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.

Ngakiwa

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Ngakiwa

NGAKIWA
Story & photo from Russell Ward

The name was a made-up Maori concoction of two syllables and is meaningless (sort of).
She was built in 1956 by P Vos and Co and was really classy. Heavy as hell –a Cook Straiter as you would expect from Percy. Teak coamings and was really nice. For example, she had a curved transom –expensive stuff. A bit scruffy when the old man took over but he usually sorted that out pretty sharpish.
She had an abdominal Ford 60hp which was a rough installation. The previous owner was a farmer and this engine was a chuckout from one of the tractors by the looks. It was replaced by a Perkins which was much more agreeable.
She was built because the guy bought a boat unsurveyed and took her to Vos to repair. Percy said it would be cheaper to make him a new boat than deal with all the problems of that boat. At the time there was a little sedan top in the yard, Juilet with a tuck stern and pretty straight stem, she had a sedan top and a windscreen fwd on top of the cabin for the helmsman. So the Vos crew took the lines off her and Ngakiwa was built to them with addition of that curvaceous sheer line. Can you see the tumble home aft? She was / is real classy as I said before.
The Russell’s father sold her when he bought Naiad in ’66.

Updated photo (27.08/14) ex Nathan Herbert ex classicboatsnz

Ngakiwa

Kotanui

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KOTANUI

Story & photos from Nathan Herbert

Named after the original owner’s farm and adjacent island, was designed by Bob Salthouse for J.N (Jack) Hobbs of Hobbs bay Whangaparaoa and built at the Salthouse Greenhithe yard in 1964. She is 44 feet in length and was powered by twin Lister 60hp diesels cruising at 10 knots and pushing her to around 12 knots with mechanical gearboxes, later replaced by twin Fords on hydraulic gearboxes but retaining the original gear levers. She is a motorsailer with main and headsail of almost equal dimensions.

Her design is modelled from Jack’s previous launch the Pacific, which his father had built by Joe Slattery. Layout is practical with galley in the aft dodger area, long settee berths in the saloon coming up to a flat- floored wheelhouse with engines beneath (a bonus of the bridgedeck layout) and master accommodation and head for’d.

Before the Gulf harbour marina was built she would be hauled up at the eastern end of Hobbs Bay on a purpose- built slipway, operated by a winch driven from a Fordson Major tractor. Pacific had the same setup alongside her. Kotanui was the first boat to enter and berth in the new Gulf Harbour marina, followed by the Pacific.

A fixture of the Auckland cruising fleet from her launch until Jack’s death in 1991 at age 84, Bob Salthouse notes that her presence “opened a few eyes” leading to further commissions of fine, large launches.

Kotanui is now berthed on the marina in Milford, with very few alterations (refer 2012 photo ex Alan Houghton)

Scroll down to view 2 home movies of Kotanui 

Shipbuilders Ltd by Harold Kidd

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Shipbuilders Ltd by Harold Kidd

SHIPBUILDERS LTD….a few notes.

By Harold Kidd

The advertisement is from the back of a 1946 Sea Spray magazine and shows Shipbuilders Ltd spreading its wings for the bright new post-war world.
Shipbuilders Ltd started in business in Poore Street, now Westhaven Drive, around the middle of 1922 when it was run by T.L. Sharp. It also had an office at 23 Shortland St. Its major work was in shipwrighting, heavy repair work on steamers, scows, barges and commercial craft of all types. Norman Matheson, who had built the Rudder Cup-winning launch Maroro, worked there for many years. The company dabbled in commercial vessel ownership, for example running the scow EXCELSIOR with J.J. Craig Ltd., bringing rusty scrap from the ship graveyard on Browns Island to town for export to Japan.
By 1939 the Manager was S.B. (Hookey) Williams, formerly of Chas. Bailey & Son Ltd, in Beaumont Street, nearby. It had 4 “electric slipways” and went into the war with a good reputation for shipwrighting and good gear.
During the war the company did a lot of work with Seagar Bros building minesweepers and at least one Fairmile. In 1943 it joined with Chas. Bailey & Son Ltd, W.G. Lowe & Son Ltd, Associated Boatbuilders Ltd., P. Vos Ltd and Roy Lidgard in forming United Ship and Boatbuilders Ltd to carry out an unprecedented amount of ship construction for the United States Army and Navy. As a little light relief, they built 5 M Class yachts for American flyers in the Pacific.
In November 1944 there was a race amongst the five 18 footers which were mainly crewed by Shipbuilders Ltd staff amongst whom were Roy Steadman, Tim Windsor, L. Pollard, W. Heerdegen, C. Freeman, H. Yates, Vince Hogan and Roy Parris…pretty important names amongst Auckland’s yachtsmen of the time.

To be continued

Classic Launch Old Movie Footage – Pacific

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Some ‘old’ home movie footage, of Pacific, note the varnished cabin top, we like that 🙂
Supplied by Nathan Herbert

Update from Grant Burrell

This movie is taken around 1960 before the wheel house cabin was extended and the stern cabin had canvas sides. The cabin was never varnished but my Grand Father painted an imitation fake painted wood grain, It did look good, worked well on a swing mooring but the dark paint dried the timber when on the marina.

Marnine

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Scan 12

c1963

Scan 32

Ready for engines

MARNINE
Story & photos from Terry Porter
The name ‘Marnine’ is an anagram of Margaret (Joan Porter’s mother) and Janine (Fred and Joan’s only daughter after four sons).  ‘Marnine’ replaced ‘Wanda’ to cope better with a bigger family.
Dad and Garth Lane were good friends.  ‘Marnine’s’ lines were based on Ted Clarke’s ‘Lady Margaret’.  Mum and Dad were great friends with Ted and Margaret (Uncle Ted and Aunty Marg to us kids though no relation).  Dad liked ‘Lady Margaret’s’ sea-keeping characteristics so took control of the design of ‘Marnine’.  ‘Wanda’ rolled!  ‘Marnine’s’ styling and engineering design were all Fred’s work;  done in house at Mason & Porter with help from Ralph Ricketts and others (in particular Jack McLeod).
‘Marnine’ was launched at the end of 1961;  being 46 feet long with 4 feet added not long afterwards.
Contrary to some thinking, the boat performed OK as it was but the extra 4 feet would provide more bunks, a bigger head and more storage up forward.  A benefit was that ‘Marnine’ cruised and looked better.
‘Simran’ was also lengthened from 58 feet 3 inches to 64 feet.  This time on the stern and she too cruised and looked better.
On reflection, it seems most boats should be designed and then have 10% added prior to construction.
Photos
– B&W at Lanes Tamaki River being launched to have engines fitted across the river at Rothery’s Landing.
– Colour is cruising in 1963 prior to being lengthened.  Lack of forward handrail indicates pre-lengthening.
Note: to view more photos, just enter Marnine in the search box
08-05-2018 Input from Peter Wheeler – Regarding extending the bow.I was an apprentice at lanes at the time and helped Ray Pateman to loft out MARNINE. Ray actually altered the original design and extended the bow. Fred would have none of this and told Ray to go back to the original design. I had left Lanes and was surprised to see MARNINE getting her new bow when I called in to see the lads. She looked much more balanced I thought and saw her a few months ago and pointed out to my friends with me that I spent many a happy time helping to build her. She looked what she is classy.

Dorothy

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Launch day
At Rewa wreck
Launch day press coverage
DOROTHY
Story & photo ex Andrew Pollard
Built by Chas Bailey in 1929. She was actually launched as Dorothy M (after the original owners young daughter Dorothy Munro) the M seems to have been lost in the mists of time.
Im not sure of all her details and history… Baden and Im sure Harold will know  (Baden sent me this picture and should know more on her.)
It was taken at the sight of the Rewa wreck.
Very well known in the commercial fishing industry…
Currently at Westpark undergoing a re-birth.

NZPBA Championship 1929

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NZPBA championship races of 1929 on the Whau River (upper harbour)

The small speedboat in photo1 is OP-IT. She was built by Jack Brooke in late 1928,.and according to Harold Kidd & the Brooke family, that’s probably Jack racing her in the C Class outboard race)

Update from Harold Kidd

Photo 1 is certainly of Jack Brooke and his C Class (20 cu in) outbioard racer ‘OP IT which he designed and built himself. 
Photo 2 is MISS CLEVEDON (S2) and SPOT II (S15). MISS CLEVEDON was built and raced by T M Roberts and was one of the fastest in the over 20 knots category. I don’t know what power she had. Roberts also raced an outboard MISS CLEVEDON which had a 10hp Dunelt 249cc. Dunelt were upper quality English motorcycle manufacturers of the time who were trying to beat the Depression by getting into the outboard racing craze sweeping the world. SPOT II was a single step hydroplane built and raced by Alf Williams of Ponsonby. She had a “high-speed” Rugby 4 cylinder car engine, a favourite for marine use. The Rugby was built by the Durant Corporation and was the Star car rebadged for British Empire markets as there already was a fine English Star car, built in Wolverhampton and very like the contemporary Sunbeam. 
Photo 3 is HOBO (S3) which was built and raced by R. Mouat. She had a 6 cylinder Buick engine with which she won 2nd place in the Masport Cup in January 1929 at Wanganui. She was a crib of the American MARGARET III type.

Update from Colin Orum 30/03/2014

Photo 2 above is a photo of my grandfather Tom Roberts driving boat Miss Clevedon. I have heard quite a lot about his speedboat escapades from Mum now 88 and it was mentioned today. I thought to inquire if any information photos etc. were available. I was quite friendly with an old bloke at Waiheke named George Rose who(as a boy) new Tom quite well and used to tell me stories about his time with the racing boats. George said the power in Miss Clevedon was a Beardmore aero engine. Today Mum said the last she can remember is that Tom was taking Miss Clevedon on a practise run on the Clevedon river, struck a submerged log and sank, we assumed that it was recovered but unsure what happened after that. My brother has a cup trophy for Tom for Auckland speed boat champion around 1929-30.