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.

La Rosa, John Dory & Kelvin

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La Rosa, John Dory & Kelvin
photo ex Baden Pascoe

The above photo was taken 2 weeks ago at Auckland’s Maritime Museum, La Rosa & John Dory had just returned from the CYA launch cruise to the Riverhead hotel & according to Baden Pascoe they all rafted up alongside Kelvin for afternoon tea, I suspect the word ‘tea’ covered a wide selection of beverages 😉

How lets see how clever you woodys are – these 3 vessels share one connection – who will the first to ID it. And it goes without saying that Ward House, Baden Pascoe & David (Davie) Jones are excluded 🙂

Blitzen

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BLITZEN
photos ex Ken Ricketts. details anonymous (not KR)

The above photos of Blitzen were taken while hauled out at Gulf Harbour recently. There is a lot of dockside ‘stories’ about Blitzen’s past & ww would love to find of more about this vessel.
Said to be a Salthouse design.
Many moon’s ago a new owner was heading away on a xmas cruise & an engine blow off Northhead so they aborted the trip & returned to the marina. Vessel hauled out & then spent the next 5+ years in a shed during which time she underwent the most amazing restoration, its said that her interior is like a piano. The craftsman working on her would send one day on one floorboard.

Fast forward to relaunch day & someone commented to the owner that with that new cabin superstructure that had been added she would trip over. So Blitzen was parked on a marina at Orakai & never left the marina. Dates are lazy, but the fact that she is now at Gulf Harbour provens the merchant of gloom was wrong.

So woodys – what do we know about Blitzen & is the above true?

Summary of info from the comments section

John Salthouse’s much used note book states that 53ft Blitzen was launched Dec ’73 and was Salthouse Bros 89th build. She was built right way up, two diagonals and a fore and aft, red lead and rivots, no glue for Rex & Ian Heavens, of Heavens Farms Maramarua.

Blitzen was owned for years by the Velas, and Brian McCurrah did the big refurb, on their property, situated where Westgate is now.. He was/is very good. A kauri boardroom table he did for Lion Nathan head office, is now in the Kauri museum, next to Robert Brookes sailing dinghy.
She spent much time in Westhaven, then Westpark.
Blitzen is presently owned by Ian Midgley who lives at the Hibiscus Coast

Photo below Whangaroa 1977, ex Nathan Herbert

Lorna – Sailing Sunday

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LORNA – Sailing Sunday
photo ex Brian Peet, details by Harold Kidd

Brian sent Harold the wonderful photo above of Tom Townson’s yacht Lorna which Tom owned in 1929/30. Brian was seeking confirmation on the location of the photo. Brian commented that he  assumed the photo was probably taken in the mid reaches of Auckland Harbour – probably around where Westhaven is now located.
Harold commented that the big building in the background has to be the Farmers Trading Co. building, later remodelled, but with the right number of windows.
The yacht has to be in the vicinity of Beaumont Street but that he could not figure out the orientation and the position of that reef which, logically, should be the Westhaven Breakwater at a high tide. What was not helping things was that he could not see the Destructor on Fanshawe Street nor the Gasworks and could not figure out which was Beaumont Street which logically should be directly ahead of Lorna.

Lorna was built by Dale Spencer as Alarm in December 1920 for himself. Sadly Dale Spencer drowned with his 8 year old son when the 26ft mullet boat Celox went to the bottom between Motuihe and Waiheke in March 1921, only a few weeks later. The probable  main cause of the sinking was that she was racing under kite which had to be sheeted to weather in those days, a recipe for disaster in a big mullet boat. History on Celox & the sinking here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/02/01/celox-sos/

NEWS FLASH
Further evidence that launches are the new hot item in the classic boating world – the British Classic Yacht Club has voted to allow motorboats at its next annual regatta – Panerai British Classic Week at Cowes, in July 2016

http://www.britishclassicyachtclub.org

Wairuna

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WAIRUNA
photos ex trademe

Wairuna is currently a resident of Great Barrier Island & has been lucky to have the same owner for the last 29 years.
Her trademe listing states that she is a 28′ Bailey & Lowe kauri built launch, built c.1940 & powered by a 90hp Fordson diesel.
What I’m sure is a more modern cabin top has been done very well, not easy on a sub 30′ boat 🙂

Can we expand on what we have been told about her?

Mahara

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MAHARA
photo & details ex Mike Ryan

Mike’s family has recently purchased Mahara, a Shipbuilders Supacraft that they are in the process of tidying her up after a year or two of neglect. She is currently out at Okahu Bay & Mike reports that Alan Boyd from ‘x-foul-e-8’ has done a beautiful job getting layers of anti fouling off below the waterline.
Mahara was one of four ‘sisters’ built by Shipbuilders Supacraft in the late 1940’s, early 50’s, the others being – Lady Eileen, Rosemary II & Rakanoa. They were designed (Rakanoa part) by the American trained Thomas (Tim) Windsor, the in-house designer at Shipbuilders Supacraft at the time.
I understand that Mahara is slightly shorter than the others ?

Can we supply anymore info on her past? I’m sure Russell Ward will drop in 🙂

The photo below (sorry about the quality) was taken approx. 10 years ago.

Harold Kidd Input

MAHARA was built for Graham Speight in 1946. Keith Kiernander, a well-known Ponsonby real estate agent, had her between 1959 and 1966. In 1966 she went to E & BM Senior of Herne Bay. In our scruffy launch GREENBANK we came up astern of Kiernander in this launch, or his next, perhaps, stationary in the Motuihe Channel with people rushing about on deck and broadcasting a very loud MAYDAY on the double sideband. There were two or three Orcas playing around his boat and he was seeking help in case his boat was sunk and his crew eaten. We split our sides, muttering quite uncharitable things about “bloody land agents”.

Early St Marys Bay

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Early St Marys Bay
photo ex Ron Wattam

The above photo was found in two pieces in a collection of old Collings & Bell photos, Ron joined the pieces up & with a little photoshop work we have today’s image.. Given the source of the photo we could assume that the location is St. Marys Bay / what is now the Westhaven area.

Can anyone confirm the location & any luck ID’ing the vessels?

Input from Barry Davis

This is St Marys Bay before St Marys Bay Road was extended down to the foreshore sometime in the 1930’s? Until then the steps to the right were the public access to the beach. The building to the far left looks like the old Ponsonby Cruising Club headquarters. With the road being extended down to the foreshore the club rooms were moved forward and onto piles with another level added.

Zircon

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ZIRCON
photos & details ex Kevin Peet

Kevin sent in the above photos yesterday of Zircon & it got bumped to the top of the ww posting list for the simple fact that he has done a top chop & lost the flybridge 🙂
When purchased, a few months ago, she very run down & Kevin has wasted no time in giving her a make over.
Not a lot is known about Zircon & her name is probably not her as launched name.
She is 34′, powered by a 6 cyl. Perkins & built with glue edged carvel planks. Her previous owner understands that she was built in Whangarei in 1959 as a commercial fishing boat & based in Coromandel.
Prior to Kevin’s purchase, home was W Pier at Westhaven.

Todays challenge woodys is can we shed some light on Zircon’s past? – design, builder, previous owners / names etc

Photos below are as purchased

20-04-2016 – Roger Turnbull sent in the  three photos of Zircon below. One of them shows the coamings and flying bridge as it was when Roger purchased her.

19-01-2018 Update

Ewan Kerr emailed in the 2 photos below of Zircon, taken when his family owned her.  They bought Zircon in February 1986 from a gentleman by the name of Athol Myers who at the time would have been in his 70’s or 80’s. They used the boat as a family cruiser and sold Zircon in March 1988.

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Venture

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Ann Michelle & Venture at Riverhead

VENTURE
photos ex AH, Chris Miller & Rod Marler

On the weekend CYA cruise to the Riverhead Hotel we were joined by (to me) a new classic on the CYA scene, Venture. Keen to learn more about her & what lies underneath the ‘addition’.

Neil Lineham has advised Venture was built in 1961 by Morrie Palmer and apprentice Chris McMullen for Stuart and Peter Opperman. The boat built after her (1963) was Neil’s fathers boat Oranoa, built in the old police station at Clarance St Devonport. Oranoa is still owned by the Lineham family.

04-11-2015 Input from owner Jeff Norris (edited by Alan H)

Venture was built by M. G. Palmer at Devonport launched in 1964 the first owner was a Mr Hudsmith he owned her for 30 years . The design for the 36′ Venture was ‘influenced by’ Colin Wilde. She is powered  by 86hp 6cyl Ford Trader she used to have a 30hp Perkins wing motor it was removed by the owner before Jeff. Jeff has owned venture for 15years and is in the process off doing a tidy up and a repaint off the top sides . They are going to glass the hull next year and maybe a re-power as the trader is getting very old but still runs perfectly, Morrie told Jeff , there is a sister to Venture but it is a bridgedecker , Morrie built Venture for himself but had to sell her before she was finished . Venture was a very good game boat in her day but now she is just a cruiser.

02-05-2016 Photos of Venture at the CYA Raft-up at Salthouse Boat yard (Alan H/Ken R)

VENTURE 30.4.16

22-10-2020 UPDATE – WW has been advised that the 36’ Venture suffered some damage in March this year when she was pulled out for antifouling. As a result she was leaking about 10litres a day and has been out off the water for about a month now. Owner Jeff Norris commented that she is a  easy fix to make her dry again, e.g. the hull needs  a really good rub back and coat of paint, some corking and scrape back.

Jeff has decided to sell her as is, and at a price of around $15k, could be a good entry point to classic wooden boating. Move quick – she goes on trademe soon.

And just in, a trip report from CYA chairman Rod Marler, currently in New York. Rod did a circumnavigation of Manhattan on this fine ship yesterday. I would say she is a replica but her heart is in the right place 😉

Riverhead Hotel Classic Cruise

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Riverhead Hotel Classic Cruise
photos by Alan Houghton & Hamish Ross

Yesterday was a special day – the AB’s did what we all had been hoping they would – won the rugby world cup. After a very early start, up at 4.00am , 1/2hr after the whistle blew we were slipping the lines & heading off on a CYA launch cruise to the Riverhead hotel. A combination of the rugby & the Auckland Marathon (blocking waterfront streets) saw only a small number of classics making the trip up the  river but a good number traveled by car for the brunch gathering.
As always a great trip.

Some stunning photos over here http://buggeritweareoff.com/2015/11/02/classic-boat-day-out-to-riverhead/

Waikato Woodys – Sailing Sunday #1

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P Class yachts, Karapiro Lake, 1949
Easter Regatta, Hamilton Lake, 1949a
Easter Regatta, Hamilton Lake, 1949b
​Idlle Along “Judith” Hamilton Lake c.1949
Idle Along race, Hamilton
Idle Along H2 ‘Judith’ at Huntly?

WAIKATO WOODYS – SAILING SUNDAYS#1
photos & details ex Judith Wallath

Judith has just finished reading Jimmy Gilpin’s book “Winners are Grinners” and was amused to discover that her last year in P Class on Hamilton Lake coincided with his first year (although he was from Tauranga). The Cambridge Boating Club held a Regatta in 1949 to celebrate the completion of Karapiro Dam and the formation of the Lake. The first photo above was taken by Waikato Times/Herald photographer, Mr Fred Louden. Judith is on the right hand end (H11) and Jimmy Gilpin (T23) is at the left end.
Judith says the only remarkable thing she did that day was to break her yacht’s centre board during the capsize race in front of the crowd of spectators. It was her first (and last) attempt at a capsize race 🙂

The 2nd & 3rd photos are from the Hamilton Yacht Club inaugural Easter Regatta in 1949 and Jimmy G was there, well towards the front.  Jimmy and Judith are both in the P Class line-up at the lake edge before the race. Incidentally, the water tower, pictured, had a piece of roofing iron wrapped around it for years.  A memento of the 1949 Frankton tornado.

The 4th, 5th & 6th photos are of the  Idle Along H2 ‘Judith’ that belonged to Judith’s brother Brian. She was built by Brian and their father in the back yard, with encouragement from retired Hamilton builder Harold Martin an enthusiastic yachtsman. Mr Martin towed her to Auckland for the Anniversary Regatta, behind his Model T Ford. On the way back to Hamilton an accident occurred and ‘Judith’ suffered a stoved in side.  Promptly repaired, and back on the lake.

Harold Kidd Input

Harold Martin Sr was briefly in partnership with Chas Collings as “Collings & Martin” from 1907. He and his sons were very important in Waikato and Rotorua sailing in the 30s and 40s with the Idle Alongs IONA (1936), IDA (1939), TAMARA (1940) and WINSOME (1944). They also built and raced the X Class MYSTERY (1922) and the Zeddies TUI (1932) and CUPID (1951) amongst probably several other centre boarders.
Harold Sr lived at Orakei originally and built and/or owned several mullet boats until he left Auckland to live in Hamilton c1920. These included the 22 footer TE ATA and the 26 footer MYSTERY. The name MYSTERY was used by at least three generations of Martins for their yachts from at least 1874.
Similarly the Neilsons of Kawhia, and later of Tauranga, used the name CHARM for a couple of generations including for Jimmy Gilpin’s first Tauranga 7 footer CHARM (to close the circle).
BTW the car towing Briian Wallath’s IA isn’t a Ford T if Judith meant that. It’s a big American tourer of c1924, probably a 6 cylinder Buick. The trailer has 1935 Ford V8 car wheels.

P.S.  – Harold Martin didn’t last long in business with Chas Collings, but then nobody did, neither the Clare brothers, Harold Martin nor Alf Bell. I gather he was “difficult”, but he kept the Bell name in the business long after they parted ways during WW1 when Alf went off to help the Walsh brothers build and maintain their flying boats at Kohimarama.

Updated 03-11-2015 Photo below ex Harold Kidd  of Le Clerc’s IA JUDITH on Hamilton Lake with the 14 footer PERSEUS (Y8) and Frostbite 151, KIRIROA, c1949.