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.

Luana

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Luana

LUANA

photo ex Harold Kidd

The above photo of Luana shows her with one of the most famous warships of all time, HMS Hood. In 1924 Hood visited Auckland with another battleship, HMS Repulse as part of a 38000 mile circumnavigation. HMS Hood is seen at Princes Wharf.

At 860 ft she was for many years the largest & most prestigious warship in the world, with a top speed of 31 knots what a sight she must have been.

Sadly on the 24th May 1941 she came 2nd in one of the most famous surface engagements of WW2 – the German battleship Bismarck sank Hood in 3 minutes with only 3 of the 1418 men onboard surviving.
There was at the time much controversy into the speed of her demise & the exact cause of the loss of Hood still remains a subject for debate. Whether a shell from Bismarck king hit Hoods armory or a fire detonated her own torpedoes will never be know.

On a happier note Luana is still with us & a quick entry in the woodys search box will reward you with some great photos.

Young-Old Man’s Blather.

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Russel Ward aka Mr Steam + boat builder Joe Wheeler

Today’s post is to quote the writer (Russell Ward) a ditty on his teenage boating years & sheds some light on the Bayswater boat builder, Joe Wheeler, who is largely unsung but deserves attention.Click the link below to view/read the story/photos.

Harold Kidd knows more about Joe and can be sure to chip in on this one.

Pour yourself a cup of tea & enjoy the story 🙂

Click this link (blue text) to view Young-old man’s blather

Russell in his element

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Joe Wheelers last boat built -seen here at Stillwater

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Aotearoa II

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Aotearoa II

AOTEAROA II

details & photo ex Ken Ricketts

Aotearoa was the ‘night launch’ for many years before the Harbour Bridge, which used to take North Shore folk home through the night from the launch steps in town, after the ferry services stopped around midnight, & was operated by Eric Harrison, who after the Harbour Bridge went in to service, moved Aotearoa to Kawau. There she became part of the ferry services to the Sandspit & also did Auckland to Kawau trips. She was bought off Harrison & owned for a short period by Rick Brown, who onsold her to Gordon Brown, (no relation as far as Ken knows). Gordon Brown also ran her as ferry service to Kawau fo a few years & was ultimately squeezed out by Harry Julian who tried to totally control Kawau logistics for a number of years.

She was originally powered by 2 x 100hp 6cyl. naturally aspirated Fords which were later replaced by Eric Harrison with 2 x 6 cyl. turbo 165hp Volvos.

Ken suspects she may have been built by R Lidgard, can anyone add to this or confirm?

Anyone able to ID the launch?

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Anyone able to ID the launch?

Mary E Taylor Painting

Image ex John Burland

Painted in 1990 by Devonport painter Mary Taylor, titled ‘Houses & Boats’.
Anyone able to ID the launch, bottom left. Looks a little like my girl – Raindance – but not her.

14/04/2014 Some feedback (ex Rod Marler) from the artist, Mary Taylor.

“Re: the launch in the art piece. This pic is based loosely on a launch I saw that day. I don’t know what its name was but the boats I selected for my pic were based on craft that I liked the look of. They appeared in reality in a bit of a jumble, so the challenge was to place them into a pleasing composition and to simplify what was there.

I was in the Torpedo Bay area looking back to the land”

Anodes – yes/no ?

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Anodes - yes/no ?

Anodes – yes/no ?

If you wanted some visual proof that some form of anode protection is desirable on some vessels (covering my ass here……..) – look no further than the above photo. I’m told the sump was worse.

Usual story – boat left on mooring unattended, bilge pump not working, a ‘wee’ bit of water in the bilge & as James Mobberley at Moon Engines said when I showed him the photo, the engine was performing the role of anode 😦

Timeless / Daphne Dee

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Timeless

TIMELESS

photo & info ex Baden Pascoe

The new owner (Peter Clausen) of Timeless, a 44′ launch based in Nelson is looking for any history on her. They have been told she is (possibly) a Laurent Giles design.

The details passed on were that it was built in Auckland by Eric Gibson a local boatbuilder over a number of years and launched 1998. She is kauri planked and her design looks to be from the 50s or 60s. The builder died soon after it was launched, then it was fitted out in Tauranga,. She has been in Havelock for the past 8 years.

Can anyone add to or clarify the above?

10/02/2015 Update
Peter has advised that the launch was renamed Timeless in about 2002 when the builder sold her. Prior to this she was named ‘Daphne Dee’.
I have attached below a couple of photos passed on from the previous owner taken around 2002 of the boat.
Peter can be contacted on email manaroa11@gmail.com

01-04-2020 Further Input from Peter Clasen – Being the present owners of Timeless I can now provide a bit more history on this boat, we posted the enquiry back in 2014 for information on her and have since got a bit more of her history.
She was built in Te Atatu Auckland by Eric Gibson a boat builder and his wife Daphne in their back yard.
The build was started around 1960 but due to poor health in the 70s and 80s he was not able to complete topsides. In 1998 hull and decks were taken to Colin Silby boat builders were the wheelhouse was fitted and other finishing work done.
She was launched 1998 as Daphne Gee and sold onto Craig Littlejohn and Jenny Peace from Tauranga after Eric passed away 2002, they extended the wheelhouse and fitted out the interior.
We purchased her from Walter Elsey in 2014 and keep her in the Nelson Mariner.
In 2016 we circumnavigated South Island and 2019 the North Island.
She is said to be a Laurent Giles design, 44ft LOA , is planked in 1 5/8 inch Kauri, powered by 6 Cylinder 120 hp Ford 2715e. She cruises at around 7 knots at 1500rpm burning about 7 LPH, reduction is 3:1. Displacement 18 tons.

Valmarie

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VALMARIE

details & photos ex Ken Ricketts, Martin Bertold & trademe

Built by Francis Wells of Wakatahuru in the South Island, for himself & was built of double diagonal planking in kahikatea, started in July 1951 & launched in 1960.
Whilst originally built by Wells as a work boat for himself, as you can now see, she is a beautiful, very comfortable, heavy displacement pleasure craft that could go almost anywhere.

Wells owned her until 1981 & after he died in August of that year she was sold by his estate to Murray Harris of Nelson circ. August 1981. She passed to Eric Jacobson between 1985 & 1987, who renamed her Evangeline & brought her to Auckland. In May 1993 she was sold to Brent Haslet & Carol Rush of Auckland who sold her in 2003 to Craig Burrow of Taupaki, West Auckland.

She is presently owned by David Brown of Auckland who advised that the large chrome throttle controls came off the previously destroyed Fairmile Mana.

She is driven by a matched handed pair of Gardner 8L3 eight cylinder in line diesel engines. The motors were originally from the island trader Rana which Brown traveled to Rarotonga to remove, at the end of her life & then bring them to NZ for installation in Valmarie. She had a cruising speed when new of 9.5 knots & top speed of 11 knots.

She has been returned to her original name, somewhere along the way & is currently for sale on trademe.

Laughing Lady

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LAUGHING LADY

A ‘new’ lady from the USA joins the NZ classic fleet. But first stop is the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard. Click any image to enlarge.

USA owner – David Gardiner
As ‘found’
Being packed up in USA
Safely in NZ
The end of the road trip North from Post Tauranga
Into the shed at Whangateau

Luders built the motorboat Laughing Lady in Connecticut in 1949 as a day fishing boat for a wealthy American socialite. A few years later she sold it to David Gardiner, who considered himself the 16th Lord of Gardiners Island. The island has an interesting history. As Americas largest private island, It had been in the family ever since his ancestor, the English settler Lion Gardiner, bought it from the Montaukett Indians in 1639 for ”one large dog, one gun, some powder and shot, some rum and several blankets”. He also obtained a charter for the island from King Charles I of England. Captain Kidd once buried treasure there, and the family withstood several attacks by pirates. Gardiner used the Laughing Lady to commute from the Island to New York where he worked as a stockbroker and also across to the up market Hamptons to ferry his guests to the Island, including Jacqui Kennedy-Onassis. Before David Gardiner passed away in 2004 the boat was sold and transported to a yard in San Diego where it underwent significant restoration of the hull before the restoration eventually stalled.

Enter Kiwis, Michael & Katy his sister-in-law who have both worked in the yachting industry and found a love for old boats working as crew on the historic 142 foot Dutch built Feadship Istros and also crewing aboard Fife yachts in various classic yacht regattas around the Mediterranean. They were looking for a small-scale project of their own and found the Laughing Lady languishing in a yacht yard in San Diego last year. They made an offer and the boat was theirs. The boat was then loaded onto a cargo ship in Los Angeles and shipped to Tauranga in March 2014, then towed on a large trailer up to Whangateau in early April (refer photos above). After being shoehorned into the main shed at Whangateau Traditional Boat yard, work will now commence returning the lady back to her former glory.

Luders stopped making boats in the 1980’s but had a fine pedigree in boat building, pioneering hot molded construction and the use of plywood during WWII.  The yard built and designed, fast commuter yachts, Navy patrol boats, tugs, launches and racing yachts including the 1962 America’s Cup winner Weatherly.

Laughing Lady is 32 foot long and was originally powered by Packard straight 8’s, nowadays is powered by twin Volvo turbo diesels.

Built of double planked cedar and mahogany with oak framing and a unique hot molded cabin trunk, she still has the basin that was used for shaving on the way to work and cast bronze fish fighting chairs. The boat will be kept as original as possible, but they will add some modern navigational equipment and something to cook on for overnight trips. Aside from that there is a lot of wiring, wood working, plumbing, paint and varnish to be done before she is completed and back on the water and turning heads as a fishing boat on her new home – the Hauraki Gulf.

Waitematawoodys will follow the work her owners will be undertaking with the assistance of Pam & George at the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard.

This might be easier to read

 

 

Lolene

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LOLENE

A classic displacement sedan launch, designed and built by Billy Rogers & launched in 1963. She was named after one of his daughters, as were a lot of Billy’s boats.

Kauri carvel construction, powered by 6 cylinder 120hp Ford diesel.

34’Length, 10’ 9” beam & 3’ 3” draft. 5’ 10” headroom, she sleeps 5 in single berths.

Currently for sale on trademe.

Harold Kidd Update

As I understand it, Billy Rogers built LOLENE for himself around 1963. Certainly she was first registered in his name with APYMBA at his then Wiilliamson Ave., Grey Lynn address. Billy had owned the 28ft keel yacht LOLOMA as a young man and was deeply fond of her. As a result some of his boats and children had the letters LO and LOMA in their names eg LADY LOMA in 1949.
Close sister ships were IOWANA (I1966) built for Dr. Kreichbaum and still in the hands of the Shorty Sefton/Pollard family and LADY FLORENCE (1966) built for Hedley Kendall. Andrew Pollard is a mine of information on these lovely sedans.
Subsequent owners of LOLENE have included K.D. Orell, Takapuna (1973), John Cossar 1989-95), Gary Hogg (1995) and Ken and Rhonda Blakie (2001).