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
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.
26-01-2016
Photo from c.1979 ex Ken Rickets
A Woodys Woody
Mike O’Dwyer spotted this woody parked at the beach in Gisborne while having a surf, owned by a local. Given Mike’s wardrobe it was too good a photo opportunity to miss 🙂
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
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
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?
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.
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.
16-02-2016 New photo ex Alan Good
The cleats may indicate that she may have been a yacht originally.
FLORENCE MAY
Florence May was designed by Dick Laing & launched in 1965. She is strip planked kauri & measures 28′ LOA . Powdered by a 80hp Ford diesel. Currently listed 4sale on trademe.
Can anyone expand on her past & possibly confirm the above details? Its says ‘Ngunguru’ on the stern so maybe the northern woodys can help.
Update from Rodney Webb (owner)
I have owned Florence May for 34 years.She was built near Auckland for Harry Muir and was named after his wife.She spent several years in Ngunguru then went to a retired sea captain in the bay of islands.She was then purchased by Tom Thompson who bought her back to Tutukaka.I approached him and purchased her 34 years ago.The builder was Phil Lange who lives in mill bay Manganui.He is 85 and still in good health.I still have her in Ngunguru.I guess you could say i reluctantly have her for sale and would probably refuse any offer 🙂
Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’
The above video records the renovation of the classic 1965 Lane Motor Boat Co. built launch Arohanui. The refit work was undertaken in 2015 at the Sandspit yard of Lees Boatbuilders for owners Fiona Driver & Rod Marler. Greg Lees & his team have established themselves as the go to yard for the application of Awlwood MA (Uroxsys) the flexible polyurethane marine clear coat finish. But I have to say that the yards craftsmanship & attention to detail prior to the final applications was second to none. Lees is a very classic friendly yard & whether the vessel is sail or motorboat, large or small its in good hands.
The short film was produced by Gareth Cooke (SubZero) who also filmed the restoration of Trinidad at Lees, refer below videos.
SILVER SEA
details ex John Ellis & Ken Ricketts, photos KR.
(edited by AH)
Silver Sea is according to her present owner, John Ellis, a 36′ Alan Williams launch built in 1960. Powered by a 120 hp Lees marinised Ford diesel, driven by a vee drive, integrated into the gearbox & 2 to 1 reduction gear. Home has been Gulf Harbour for a number of years as John bought her off a Frank Steed 4 years ago, who also kept her at GH.
Given that she sports a chart of the Whangarei cruising area mounted in her cabin, it is highly probably that at some stage she spent time in the Northern region.
Its rumoured that she featured in a 1963 issue of Sea Spray magazine – if anyone can find the article & scan, please email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com 🙂
During Jan 2016, Silver Sea was in Brin Wilson’s Gulf Harbour shed having some routine TLC, including tightening up the caulking & re-puttying, painting etc. Now ready for re-launching.
Harold Kidd Input
I always thought that she was designed and built by E Buckland in the North around 1946. She was in Whangarei for many years owned by Buckland, then Richard Ahlers then came to Auckland when bought by Frank Stead in November 2001, but perhaps that 36 footer SILVER SEA(S) was another boat of the same name?
21-01-2016 Food For Thought
Chatting with Harold K on how she could possibly have been mistaken for an Allen Williams launch & Harold suggested that its likely that someone has seen the BANSHEE article in Sea Spray magazine (March 1963, see below) & jumped to the conclusion that SILVER SEA was a Williams.
Williams took several whole back page ads in SEA SPRAY later in 1963 showing BANSHEE so it was a well-known image at the time.
Anyone else able to expand on this supposition? May Ian Mason ?
10-07-2016 Hauled Out At Milford Cruising Club
Great Barrier Island Xmas/New Year Cruise
photos ex Jason Prew
Todays post is a peek into the cruise that Jason did aboard his 1904 Logan, Wairiki, over the 2015/16 holiday period. Cruises like this used to be the norm, somewhere along the way we have lost the plot in terms of what constitutes a boating holiday. There is a little of everything here – classic yachts & launches, the odd super yacht & some wow sailing & scenery photos.
In the cruising flotilla we Kotuku, Pim, Wairiki, Tamariki (ketch and Brooke dinghy) & for a time Wotan.
Stunning photos & amazingly taken on an iPhone 6, set on auto – who needs a big clunky camera these days 😉
Thanks Jason for sharing.
Enjoy 🙂
As always – photos can be enlarged by clicking on them 😉
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