brown Bros. She was 39′ x 9’3″ x 4’6″ & when launched had a 35hp Twigg 4 cyl diesel engine.
In 1918 she was sold to C.W. White of Onehunga. In 1925 she was re-powered with a 140hp Steams petrol engine. Sold again in 1939 to I.G. Vickery of Onehunga. In 1940 a Gardner 24hp (seems small?) engine was fitted, this was replaced in 1948 with a 48hp Ralston diesel.

In the early 1900’s she was used as a passenger ferry to Cornwallis & Huia on the Manukau. Post c1940 she was commercial fishing for skipper Fred Vickery.

Unfortunately she was wrecked on 11-05-1968 on a sandbank at Southhead, Manukau Harbour.

In the photo above given the presence of Fred Vickery, I assume its Callie on a day off from her fishing boat duties & not when she was a passenger vessel. A note with the photo records the following people:
# ‘Gary’ standing with foot on the rail
# Beverley Wishart, red dress, black cardigan
# Fred Vickery (owner/skipper) outside wheelhouse
# Rod Vickery in water

*note: Bob Wichman’s family had an association with Callie & the Awhitu (Inverness)

MATUKU – Matiatia Motorboat + Villiers Engine

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Matuku
photo ex David Glen

Over the Xmas / NY period David snapped this nice little low wooded motorboat tucked /  wrapped up in the NW corner of Matiatia at Waiheke Island. She has  a nice sheer, anyone know her history? see below

Now If She Needs A Motor?

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Mike O’Dwyer sent in these photos of a wee 7hp Villiers air cooled, diesel, hand start, with integral fuel tank, engine. Mikes not sure  of it’s date of manufacture but investigations have found it would be around the early 1960’s. It has manuals but these are un-dated.
The engine belongs to Mike’s father (who qualified as an A Grade mechanic back in the day), he fully reconditioned it in 1980 and it’s only clocked up about half an hour since.
Anyone able to date the engine & provide anymore info on them?

She would suit a small open launch……..  If anyone is interested they can contact Mike via ww and he will put them onto his father to discuss further.

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25-01-2016 Update from Alan Good

The boat is named Matuku, this may not be its original name was she was renamed by her owner some years ago when she was moved to Te Matuku Bay, Waiheke Island.
Alan has advised that she is a Bailey & Lowe, c.1887, approx 30′ long, with a schooner bow. At some stage she has been re-powered with a Daedong diesel.
Amazingly she is still owned by same family, a descendant of the ‘Lowe’ in Bailey & Lowe.

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16-02-2016 New photo ex Alan Good

Matuku

The cleats may indicate that she may have been a yacht originally.

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