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.

Elsie Evans

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ELSIE EVANS

details & photos from Bob McDougall & the Timaru Herald

Timaru’s first pilot boat, the ELSIE EVANS, a 1901 Bailey (13m x 2.4m) has been relaunched into the Otago Harbour after a very long $500,000+ rebuilding / restoration project that saw her spend 59 years on land.

The ELSIE EVANS was built by Auckland firm Charles Bailey Jr, as the first pilot boat for the Timaru Harbour Board and as a replacement for its paddle-tug MANA.

It was launched on December 31, 1901, and named after the wife of the harbour board chairman at the time, William Evans.

The boat’s main tasks were to tow small craft, tend the big steamers, take the health officer out to deep-sea sailing vessels and carry the pilots.

Those were roles it continued until 1927, when it was sold to Captain Percy Moss, of the Portobello Railway and Ferry Co.

From 1928, it was used as a launch to tow barges, carry freight, and ferry passengers when the company’s other ferries TAREWAI and WAIREKA were out of service.

In 1944, it took over from the TAREWAI and regularly sailed the 2.4 kilometers between Portobello and Port Chalmers, carrying up to 37 passengers.

It was a role it continued in until 1954.

Life for the old launch took a turn for the worse after that. While several owners had big plans for the boat, nothing happened and it was sitting in a paddock when the South Canterbury Historical Society bought it for $1200 in 1997.

B/W photo above (ex Bob McDougall ) show ELSIE EVANS being brought to Dunedin’s Birch Street wharf from its long-time mooring at Ravensbourne, on 1 September 1962, and taken by road to Waihola, where it languished there and later with other owners/other places, for decades.

It is planed that passengers (exact number subject to a stability test) would be allowed on ELSIE EVANS by January after she has passed her survey

View TV news article on the launching here

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/century-old-boat-back-water-video-5527794

Check out in the posting below this post, of the 2011 mini movie by Simon East backgrounding the history & restoration, stunning footage of the Otago Harbour.

Elsie Evans – Timaru’s first pilot boat

Video

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ELSIE EVANS

Check out this 2011 mini movie by Simon East backgrounding the history & restoration of the ‘Elsie Evans’, the 1902 Charles Bailey Jnr. built Timaru pilot boat. Some stunning footage of the Otago Harbour.

Then read the posting above for more details + relaunch photos.

Linda

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Sea Spray April ’74
Sea Spray April ’74
Linda @ Salthouse July 2013
Linda @ Baywwater

LINDA 1927 Colin Wild

You would not know it by viewing her today but in the mid 1980’s Linda experienced a major fire that almost was the end of her. Enter Robert & Russell Brooke who rebuilt Linda to the magnificent classic launch she is today. I came across (classicboatingnz) a copy of the April 1974 edition of Sea Spray, which featured Linda pre fire & then 51 years old. Text might be a little hard to read (click image to enlarge) but the photos are interesting. For comparison I have also attached a photo of Linda on her marina berth & a July 2013 photo showing Linda post her recent lick of paint & Uroxsys.

A Classic Sailing Dinghy

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7’6″ – Selway Fisher Redshank Clinker Stem Dinghy

CYA member Alan Good (MV Lucille) has been busy over the last 12 months delivering this little beauty into the world.

Alan started the project at The NZ Traditional Boatbuilding school & then moved her home for the final fit out. Still a few more tasks on the list in regard to the sailing rig. I will update this post with some sailing photos when available.

The mix of timber is amazing – Kauri, Jarra, Dumari, American Ash, Kwila, Hoop pine, Kavalu, Hoduras Mahogany, Kahikatea, Yellow oak.

Well done Alan, I look forward to seeing her in a bay 🙂 AH

Yachts ‘versus’ Motor Boats

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Yachts ‘versus’ Motor Boats 

29 Jan 1953 – the day it all turned to custard

Now its commonly accepted that a lot of yachties do not hold motor boat owners in very high regard, hopefully its a little different with the CYA members, but even to this day, fathers are telling little Johnny that he would have won the local yacht club Opti race if it had not been for that bl_ _ _y launch that went past.

I think Harold Kidd summed the situation well in the book ‘Southern Breeze’ (published 1999) – extract below:

“Launches were originally considered an integral part of the sport of yachting and civilized it, providing comfortable, safe & (initially) segregated accommodation for the former yachting widows & the children.

Soon, yachtsmen assimilated the new order. Launch owners went out of their way to render assistance to yachts in distress & provide a welcome tow home in flat calms. The relationship, however, between yachtsmen & launchmen was always a little flawed by the affected superiority of the yachtsmen who deprecated launches as ‘stinkpots’, but the truth was that most of the crews were interchangeable, well-know to each other & experienced in both branches of the sport. That situation prevailed during the ‘classic’ period to 1960, but the advent thereafter of fast planing craft in the hands of often totally inexperienced owners diminished to some extent the mutual respect between yachtsmen & powerboat owners”

 In my search for cool photos for waitematawoodys I have uncovered photographic evidence that it happened 7 years earlier than Harold thought, evidence of the exact day & event it all turned pear shape – 29 January 1953, Auckland Anniversary Regatta.

See photo above, the displacement launch in the middle of the photo is all good, the speed boat in the bottom right……………. you can just imagine the language aboard the yachts 30 seconds after this photo was taken.

From this day on we were all tarred with the same brush 🙂

Imperial ‘v’ Metric Measurement

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Imperial ‘v’ Metric Measurement

One of the woody’s has asked the question below – maybe the waitematawoody boat builders or in fact any one, might be able to help.

“When did the marine industry in New Zealand change from imperial to metric measurement?.  It might be an ‘old wives tale’ but I’m told some of the older boatbuilders felt they could get greater accuracy with imperial over metric, but I wonder when the practice finally died out”.

Lady Margaret (Colin Wild)

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LADY MARGARET

She is back in Auckland after quite a few years in the far north. They are numerous posting on her on waitematawoodies, just enter her name in the search panel. But a quick overview – 1927, Colin Wild bridge-decker, 42′, one of THE launches in her day with a wonderful provenance.

Very very pretty, then aren’t all Colin Wild boats 🙂

Will be interesting to see if the Col Wild stable is enough to justify the asking price with potential buyers. Talk around the docks is that she sold for a LOT less last time she was on the market & the term used in the listing to describe the recent work is ‘ a make-over’ so best to view her as a wonderful classic that you could go boating in tomorrow but she is very ‘traditional’ in terms of motor, layout, fittings & finish so at some stage to return her to her best you will have to be visiting the bank manager. She will not sell for the asking price but launches with her provenance & looks do not come on the market often. Take a look at the ‘at sea’ photos – a fine looking vessel.

I will be interested to see how she fares in the current classic wooden boat market. The Logan (do not get much better breeding than that) launch Ngaio recently sold for sub $40,000 & was in similar condition, excluding the fresh paint.

More details here.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=620813973

Lady M out on the hard at Gulf Harbour, with her new owner giving her a tickle, Ken R took the photo 22/03/14.

LADY MARGARET - TLC FROM NEW OWNER - 22.3.14

A couple from the new owner

02/07/2014 – Launch date photo below at Colin Wild’s Stanley Bay yard. According to Papers Past the date was 9 Oct 1928, else were on this post we have her as launched in 1927?

I was mooching around Westhaven this afternoon, 17/08/2014 & spied LM on her new berth.

Updated Photo – 15/01/2015

Update 19-02-2020 – photo below of LM c.1962. taken at Okahu Bay
Lady Margaret

Isa Lei (original name was Taiparu)

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ISA LEI (original name was Taiparu)

Details & photos from Ann Hood (owner of Avanti) & Ken Rickitts
Isa Lei was Ann’s parents boat & she was built in 1946/47 by Lidgards & was one of 2 identical boats — the other is ‘Wakatere’. The only visible difference is, that the Wakatere  had a dodger from new &  Isa Lei didn’t . They both had that unique shaped tuck, the streamlined bow porthole frames.
When she was built, she had the name on gold leaf in script, slanting up at an angle on the combings — (from the side deck line towards the cabin top if you like),  after of the last window between the window & where the combings curved down to the cockpit.
Isa Lei was owned for a period in the 80s  by a couple who lived in Wheturangi Rd Green Lane, called Jack & Isobel Lucas (the battery people, lived in Panmure) & Ken Rickitts first meet Jack in the early 1980’s, when he pulled in to Mansion House Bay, one day on his way to Auckland with the boat from Whangarei, where he has just bought & taken delivery of her, from the previous owners, Helen & Jim Somner, who had had her for a number of years.
Ann says the small photo has a date on the back of 09.01.64 and believes this is when the Somner family owned her.  The photos of her in blue were as her parents found her in Bowentown.  She was hauled out quickly at Opua on arrival and then at the BOI Yacht Club for the work. The man doing the recaulking is Keith Edwards

Ann thinks that her Mum and Dad “filled in” the flying bridge and remembers spending hours stripping and sanding the pilot light mast and vhf mast and also sanding the Kauri for her nameplate.

Photos are a montage over the last 70 years. Some pretty, some not…. 🙂

Harold Kidd Update

ISA LEI was built as TAIPARU (not TAUPARU) by Lidgard Bros at the Western Reclamation, Auckland for J. Carlton of Sunny Bay, Kawau and launched on 7th December 1939 with a 6 cylinder 90hp Graymarine petrol engine. In 1946 she was owned by C. Pryce Jones. I H McRae owned her in 1953 and it was he who changed her name to ISA LEI. Roughly 1954 to 1975 she was owned by Lloyd and Jim Somner etc etc.

I think her sistership was WAKATERE which spent a lot of her life in Tauranga.