Category Archives: 1920’s

Wiltshire Wreck

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Wiltshire Wreck
The above photos ex the NZ Herald heritage images files via Lew Redwood fb show the 1912 steamship, Wiltshire wrecked at Rosalie Bay Great Barrier Island in June 1922. You can read more about the wreck at the link below.
(The ships cat pictured survived)
Today Im keen to ID the small launch alongside the wreck in the first photo above.  Can anyone help? Its a tall ask, a lot very similar small launches were around back then, they were the equivalent of todays Toyota ute 🙂
Harold Kidd Input – My opinion is that she’s YORK built by Bailey & Lowe in 1913 for C R Pease with a 10hp Sterling Kid. She looks very like Capt. H D Heather’s 1914 ROTHESAY built by Bailey & Lowe with the same engine. Capt Tom Ryan bought her in 1921 when he was living on the Barrier so the timing is right.
 

Waimata

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WAIMATA

Resident Lake Rotoiti boat builder Alan Craig (Craig Marine), sent me the above photos of the 28’ launch Waimata. She has just been at Alan’s yard for a hull paint job.

Alan commented that while a resident on Lake Rotoit she is not always seen at the annual Wooden Boat Parade.

Her owners believe she is a Collings and Bell built in 1926 & bought buy the Corson family around 1939 to bring to the lake. They changed the name so we are not sure of her original name.

Her zoom zoom these days is via a Nanni diesel, prior to this she had a Grey Marine & previous to that, something much bigger that made her “really go” according to her owner.

Interested to know if the builders plate is original? – I have not seen one like that before.

Waimata is a very well maintained woody & with Alan’s input is looking very smart.

So woodys – what do we know about this boats past?

Input from Paul Drake –

The C & B builder’s plate in this morning’s WW post is of interest.
Below is a pic of SIR FRANCIS’s plate from 1916. Notice the slight difference in phone numbers.
Rather unusual to have a phone number on a builder’s plate, don’t you think?
These days one might include an email address!
Alan H Question – when did Auckland ph numbers change from 4 to 5 digits?
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Working Waterfront Boatbuilders Shed – 50 photos

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Working Waterfront Boatbuilders Shed – 50 photos

As I’ve send many times before, if your want a stunning day weather wise, schedule a Classic Yacht Association event – the hit rate must be 9/10.

Over 100 CYA members & friends made the trip north to Lees Boatbuilders at Sandspit – our host for the day, Greg Lees, turned on a brilliant woody event – we had everything – woody projects underway, the best collection of 1/2 models I seen outside of the RNZYS walls, a photo montage recording the history of the yard & the vessels built over the years.

 Center stage was Jenny & Angus Rogers – Mahanui, in the shed for a new deck, alongside her was a very original Chris Craft that was getting a restoration. 

The varnish guru Dale has already applied 23 coats, with 6 more to come. Compared to our old girls, these American woodys are very lightly built, amazing that so many have survived.

Outside we had Anna & Nic Davidson’s – Juanita, on one slip & Barbara & David Cooke’s woody flagship – Trinidad, alongside the wharf. In midstream was Yvonne, waiting her turn in the shed.

On the hard was a selection of small craft built by either Greg, his father Tim or other local craftsman. Not woodys but certainly classic were Greg’s two English built, aluminium Albatross runabouts – the very rare 4 seater is next on Greg’s to-do list. Included are a few photos of other woodys in or out of the water.

Greg gave an articulate talk on his families boatbuilding history & how they came to be situated on the Sandspit foreshore. At the end he announced the official launch of the 2018 Rudder Cup launch race to be run on Friday 14th December to Sail Rock & back. See flyer below, I encourage all woody owners to consider participating. At this stage we (I’m on the race committee, along with Jason Prew, Nathan Herbert, Baden Pascoe & Barbara & David Cooke) are calling for expressions of interest in racing – entry to the race is by invitation, as per the original race format in 1908.

 Big ups to Greg & family + staff for turning on the day, including BBQ. Special thanks also to the CYA committee members that pulled it all together. 

Lastly a little something below for the petrol heads – Greg had on display his Jesser BSA 500cc twin, hill climb racer. Built in 1962 by Les Jesser, she is a 2 time Australian  class champion. 

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CYA Rudder Cup 2018 flyer

Fifer

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FIFER

I’m hoping today is a wet, rainy day – why?  todays story on the restoration of the 67’ Canadian motor yacht – Fifer, is such a great read.

Fifer was built in 1928 by the Hoffa- Beeching Shipyard in Vancouver BC, the company went on to merge with the Boeing Company in 1929.

Her owners are passionate woody boaters with a long history of classic wooden boat ownership. She is powered by twin 102hp Gardener 6L3, which are over 40 years old & still going strong.

The owners & Fife’s story is told on their weblog – link below.  You will see from some of the photos above she has had a few ‘adventures’ – read her story it’s very addictive reading – Enjoy.

https://www.yachtfifer1928.com/blog/

 

 

Ruamano

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RUAMANO

The above photos ex the FB page of Lew Redwood show the 1925, 46’,  Collings & Bell built launch Ruamano in February 1926 on an extended cruise of the South Island’s West Coast sounds.

The bottom photo sees her alongside the wharf at Picton & her crew being welcomed in Nelson, her owner / skipper A.H. Courts is on the far left in the photo.

Sadly Ruamano was ‘lost’ (abandoned) at sea in 2000, off the West Coast of the North Island – read / see more at the links below.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/02/ruamano/

https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/03/17/ruamanu/

 

 

 

Classic Yacht Association – ANZAC DAY REGATTA 2018- 30+ photos

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CYA ANZAC DAY REGATTA 2018

Raindance was overdue a run so I decided to head out yesterday afternoon & catch the start of the CYA / PCC ANZAC Day Regatta. The photos are from the pre-start > start & a wee bit of racing. A used a long lens, as I wanted to stay out of the start area.

A stunning day for woody boating, but I have to say – excluding the A Division, the turn out was a little RS. 

The day had every thing going for it – late start, sun, wind & a good post race gig at PCC, seems some people most be suffering the boating equivalent of cabin fever.

Enjoy the photos – remember to click photos to enlarge 😉

The yacht below – Time, is a marina neibour of mine – a very salty vessel, & equally stunning down below.

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Phantom 4Sale

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PHANTOM 4Sale

The 1925, 16’ day launch “Phantom” has a carvel planked kauri hull, and cabin. An electric start Yanmar YSB 8hp marine diesel engine with reduction gearbox, driving a small (10×7) 3 blade prop through original 1955 “Stuart Turner” stern gear. All this sees her get along at a comfortable 5 knots. I have photographed her numerous times at the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade, she is a very pretty craft & with a little TLC she will be back to her best (the photos are 12mths old & she needs a paint). Currently located in the Tokoroa / Putaruru area.

The added bonus of being on a trailer makes the Phantom a very usable classic woody. 4 sale on trademe.

Does anyone know more about where & what the Phantom has been up to for the last 93 years??

Input from Mick Jones 

“I purchased “Phantom” from the late John Goudie of Otautu Bay in 2007. He found “Phantom” wrecked in Tukituki Bay before the Second World War, and it considered an “old hull” at that time. The purchase included a “Stuart Turner” 4HP engine and sterngear which dates it back to the mid 50s when the engine was originally purchased. I suspect the cuddy cabin and engine were fitted then Phantom” was the family settlers launch operating out of Colville Bay in the Coromandel for many years. She was taken out of the water before 1985, and stored in a series of sheds as a bare hull. I had her trucked to Tokoroa, sat her upside down on three 60l oil drums, and proceeded to recaulk and pay the seams, fit a second hand diesel, strip back the kauri cabin and finish bright- as it should. The transom hung rudder was replaced with modern thru hull steering gear and tranverse seating fitted. Phantom has been negotiating the waikato hydro lakes over the past 7 seasons , and an annual trip to Rotoiti for the Classic Boat Parade.”

Classic Woody  Riverhead Hotel Cruise

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Nana

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Mahanui

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Lucille
Lucinda
Te Arahi
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Lillian
Altair
Te Arahi – Lillian –
Te Arahi – Altair – Lillian
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Volantis

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Korara

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Classic Woody  Riverhead Hotel Cruise

Not wanting to sound like a parrot but the CYA has an amazing track record of aceing the weather for its launch cruises to the waterfront Riverhead Hotel. 

The forecast was average, but it just never eventuated & subsequently the boats that made the trip had a great day.  

So cool to have one of our yachties make the trip, that center-board helped 😉

Highlight of the day for me was seeing John Wright’s recently restored launch – Nana. Nana was designed by C. Bailey Jun. &  built by C. Bailey & Sons in 1934. You can view more on Nana’s amazing journey, from rescue to re-launch at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/02/01/nana-resuced-restored/ 

John has one of the best eyes for how a woody should look, the final details on Nana make her look perfect, in my eyes. John, you should have finished the trip & come up to the hotel, I have a WW tee-shirt for you – email me your postal address – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

 Also had a peek at the publican’s – Paula & Stephen Pepperell’s 1967 Jorgensen launch -Volantis, that is nearing the end of an extensive re-fit, Stephan is another woody with a great eye for detail.

Below are a collection of photos from the camera of Simon Smith who was perched on the Greenhithe Bridge – they give us another perspective on some of our classics. Pity Simon wasn’t there for the return trip – Raindance & the motor-sailer Korara, were just passing under the bridge, being good woodys, traveling to starboard of a large plastic yacht (a Hanse) that was approaching the bridge – when all of a sudden the yachts bow shot up out of the water & the yacht shot backwards. The reason – you guessed it – mast hit the bridge (photo of dent to the bridge, below) luckily they were travelling slow, any faster & they might have lost the mast. I suspect there was a change of undies needed for the crew.

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Raindance & Nana

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Lucinda

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Lucille

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Mahanui

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Arohanui

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Korara

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Upper Harbour ‘V’s’ Yacht Oops

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HDML – Kuparu – P3563 Looking Rather Smart

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Kupara

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Duchess

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DUCHESS

The photos above of Duchess, appeared back in 2013, by mistake on a previous WW story on the Joe Slattery launch – Raiona. I have updated the Raiona story & included below details ex Harold Kidd & Nathan Herbert (who ID’ed the mix-up)

 DUCHESS and RAIONA were remarkably similar, or rather MOLLIE/ALCESTIS/RAIONA was lengthened to 44ft and altered to look like remarkably like DUCHESS by Colin Wild in 1928.
The 40 footer DUCHESS was built in late 1920 by Bailey & Lowe for R.L. Stewart Sr.
The pic above shows DUCHESS on Eel Rock off Cowes Bay on 1st January 1934.  She ran on the rock just after high tide and was refloated the next day with slight damage (2 planks stove in).
Stewart sold her to the Government in August 1935 as a tourist launch. In the Auckland Star of 10th August 1935 there’s a full description of her in the photos below, confirms her configuration is very close to RAIONA’s. She had a 3cylinder heavy duty Twigg engine.
I’m not terribly sure what happened to her after the Crown/PWD bought her.

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Rover – Bailey & Lowe Launch

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Bailey & Lowe Launch

Now this one may have appeared on WW b4 but I cannot find it, so fingers crossed it’s a newbie.

According to the trademe listing – she was built by Bailey & Lowe in 1926, measures 36’8” & is powered by a 4 cylinder 80hp Ford diesel (ex Moon Engines). Current home is Pahia.

Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up. There are more photos on trademe but they are too small to reproduce on WW.

Can anyone ID the launch & tell us more about her. More photos would be good.

OOPS – Its called Rover 😦

Update – 2013 photos ex Ken R