Category Archives: 1900’s

1902 CLASSIC WOODEN YACHT – 4sale

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A CLASSIC WOODEN TRAILER-SAILER YACHT – Yeap You Read That Right 🙂

As covered many times on WW the cost of a marina berth is the #1 deterrent to owning classic wooden craft. I have speculated that smaller trailerable woodys will be the future of the classic boating movement in NZ.

MERLN – todays 22’ clinker kauri built, gaff-rigged sloop is one such boat that ticks all the boxes. And most importantly MERLIN is a looker and we like that.

Built c.1902 as a motorboat she was converted in the 1920>30’s to a yacht (deadwood/keel added etc). Then in the late 2000’s restored by professional Christchurch boat builder – Davie Norris. 

MERLIN received another birthday in 2015/16 with restored gaff-rig and ‘converted’ to tabernacle set-up, plus new sails and all rigging. Also included was a new custom trailer and new 4-stroke 6hp outboard.In the last 10+ years MERLIN has been shed stored and only used on Lake Hood, Canterbury, South Island.Her current status is in storage and as with all traditional built clinkers may need some tweaking / re-caulking to the garboard seam.

So woodys if you’re considering stepping up to life as a classic woody owner, MERLIN is the vessel for you and at the end of a days sailing you get to take her home. Interested parties to initially contact Andrew  andrew@siseed.co.nz for more details. And almost forgot – she will sell for around $25k – a bargain.

RSVP – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Help Needed ID’ing This Wooden Boat

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Help Needed ID’ing This Wooden Boat

Todays photos another from the McLeod Collection at the Auckland Library Heritage Collection and comes to us thanks to Nathan Herbert.

The photo is just tagged Bayswater and has a 1900>1909 time period on it. It does look vaguely familiar but I couldn’t find any reference to the photo in the WW archives.

Can anyone help put a her to her.

What’s The New Must Have In Classic Wooden Boating

Answer bow thrusters  – the Slipway Milford is doing a roaring trade in retro fitting – hauled out for work that included a bow thruster – IONA II, SEA FEVER , PACIFIC

PACIFIC

CLASSIC WOODEN YACHT – CELOX H8 –  A Look Back In Time

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CLASSIC WOODEN YACHT – CELOX H8 –  A Look Back In Time

I’m constantly sent via email and post details on classic boats that people have owned or rubbed up against – which is great.

Yesterday was different, one of the gents, Bruce Buccanan, that frequents my regular coffee shop, handed me a USB data stick with the gallery of photos above, all centred around the 26’ mullet boat – CELOX H8, built by Logan Bros and launched in 1908

I think the old school term jaunty best describes the gents that sailed or crewed on CELOX back them. Bruce’s father (a part owner or owner) is the gent in the last 2 photos , and thats all son Bruce knows about the photos.

CELOX has made several appearances on WW and the yacht had an eventful life, which may have ended in 2015 – WW would love to learn what finally happened to the yacht, we know she or parts of were salvaged but thats where the story stopped.

2015 WW STORY LINK + more intel in the Comments Section https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/02/01/celox-sos/

And Can We Name The Launch In The Photo Below – alongside CELOX at Mansion House, Kawau Island

NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH – New Owners – She IS Coming Back To Auckland

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NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH New Owners – She IS Coming Back To Auckland

That might be the case but there are free boats.

Today we showcase the classic yacht – JANET, designed and built by Chas Bailey Jnr and launched in 1902

Back in 2013 the yacht was purchased by a Hawkes Bay syndicate and transported to Napier where a restoration was undertaken by co-owner Michael O’Dwyer. 

JANET was relaunched in 2015 and as you can see from the above photos has been very well maintained.

Lots of details and photos here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/08/23/janet-sailing-sunday/

Her owners are just not using the boat so have made the decision to pass her onto a new owner – BUT not any old owner, you will need to have a good % of kauri sawdust in your veins to be selected.

So woodys for the cost transporting her to her new home – this iconic classic vessel could be tours.

Initial enquires to Michael O’Dyer c/o  modwyer@nghs.school.nz

14-06-2024 UPDATE – New Auckland owners , all classic launch owners (ex yachties) dipping their toes into a wee bit of rag and stick boating 🙂 Well done. And all Ex Classic yacht Association members 😉

INDIA  – Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club

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INDIA  – Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club

 Earlier in the week we were contacted by Roy Jones from the Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club. Roy advised that he had come across a photo of the 1906 Robert Shakespear built launch – INDIA on WW.

INDIA these days is a very active member of the PC&CBC fleet so Roy undertook to pull together an article on INDIA that has appeared in the June 2024 club newsletter.

The PC&CBC is a very active club and meets regularly both on and off the water. This year they celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the club – well done.

If you are time poor fast forward to page 3 and get a wonderful insight into this amazing classic woody.

MYSTERY 1902 PILOT BOAT

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MYSTERY 1902 PILOT BOAT

Todays woody is very much a mystery boat – the photos were shared with WW by a potential new owner, not sure if the ownership transfer actually happened.

All we know is that its claimed she is a 1902 ex pilot boat. There is a nice hull beneath that more modern looking cabin addition. 

Reviewing the ‘duckboard’ addition that can be viewed in the photos, it does look vaguely familiar – one of the few negatives of the WW site is the search section works on exact wording eg if in a previous story I didn’t mention the words – pilot boat, it wouldn’t show a link.

So woodys can anyone enlighten us on this vessels past.

06-11-2024 UPDATE ex John Bullivant – an update on the boat in the storage yard, by the North Shore airfield. Still there, (now on its’ lonesome) and with a big for sale sign painted on the side. Haven’t heard anything more from the guy who was trying to buy it. Looks like a lot of work but maybe good for someone wanting an older style hull as a starter. 

MAXIE

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MAXIE

Just when you think you know all the classic wooden boats out there (well at least all the pretty ones) up pops another.

Todays woody comes to us via the USA, boat designer Tad Roberts posted the story of MAXIE on fb.

Tad told us that MAXIE was designed and built by the Logan Brothers 1903. She was rebuilt with a larger deckhouse to the drawings of Bruce Askew in the early 1990’s.

She measures 36’ x 7’ and is built of double-planked kauri.

Power is a 65hp Ford diesel with a 2:1 reduction gear turning 13’x18’ prop, giving her a max speed of 10 knots. Comfortable cruising is 9 knots at 1750 rpm.

I did some sniffing around in the WW back library and discovered that back in Feb 2018 we had a wonderful insight into MAXIE’s past from Greg Noble – lots of details and photos at the WW link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/02/12/mavis/

You’ll sell how todays photo didn’t jog my memory.

So woodys – where is MAXIE these days.

INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – Lake Taupo. MAXIE has been here for many years. She berths next to ROMANCE and gets a lot of attention from passers-by for all the wrong reasons. She has been neglected for a long time and is covered in lichem (moss) and the rest. Until yesterday. Her owner started a major cleaning job yesterday. She will clean up really well and then she may be for sale. Better days ahead for MAXIE. She deserves it.

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – MAXIE was bought by a Wellington buyer and arrived from the Sounds in 1923. She was later put up for sale as Logan-built. Going back to 1903, H.H. Harris of Pelorus ordered a 30ft launch from Logan Bros which was shipped to Picton in October 1903. Harris called her LIGAR. In 1904 he ordered another launch from Logan Bros, a 36 footer which was “similar to MATAREKA”. I am certain he named her LIGAR as well and that she was/is MAXIE. I don’t know who christened her MAXIE, possibly the Kennys. PS MAXIE could have been named after the racehorse Marvin Maxie a leading thoroughbred around 1920. The Kennys were too late on the Picton waterfront scene to have been involved.

Mystery Lyttelton Launch

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Mystery Lyttelton Launch
Again only a mystery because her owner didn’t include a name on tme (thanks Ian McDonald). If we believe the tme story she is a Logan, built in1908, 36’ in length. Powered by a 1970, 65hp Rustin Rover (???) 

And that woodys is all me know – any southern readers able to enlighten us more on the launch.

BUY OF THE YEAR – HEAO – LOGAN 33 – A Sailors Motor Boat – Reduced Price – Low $80’ks – Click link below for details. https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/02/29/heao-a-peek-down-below-4sale/

Harold Kidd – ‘Yachts & the Waitemata’ – Part Two

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PART TWO – A
PART TWO -B

Following on from yesterday, today we have PART #2 – Increasing sophistication, 1870 > 1900, Yacht Clubs & Regattas :-

• The first yacht clubs • Competition in the yacht building industry • Use of kauri and diagonal construction • The rise of the mullet boat as a type • Open sail boats • Exports of yachts • Volunteers • The rise of yacht clubs and the proliferation of regattas • Patikis

Recorded ‘live’ last Thursday evening at the Devonport Yacht Club- we have Harold Kidd speaking on the topic – ‘Yachts & the Waitemata, HDK broke the talk into several time periods.The filming was a last minute idea so the quality is a little average and on the night there were a few technical issue with the sound, I have edited the best I can.

NOTE: The slides on screen were always going to be average in terms of reproduction so I focussed on the man (HDK) and his narrative. Turn up your sound and enjoy (approx. 40 minutes)

Make sure you check out WW tomorrow for part #3

AUCKLAND WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Off The Water Gallery – Part 2

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AUCKLAND WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Off The Water Gallery – 70+ Classic Woody Photos

Today we focus on the spectacular collection of smaller woody craft that were displayed in and around the viaduct events centre – to a large % of the shows audience that had some salt in their veins this was a trip down memory lane.

Just so much care and attention has been furnished on these wooden craft. Sadly I suspect that a lot are now in the ‘display’ category. And as we all know with wooden boats you have got to use them or else they deteriorate quickly and then the cost to bring back is just too steep.

The minders / owners of the craft on display were overrun with people wanting to rely their own experiences and memories of the boats. Hopefully the show has ignited some interest in finding the craft that they enjoyed in a past life. The was certainly no shortage of owners looking for new blood to take over their artefact.

Enjoy the gallery and remember you can enlarge the photos if you click on them and the link to the other half of the festival – the classic woodys berthed dockside is below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/03/04/77770/

RSVP – waitematawoodys@gmail.com