Category Archives: 1920’s

Waitemata Woodys hits 4,000,000 views and celebrates with a gallery of over 100 classic wooden boat photos

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If you think being passionate about wooden boats is niche – think again, there are a lot of us out there. Waitemata Woodys has just passed 4 MILLION views and we celebrate with over 100 classic wooden boating photos

Never in a blue moon when I started this site could I have seen it becoming as popular as it has. Along the way the site has morphed to also become an awesome information source for just about anything connected to wooden boating. Some facts:
4,000,000 views
370,000 people have visited the site, most of them come back – some daily, some weekly, some just when they need to know something
2,469 stories
20,000+ photos published
A 50,000+ photo library
It wouldn’t have happened without in the early days a few fireside chats from people way more worldly in the wooden boating community than myself. The list of people that have shared their family photo albums, stories and knowledge with us is huge and  the site just wouldn’t be what it is today without these people.
I’ve made so many friends, and been fortunate to rub shoulders with a lot of you in person.
So where to from here?, I would be a lier if I said I had not considered pulling the pin a few times, its a big ask publishing a wooden boating story 365 days of the year, but for every one dark day when I’m questioning why I do it – I have 100 days where someone tells me that the first thing they do every every morning is check out Waitemata Woodys, or that they print the stories and once a week when they visit grandad they read them to him, because he is nearly blind, or when we uncover the provenance of someones boat, or when we find someones long lost family boat etc etc
Aside from thanking you all for your support and asking you to keep following Waitemata Woodys – I only have one request – please keep sending us your stories & photos – you may be thinking they won’t mean much to us, but at some stage, someone will send in something and SNAP, they match & we have the makings of a great story. Email them to   waitematawoodys@gmail.com
The following link takes you to a Waitemata Woodys story that epitomises all that’s good about the site – you wouldn’t find content like this anywhere else – it’s gold
And in answer to all the emails re when I will be doing another Waitemata Woodys t-shirt run – the answer is before Christmas, so start saving your pennies. I’ll do another post soon re taking orders 🙂
Again many thanks to everyone. I hope you all still enjoy the site as much as I do pulling it all together. Shortly I will be sharing with you some exciting news on how WW will become even more relevant to wooden boat owners, but for now I have pulled together a random selection of 101 woody photos that have appeared on the site – enjoy 🙂
Alan Houghton – founder
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Mavis

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MAVIS

Chris Manning sent in the top photo of Mavis, as built by Ernie Lane in Picton in 1919 & advised she is still alive & living in Havelock.

Greg Noble also sent me the above photos of Mavis on a ‘buck’s’ cruise (love that description of a boys trip), the photos come from Greg’s grandad, Perceval Noble, journal. 

In a previous WW story on the launch Maxie, in the WW comments section – Gavin Pascoe question if Mavis was the motor launch that took part in the early days racing at the Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club (1919 onwards),  can anyone comment / confirm this?

Check out the below flyer – cool woody events like this are why if you aren’t already, you need to join the Classic Yacht Association. As the Irish say “the craic will be mighty”

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The Gables Hotel, Russell, Bay of Islands + Mystery Launch

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The Gables Russell, BOI

The Gables Hotel, Russell, Bay of Islands + Mystery Launch

Today’s photo of the Russell foreshore,  comes to us from Lawry Williams via the ‘Old North Auckland / Northland fb page.
Anyone able to ID the launch on the beach? The canoe stern should help.
Recently I hosted one of the worlds foremost boating photographers onboard Raindance. We were out shadowing the CYA classic yacht race fleet. At some stage I’m sure Ben’s photos will appear somewhere very public. He was very taken with Waitangi, the most photographed yacht on the day. Ben snapped a photo of Raindance – see below, probably the only photo I won’t remove the photographers tattoo from 🙂
Alan Houghton at Helm of RAINDANCE
Also out on the day was the RNZYS photo boat, who kindly shared with me some photos they took, the one below I like a lot (enhanced a little by mate Chris Miller, the light was poor)
Raindance 1-RNZYS- CM

Estrela

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ESTRELA
Estrela a double-ender, triple skinned kauri launch was built be Joe Fell in 1920. Her zoom zoom comes from a Hino H07C- 158 hp diesel. 
She  measures 43’in length & from her trademe listing (thanks Ian McDonald) she appears to be very well kitted out. 
At 42′ with her hull & the Hino engine, she must have a healthy turn of speed.
 
Being a double-ender makes her very distinctive so hopefully we can un-cover more on her.
Update – Woody Chris Leech has asked if the above launch is previously named Dawn Star, once owned by ex DYC member John Mitchell – see photo below. Sure looks like it to me (AH).
Dawn Star
Input from Harold Kidd – I didn’t know that Joe Fell built double-enders. The rest of his launches were mainly cream launches for the Hokianga Dairy Company and clones of SIERRA with a tuck stern for carrying capacity. I wonder which one she was originally? Can’t place her.
Dave Jackson will probably know.

Wooden Boating VIP On The Waitemata

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Wooden Boating VIP On The Waitemata

Today I hosted Ben Mendlowitz on Raindance, Ben is the number one wooden boat photographer in the world & shoots for just about every boating magazine there is & produces the world famous “Calendar of WoodenBoats’ + has authored dozens of books on the subject.
While in New Zealand Ben was keen to photograph some of our classic fleet, so we headed out yesterday to catch the classic division of the RNZYS Winter Series race.
Ben will have some stunning photos, I was just the driver today so only took a few, very average photos – I did however capture 2 rare events:
1. Thelma going a ground off Stanley Point – some very red faces
2. Jason Prew venturing forward of the mast on Rawene – he didn’t look comfortable 🙂
Photos below – enjoy
THE NEW ZEALAND SAILING DINGHY EXHIBITION
In case you missed it – in 2 weeks (Oct 5>7th) is the annual Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition at the Viaduct – this year the theme is ‘The New Zealand Sailing Dinghy’ – I’ll post more on the event during the week – but right now Tony Stevenson is doing a call out to anybody interested in displaying their classic NZ designed and built sailing dinghy, yacht class information or memorabilia.
Please contact Tony Stevenson tonys@nwv.co.nz  or 021 977 456
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Ark & Oi

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ARK and OI

Today’s photo ex Lew Redwood’s fb shows two woodys alongside the boat sheds at Wiahopo in the Far North. Wiahopo is situated at the upper reaches of the Houhora Harbour & was a big kauri gum field area.
The photo is tagged 1910-39 & attributes ownership as ‘Nortwood’s Ark & Harold Wagener’s Oi.
Harold Kidd Input – Don’t know about ARK but she’s obviously a small square bilge scow. OI is actually the cargo launch OEI, built for H.B. Wagener of Pukenui by T.M. Lane & Sons at Mechanics Bay (NOT Totara North) in 1910. She was fitted with a 7hp Standard engine (hardly zoom zoom). Dims were 36’6″x10’x2’8″. Arthur Subritzky delivered her north in November 1910 taking 25 hours Auckland-Mangonui.

Miss Brett Needs A New Woody Owner

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Miss Brett

 

Miss Brett Needs A New Woody Owner

I have been contacted by Donna Lewis, the owner of Miss Brett, who needs to offer the launch up for sale. Donna lives in Australia. Miss Brett was launched in 1927 & built by Dick Lang at Russell  for the Bay of Islands famous Fullers Cream Trip. She measures 40’ x 10’9” x 2’11” draft. Zoom zoom is via a 100hp 6 cyl. Ford Trader Lees Marine diesel. Renamed Knoxie II c.1928, the name coming from her 4 cya Knox engine, when launched.
Below is her edited call for help

“Regrettably I realistically need  to put MV Miss Brett up for sale. I am very aware of her historical significance and have been her owner … caretaker really since September 2015. I would hope in an ideal world that someone capable of enjoying her as we have and enjoys the maintenance  (as I do) might be interested in her.

The top photo above is a recent photo taken last month & shows Miss Brett moored on her own mooring in Kororareka Bay (Russell) Bay of Islands.”

Interested parties can contact Donna for more details, she has had an impressive amount of work done in the last few years – via email at              lewisdn@hotmail.com

Miss Brett features in the video ‘ NZ Marlin’ – at the 1′ 48″ stage & again at 7’24” – link below:
You can view more photos of Miss Brett here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/08/08/miss-brett/
Details ex Harold Kidd
Photos below of Miss Brett – Russell c.1960

RainDance Back In The Water

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RainDance Back In The Water

I have had RD hauled out at Geoff Bagnall’s Milford yard for some winter maintenance & TCL. I always rock up with a list, the content of which makes Geoff chuckle & say “are you serious?”.
This year there were a few jobs that to most people would seem frivolous e.g. can you reduce the height of the bow rail. It was completely out of proportion for the size of RD.

I come back the next day & Geoff has done a template of the height (less than I wanted) & new shape – as always he was spot on & the finished job, to me, is perfect (not to Jason Prew – who has been telling me for years to remove it).

Thats the thing with Geoff Bagnall, he has a great eye for what is appropriate & more importantly what looks right.
It will be a sad day when he closes the shed doors for the last time & heads North. The wooden boating scene will be the poorer, great wooden boat craftsman & railway haul outs are few & far between these days. So woodys – while he is still around – use him 09 486 1445
Lots of other stuff on the list, including re-caulking an area of the garboard seam to fix a persistent wee leak, but the #1 – happy wife = happy life project was a completely new toilet set up. These days the size of a 12v electric head has reduced greatly, so we ripped the (not that old) unit out along with way too much piping / fittings & installed a new electric number + a monster electric pump to empty the holding tank (used to be a manual pump).
Still needs some shiny paint in / around the new head area, but very happy, there will have to be a ribbon cutting ceremony 🙂
Slashed some paint & Uroxsys on & in my eyes – she’s looking very smart. Still got a long To-Do list but thats 1/2 the fun of owning a woody, if you don’t like the process, buy a plastic boat 😉
RD Aug2018
RD was in good company at Milford, Nathan Herbert’s new woody – Pacific, is getting some major love & Jason Prew’s – My Girl, is very close to splashing, even sitting on the trailer, she looks very quick.
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18-08-2018 Update

As requested by Jason Prew – photos below of my latest piece of bling – a Cattroll Collapsible Pennant Mast, made 25+ years ago by an Auckland company named R. Geo Cattroll. They were based a 1114 New North Rd, Auckland. The box it came in stated “Can be fitted to cabin top or deck mounting. Precision engineered from solid brass, chrome plated. Unique locking devise. Height of mast 889mm

I found it for sale on trademe, bid & won the auction – now he’s the twist. The seller was woody Nick Voerman, who owns the classic launch – Maria (ww link below). Nick bought a ‘job lot’ of old marine accessories / fittings for someone contacted to the long closed Cottroll business.
Fast forward several months & I was having 2nd thoughts fitting it to Raindance when snap – I spy the exact same fitting gracing the foredeck of Jason Prew’s launch – My Girl. Chatting to Jason, seems several CYA launch owners have acquired one from Nick. In fact the trademe listing is still live so he must still have a few. Be quick 😉
Excuse the square-drive screw, I’m doing my best to convert Geoff B 🙂 they will be replace .
MARIA
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You will note in the above photos the deck was a little worn so as part of the 90th birthday treat, the decks, toe-rails, tram-top & dog-house got a lick of paint.

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Charlie

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CHARLIE

From what WW can learn from her trademe listing (thanks Ian McDonald), all we know is that Charlie was built in 1927 by the Monk Bros (?), is approx. 27’ in length & her zoom zoom is via a 60hp Ford diesel.

Charlie has had some TCL in recent times & would make a nice entry point into classic wooden boating. Current home is Omokoroa, Tauranga.

 

Anyone know more about her?

 

 

My Girl Update – Splash Day Must Be Soon

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My Girl Update

Jason Prew has been burning the midnight oil in his boat shed (shelter) – end result My Girl is getting very close to splashing. See a snap shot below, to view / read more check out his blog

http://www.my-girl.co.nz/mygirl/Welcome.html

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Jason – see below – based on the Ken Ricketts theory of boat naming – you should sue 🙂

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Update 14-10-2018 The bling is starting to be added. Nice paint job, but you get that when you glass 😉

Update 25-10-2018 Comparison photo below, an amazing job done by Jason, and given he is not short, a big sacrifice in head-room 🙂

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02-11-2018 Update – My Girl looking very close to a splash, anti-fouling on, the blue looking a lot smarter than the black 🙂