ISMA
photos & question ex Lynette Hatrick (nee Ravenhall)
Amongst my Dad’s (Les Ravenhall) old photos I found another photo with marked on the back ‘Isma 1 sold in 1918’ and this does seem to be a different Isma to the second photo with my grandfather Charles sitting on it in the Orakei Basin with Upland Road in the background.
So woodys what do you think, same boat or could there have been two different boats?
EL ALAMEIN (now RANUI)
Photos ex owner Sarah Looner & details ex Ken Ricketts, edited by Alan H
Ranui (originally named El Alamein) is 32’ with a 10’ 6” beam & was built in Auckland by Mac McGeady (Supreme Craft) & launched on the 29th January 1945, for the use of returned servicemen from World War II, who were convalescing at Rotorua Convalescent Hospital. She was built for & by donated the Patriotic Fund, of the Joint Council of the Red Cross & St John, with a shallow draft for her day & designed specifically for use on Lake Rotoiti & was capable of seating up to 40 people. The handing over ceremony was apparently a very formal occasion, according to newspaper writings of the day, with dignitaries of the era, of the ilk of the late Sir Earnest Davis, in attendance.
She was originally built as an open boat, with a smallish cabin, as per the photo & with a bunk room forward.
For the first 4 years of her life Ranui was captained by a William Pollock, & was apparently a familiar sight on the lake, carrying up to 40 convalescing soldiers, many in wheelchairs, on lake excursions, as part of their rehabilitation, to help ease them back in to civilian life.
As the numbers of ex service patients had dropped off by 1949, Ranui was sold in August 1949, to a Ron Martin & the proceeds of the sale, were returned to the Patriotic Fund. He had her trucked to Lake Taupo on the 24th August 1949. Ken feels that it was probably Ron Martin who changed her name from El Alamein to RANUI. He also had a full cabin top fitted to her, 2 years after purchase, by a long time local resident Noel East & was also the first person to have her surveyed.
The next owner, was from Hawkes bay, who used her privately, before on selling her to one of Taupo’s most well known commercial boat operators, Jim Storey. He had her surveyed again & used her for many years commercially, taking fisher people & tour parties sightseeing or fishing on Lake Taupo.
In 1980 Graham Twiss purchased her & he continued what Jim Storey had started for another 34 years.
These days she is maritime surveyed for 23 passengers & has recently been refurbished & revived by the present owners Jamie & Sarah Looner & is looking rather smart.
NOTE: She is recorded as having a 15 hp engine when built, & Ken would like to make a deviation to the story to explain what he believes is the situation & details of the “15hp” engine. Up to the mid/later 1940s, many British made engines, had their horsepower rated on the English, “RAC” rating basis, which is quite different from the now almost universal, “SAE” rating basis of today, worldwide. For example we had the 1937 Austin 7’s & 1946 Morris Eight cars rated on the RAC system, & by the late 1940s we had the Austin A40’s being 40 hp on the SAE rating, (about 12 to 14 hp on the RAC rating). Ken believes the El Alamein/Ranui originally had a British made engine, RAC rated, as she would have hardly moved with an SAE rated “15hp engine.” The 15hp RAC engine, would have been around 40 to 60 hp on the present day rating system. A Ford diesel presently powers her.
Now a totally random question 🙂 Pam at the Whangatea Traditional Boat yard picked the below up on trademe – unusual font, anyone able to say which Ranui this was off, if a boat – could have been from the west Auckland Ranui area. 
Photo below taken by Ken Ricketts in Feb. 2013 @ Lake Taupo
Tamahine – supplied the lunch
And the Raglan Fish – cooked the best F&C’s I have had in a long time – 3x Dory + chips $10 @ Raglan Wharf
Even when its a weekend away in the car, still managed to slip some salty activity in. If you are in Raglan, check out the Wharf area, great coffee (Raglan Roast), funky shops that had enough appeal to lighten the wallet/purses of the blokes & blokets + one of the best fish shops / cafes I have been to in a long time.
And a plug for a great beer we discovered, its not often Mrs H enjoys a cold ale but the “Good George – Sparkling Ale’ (ex Hamilton) was spot on.
Saturday saw a walk to the inland ‘Bridal Veil Falls’, 55m drop – very impressive.
Leisure Hour – Sailing Sunday
photos ex John Wicks
Today’s boat is the 1937 Jimmy Reid built Leisure Hour, currently owned by John Wright & has just undergone one of John’s legendary make-overs. But to quote John Wicks, John W has discovered that sailing isn’t his thing & will remain faithful to his classic launch Jeunesse, so Leisure Hour is for sale. A great opportunity for someone wanting a rather nice little historic keeler.
I’m ‘borrowing’ below some info from an article Harold Kidd & Robin Elliott published on the Reid family & their boats, it appeared way back in 2001 in Boat NZ.
Jimmy Reid started building the 32′ Leisure Hour, his first keel boat, in 1936 & launched her in 1937. Its assumed his father (James Sr.) helped with the design. She was a beamy (9′) ketch & was registered as C41, that later changed to D14. Jimmy did some occasional cruising/racing with Akarana & rarely missed an Anniversary Regatta. He sold her in 1945 & back in 2001 she was moored in the Milford Creek.
So folks – can we fill in some of the holes in her past?
A Question – Neil Chalmers wondered if the building of ‘Leisure Hour’ was inspired by the famous ‘Idle Hour’ sailed by the American Dwight Long . ‘ Idle Hour’ visited Auckland in 1935 during a circumnavigation. The ‘Leisure Hour’ appears to be a similar type to ‘Idle Hour’. Neil dug out his copy of Dwight Long’s ‘Sailing all the seas in Idle Hour’ . His first stop in NZ was at Shakespeare Bay , Whangaparoa , he mentions seeing Mr Shakespeare’s yacht – could it be the CYA ‘Frances’.
Photo below of Idle Hour at Moturekereka.
03-08-2015 Input from Shamus Fairhall
I know Leisure Hour was owned by the Les and Jan Parkinson at some stage in the 1980s. Les brought her in a poor state and put considerable time in to making her sparkle again. Les and Jan were also the owners of our 1936 launch Sequoia in the late 1960s. Sadly Les is now deceased but he was always famous for his restoration skills with old Jags and military jeeps etc through his business Parky Jags. Photo below of Leisure Hour during his ownership and i will pass a link on to Jan as she may well have some detail to add.
Mystery Boats & Location
photo ex Scott Taylor ex ‘Old Auckland’
Today’s post is a wee bit of a mystery, from back in the days before we had acres of marinas. The one thing I do know is the mooring fees would have been affordable, these days you have to sell of a child for medical experiments to afford to berth your boat close to the city.
So woodys where is it & can we ID any of the boats?
LINDA
photo ex Dean Wright
The photo above of the 1927 Colin Wild Linda was sent to me by Dean who took the shot at his friend, Lenore Bauern’s, place. Lenore is Bill Swales sister-in-law, the son of Roy Swales a past owner of Linda. Lenore says the shot was taken before Roy owned her.
Linda has featured several times on ww & will continue to because she is such a stunning vessel, perfect from every angle. You can view/read more on her by clicking on this link https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Linda&submit=Search
Anyone game to attempt to ID some of the crew?
Nice also to see ww getting a plug in the August issue of Boating NZ (below) & in a nice segue, Linda above was restored by Robert Brooke & in the magazine article, the b/w photo of Aroha has Robert’s father,Jack (John) in-frame 🙂
Harold Kidd Input
It’s clear that this photograph was taken when she was new and in the hands of her first owner, E.J. (“Manny”) Kelly, who was a Squadron member as well as being Commodore of Ponsonby Cruising Club. I think he’s flying the Squadron flag above hie PCC flag officer’s burgee as a matter of correct protocol as the Squadron is the senior club (a well as being a “Royal”). So that’ll be Kelly in pride of place at the wheel.
Emanuel John Kelly (1876-1960) was a long-term launch owner. He ran a business as a metal founder and engineer and lived in Shelly Beach Road, Herne Bay. He had LINDA built by Colin Wild in October 1927 and kept her until Roy Swales of N Z Leadworks bought her. Before LINDA, though, Manny had the 42ft launch DAISY from mid1916 to February 1927. She had been built built for Arthur Brett as ALLEYNE (V) by Tyler & Harvey in November 1908, a double-ender of the Logan Bros type. She started life with a 20hp 2 cylinder Lozier, then moved up to a 30hp 3 cylinder locally-built Twigg in 1919 (I wonder if Kelly did the castings for W.R. Twigg?) (Twigg was killed and eaten by a lion on safari in Rhodesia in November 1925, which is somewhat topical).
An Albatross
photos above & details ex Greg Lees & John Macfarlane (Boating NZ)
Today’s post features Greg Lees restored classic runabout (she has no name), one of a small fleet of these cool British craft in NZ. In their day these we very chic boats, the owners list was a real who’s who – Prince Rainer of Monaco, Prince Phillip, Stirling Moss & even the bombshell Bridget Bardot.
The story starts back in the UK c.1949 when two engineers, Archie Peace & Peter Hives set up a company named ‘Albatross Marine’ to design & build a small runabout, called the Albatross. They had great credentials with Hives the son of a Rolls Royce director & Peace an aeronautics engineer. Post WWII there was no shortage of aluminum so given Peace’s plane background the chosen build material was alloy.
They initially built two versions – the Mk1 was a 2 seater sports, powered by a marinised Ford 100E side-value Prefect 1172cc engine & the Mk2 which had twin carbs (SU’s) for more zoom. Later on a Mk3 was launched with even more zoom. A 4 seater, called the Continental was also marketed, powered Mk1= 100E motor, Mk2 = Ford Kent 1500cc 60hp motor. The last 150 built had a 88hp Coventry Climax engine.
Come the 1960’s that evil substance that starts with F & has the word glass at the end was entering the boating scene & even though they tried other models, the company folded in the mid 1960’s.
The Auckland agent was Campbell Motors & they sold approximately a dozen boats, most as hire boats at the Lake Okataina Lodge.(Rotorua) This was not a great success & the fleet was broken up & sold to other hire operators – Hinehopu (Lake Rotoiti), Rotorua & Queenstown.
Now back to Greg Lees , who owns the very classic friendly boat yard Lees Marine at Sandspit. Greg bought his Albatross in 1990 & the Lees family used extensively her for many years. Fast forward to the year 2000, Greg & daughter Rosie (talented lady – search her name on ww) started a full restoration, including rebuilding the 100E engine. The restoration took a few years (12 in fact) & since then the boat has been doing the rounds of the classic wooden boat lake events – both North & South Island Lake Rotoiti.
These boats are highly collectable in the UK with less than 100 left a float. Greg’s business has also completed a restoration on another Albatross for a kiwi classic boating client.
The photos below I took at the 2015 Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade (Nth Is.), Greg’s Albatross must be the smallest powerboat to fly the RNZYS burgee 🙂
Juanita
I do not know the name of today’s post but this kauri sedan launch was recently sold on trademe. We do know she was designed and built in 1951 by Allen Williams.
32’ in length & powered by a 100hp Ford 6cyl. Diesel. Asking price was around $35k, so on face value, someone got a bargain.
When sold she was based in the Coromandel, so today’s questions are what is her name, who bought her, where is she now & what history do we know about her?.
Update – she is Juanita & has appeared on ww before so to read more about her, view the Comments section &/or search her name in the ww search box 😉
(classic trademe listing i.e. no boat name featured 😦 ……… when will people wise up)
22-10-2015 Update
Juanita is currently sitting on a swing mooring outside Lees Boat Builders at Sandspit awaiting her turn at the hands of Greg Lees & his team of craftsman.
EVENING STAR
photos & details ex Jake Hewitt. edited by Alan H
Today’s post features the 30′ Shipbuilders launch, Evening Star. Jake’s father & uncle purchased Evening Star from Half Moon Bay, Auckland c.1987 & paid $10,000 for her. At the time Jake was 10 years old. She was motored immediately to her new mooring at Whangamata. At the time of purchase she was owned by an elderly gent & had been part of the volunteer coast guard fleet in Auckland.
I’ll let Jake tell the story of his experiences of Evening Star. Enjoy 🙂
Within a few months Dad & Uncle Ray dry docked her at Whangamata and straight away set about transforming her tired state. She had an traditional Shipbuilders full length cabin, that was quickly shortened so we could enjoy her transom/aft area for fishing. For some reason the previous owner had 3 house size kitchen benches placed around the interior as well as many pieces of furniture. I do recall she had a majestic formica style table with an map of the entire Hauraki Gulf detailed onto the formica surface. Within 2 weeks she had received a face lift and lost alot of weight with of her overladen interior accessories now removed.
When we first took her out after the refit … she glided along ever so majestically, the 72hp Ford (marinised by Lees Group) now purring rather than previously labouring with all the extra weight aboard.Her triple skin kauri hull now glowed with fresh paint & was alive.
We enjoyed her for 3 seasons of family fishing, taking her too Mayor Island, the Aldermans & Slipper Island mainly. As time past her cabin structure began too rot & deteriorate. She once more returned too dry dock for a refit. Dad and uncle Ray decided too install aluminum windows and do away with plywood, other than fiber glassing plywood for the roof area & forard cabin structure. It functioned well yet I personally missed her classic bridge decker style cabin lines.
After the refit we continued too use her and enjoy her company … yet with a growing family she lay unused too often.
Unfortunately in 1992 her toilet waste hose split & burst & ultimately nearly fully sinking her on her mooring. Blessed it be my uncle was a local in Whangamata and quickly organised her salvage too shallow water. Sadly our family wasn’t in the financial position too restore her & Dad sold her too a guy in Waihi for a song including her mooring. I was personally shattered, as I had always visioned purchasing her from Dad in years too come. Naturally Dad was a silent n sore man as well.
I believe she didn’t last long with her new owner before the new owner burnt a valve, he then trolleyed her too waste away at a nearby local property in Whangamata. As Im so passionate about her, my uncle shared with me, that she had been sold too a new owner in Tahuna whom was going too restore her, I quickly went traveling around Tahuna and found her trolleyed on highway 27. I introduced myself too the new owner & cried as a flood of good memories hit me instantly. The new owner was a nice bloke an very educated in boat building … he explained his plans an we spent hours that afternoon talking about her. Sadly I learnt after he had completed the restoration and enjoyed her with a season, he experienced a bitter divorce and sold Evening Star for a song too a guy in Auckland in 1996 or there abouts.
If any person has any information of where she is today … or any history of her, that would be hugely appreciated. Jake has received numerous potential sightings of her in the Auckland area recently, the places mentioned have been the Wade River, Bayswater Marina & even Span Farm boat yard. But nothing confirmed.
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A Woodys Trip Report from France
photos & story ex Russell Ward
Getting the other-half to go on holiday in France – thats easy, but how Russell manages to sneak in visits to wooden boat yards, beats me. I need some tips 🙂
I’ll let Russell tell the story. Remember to click on the photos above to enlarge 😉
I visited a fellow steam boater in Arcachon and the conversation on steamboats lulled a trifle and we went on to local work boats the Pinasse! Yep, when the French say Pinasse it is rather akin to the technical term for one’s diddle!
They are a breed of double ender peculiar to Arcachon on the coast out from Bordeaux. Arcachon is a rather larger harbour than Whangateau. Golden sands and sandbars abound. Oyster farms are everywhere and the origin of the Pinasse in the area dates from 1900 or so.
The local work boats abound and many have been retired to pleasure duties and some look real posh.
They have a broad beam, some have elongated bow and stem posts to give a Venetian look; bold sheer (as befits a work boat intended for fishing), self draining cockpit fwd, low deck house and aft cockpit.
The engines were marinised automotive engines and many early ones were made by local engineers.
The older traditional boats have a disappearing prop arrangement akin to the American Dispro boats (check out Wooden Boat). The Dispro has a cast tunnel that the prop shaft and prop pivot up into. The Pinasse has a slot about six inches wide from a third of the way fwd from the stern post. The prop shaft emerges at the fwd end of the slot and there is a bronze universal to allow the prop shaft to pivot up when a lever is raised in the aft cockpit or automatically if the skeg scrapes on a sandbar.
The hull form is interesting. They appear round bilge but in fact have a chine on the middle third of the hull.
One boatyard built most of the boats and above are several photos of the sheds. Makes my eyes go all misty and George and Pam’s will too. They have so much space in there but only a couple of major rebuilds in progress. One smallish burdensome sailing boat of about 16’ and one elderly Pinasse who has a new stem, chines, set of floors and most of the bottom having new planks.
Six generations of one family worked the yard and it was recently sold to a man and his sister who continue the work.
Lovely place!
There are a lot of references but few specific to our interests. Go trawling!
http://www.dubourdieu.fr/en/history.html
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