NGATAKI VIDEO – PART ONE – Finlay MacDonald – Harper Collins Publishing
Last week the classic wooden boating community were treated to a double whammy – the re-launch of Johnny Wray’s yacht Ngataki & the launch of a 75th Anniversary edition of his book ‘South Seas Vagabonds’. A grandson, Kelly Hunt, of one of Ngataki’s original crewman – Snow Hunt was on hand to film the official side of the occasion. There are 3 short video’s.
ERINOR (formerly Lady Allyson)
Snapped this rather fine sedan top launch moored off the the wharf at Sand Spit this morning.
Anyone able to help with more details on Erinor?
Lots of activity happening up there with the new marina construction well underway.
Saw more dolphins today than I have in the last 2 years.
04-07-2017 Update from Dean Wright
Dean snapped the photo below of Erinor on a swing mooring in Opito Bay, B.O.I.. She had just appeared there & Dean was wondering if she had migrated north?
Where Is She Now ? – Lady Ava
A very pretty launch that we need in the CYA fleet, so the question today is where is she hiding these days – the above photo ex Jason Prew was taken at the Mahurangi Regatta in 2006.
I hope I have the correct name – the only reference I have is the yellow pennant on her stern – Lady Ava
+ need details on her please 🙂 thx Harold – amended as below.
Update from Harold Kidd
Its MISS AVA, built by Ernie Lane at Picton in 1931.
I looked at her to buy several years ago and found her quite attractive. She went to Wellington about 1937, owned by Ernie Lamberg. She was in NAPS at Wellington 1942-3 as Z70. Her dimensions are 36’x9’8″ and she recently was powered by a 6 cylinder Ford diesel. There is a nice pic of her in the Boat Harbour at Wellington in NAPS in “New Zealand Naval Vessels” by Bob McDougall on page 105. She hasn’t changed much since then.
Update to the above from Harold
johntwodogs is quite right. Z70 in that image is not MISS AVA. I wish I had checked my copy of NZNV before posting, especially since the entry in my database had an asterisk for a doubtful piece of info. I have only just found it after 3 hours of searching in my library, face down in the wrong place.
NZNV gives only a couple of NAPS numbers for Wellington launches, Z73 for QUEEN CHARLOTTE and Z78 for ROSEMARY M. I’ve filled in a few, eg RAHEMO with Z76. So what is this Z70? She’s a weird-looking craft, quite large. The only Wellington NAPS boat that seems to correspond is KOTUKU, a 48 footer owned by Wm. H Smith about which I know nothing.
The image below is for the Wellington buffs to chew over. Courtesies to Bob McDougall who had no responsibility for my leap in the dark.
PS Of course QUEEN CHARLOTTE is Z72, NOT Z73 as in NZNV.
Updated ‘recent’ photos of Lady Ava ex John Wright. click photos to enlarge
John tells me the ‘young lad’ in the wheel house is ‘Captain Buck Rogers’
After 6 years on A Pier @ Bayswater I have to find a new home for Raindance. The owner sold the berth on trademe, would have been nice to know it was on the market……. but as the say – you snooze, you lose.
In the ideal world looking for someone wanting to rent a 10.5 > 12m in Bayswater but Westhaven could be an option.
Contact Alan at waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Woody Report From A Far #3
My cub reporter sames to have reverted to his past – the latest trip report is all sail & even a steel one, I have sent a strongly worded note reminding him his lavish retainer is based on a supply of wooden motor boat articles 🙂
OLD IRON SIDES
Only in the USA – the USS Constitution 200+ years old and even though now a museum, she is still a commissioned warship. Despite her nick name her hull is 21 inches thick timber. Undefeated in battle she was feared by the British who gave her the nickname as they could not sink her.
PEKING
One of the last generation of great sailing ships, the windjammers. Peking was built in 1911 & not a woody as her hull is steel.She is permanently berthed these days at New York’s South Street Seaport.
NGATAKI / JOHNNY WRAY SOUTH SEAS VAGABONDS
Big day down at the waterfront yesterday, we had over 200 people turned out for the Tino Rawa Trust re-launch of Johnny Wray’s Ngataki & the Harper Collins launch of the 75th Anniversary edition of ‘South Sea Vagabonds’.
Todays post is a photo essay of yesterdays events. As always, click any photo to enlarge 😉
Ngataki
Ngataki Memorabilia
South Sea Vagabonds 75th Anniversary edition launch
Friends of Ngataki (Andrew Fagan’s – ‘Swirly World & K. Hammond / A. Sully’s – ‘Seaward’)
The legand lives on
Something really cool – at the book launch Findlay MacDonald from Harper Collins Publishing advised that the Red Cross were the benefactors of Johnny Wray’s will, so proceeds from the book sales go to them, BUT the Red Cross has decided they will split the proceeds with the Tino Rawa Trust to help maintain Ngataki. How cool is that – remember the Red Cross next time one of their collectors rattles a money box in front of you – or more likely, you get a phone call.
Remember – the boat & the dockside exhibition is open Saturday & Sunday – see details below.
Click the link below to see some launch day photos ex Tony Stevenson
http://classicyacht.org.nz/cyaforum/topic/ngataki-restoration/#post-124899
Ngataki in the International Media
The relaunch & book launch is featured in the Oct 2014 edition of the Classic Boat UK
MISS BRETT
Classic displacement launch Miss Brett, built for the famous cream trip at the Bay of Islands. 40′ loa, 10’9″ beam, 2’11” draft. Kauri carvel planked, launched 1924, powered by 100 hp 6 cyld Ford diesel.
Must be loads of history out there on this old girl. Designer / builder??
Sorry about the photos, ex trademe & very poor quality 😦
AWATERE
Photos before & after refit ex Alan H, details & older sedan top photo ex current owner.
Awatere 32′ & surprisingly given her classic looks was built in 1980 by Claude Greenwood a boat builder at Whangateau (Leigh) for Mr Arcus who was at that time the ARA (Auckland Regional Authority) Chief Ranger for the Gulf Harbour region. He wanted a reasonably beamy comfortable launch for family cruising. He wanted practical and pretty and Awatere is both.
Her hull was made from a single kauri tree which was, according to anecdotal evidence, one of the last milled by the Whangarei Timber Company and people have mentioned that her lines are similar to some launches built by a Whangarei boat building company. After Arcus, she was for a while in Whangamata (hence the game poles) and shifted to Auckland around 1998.
The cabin sides are teak and she was originally built as a sedan top (refer photo above). The fly bridge was put on, probably in the early 90’s by Geoff Bagnell, boat-builder of Milford.
She was re-engined by current owner in the late 1990’s and is currently powered by a 135 HP Ford Dover diesel (Moon Engines). Double berth up forward with two single amidships in the main cabin.
In 2013 Awatere underwent an extensive re-fit & included a back to bare wood paint / Uroxsys treatment, she was also re-propped & now cruises at around 10 Knots.
Note: there is comment on ww that Peter Arcus actually built Awatere himself , any info / photos on her past would be great & maybe we can clarify the builder / location issue. Correction – from Nathan Herbert – My wires are crossed. It was his yacht Egret which he built at farm. The wharf photo is at the farm though. Ive seen a photo of the launch new on farm which is what mucked me up
Builders Plate (ex the owner Geoff Steven)
05-01-2015 Pam at the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard sent me the 1/2 model photo below – could this be of Awatere ??
15-11-2017 UPDATE
Updated details on Awatere below. Written by Peter Arcus via Judy Turnbull.
“AWATERE was completely designed by myself.
I wanted a boat that would tow a barge (for transporting cattle) between Tiri Island and Whangaparaoa and that was also a good cruising launch and I wanted the construction to be strip plank concave/convex.
I consulted an expert, Howard Greenwood, (a boatbuilder whose yard was on the Whangateau estuary) and the hull was subsequently built by Greenwoods. There was a curve built into the bilge shape that was an experiment put forward by Howard Greenwood. By looking at the hull you can actually see the curvature that acted in the manner of a trim tab but was actually built into the hull. The water flow under the boat gave it the desired effect.
Kauri was hard to get. Bob Herman (Whangarei Timber Company) was a comrade from my Airforce days and we went down to the Mill in Whangarei to ask if he had any spare Kauri and I was lucky to get some beautiful timber.
When the hull was built Howard Greenwood commented that she may need a bit of ballast forward and I queried what to use. Howard said you’ve got it right there on Tiri, small flat rocks sealed between two floors – It will stay clean, you will never have to wash it. It was placed up in the shoulders of the hull, the powerful part of the boat and she was beautifully balanced. After completion the hull was towed by the “Pacific” to Hobbs’ Flat (now the site of Gulf Harbour Marina) and then towed overland by tractor up to the farm homestead where she was finished off by myself under a covered area.
She was powered by a 100hp Fordson installed by Eric Glavish, an Engineer from Helensvile. The engine was completely dismantled and rebalanced and she ran like clockwork with a cruising speed of 10 knots and did 14 knots opened up.
She was launched in 1980. An entry on the website states that at the time the boat was built I was the ARA Chief Ranger for the Gulf Harbour region. That statement is incorrect. I was the Farm Manager of the Hobbs Estate at Whangaparaoa prior to its sale in 1972.
The 1st photo in the article was taken just prior to Awatere being sold to Ian Boocock.”
RATANUI
Ratanui” is a 31’kauri carvel planked bridge decker. A plate on board indicates a build date of 1928 but it is ‘thought’ a more likely build date is 1910-1914 & possibly by Bailey and Lowe in Auckland. She is powered by a Ford D-Series, model 2722E giving 7-8 knots cruising speed.
Currently based at Lake Rotoiti & used for cruises on the lake, both pleasure & commercially. If Ratanui rings your bell, she is for sale on trademe.
Would be interested to know any details & obtain photos of her before the plywood sheets were added.
SYBIL FRANCIS
This one might be easy but I suspect not – her trademe listing said she was built in 1935 & is 36′ three skin kauri planked with a 10′ beam. Powered by a 120 hp Ford diesel.
Currently based at Great Barrier Island & been earning her keep as a fishing boat, she has had one owner for the last twenty three years.
Anyone able to shed some light on the old girl?
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