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.
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
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.
THE WOODY WEEKEND THAT GOT AWAY (sorry this is Mondays story, bloody set the wrong date 🙃
Ever have one of those weekends when you thought long and hard about slipping the lines and decided against it and then missed one of the best boating weekends of the season. And it was a long holiday weekend……….. Well that was me.
First up Angus Rogers sent in two great photos of MAITA I – the 30’, 1928 Collings & Bell built launch anchored in Sandy Bay, Waiheke.
Then a Waiheke resident sent in the three photos of Oneroa, the most crowed I have seen it in a long time.
Then Rob Griffin was mooching around the Waiheke Marina and spotted a new arrival – KERERU – the 35’, 1911 Chas Bailey Jnr built double ender launch. We learnt last Wednesday that she had recently relocated to Auckland from Picton. Looks like Waiheke Island will be her new home. Link below to Wednesday story https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/04/22/classic-wooden-launch-kereru-arrives-in-auckland/
Fast forward to this week, and Ian — never far from the action — spotted KERERU hauled out at Half Moon Bay Marina. A bit of quiet dockside sleuthing revealed she had made the journey north by road from Wellington.
A close look at the latest photo suggests she’s in need of a little TLC — nothing unusual for a 115 year old classic wooden launch.
The big question now is: what’s brought KERERU to the Waitemata. That’s a long trip for a simple spruce-up, so with a bit of luck we may be seeing another salty looking canoe-stern woody joining the local fleet. Can we learn more.
Released in 2012 as a compact disc (CD), by Miles Hughes and covering the period 1795 > 1945, this booklet is of epic proportions – topping out at 837 pages. For easy of reading in todays digital world the ‘book’ is below in PDF format.
The publication contains more than 1,200 NZ shipbuilders, shipwrights and boatbuilders and includes their biographies and the names, specs and first owners of over 5,600 craft.
HEADS UP: WW can not vouch for the accuracy of the content and when reviewing the list of contributors , several stood out as ‘being fond of interviewing their typewriter’ i.e. they make up what they either do not know or are unsure of. So woodys best treat it as a guide 😉
WW would be interested in feed back on this guide – maybe chose a designer/builder well known to you and review the content.
As an example below is the listing on my boat RAINDANCE, some of the content is correct and some unknown or speculation that I have been told over the last 18 years of ownership, but it is very close her provenance.
So the question of the day – is this an amazing reference tool or to use that old school english saying ‘A Load Of Pants’ ?
UPDATE – Still available in print version at Boat Books in Westhaven, Auckland.
EASTER ON THE WATER – Classic Wooden Boat Cruising
Just back from three days on RD , Friday was one out of the box, simply stunning. Saturday was another goody and Sunday a tad overcast but still warm. Very happy with the number of classic woodys at Rakino Island over the weekend. I managed to catch up with a lot of the skippers, general consensus was ‘grabbing a few days afloat before winter kicks in’.
The white bridge-decker above was a mystery to me, short 4 letter name – Nathan what say you?
On Saturday I caught up with Bill Brown whose family (Corrine & James Brown) owned my launch in the late 1960’s. Back then she was named LADY GAY. Bill works off shore but keeps a very smart woody yacht (SusanJane) at Westhaven for when back in NZ.
We meet a few years ago via a mutual friend and the WW site, the penny dropped re the boat link and Bill sent me a great album of b/w photos from back in the late 1960’s.
I spend a lot of time matching other people and boats from the past so it was extra special to have an ‘own goal’.
AN UPDATE ON THE SINKING OF CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SILENS
Firstly apologise for the short story today – I was boating yesterday and the day just slipped by. On the 29 March we reported on the sinking earlier in the week of the 1912 Harvey & Lang built, 38′ classic wooden launch SILENS while moored in Algies Bay, Mahurangi Peninsula.
We received the below note (edited) from her owners –“I’m the owner of Silens and we read the WW article about her very unfortunate sinking last Thursday during the cyclone at Algies Bay.
Good news is that she was salvaged on Saturday and on a dry dock, we have been working tirelessly since to strip her interior and clean her up, an her engine has been preserved thanks to the amazing team at Marine Services Auckland Ltd for salvaging her, Greg at Lees Marine Sandspit, Wayne at Mahurangi Marine and Dan at Northern Marine Electrical for assisting so far. We had arranged for her bilges to be serviced on Monday, 3 days prior to her sinking, everything was in working order and can confirm water ingress was the cause of her going down.
Talking to many locals in Algies Bay since, including boat owners, they advised the have not seen so much rain fall in such a short period of time that hit the area.
We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken, and will do and are doing our best to restore Silens back to her former glory. “ Yesterday I had reason to be at Sandspit Marina and called into Greg Lees yard to view SILENS. I can report that she is structurally in great shape and that the motor has been flushed and running, underway is a complete interior deep clean and thoughts on how to address the electrical areas. I briefly meet her owner and things are still very raw but SILENS couldn’t be in a better place at present.
I’m sure there are things that were damaged or lost in the process so if we can help supplying any items – I will let you know.
SOS – CAN WE SAVE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – LIBERTY – FROM THE LAND FILL – SOS
WW was contacted yesterday by the owner of the 30/33’ classic wooden launch LIBERTY that is moored in Whitianga.
As a result of last weeks storm, she has been taking on water and the Harbour Master has advised the vessel will be removed from her mooring and towed to a ramp and sadly then await a visit from the back-hoe.Note: her engine has been partially submerged.
LIBERTY has appeared on WW several times, links below to those stories. But in a nut-shell built somewhere in the 1919> early 1920’s period, 30>33’ in length, powered by a 35hp BMW engine (only 160hrs). Her provenance differs depending on who you listen to – some say built by Lou Burns and Stu McCallum in Te Papapa Onehunga. Harold Kidd has previously commented that he always thought she was the LIBERTY built by F and S Shaw in Devonport in 1919 when both brothers got back from WW1. She had a 12hp Regal originally. HDK suspected she’s been lengthened as well as had a couple of tophamper additions. L.R. Matthews had her in 1947 when Commodore of PCC and Noel Mitchell owned her in the 1960s.
07-08-2026 UPDATE – ex BARRIE ADEL – photo below (date unknown) of her. Obviously taking on more than a little water. Anyone know what followed? Sadly would suspect an appointment with a back-hoe.
