Category Archives: *

Gem

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Gem

GEM
The above photo of Gem comes to us from Brian Cuthbert via Baden Pascoe.
Very few boats live up to their name but this one does – for a work boat Gem is very pretty. Anyone able to tell us who designed / built her?
Also what’s the large boat behind her and who built her?
SOME SERIOUS EYE CANDY
Check out this youtube video of the 130’ J-Class Endeavour in full flight – amazing footage of one of the world’s coolest classics – enjoy.

Classic Launches at Opo Bay – Mayor Island

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Rarangi

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Marline

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Classic Launches at Opo Bay – Mayor Island
The above photos are dated 1959 and feature several launches in Opo Bay at Mayor Island, Bay of Plenty.
The top photo shows the launch Rarangi with its bow nudged up on the beach. Can we confirm the launch is Rarangi and do we know anymore about her?
Also like to ID the launch in the middle photo and the boat on the right in the bottom photo.
photos ex Lew Redwood fb
Update. – Brian Worthington has confirmed the launch in the top photo is Rarangi and she was built by Lane Motor Boat Co. When photographed she was a charter boat owned and skippered by Bob Gray.

Brian and Ken Ricketts agree that the middle photo is Marline, and Brian comments she was built by and owned by Leon Warne. When photographed she was a charter boat owned and skippered by Peter Brasting.
Ken is of the belief that the bottom photo is the launch – Wakatere.

Yesterday’s Project

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My ‘barn-find’ clinker dinghy has been in storage for over a year, prior to this it had been in a garage for over 25 years. It was a lake boat so I suspect its never seen saltwater.
When I collected her, she had 25 years of dust on her, you could have grown potatoes in her 🙂
Given that I’m on top of my to-do list on the home front, I got the green light to do some boating stuff, so out came the sugar soap, sponge & a tooth brush.
She measures 7’6” x 4’ and is built from kauri ply, so very light. She is a tad more elegant than ‘Peg’ (photo below) the current #1 in the dinghy fleet.
The big question is the degree of prep prior new paint / varnish – back to bare wood or ??
Top photos – post cleaning, below – as found.
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A Real Feel Good Moment – Look at the look in the wee ones eyes, please can I stay here 🙂 Sent in by Colin Pawson.

Kerikeri Wharf

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KERIKERI WHARF

 

Todays photos come to us from Nathan Herbert and show a small flotilla of woodys that regularly cruised together – the boats being – Kudu, Lynmar, Kotanui, Haunui, and Valhalla. On this cruise Rakanoa was present also but had not made the trip up the river for provisions, she decided to ’stay out’ at anchor.

 
Nathan commented that Kotanui was always the ‘pilot’ boat for the Kerikeri river being as his grandfather – Jack Hobbs had been up so many times over the years in Pacific, now owned by Nathan.
 
Dulcie Dennes (Valhalla) told Nathan that on this particular trip, the men were sent up to Kerikeri township to get groceries, and forgot them altogether, instead spending the whole time at the pub. They had to hitch a ride on an orchard truck back down to the Stone Store basin, a few sheets to the wind…  I understand not all the men were guilty – Jack and Harry Julian had stayed at the boats to keep an eye on them.
 
Yesterdays Best Caption Competition
The comments section on WW only ever goes a maximum of 15 (the last 15) comments, so I have reproduced them below. Given Flora’s on / off relationship with the boys in blue – her winner is Matthew Drake.  
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Click to view / enlarge the below 🙂 Thanks for all the entries
 

SOS CLASSIC LAUNCH RESOLUTE AGROUND 

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SOS CLASSIC LAUNCH RESOLUTE AGROUND

Any woodys have a contact phone number for the launch Resolute – she has broken / dragged her Stanley Bay, Devonport mooring.
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UPDATE – 15/04 Checked on her at 6.30am – all good. Photos below. I have had an offer with assistance re a berth at Bayswater Marina, if interested email me at waiteatamatawoodys@gmail.com
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Update 11.45am 15/04
The owner lives out of Auckland but has made arrangement for a salvage company to ‘collect’ the vessel and relocate to another mooring – hopefully a good result. Special thanks to Dan Renall for his help and passion for woodys. Photos below from early evening yesterday.

Mystery Launch 14-04-2020

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 14-04-2020

The above photo comes to us via Lew Redwoods fb and shows a very smart launch unloading passengers at an unknown beach – possibly on the Hokianga Harbour. Photo ex Sheran Webb.

On my count there are 17 people aboard……….. not sure how many that Mk1 PFD would support 🙂

Anyone able to shed some light on the launch, she is way to pretty to be an unknown.

A couple of excellent videos below- enjoy

Check out this video ex ‘My Classic Boat’ from the 2016 Thames Traditional Boat Festival, a little OTT in places but some very cool woodys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsPuVOTzjI

Proof even the ‘Experts’ get it wrong – Check Out The Video Below

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10156653684745251

Woodys In Opito Bay, Bay of Islands

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Woodys In Opito Bay, Bay of Islands
On the 25th March, BOI woody Dean Wright pointed the camera out the window and snapped the top two woodys – Playmate and Katoa (a new arrival in the bay) in Opito Bay.
And for eye candy Dean sent in a couple of shots of Cal Crook’s – Donna Marie, steaming toward the Purerua Peninsula. She is one of my favorite ex work-boats, built by Jorgensens at Waikawa Picton.
We had no winners to yesterdays mystery launch quiz – so I have decided to give the prize to the BOI woody who decided yesterday to do a quick row out to their woody and check on the old girl – and was intercepted by the Police/Customs and pointed back towards the shore after a wee ‘chat’ – my lips are sealed 😉 
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Woody Quiz – Win A WW T-Shirt

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WOODY QUIZ – WIN A WW T-SHIRT

Happy boat-less Easter woodys – seems so odd to not be a float. I hear the boys in blue were sniffing about the marinas today – hope you were all behaving.
Today’s quiz is in three parts – review the photos above and tell me:
1. The name of the boat
2. Her ‘claim-to-fame’ re ownership / use
3. The photo location
As always – entry is by email only, to the address below. Entries close 5pm 10-04-2020. In the event there is more than one correct answer, there will be a draw.
Thanks to Nathan Herbert of the photos.
The boat is Sunbeam, she was the first Auckland Police launch and the location is the start of Onewa Road, Northcote. – No winners
Another photo below.
Sunbeam

A Gift From WoodenBoat Magazine

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YOUR OWN COPY OF WOODENBOAT MAGAZINE

In response to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, and to help ease your time while practicing social distancing, the publishers of WoodenBoat have very generously decided to make the digital edition of WoodenBoat No. 274 (May/June 2020) free for all to read and enjoy. Please share this digital edition with all friends and family you think might enjoy, or need, a fun distraction. With the forecast for long overdue rain for most of NZ later today – this is perfect timing for a lazy afternoon on the couch 🙂 Enjoy

Link Below

https://woodenboat.advanced-pub.com/Vizion5/viewer.aspx?shareKey=rOFucb

 

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Ngaire – South Island

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Ngaio Nelson

Ngaire
The above photo was sent in by Lake Rotoiti (Rotorua) boat builder Alan Craig. Alan spotted the photo of Ngaire on a recent trip to the Maritime Museum in Mapua, Nelson. At the time Ngaire was owned by Jack Marusich and he is waiting for a load of sheep to be rowed out to the boat. I have to saw the sheep look remarkably relaxed given the trip. The photo caption commented that they were most likely used to it and were probably being relocated to fresher pasture.  Given the load it must have been a great dinghy.
Anyone able to tell us more about this launch?
And speaking of great dinghies – check out Martin Howson’s new clinker below, built late 2019 by Dave Jackson. She measures 8’ x 4’6” and It is built out of ply and ribbed and riveted, there is no glue. Her ribs are  North American white oak, the breast hook and the quarter knees are oak, the thwarts are kauri and knees for the thwarts are oak as well
The oars at 7 ft and Martin commented that you can really put your back into rowing or just tack it easy.  The floor boards are scribed and are easily removed
for cleaning and again they are made from kauri.
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Doris

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DORIS

While mooching around the Whangarei docks yesterday I spotted Doris. Had a brief chat with her owner who hopefully is going to email in what he knows about her past. She made a brief appearance on WW back in late Feb 2019. At the time there was a lot of chat in the comments section as to her provenance and military (WW II) service. WW link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/02/27/dorris/

I walked away with two photos from her past, the 2nd one above from when her owner purchased her and the b/w one, possibly, from her time in the Pacific Island’s during WW II. The location is thought to be Vanuatu.
When I get more intel – hopefully we can confirm her bloodline and life journey 🙂
Harold Kidd Input – In case the subject of DORIS has become scrambled during the previous post, this DORIS (W66) was built by T M Lane & Sons at Kings Drive, Mechanics Bay in December 1910 for Fuller of Russell as a 36 footer with a 12hp 2 cylinder Scripps engine.
We Have A New Leader In the – Boat That Most Resembles A Block Of Flats – Competition  – spotted off Waiheke Island last weekend.
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