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.

Moana

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Moana 2014
Moana c1950s

MOANA

Chasing more detail on Moana & her past. She is a Sam Ford bridge decker. Note the ‘trademark’ waterline (engine room) portholes.

The full colour photo above I took at the CYA launch cruise to the Riverhead Hotel on 02/06/2014.

The b/w photo was sent in by Paul Drake & was taken c.1950’s & shows her on a mooring in Lake Taupo, near where the Waikato River exits the lake. Paul’s boyhood memories are that she seemed to spend most of her time on her mooring. Her owner enjoyed being aboard her watching the world go by, without feeling the need to go anywhere.
He also remembers seeing her transom being rebuilt, no doubt due to dry rot, whilst afloat.

Can anyone add more ?

Harold Kidd Update

She could be one of the two 38 footers built by Sam Ford just before the outbreak of war in September 1939. One was LADY NGAIRE for Shelley B Atkinson which does not appear as such postwar and the other was for Vern McGeady to replace his 1936 Sam Ford-built 35 footer LADY PAM, completely burnt out off Motuihe in October 1938. Again, no postwar trace.

Photo below ex Graeme Willcox of Moana on Lake Taupo c.1970’s when she was owned by Graeme’s grandfather – Dick Tylee

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Haumoana

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Haumoana

Built in 1947 by Colin Wild. Pictured above at the 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade. Haumoana is owned by Glenys & David Wilson & a recent arrival on the lake departing the Waitemata not long after the October 2012 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition (photo below) . Speaking of which if I could remember who I learnt my copy of the excellent publication ‘The Colin Wild Story’, commissioned by Tony Stevenson & written by Harold Kidd, I would be able to tell you a lot more about Haumoana – I’m sure HDK will do the honors 🙂

Update from Harold Kidd

Ever the anorak.
HAUMOANA was built by Colin Wild in 1949 for C.F. & E.J. Clark of Warkworth. She is 30’x9’5″x4′ and originally had a 93hp Kermath petrol engine. The Clarks sold her in 1958 to Dr. W. Claude Horton of Auckland by when she had a 4 cylinder 60hp Ford diesel. Joint owners (or maybe subsequent owners) were Mr & Mrs Carl Meinhold. Dr. Horton registered her as a British Registered Ship under No. 315006. M Wilson of Paihia had her in 1973. I see she is now quoted with a loa of 34ft. Was she lengthened or did someone have an elastic tape-measure? Listed as 31′ in the Lake Rotoiti records. AH
Haumoana with her big sisters at the 2012 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition (L>R – Amakura II, Linda, Lady Gay, Haumoana)

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On- Line Classic Yacht Magazine

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On- Line Classic Yacht Magazine

Ok after yesterdays bombardment of photos of classic kiwi launches I thought today I’d share with you a digital magazine from the USA, remember that the boys in the states call almost anything that floats a yacht, so its a mix of power & sail.

Below is a link to a PDF file to view, but if you want to experience the embedded videos & see the double page spread photos in all their glory, click the link to the on-line version.

I hope this all works – I’m sure someone will post & tell me if it does not.

Enjoy

Click for PDF classicyachtmayjune2014

Click below for on-line viewing

http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/ClassicYacht/classic-yacht-may-june-2014/2014053001/#0

CYA Pub Cruise Photos

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CYA Pub Cruise Photos

A big day yesterday for the CYA launch fleet – we had one of our cruises to the Riverhead Hotel. 18 classic motor launches & approx. 120 people arrived as the pub doors opened at 10.00a.m. What followed was over 2 hours of classic wooden boat camaraderie.  Good times were had & friendships made with new members.

Enjoy the mix of photos. Most from my camera but a few from others on the day.

As always with ww, click any photo to enlarge 😉

dockside
Trinidad
Waimiga & Lady Margaret
Dockside
Dockside
David Cooke & Chris Miller
Lady Crossley & Trinidad
Lady Crossley & Trinidad
David Cooke
dockside
Raindance
Seagull & Rorqual
Dan Renall & Jason Prew
Kayla Rose
Ngaio
Otira – the ‘school bus’
Ngaio
Peter Board & Alan H sporting CYA Canada caps
Vansan
Lady Crossley
Lady Crossley
Ngaio, Valsan,Endeavour
Seagull racers
Lady Margaret, Trinidad, Lady Crossley, Waimiga
the creek
Moana
dockside
Manapouri
Silens
Lady Maragret
Seagull
Seagull
Silens & Manapouri
Manapouri
Waimiga
Ngaio
Lucille
Lucille
dockside

New photos ex Chris Miller

Kumi,Monterey,Lucille,Silens,Raindance
Trinidad & Lady Crossley

 

 

Relax-Ay-Voo

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Relax-Ay-Voo

RELAX-AY-VOO

I know little about this very pretty 9m launch other than she was designed by Bruce Askew & is currently owned by John Duncan & resides on Lake Rototit.
For one of the ‘modern day’ designers Askew has a very good eye for what a classic should look like.

Any one able to shed some more light on her?

The above photo was taken at the 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade

Ranui

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RANUI

I had these stunning photos of Ranui sent to me yesterday by her previous Wellington owner, Sven Baker, who spent 3 years bringing her back to as new with a no expense spared refit that included rebuilt engine, major hull repairs, total repaint and varnish inside and out.

Sven used her for one summer in the sounds and then sold her to an Auckland owner, so she’s now back on Auckland where she belongs 🙂 , Sven’s words not mine, but I agree !!.

Ranui was built c.1947 by R Lidgard for Hec Goodfellow. On launching day she was 38′ but in the late 1950’s / early 60’s she had 6>8′ added to her length. Quite an unusual build for NZ, obviously heavily influenced by the USA Chris Craft marque .

So the big question is – where is she & who owns her ? – I want her in the CYA launch fleet 🙂

Remember: by clicking on a photo, you can enlarge it 😉

B/W photo below, as launched, taken by Ken Ricketts c.1950

RANUI

Update from Harold Kidd

Hec Goodfellow owned Shed 8 at Ngapipi Road where he kept RANUI. On the back wall is still the name plate for the 30ft runabout METEOR Sam Ford (Invincible Boat Co) built for him in May 1931 with a 225hp Kermath. She did 25kn with ease. Hec sold her in the late 1930’s to Coastguard as a patrol boat, shortly after which she was taken over by the Defence Force and fitted with a Ford V8. She was put up for tender as war surplus in 1945 and later bought by Alan Beamish-White who had Lanes remodel her and then he used her on Lake Okataina.
She was reported as still in existence in Thames not so long ago.
Jim Francis kept LADY MARGARET II (the Lang one) in Shed 8. It is now owned by Chris Dickson.

And just to prove what a trainspotter I am – below is a photo of the Meteor name plate, on the shed wall Harold mentions above 🙂

P1160973

New photos from today – 12/07/2014

Thistle

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THISTLE
Todays post is a little left field in that it relates to a boat in Australia, with kiwi link. I was contacted by Greg Cash who has recently purchased the boat & is trying to find out more about her design & whether others similar were built & still exist today.Alan H

Some history – Cyril Griffiths was born in Devonport (Tasmania) in 1888. His Mother died when was 11 years old. He went to New Zealand to live with an Aunt and Uncle, Sir Thomas and Elsie Mackenzie nee Griffiths. Thomas Mackenzie was Prime Minister of New Zealand.
While he was in New Zealand he was an apprentice carpenter – boat builder.
He went from New Zealand to the 1914 -18 war.

After the war he returned to Tasmania and married Mary Frances Black.
He worked at Waratah as a carpenter in the mine for 10 years. He had 3 daughters.
He built 2 boats at Waratah, including the Thistle (c.1928) using a design he’d brought back from New Zealand -19’8″ in length, 6’9″ beam, huon pine with and inboard motor and sails.
Greg has been told it is a hard chined carvel hull, but knows nothing more than that and anything waitematawoody readers can add would be greatly appreciated.

The Thistle was used as one of the first tourist/fishing hire businesses on the Western side of Tasmania. It later became part of a ferry service across the Arthur River in North-west Tasmania for 20 years (see b/w ferry photo with boat attached), and was the Arthur River town boat until the 1980’s when it was retired to a farm dam and paddock. It was restored in 2011, and Greg bought it in 2014.

I have grouped the photos in two sections – old & as found + today.

As always with ww you can enlarge all the photos for viewing just by double clicking on one.

Alberta

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ALBERTA

I know very little known about Alberta other than she is kauri, 28’6″ & built in 1913. She now resides on Lake Rotoiti. In the back of my mind I recall someone saying she was kept at Milford Marina for a long time, prior to getting a new lease of life on the lake. If anyone knows the owner – Jon Dustin?, maybe we could find out more.

Harold Kidd Update

ALBERTA was built as a flushdecker by H.N. Burgess at Judges Bay in December 1913 and fitted with a 6/8 hp Automatic engine for which Burgess was the Auckland agent. A. Parsons of Ponsonby was her first owner. In 1914 she was repowered with a Model M Scripps from Lanes. From 1918 she was in Whangarei owned by the Palmer family. Maurice Reynolds bought her in 1959 and rebuilt her, then sold her in 1961. M C Williams of Northboro Road, Takapuna bought her and kept her at Milford. Artie Perkin owned her in 1969 and had a 36hp Perkins diesel in her. Andrew Campbell owned her in 2002, still in Milford and still a flushdecker, probably the very last of the pre-WW1 flushdeckers to survive in original state. The dodger put on her now is tastefully done and typical of the dodgers most flushdeckers had gained by 1918.

Winter Haul Out

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July 1930

photo ex Nathan Herbert ex NZ Herald

Winter Haul Out

How many of these boats can we ID? Location ? Vos yard? If it helps the date on the photo is July 1930.

Make sure you view the comments section – lots of discussion on this post.

Photo below ex Harold Kidd ex New Zealand Herald – 12 October 1934 – MR. H. D. GUTHRIE’S 45-FOOT CRUISER ALCESTIS

Aroha

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AROHA

Aroha is a kauri carvel planked 6.4m launch designed & built by C E Thompson, Dargaville, for Frank & Millie Macklow. She was fitted with a ‘Kelvin Ricardo E 4cylinder petrol (or paraffin) engine , featuring 2 sets of 2 cylinders with separate carbs, this enabled either pair of cylinders to be switched off. I have heard her running & she sounds rather ‘sweet’. This motor was designed by Anton Bergius of Glasgow & was fitted to a lot of Scottish trawlers. As an aside his nephew, Conrad Bergius lives in Auckland & is a diesel mechanic.
Amazingly Aroha is still powered by the same engine & maintains its original colours, accessories, trim, tools, stripped canvas cushions, manuals & warrantee.

In 1950 Aroha was hauled from Dargaville by road to Lake Rotoiti & launched at Mourea. She has spent the last 64 years on lake at Otaramarae Bay.

Her owner Warwick Henderson, purchased her in 2002 & renamed her Aroha after his mother, Aroha Avis Hutchinson.

Anyone able to expand on her year on build, original name & her life pre 1950 ?

(photos taken by Alan H at 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic &Wooden Boat Parade)