Category Archives: 1910’s

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – PRINCESS

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – PRINCESS

Today woodys our classic wooden launch is named PRINCESS and we know little about her other than in November 1911 she won the RNZ Yacht Squadron race to Matiatia, Waiheke Island.          

The top photo appeared in the December 30th 1911 issue of The NZ Yachtsman magazine.

The other photos ex the Auckland maritime museum via Lew Redwood were probably taken by a Robert Stewart and were in an envelope marked ‘Princess? / Sceptre’.

Can we confirm her name and learn more about her.

HAROLD KIDD INPUT – Bailey & Lowe built PRINCESS in December 1910 for themselves (Walter Bailey and Bill Lowe) as a showpiece for their firm. She was 35ft loa and had a Sterling 18/25hp engine for which they were the agents. PRINCESS was the model for their 35’x8’x 3’6″ tuck stern single skin launches that found their ultimate version in the raised-foredeck ROMANCE II. They sold her to Dr H D MacKenzie in 1916 She was later VANESSA and KAIPARA PRINCESS. and was derelict in 2012 on TradeMe.

CLASSIC KAURI LAUNCH HUIA HAULED OUT FOR SOME TLC

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CLASSIC KAURI LAUNCH HUIA HAULED OUT FOR SOME TLC

Back early 2021 the 37’ 1919 built launch HUIA made an appearance on WW , at the time her then owner was seeking a new custodian for HUIA. Link here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/09/huia-needs-a-new-owner/

At the time we learnt she was built of kauri and powered by a 60hp Ford Lees diesel engine.

Earlier in the week her current owner, Daniel Carter posted on-line that he had just hauled her out for some TLC. The post generated some amusing chat with a previous owner (Robin Smith15 yrs) recalling that the gent he bought her off was a house painter and every year ‘annual maintenance’ consisted of him mixing together all his part tins of house paint and applying it to both the interior and exterior 🙂

Home these days is the Bay of Islands. Can we ID her builder.

WHAT BECAME OF THE CLASSIC LAUNCH – OK

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WHAT BECAME OF THE CLASSIC LAUNCH – OK

During the week WW was contacted by Maxine Dignan a descendant of the Sanderson family from Whangaroa, Northland.  Maxine advised she was currently writing a history of the family. During the research process she came across the photo above of a launch named – OK, pictured in Whangaroa Harbour, with Eric Sanderson at the helm.The photo was in her great-aunt’s album, but sadly with nothing more than the name the boat name and skipper.

Maxine commented that she had also found on WW mention of Eric Sanderson, most often about the launch MANAAKI. She also has links to him re the HAZEL and his brother Alan ( who was the Whangaroa Harbourmaster) on the LOTUS, and apparently Alan also owned the CONDETTE and the  RIO. Eric’s son Jim, grandson Bruce and his sons have all carried on the family commercial fishing business.

With that distinctive bow pattern / caving she must be a Bailey & Lowe boat. And with a very memorable name like OK, we must be able to tell Maxine more about the vessel. So woodys what can we share with Maxine.

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – she is Te Whara built by Bailey & Lowe (obviously) in late 1916 for TL and N Drummond of Whangarei. The only local O.K was built by James Reid in 1909 as a passenger launch for Capt Stentiford. Misnamed in the caption I think.

JUST NEED TO FIND THE 8MM MOVIE PROJECTOR IN THE STORAGE LOCKUP 


One of the Friday night gang is an antique dealer and travels the country sourcing goods, these days mainly ‘old’ gold.During the week at one location he spotted a stack of old 8mm movies, on closer inspection one to him may have had appeal to me (note I’m being very PC). Titled ‘Nautical Nudes’ , filmed c.1960 – for the sensitive WW readers I have edited the cover photo, when and if its viewed I will report back 😉

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ARAB

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ARAB

The  32’ Collings & Bell built (1913) launch ARAB has appeared several times on WW, but today thanks to John Dawson recovering from a unplanned hospital visit and having to rest up, we get to share some perviously unseen on WW photos of ARAB.

Most of the photos are from the McLeod collection at the Auckland Libraries heritage section.

In the first two photos we see ARAB moored at unidentified road bridge c.1910/19.

In the third photo we have ARAB on the left and a launch identified by it’s commercial number – A.K.719 in the centre. The location is Te Kouma Harbour. 

The last photo is also from TE Korma and dated c.1910/19.

The b/w photo below is dated early 1900’s .

CLASSIC WOODY SITTING THERE ROTTING

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CLASSIC WOODY SITTING THERE ROTTING

There is a fb page titled ’Sitting there rotting, help save me – New Zealand’ most of the posts are plastic boats but occasionally a woody pops up.

Todays woody is one such post – the supporting copy on most of the posts is to the point eg free, be quick back hoe booked.

Yesterdays post was novel reading – reproduced below

 FREE Boat.  Huge Restoration project.  

This Photo was 2015 clean and antifoul haul out, Trying to find more recent photos and will make a trip to take more photos of here current state.

ENGINE HAS BEEN UNDER WATER, Stupid questions will be ignored. MAST HAS BEEN REMOVED 

1916 Miller & Tonnage. My Mother lived on her for 26 years. She is being kept afloat by auto bilge pump. Hull is mostly in good condition, Decks and cabin are rotten.

Mums options are, 1: the boat comes home to my property to rot away, 2: Boat is taken to a yard and destroyed… 3: Someone makes a terrible decision and chooses to restore her. <<<Pretty Please I love this Boat 

EDIT..   Doh….  Boat is in Opua Bay of Islands

Can we name the vessel

CLASSIC WOODYS IN COWES BAY WAIHEKE ISLAND

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CLASSIC WOODYS IN COWES BAY WAIHEKE ISLAND

Todays photo captures times of old when power and sail played together.  The location is the idlic Cowes Bay at the bottom end of Waiheke Island. The bay was a common destination for picnics and regattas. Todays view looks less organised and just shows people enjoying the day.

The photo is from the Ian Farquhar Collection and the photographer is S H Rawson , dated c.1900-1916. And comes to us via Lew Redwood fb.

Can any of the sailing woodys ID the design of the yacht in the forefront of the photo.

And happy mother days – we wouldn’t be here without them 🙂

LAKE TAUPO CLASSIC WOODY LAUNCH – ROMANCE – GETS SOME TLC

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LAKE TAUPO CLASSIC WOODY LAUNCH – ROMANCE – GETS SOME TLC

Todays woody story is really prompt to Paul Drake the owner of the Lake Taupo based 1914 Bailey & Lowe built launch – ROMANCE to send in a story on the recent upgrade.

If it had not been for woody Steve Pople (MV Royal Falcon) recently mooching around the Lake Taupo docks we wouldn’t have know she had received some TLC.

So fingers crossed Paul reads todays story and gets his ‘A into G’ 🙂

Lots photos and details on Romance in this Sept 2014 WW story  https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/09/22/8829/

WOODEN LAUNCH

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WOODEN LAUNCH

Todays woody first appeared on tme 2 years ago and I saved the photos, hoping that we would learn more about her but she didn’t sell and then was delisted and sold, I assume off-line.

At the time the listing headline just said ‘Wooden Launch’ and we didn’t learn much more than that she was 33’ in length, built c.1912 and was powered by a 60hp Fordson diesel engine. There is an impressive number of switches on the dash and the radar tower id OTT.                        Home back then was a mooring in Mana, Wellington and she being sold ‘as is- where is’.

Anyone know what happened to the launch and more details.

SILENS – A CLASSIC BOAT OWNERSHIP  OPPORTUNITY – WHO WILL STEP UP

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Post Sinking

SILENS – A CLASSIC BOAT OWNERSHIP  OPPORTUNITY – WHO WILL STEP UP

Yesterday WW was contacted by the owners of the 1912 Harvey & Lang built, 38′ classic wooden launch – SILENS and advised that post her recent sinking (refer WW story link below) they had made the decision to walk away from SILENS. https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/04/01/an-update-on-the-sinking-of-classic-wooden-launch-silens/

WW has been asked to help locate a suitably woody enthusiast interested in taking her on as a project, that has the time, resources and space to work on her.

A lot of people buy an older wooden boat and do not bother with a survey and subsequently discover they own a black hole that they are constantly tipping money into. SILENS could be the opposite eg you know exactly what you are acquiring and any surprises have been identified.

SILENS was/is great boat and probably just needs a systems upgrade. Do not let a couple of days under the waves put you off – the membership list of the ‘Classic Submariners Club’ is not as exclusive as most would think. Even my own woody has spent time (weeks) sitting on the bottom.

Interested parties to initially make contact via email to facilitate the process re liaising with the insurance company. Contact Leigh-Ann leighann.newton24@gmail.com

WHEN CLASSIC BOATING MAINTENANCE WAS AFFORDABLE 

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WHEN CLASSIC BOATING MAINTENANCE WAS AFFORDABLE 

Todays woody photo is from the Auckland Libraries Heritage Collection and comes to us via Ian McDonald.

The photo is captioned – ‘Boats drawn up on the hard at Freemans Bay. Victoria Cruising Club clubhouse (right)’ . Date c.1910s>1920s.

AND ON THE SUBJECT OF AFFORDABLE – Check out these bronze staunchions for sale in an ‘antique’ store in Paeroa – a bargain at $95 – approx. $850 new ex Australia………….

INPUT ex RUSSELL WARD – This post is a trifle cathartic -retrospective thoughts can be saddening sometimes. All the time I spent at home (being raised-beaten or nagged into shape), my old man hauled his boats for winter -as did most boaties. They mostly maintained their own boats at the expense of the household economy in winter -never many friends around in winter- and in our case, with increasing input from me while he aged- chatted more and more with his mates. There were so many haul out areas that were quite cheap. The bigger boats with wealthy owners were done by the men at the yards. There were also a few boatbuilders that worked anywhere on an hourly rate -Billy Rogers springs to mind. He was so quick with a brush….

The lower reaches of the antifouling fell to me but the old man always cut in the waterline. Billy Ryan used to paint “Rehia” himself at Percy Vos’s yard I noted. House paint cut back with undercoat (to cut down the gloss and cost) was typically used on the topsides -varnish was never skimped on -only the best used -Interlux or even household- quite a few coats and always a touch up tin and brush on board. One year Des Donovan imported Rylards from the UK and it was just perfect -lasted the summer through.

I guess it is long after the facts and the sinners are long gone but un-beknowingly the Auckland Harbour Board, City Council, Union Steamship Co and the RNZN were a good source of paints and materials if you were in the know. Navy used black antifouling so that was out…..

It all kept the costs down: But it was/is an expensive hobby, folks.