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.

MYSTERY DOUBLE ENDER MOTOR BOAT

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MYSTERY DOUBLE ENDER MOTOR BOAT

Todays classic wood launch popped up recently on the NZ cars, boats, motor bikes etc fb , via Lew Redwood. The photo comes from the Auckland maritime museum collection and the photographer is unknown.

Reviewing the photos the 2nd one above is minus flagstaff/s and ensign / burgee, so safe to assume different days.

Are we able to ID the launch.

24-07-2026 HAROLD KIDD INPUT – What a pretty boat! I’ve asked Gavin Pascoe of the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust to look around. I have some ideas. I think she’s an Auckland-built launch, about 20-22ft, 1907 or so and would pick Bailey & Lowe, maybe Logan Bros or Chas Bailey in that order. If my woolly suspicions are correct she was built first for Picton.

CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT ON THE  HAURAKI PLAINS 

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CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT ON THE  HAURAKI PLAINS 

Todays wooden launch is named possibly named SETILER or SETTLER and we see her docked at the Kerepeehi Wharf in the Thames District. Along side her a two smaller ‘settlers’ launches that would have been used as everyday transport. Where as bigger vessel has a passenger look to her. Out of site is a 4th launch, which unfortunately we can not read the name on the bow.

In the background is a dredge that would have been engaged in the drainage of the Hauraki Plains

The photo comes to us from Darren Carr on the Kerepeehi Community fb page via Lew Redwood.

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – This is not the steamer SETTLER built by Charles Bailey in 1905 for the Kaipara but the SETTLER built by Harvey & Lang around 1913 for H Kirby of Thames as a passenger boat. SAMSON was built in 1911 by Bailey for T J Storey of Thames.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCHES ON THE KAIPARA

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SWANEE
WEONA
AVALON
UNKNOWN

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCHES ON THE KAIPARA

Over the weekend Travers Reynolds was mooching around the Kaipara Harbour (Pahi / Whakpirau) in his kayak and snapped the gallery of photos above.

As Travers commented there is a mix of presentation on display – some on the way out and some in fine fettle. 

Very sad to she the current condition of the launch SWANEE, she appeared on WW back in August 2015 , link below. The last decade hasn’t been kind to her, hopefully its just paint. https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/08/29/swanee/

Other woodys sighted are WEONA, AVALON and an unknown, well at least no name displayed.

RESTORATION UPDATE – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANAPOURI 

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RESTORATION UPDATE – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANAPOURI 

Our last major update on the restoration of the 43’ 1960 built classic wooden bridge decker was in November 2022 – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/11/28/manapouri-refit/

Then in December 2023 we had a note from Mark with some photos of a rather smart helm chat he was building and advice that the project was still underway but any boating in the summer of 2023/24 was not a happening thing.

Back in June 2025 after chatting with Mark he sent in todays photos with the promise of some ‘almost finished’ ones, so I held off. Sadly the promised photos never arrived so after a year I post the above and fingers crossed this bumps Mark into an update 🙂

TRAVEL BACK TO AUSTRALIA’S GOLDEN AGE OF WOODEN BOATS

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TRAVEL BACK TO AUSTRALIA’S GOLDEN AGE OF WOODEN BOATS

Today we share a film titled ‘Hard to Windwaed’ from the 1956 Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Filmed nearly 70 years ago the race is still one of Australia’s top sporting events. The manic race start very similar to what we see these days. 

The course is approx. 680 miles and depending on the weather, can be one of the most demanding sailing events on the international calendar.

Lots of pleasure craft to be viewed at the start and some wonderful close ups from on board. The film won numerous International awards for sporting event coverage.

Having visited Hobart several times for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival it was remarkable to see how little the Hobart waterfront has changed – well done Hobart on retaining the bones of such an amazing venue.

(Film comes to use from – State Library & Archives of Tasmania)

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT – WELLINGTON’S CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT

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HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT – WELLINGTON’S CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT

I’m guilty of a lapse that a lot of us northern woodys fall into – that being, we forget about NZ’s capital city Wellington as a home to some of our best classic wooden craft. 

Auckland, the Bay of Islands and the top of the South Island tend to dominate WW content. So it was so good to receive a trip report from Auckland based woody Geoff Fiebig (SV CAPLIN) from Chaffers marina in Wellington.

Extra special to see that the 49’ woody VANESSA was now in her new home and looking very salty. VANESSA was Geoff’s reason for the trip, hopefully we can get an insight into the project he has been commissioned to undertake. If you missed her story on WW when she was 4sale with the Wooden Boat Bureau, check out this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/10/23/ready-to-unwind-this-summer-classic-motorboat-vanessa-ticks-all-the-boxes/

The next woody is the 26’ 1925 Colin Wild built launch – LITTLE TASMAN, another woody that slipped thru our hands and headed south. Not before an amazing restoration at the hands of Colin Brown and Josh Hawkw at their Omaha yard. Check out this WW link and view the video of the project. https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/17/little-tasman-restoration/

Lastly we have the 1964 Ben Hipkins built  50’ bridge decker – RANGIORA looking the best she has in a long time – well done to her owners.

RANGIORA has had an interesting life , check out this 2022 WW story that backgrounds her partial sinking in1973 after hitting rocks off the northern coast of Waiheke Island, Auckland. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/01/04/rangiora-sinks-off-waiheke-21-09-1973/

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLASSIC YACHT – MAY BELLE

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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLASSIC YACHT – MAY BELLE

Classic wooden boat aficionado Brian Peat sent in the above b/w Winkleman photo of the yacht – MAY BELLE, that Brian understands his great-great grandad once owned.

Brian commented that on page 148 of Ronald Carter’s ‘A Yachtsman’s Memories of Long Ago’ reference is made to May Belle being launched in 1890 and a few years later owned by a couple of grocers in Karangahape Rd – “Peat being one”. My ancestor had a large grocery shop in K Rd and despite the surname spelling inconsistency I have other reasons to believe it was him. During research for my Des Townson book, I heard May Belle was still around, but didn’t hear where it was.

Can we help Brian out to what became of MAY BELLE.
( I took the opportunity of colorising the photo – as below)

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – MAY BELLE was always largely in my mind as a child because she was the crack E Class keel yacht raced by “Babs” Webster. My father’s WAKANUI (E34) managed to get the legs of MAY BELLE by 1938 and became scratch in the E Class. Her hull form was very similar to JESSIE LOGAN although a keel yacht. I am pretty sure she was built by Logans as a fishing smack.

After Babs sold her some character put a car roof on as a cabin top. It looked like a mid-thirties Chevrolet. Inevitably it rusted out very soon. I saw her in a house property at northern end of Beach Road Browns Bay and made an unsuccessful attempt to buy her around 1977 and bought LOLOMA (E24) instead. LOLOMA was another boat that my father had connections with through her builder J.J. O’Rorke who lived near us in Westmere in later life.

MAY BELLE was then sold to a chap who took her to Snapper Rock Road in the group of houses on the left towards Kyle Road where she was visible propped up in the front yard. Again there was no interest in selling her.

Her next move was to Pokeno in the old main street to the south of the garage where again she was propped up in a front yard. Her condition was not improving. That’s the last I heard of her, sadly.

My father had huge regard for Webster and MAY BELLE.

MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT BAYSWATER – TAWHIRI

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MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT BAYSWATER – TAWHIRI

Being a resident of Devonport I’m a follower of a fb page titled ‘Original Devonport Locals’, recently Geoff Glanville posted the photo we see above.

The location is Bayswater, just along from the waterfront clubrooms of the Takapuna Boating Club. 

The building still stands today (photo below) but in poor condition and is the subject of heated debate between local residents, sporting clubs (rowing) and the TBC. The TBC several years ago built very smart new clubrooms at Takapuna Beach, but refuse to give up the peppercorn lease on the Bayswater building.            

Recently there are noises about an extensive refurbishment, but time will tell.

Anyway, back to the photo, which is from the E.B. (Jim) Menzies collection, can we put name and possible date to the vessel.

INPUT ex KEN RICKETTS – She is the TAWHIRI, built c.1946 by Roy Lidgard in his Kawau Island shed, & taken to Auckland to have her 4cyl Lister diesel engine installed, (in a box come table,) in the centre of the main cabin. Later replaced, with a 6 cyl. Ford diesel, by Uuan Berger, who owned her in the 1970s, after which she floated about 6 inches higher in the water in the bow. (photos below ex KR)

WOODYS ON TOUR – THE FRENCH RIVIERA

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WOODYS ON TOUR – THE FRENCH RIVIERA

As we enter mid-winter I thought an injection of sun and sapphire blue water might be appropriate. 

Yesterday Maurice Bryham, owner of the classic woody – IONA II sent in todays gallery of photos from  Côte d’Azur (southwest corner of France)

Maurice commented – ‘some wooden boat photos from Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Med. Great to see so many wooden boats being well looked after.  Still some traditional boat yards too.  

The wooden fishing boats are still in good use.  The brother and sister caught those fish at 7am-8am with their dad and then selling them on the foreshore at 9am with their boat in the background.

30C, sunny every day and crystal clear water’

CLASSIC LAUNCHES AT GREAT BARRIER ISLAND

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CLASSIC LAUNCHES AT GREAT BARRIER ISLAND

Todays woody photo comes to us from Gt Barrier Island fb via Ian McDonald. Ian commented that the photo was captioned ‘ Nagle Cove, Great Barrier, 1960’s’.

Obviously the uber cool game boat LADY DOREEN is front and centre, can we ID the launch behind her, very distinctive windows / ports configuration.

The photo looks slightly familiar but I can not find it on WW, the presence of the ‘NZ Tourist Air Travel’ flying boat is probably playing games with my memory.