Author Archives: Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

Unknown's avatar

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.

Flirt

Posted on by
8

FLIRT
photo & details from Judith Wallath

Today’s photo of Flirt was sent to me by Judith Wallath whose recalls that before WW1 her uncle Fred Briggs, solicitor of Whangarei, owned this small launch and used her on the Whangarei Harbour for fishing trips and outings.  He had four sisters and with friends they had wonderful times at Urquarts and Smugglers Bay etc.  In 1915 Fred left NZ with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and on the strength of his NZ boating experience was made sub-lieutenant in the Motor Patrol headquarters at Torquay in England, patrolling the English channel looking for submarines etc.
This photo of Flirt was possibly taken in Urquarts Bay.  Fred on the left.  Judith commented while she was anchored in Urquarts last summer they saw a launch somewhat similar to Flirt though slightly longer, moored there.

Any of the woodys able to contribute to details on Flirt & what became of her?

Harold Kidd Input

This FLIRT (there were several) was built for J.F.S. Briggs by Percy McIntosh in Whangarei and launched about October 1912. She was 25ft with a 4hp Palmer engine, upgraded in April 1913 to a 5hp Zealandia. Briggs sold her to E.J. Jones who raced her at the Onerahi Regatta until December 1919 as FLIRT. Jones changed her name to VICTORY soon after, but I lose track of her in 1921, probably because of another sale/name change.

Milady

Posted on by
31

MILADY
photos ex Ian Mason & B Worthington. details ex Harold Kidd & Geoff Rogers

Milady was designed and built by Billy Rogers and was the last boat out of his Curran Street shed before it was taken under the Public Works Act for the Curran Street Harbour Bridge approach road. This has been confirmed to Harold & myself by Geoff Rogers who had recently left school to join his father and was on the job when MILADY was being built.
She was commissioned by one of the directors of Dorman & Long who were the head contractors for the Harbour Bridge construction. He was an Englishman who didn’t want Billy to use his typical sweet sheerline but insisted on a straight sheer which was what he was accustomed to with the type of power boats used in English sheltered waters like the Norfolk Broads. The owner had two cabinet makers come and do the interior fit-out for him while she was under construction. Milady got her name from the confectionery company (Waller & Hartley’s Milady Toffee Co.) in Blackpool, England that her first owner’s family owned. She was originally powered by a 6 cyl Chrysler Crown petrol engine.

Unconfirmed data (ex Ken Ricketts)- The original engine was later replaced by a Ford diesel c.1957 by her then owner, Charlie Hardman, who sold her about 1959 to Bill Luxton, who had a beach house at Whangamata. She was owned by a G S Bright somewhere along the way & in 1973 by Trevor Titchener. In her early days she also had an owner by the name of J M Kenny who had her call sign registered as ZM2412.
She is presently in Whangarei undergoing extensive repairs after finding some rocks at Kerikeri about 5 years ago & has been undergoing repairs & refit for the past 4 years by local semi retired boat builder, Ian Mason. Ian hopes to have her back in the water for this coming summer (2015/16). She presently has a fairly new naturally aspirated 130hp Ford diesel, which had replaced a 90hp naturally aspirated Ford diesel before that. The previous owners were 2 gentlemen from Auckland, who had, had her for about a year, but Ian Mason can’t recall their names.

 

Tomif – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
7

TOMIF – Sailing Sunday
photos & details ex Don Kurylko & the WoodenBoat Forum

Now I have been a fan/follower of the USA WoodenBoat Magazine’s on-line forum for a long time, it was my go-to place for advice & guidance on most things to do with classic wooden boats. The secret was being able to ID who was handing out advice based on experience & who was sitting in a farm house 5,000 from the sea & had never owned a boat. There have been some amazing build projects & some real characters on-line. If you have not visited the forum I would encourage you to.

Everyone has their favourite stories (called threads) but one of best & longest running is the tale of Don Kurylko & the build of his 45′ cold moulded, topmast gaff cutter.  Below you will find the link to the WBF thread on Tomfi – lofting started back in 1981 & she came out of her shed earlier this year, yep thats 34 years 🙂  Don says that works out at close to 16,000 hours or 8 years of full time labour.

The story of Don test lofting in the snow is just one of many amusing tales – I’ll let Don tale it :-

“One day, a couple of winters before I started building, I found myself going a bit stir crazy and needed something to perk up my spirits. We were living in a small log cabin out in the boonies, without electricity, and there wasn’t much in the way of entertainment to be had. So, I grabbed a set of plans I had bought from designer Tom Colvin and headed out to the small pasture behind our place. I made up some long battens and “lofted” out the accommodations plan full size to see how it would fit. The snow was perfect. It had been really cold and the surface was so hard and crusty that you could walk on it without fear of breaking through. Once I got all the lines laid out, I filled them in with ashes from the wood stove. In a few hours I had a virtual boat that I could walk around in. It was fun and the drawing lasted for several weeks before it snowed again and covered it up. I guess there are some advantages to Canadian winters after all”.

The above photo collection is just a selection from the 100’s on Don’s Tomfi thread – if its raining today, I’ve probably ruined (or made) your day.

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?123343-More-photos-of-Don-Kurylko-s-new-boat

SPECS:

LOA: 45’
LOD: 34’
DWL: 29’
BEAM: 10’
DRAFT 5’
DISP: 18,000 lbs
D/L: 333
BALLAST: lead – outside 5,600 lbs – inside 1000 to 2000 lbs, as required
B/D: 36% @ 6600 lbs; 42% @ 7600 lbs
SA working: 800 sq. ft. (SA/D: 18.5)
SA 3 lowers: 695 sq. ft. (SA/D: 16)

Swanee

Posted on by
18

SWANEE
photos & details ex Ralph Weber

While the exact details of who designed & built today’s launch Swanee are unclear, she is rather unique in that she has remained in that same family for over 50 years. Built from kauri she is 33′ long with 8’9″ beam & 2’8″ draft, currently powered by a 60hp Ford diesel.
You can see from the photos that she is very well appointed with everything one needs for comfortable cruising – electric flush toilet, freezer/frig, electric capstan & all the safety gear.
Over their period of ownership the Weber have ensured Swanee remained in great condition with a major 2 year out-of-water refit in 1970 that saw her re-ribbed with pohutukawa (you could back then 🙂 ) & new topsides. In 2004/5 her topsides were glassed & 2 pot painted & she was rewired.

Owner Ralph understands, from his mother, that she was built c.1920 in Auckland for Sanfords. Then later sold to the McLeod family of Helensville. Then she went to Dargaville and then owned by Matich Bros and later by Dr Maurice Matich. The Weber family, Ken & June, bought Swanee in 1961 and now ownership is with their son Ralph Weber of Matakohe. Currently moored at Pahi.
Ralph commented that Harold Kidd had previously mentioned that she may possibly have been the – ‘Sister Lola’ & built by Bailey & Lowe, if so she ‘raced’ with the Ponsonby Cruising Club.

Ralph sent ww photos of Swanee over a year ago & contacted me recently to say that unfortunately life has moved on & the family have had to make the difficult decision to sell Swanee after 50+ years of ownership, so today’s post has a degree of sadness but could offer a lot of happiness to someone looking to buy a classic launch. For a 33′ launch, Swanee is a lot of boat, you can see in the photos that there is no shortage of living area & she comfortably sleeps 5. After 50 years you end up nothing what works best & where on a boat 😉
Boat aesthetics is a very personal thing & with some people practicality is #1, but if I was buying her I would be off to see a good sympathetic wooden boat builder like Geoff Bagnall & returning her cabin windows to a style a little more in keeping with a 1920’s classic. People forget that these old girls are wood & the cost of a wee bit of restoration like this would not be great. After all there is little else that needs doing to her.
She sports rather a racy (flat aft) bottom so with a bigger motor I would imagine she would perform very well.

So woodys – can we find a buyer for Swanee or know something that is looking for a classic wooden launch? Being based currently at Pahi she does present some interesting scenarios e.g. you could keep her there for a few seasons & have a floating family bach. A group of guys could get together & buy a good fishing / man bach on the Kaipara. Or simple put her on a truck & return her to the Waitemata.

Now I do not normally like to talk money in ww posts but the overall 2nd hand boating market is just so soft that when I think something is great value, I will – well woodys someone could own Swanee for less than $30K. , that is real value, you could not build a garage for that.
If you or anyone you know could be interested – contact Ralph, initially via email on weber.bros@xtra.co.nz

Also interested in any info /photos on her past.

Harold Kidd Input

SWANEE was certainly built as SISTER LOLA pre-October 1920, possibly by Harvey or DIck Lang. I don’t know where the Bailey & Lowe reference came in, although Bailey & Tyer did build a 33 footer (unusual dimension) just pre WW1. Lang too had built a 33 footer in 1916 and just could have used those moulds.
I can’t find a direct report of her owner as SISTER LOLA but am pretty sure she’s the boat reported in the Auckland Star of 28th August 1920. If so, her hull was built professionally and she was finished off by her first owners Pavitt brothers and Verran at Bayswater. There again the Verrans were Northcote people and Bailey & Tyer were at Hall’s Beach, Northcote Point.
She was sold to Arthur Sandford of Vine St., Ponsonby in late 1922, early 1923. He changed her name to SWANEE probably after the Al Jolson song “Swanee”. Sandford was, for a time, a professional Vaudeville artist and no doubt sang that song on stage. She had a 6 cylinder Studebaker car engine in 1925.
Sandford sold her to Alfred McLeod some time between 1934 and 1939. McLeod joined the Squadron with her in 1939. She then had a 30hp Hercules engine which he replaced with a 100hp Meadows ohv 6 in 1947/8 (probably a war-surplus engine). The rest of her history on the Kaipara is well-known.
There’s a big dose of conjecture in the above. I’ll check with the Verran family.

Update 30-08-2015

B/W photo added above ex Ian Miller whose wife Rosalind’s late father, Doug Hazard, crewed on Swanee in the 1930’s

Update 06-03-2023 – photo below ex Kauri museum, Matakohe via Diane Wilkinson fb

(The) Colleen

Posted on by
14

(The) COLLEEN
photo & details from Janine Leighton

The above photos were sent to me by Janine Leighton, the granddaughter of Charles Aspden who built (or co-built) the launch (The) Colleen in the 1930’s. Charles was living at Northcote Point then. Notes on the back of the photos record that the vessel was apparently sold in c.1939 to Charles Shelley (sp?), an Auckland furrier.

Janine & ww would like to know what happened to her post this & does she still exist?

06-03-2021 Harold Kidd Input – Designed and built by Arnold (Bill) Couldrey for Charles Aspden.

Maria

Posted on by
17

MARIA
photos & details ex Nick Voerman

The photos of Maria were sent in by her new owner Nick Voerman, Nick until recently owned Rosemary M. In Nicks words his last project ‘needs lots of love’, I think that an understatement but Nick has a track record of bring these old ladies back to their finery so fingers crossed. Nick has built a model of Maria which I’m sure will be his inspiration for the restoration project. Below are examples of 2 other models Nick has done, one on the 1915 Lanes – Rosemary M & one on the 1923 Bailey & Lowe – Rotomahana

Nick believes Maria (nick named tuk tuk) may have spent time at Kawau Island & possibly moored off Devonport, can anyone add to what Nick / ww knows about her? She is 21′ long & powered by an air-cooled 2 cylinder Lister engine (that will get Baden Pascoe fizzing)

1915 Lanes – Rosemary M

1923 Bailey & Lowe – Rotomahana

11-03-2016 photos ex Nick Voerman

Hows this for a transformation – all finished & re-launched & looking very smart 🙂

Maria Re-launched b

Maria Re-launched a

Lady Nell

Posted on by
9

LADY NELL
photos & details ex Trevor McKay

Today’s post on Lady Nell is a request from her current owner, Trevor McKay, for some clarity on the information he has been supplied about her & also  an attempt to uncover more of her past.

The photo of her alongside the wharf is as Trevor bought her in February 2009 off Steve Hansen of Kauwau fame (he owns the big steel ex navy job in the back ground). Steve bought her from an insurance company after she was damaged off Snells Beach when a storm broke a large yacht loose and smashed into her. He repaired her and then Trevor bought her in an exchange/cash for the Bailey & Lowe launch ‘Countess’ about 5 years ago.

Steve told Trevor that Greg Lees (boatbuilder at Sandspit) had given him a bit of back ground e.g. built 1960ish, design and built by Jack Brooke (but Robert Brooke has later commented – ‘not one of Dads’), she lived a while in the Tamaki Channel, she was bought by the Snells Beach owner, Barry Cranston, from the Jones brothers of Auckland, who kept her at Pine Harbour. Cranston owned her for 3 or 4 years.

Rumour has it that Lady Nell was named after a ‘Madam’ from a house of ill repute 😉 in Ponsonby. Not sure if she was built for the lady or just named after her, this rumour supports the view that due to her roominess she had been know as quite a “Party” boat.
She’s powered by a pair of the small four cylinder Fords, 63 hp, when Trevor bought her she had mechanical gear boxes but he changed to hydraulic a couple of years ago.
She cruises at about 7.5 knots but is very economical.

So woodys – can we help Trevor out ?

Te Honu

Posted on by
9

As Purchased

Re-fit Underway

TE HONU
photos & info ex Bruce Dickie & Ken Ricketts. edited by Alan H

Te Honu was built by Brin Wilson in 1963 & is 34′ x  10′  6″. Her first owners were a family by the name of ‘Tuttle’ or ‘Turtle’ according to one of her current owners, Bruce Dickie, Bob believes they were in the cartage business in the Takapuna area, She would have been one of the last boats Brin Wilson built in Porana Rd Glenfield.

She is presently owned by father & son team of boat builder Bruce & his son Logan, they bought her in February 2015 off a Mark Wilson, who had apparently owned her for approximately the last 15 years & had kept her at Pine Harbour.
Home is now Gulf Harbour & she has been hauled out  in the Brin Wilson shed for the last few months for a ‘makeover at the hands of Bruce & Logan, assisted by a number of members of their family.

She is stall largely original except for the flying bridge which Bruce is working at improving the aesthetics of during the refurb 🙂
She is still powered by the original 100 HP 6 cyl. Lees converted Ford diesel.

We look forward to seeing her back in the the water later in the year.

Harold Kidd Input

According to APYMBA records, TE HONU was built by Brin Wilson in 1961 for K S Turtill & Sons with a 6 cylinder Ford. She was 34’x32’x10’2″x3’6″. Later owners included well-known Accountant Jack Anderson of Blomfield Spa, Takapuna (1973).

The full ownership was recorded as K.S., M.I., P.H. and I.S. Turtill. Ken Turtill  (1914-2000) was an Army Captain in WW2 and a POW. He lived at 132 and later 258 Hurstmere Rd Takapuna around the time TE HONU was built by Brin. He was a student liaison officer at the time. Good bloke.

20-04-2021 Looking Very Smart These Days

Merita

Posted on by
19

MERITA
photo ex Pam Cundy at Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard

All I know about today’s launch are 3 things – her name , the photo was taken at Great Barrier Island in 2013 & she is a fine looking vessel. So folks what do we know about Merita?

Photos below ex Brian Worthington & Ken Ricketts

09-11-2015 Input from Murray Morrissey. edited by Alan H
Merita was named after a bay in the Far North.

Merita was built by Murray’s Father in law – James (Jim) Dymock of Takapuna.  She was built in his brothers building yard ( Bill Dymock) behind the Waitemata Power Board in Taharoto Rd.

Murray is not sure of the hull design but the cabin top was designed by Brin Wilson.  She was launched in 1965 in the Milford Creek where she spend her early years. In those days she sat in a mud berth in front of the Milford Cruising Club. She was powered by an A.E.C. – war surplus tank engine – a beautiful sounding engine that pushed her along at 12-13 knots.

She was sold in 1971 to a Mr. Robertson who lived in Red Bluff Rise in Cambells Bay.  From there Murray lost track of her.

Murray can clearly remember standing near the cliff face at Kennedy Park, Castor Bay, watching her heading northwards on the day she changed hands – with a heavy heart.  She was a beautiful boat.

Merita was back in the Milford Creek in the late 1980`s or there abouts – crying out for some TLC.  Murray then saw her at Gulf Harbour in pristine condition a few years ago & was very happy to see someone was looking after her.

Janet – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
6

photo #1
photo #2
photo #3
photo #4
photo #5
photo #6
photo #7
photo #8
photo #11

photo #9
photo #10

JANE – Sailing Sunday
photos & details ex Mike O’Dwyer

Janet was designed by Chas. Bailey Jr. in 1902 & built by the Sutherland brothers in Domain Street, Devonport*. She is now owned by Andrew Wares, Bruce Isles and Michael O’Dwyer of Hawkes Bay. All friends since childhood with a common interest in sailing who decided to obtain a classic yacht – a day sailer, not too big, something with a bit of provenance that had to look nice. After a year of looking Janet came up and fitted the bill.

Janet was purchased in June 2013, shipped to Napier in April 2014 and relaunched in April 2015 after an eighteen month makeover. Almost all of the work being done by Mike O’Dwyer & with limited spare time saw the project sixteen months longer than expected. A brief overview of the project goes like this – she had six planks replaced, three each side in the garboard area, a certain amount of repair completed on the inner skin, and was fully re-caulked, puttied and painted. The keel and rudder were fared and the floors refastened. The rig was also spruced up with the mast being painted, the boom varnished/painted, fittings newly galvanized and the roller reefing system rebuilt. The owners report she sails beautifully and with improvements and tweaks continuing will only get better. In the first photo above she is seen enjoying her first sail in Napier waters.

The restoration goes like this – Janet was stored at the sailing club hardstand with scaffolding around her, the tarp covering the scaffold was originally rented because  they thought they would only be there two months to do a spruce up. Well the best laid plans…. After removing the paint with hand scrapers it was discovered that the wide seams were full of sika around the garboard area, a copper strip covered a dodgy seam, planks that looked like they had lost some fastenings. Further raking of seams revealed very old caulking and putty.

In one of the photos you can see below the dark water stained areas that there was a 10mm gap between the garboard plank and the inner skin. Only one thing for it, full re-caulk, putty and new planks. The bottom three on each side had to be replaced.

In another photo you can see a copper strip covering the seam just above the forward edge of the lead keel, the seam behind this was about 10mm wide and full of gunk. The wooden filler block on the leading edge of the keel also needed to be replaced.  When raking out a small section of a seam it started with newer cotton on the outer, as you went deeper the cotton got older until finally the last cotton to come out  was like a ribbon. The plank edges were parallel to each other back to the inner skin which made for a narrow deep seam. The seams were paid with a variety of products e.g there was black sika,white sika and putty. Up to five layers of caulking( the stranded type) were removed from some seams.

You can also see the scored waterlines in the hull planks. They counted about six of these either side. Janet had an inboard engine at some stage which could account for some of them.

The varnish product on Janet is Hempel diamond varnish & is a two pot varnish. There are five coats on everything that needed varnishing. The wind vane is home made & works a treat.

Below is an index to some of the photos & her owner talks you thru some of the work. Scroll over the photo to view the number. Also remember you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them 😉

Andrew, Bruce & Michael have done a wonderful job in restoring Janet & hopefully we will see her back on the Waitemata for some of the classic yacht regattas.

Mike will be posting some updates & photos on the CYA Forum – link below http://classicyacht.org.nz/cyaforum/topic/janet-back-in-action/

PHOTO INDEX:
Photo 1 – shows the hull primed and caulked. You can see the lowest three planks that are to be replaced and a rough area where a copper strip was used to cover a wide seam.
Photo 2 – the hull above the waterline puttied. Below the waterline redlead paint was added to the putty.
Photo 3 – planks removed portside. A couple of the planks literally fell off when the end screws were removed. It must have been the corrosive entities handing hands that kept them on.
The inner skin though black from years of bilge water,oil and god knows what else was still sound. Gotta  love that kauri. A few kauri shims also fell out,used as packers to take up a few gaps between the skins.
I remedied this with lightweight filler mixed in epoxy. Kauri locks also fitted at fore upper end of the lead keel ready for shaping.
Photo 4 – Inner skin repaired and first plank fitted. The floor fastenings were replaced also.
Photo 5 – Planks awaiting faring. Lots of red lead paste between the skins. Kauri blocks shaped and primed.
Photo 6 – Starboard planking underway. Eight new inner skin plank ends were scarfed in place.
Photo 7 – Bit of bling – I’m letting this oxidize however as I like the vert de gris look. Aging gracefully.
Photo 8 – Just about ready for the water. Still work to do on the rig.
Photo 9 – Not a bad looking rear.
Photo 10 – Happy boat back in the water after 15 months.
Photo 11 – Mast painted by brush. To many scarfs of different coloured timbers so went with the paint option.

*Harold Kidd Input

Angus and William Sutherland lived in Domain Street, Devonport. Angus was a shipwright with Chas. Bailey Jr and had Bailey design two yachts for himself and his sons. The first was JANET in 1902, a 24ft linear rater. The second was the 40 footer WAIONE, built to replace JANET in 1907. She was a 9 metre under the recently-adopted International Rating Rules.
Both yachts were built privately by the Sutherlands at their home in Domain Street, not at Bailey’s yard which, until 1912, was at 43 Customs Street West at the foot of Hobson Street. In November 1912 he moved his yard to the new reclamation at Beaumont Street, Freeman’s Bay.
Confusion arises sometimes because Chas. Bailey Jr DID design and build a JANET about this time, but it was a 30ft linear rater for J. McMurtrie of Sydney. Even then, some sources say she was a Sibbick design.
Your yacht was probably named after the Sydney yacht which was launched in 1901.

03-04-2016 Update – 2016 Art Deco Parade of Sail –  A Mark Foy start, Janet claimed line honours.

FullSizeRender (65)