My Girl Restoration Update
Work on Jason Prew’s launch ‘My Girl’ is processing along well – but not at the speed indicated by the above photos. Jason remembers to take photos, but he is a bit slack with telling / showing people 🙂 In fairness, he does keep his weblog up to date, you can see & read more on the project at the link below.
http://www.my-girl.co.nz/mygirl/Restoration/Restoration.html
Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade 2017 – 160+ photos
Rob & wife Sue Dorrington
MATAROA Re-Launched
Mataroa has just spent 10 weeks at the Evans Bay slipway, Wellington getting a very big dose of TLC. Owner Rob Uivel commented to me that he would like to mention how supportive and easy going the crew at the yard are, especially – Sven Beirenga and Peter Maherid, nothing was ever a problem.
Mataroa was built in 1928 by Joe Slattery & named Kenya when launched, she measures 36’ LOA & was originally built for Mr Heard of Heards Confectionary. Like most Slattery boats she is very pleasing to the eye & luckily for Rob Uivel has survived relatively as original. She has featured numerous times on ww so search her name in the ww search panel & you can see / read more.
While she was hauled out Rob concentrated on the exterior & as you can see he stripped the cabin sides back to Kauri and applied numerous coats of epoxy and varnish.
The paint colours used reflect what Rob thinks were the original paint scheme.
One interpretation of the name ‘Mataroa’ apparently is long nose – which from on deck, she certainly appears to have.
I’m aware that Rob bought Mataroa for a very modest sum because of rumours that she was suffering from electrolysis. While every hull fastening was connected by a maze of wires, she had suffered a wee bit but surprisingly little compared to other examples we have seen on ww. Needless to say the wiring has all been removed along with any superfluous hull appendages.
Mataroa was re-launched on Jan 21st 2017 & I have to say looks a lot smarter when I saw her for sale on trademe. Well done Rob & family 🙂 We look forward to seeing the interior work next winter.
PS – owning a pretty boat helps get a feature on ww but wearing a ww t-shirt in the photos gets you to the top of the waiting list 😉
BIG WOODY WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND – MAHURANGI REGATTA – I’LL BE POINTING RAINDANCE NORTH MID AFTERNOON TODAY, FORECAST LOOKS ACE, SO SHOULD BE A GOODY 🙂 LOTS OF PHOTOS 🙂
IF YOU ARE THERE IN A CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – JOIN THE LAUNCH PARADE ON SATURDAY MORNING. STARTS OFF SCOTTS LANDING AT 10.00AM.
OTEHEI
The note below (edited) was sent to me by Gavin Bradley &Maggie Mouat, they are the new owners of Otehei & have asked for help from the ww readers. The top 3 photos above show Otehei in Otehei Bay, December 2016. The bottom two above are by Dean Wright (ex K Ricketts). More details here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/28/otehei/
“I recently became aware of the Waitemata Woody’s site which I have to say is an amazing resource and I am loving the daily posts.
I found the site while searching for old images of the Otehei which my wife and I have recently purchased from the El Dorado Foundation. We have had a reasonably long association with the boat, having largely funded it’s restoration in 1996 and therefore have good knowledge of its history.
We are however on the hunt for any surviving design drawings for Otehei and/or her sister ships – Manaaki, Lorna Doone and Zane Grey as we plan to have Otehei surveyed and without design drawings she will need to be surveyed as a novel craft. I was hoping you might be able to put out the question through your daily posts or you may even know of people with connections to the other boats or Collings & Bell.
I have a lot of information and photographs of Otehei, historical, contemporary and during restoration. I also have some interesting memorabilia including the original 1927 Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Zane Grey Sporting Club showing the build cost of the 4 boats at 500 pounds each! I will share all of this with you in due course.
Incidentally, when Otehei was found on Lake Taupo in 1976 by John Chibnall, she was the M.V. Rangatira not Grace Darling, although she possibly could have been called that earlier. Would be interesting to know…The skipper at the time was Bob Colville.
Any information and images would be gratefully received!”
Updated with photos below ex Gavin Bradley that show some relevant parts of the Otehei story
Flier for Rangatira charter business
As M.V. Rangatira on Taupo as found by John Chibnall in 1976
Relaunch day off Russell 1977
UPDATE from Paul Drake – below are some pics of her at Taupo.
“The first shows her under the crane about to leave Taupo. The second shows her in Boat Harbour (Taupo), skipper Ivan Vickery. In the third, she is on the beach at Whakaiapo Bay, before she was altered by the addition of a wheelhouse. The fourth shows her alongside the “House Boat” (formerly R S S TONGARIRO, BAILEY AND LOWE 1899), again in Boat Harbour, This would have been late 1930’s. She was laid up on the hard during WW2, and the wheelhouse added when she was returned to service.
The third and fourth pic require an explanation. Recently, Taupo Museum ran an exhibition called “Times Past”. An hours worth of historic photos were screened, for 5 seconds each, on a large screen consisting of two parts. Thus the black line down the middle. I clicked away as they scrolled through. I am sure OTEHEI’s new owners will be interested, as the photos may be new to them, as they were to me. Fabulous boat.”
This Is Actually A Very Cool Idea
Russell Ward sent me the photo below & commented that zimer-frame added a new category to the boating progression – P Class > Starling > Young 88 > Farr biggie > Bridge-decker > Motor Home and now a boaty trundler!
I know a few woodys that need one 😉
12-01-2017 – Update ex Gavin Bradley
“I just bought the photo postcard below of Otehei Bay on TradeMe. That boat definitely has the right bow line and 3 portholes…”
LEAVING AUCKLAND
ARRIVING IN WELLINGTON
Little Tasman Moves South After 91 years in Auckland Waters
Late November 2016 saw a part of Auckland’s maritime heritage leave our waters & head to her new home in Wellington. The 1925 Colin Wild built launch Little Tasman has graced the waters of the Waitemata for approx. 91 year. While Auckland’s loss is undoubtedly Wellington’s gain, she is in good& I’m sure will return home one day – they all do 🙂
Her restoration has been well documented on ww so to view/read more on her – type her name in the ww search panel.
The montage of photos above are from numerous cameras, including Ken Ricketts, who also emailed me the photo of her below, in Mansion House Bay, taken in 1936 by Tudor Collins, courtesy Auckland Museum, for comparison of then & now. A wonderful restoration at the hands of Colin Brown & son-in-law Josh.
ROSEMARY
Rosemary was built in St.Mary’s Bay by Leon Warne in December 1920 for himself and his brother George and was taken north for game-fishing out of Russell. The Warne brothers then set up boat building, repairs as well as game boat chartering at Russell. Rosemary originally had a Scripps 4 cylinder but was later fitted with a Redwing. Originally launched as a dashing flush decker
She was a very successful in promoting the deep sea angling sport in the Bay of Islands, both from Russell and Whangaroa.
Today’s photos are ex the Auckland Museum, Tudor Collins collection, email to me by Ken Ricketts. Vessel details ex Harold Kidd
RAINDANCE
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Good Morning woodys.
Merry Christmas to you, where ever in the world you are. ww has followers in just about every country in the world, outside of NZ the biggies being Australia, USA, Canada, France & the Pacific Islands (I think this is cruising yachts) – the numbers are amazing with site views just about to hit 2,500,000 views.
On a personal note I hope Santa has found you & you received what you wanted – I learnt years ago that there was only one way to be happy on the present front, either buy it your self or leave very clear instruction 😉 ( see below)
I intend to keep posting stories over the Xmas / NY period but at times may be challenged by internet reception so bare with us if we miss a day 😉
A request – use your camera (even the phone is good) to take any interesting woody related photos when you are out & about over the break & email / txt them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com.
Have a great break & if you are on or near the water take care, play nicely & be kind to fellow woodys. Alan
Now I mentioned above that I liked to be ‘involved’ in my xmas present selection – this year I was lucky to have a daughter living in London & when she asked what I wanted for xmas I pointed her London’s 400+ year old marine chandlery – Arthur Beale. Your similar to what your Foster’s used to 😦
The present is magnificent boat horn, made in Italy & delivered by hand from London by a friend of the daughters returning home for xmas. It arrived 2 days ago & was installed yesterday by my good friend Colin Pawson – I can hear Harold mumbling about it being too shiny, Jason P saying that it sticks out like dog balls etc but I love it & most importantly it makes a noise closer to a Harley Davidson than a Vespa scooter. It replaced a horn that was more suited to a Honda Civic 🙂
A+B+C Class Yachts Racing To Rocky Bay
In the above photo we see, from left, Kotiri, Ladye Wilma, Waione, Rawene (race winner) & Ngatoa just after the start of the official opening race of the season (year unknown).
Photo ex the Mac Taylor collection.
Help Needed
ww has had a request from Gary Chaplin, who owns the yacht, Fidelity, see below & click photos to enlarge, based in Christchurch Gary has commented that she looks just like the Shiralee which featured on ww in October , (link below).
Gary would like to know if it is the same vessel or possibly a sister ship . Gary believes Fidelity was built in Milford Creek by Allen Williams in 1960 .
REMEMBER LOTS OF PATIO BAY WEEKEND PHOTOS ON WW TOMORROW
Message for CYA Launch Owners + Mataroa Spy Photos
Doing a shout out today to all Classic Yacht Association launch owners to remind you that next weekend (Dec 3>4) is the annual CYA Patio Bay weekend. The highlight of which being the byo BBQ (bbq’s provided for cooking) ashore at Woolicott’s bach. Most of us rate it as the #1 social event of the year in terms of mix & mingling. Check out the photos from last year here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/12/07/cya-patio-bay-bbq-xmas-race-weekend-2015/
The weekend sees over 50 classic launch & yachts come together for a weekend of fun, friendship & fraternity.
Mataroa Update
Not wanting to short change you today in terms of your classic woody ‘fix’ – below a few spy photos taken by Max Uivel of the progress being made on the 1928 Joe Slattery launch, Mataroa in the Evans Bay slip yard.
Rob Uivel can be seen hard at work. Max commented that there is still a way to go but progress has been good considering the meteorological and seismic conditions in Wellington.
I have to say she is a very pretty classic & looks to be getting a very sympathetic make-over – we like that 🙂 More details on her past here. https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/10/31/mataroa-kenya-2/
A Message From Manu PB
Hi Alan,
My name’s Manu, i’m in wellington. was looking for photos on the net of a nice kauri launch out of interest, as i used to own and live in one.
What do you know, Mataroa comes up!
My father Simon Blakiston bought her from Kevin, end of 1999 (?) and had her brought down to Chaffers marina straight away. We enjoyed trips to the sounds, havelock, and around the harbour (some of the photos posted are ours) for a few years, and he and I ended up living onboard for a couple years, all the while he worked as an architect there! the rearmost port side berth in the main cabin may still have a fold-out drawing table under it. I lived there with my partner later on also. in 2007 Dad was taken by cancer and I inherited the boat. Sadly I’m not a particularly nautical person, and it became apparent that i was doing her no favours by putting off some much needed restoration work. I sold her to a young couple who lived onboard at chaffers for a while.
It’s great to see the photos up on display! really brings back some memories of quite an important little bit of my life!
One of the better stories from my time with Mataroa was being in my last year of school, and a friend saying his father and grandfather were wandering at the marina and had found a boat the grandfather had driven during the war. it took only a small amount of figuring to realise he was talking about Mataroa. Granddad was Bluey Barnes (forgotten his actual first name sorry! this can all be revised), the 18 yearold mentioned on your site by Kevin. Dad met with Bluey and took him out for a spin, apparently his stomach wasn’t what it used to be by this point. Somewhere i have a couple of copies of photos from Bluey, one of his boat boy topside, and another of her absolutely loaded with troops. I hope copies of these photos made it into the boat’s files, otherwise i can try and dig them out. Kevin also mentions a tape recording of Bluey’s exploits which i have too, but havent played since dad recorded it.
There are a couple more stories floating around i think, let me know if you want me to dig up any of them, or the photos and tape. I can also find a little more out about Bluey, sadly he passed away a year or two ago, but i still see his grandson regularly.
Cheers and thanks for getting Mataroa up on the net for all to see, she’s missed out on a lot of due credit over the last few years. great to see some photos i haven’t before.
thanks,
Manu PB
FLEETWING
Today’s story has come about by 4 people digging me in the ribs – started off with Chris Manning letting me know that he had purchased Fleetwing, but not really for future ownership – more to protect her from future neglect & to secure a new owner that has the vision & passion to bring her back to the condition a vessel with her provenance deserves.
Next Nathan Herbert gives we a nudge, then Ian McDonald, then Cameron Pollard emails me, now if you know Cameron he is a man of few words (in emails) his message was “some woody needs to buy this”. And someone does.
Fleetwing is a 32′ kauri carvel planked hull, built at St Mary’s Bay, Auckland at the Collings & Bell yard, launched September 1920. She has spent the majority of her life in the Marlborough Sounds as a commuter and work launch.
No engine, no propeller, other running gear in place. No ancillaries/tanks. Hull appears sound and appears to have had significant refastening work done in the recent past. The deckhouse would benefit from the use of a chainsaw.
Currently lying on a mooring in Paremata. Can be shifted to Mana Marina Travel-lift if required.
Above are a couple of historic photos . The photos of her with the Aramoana green hull are as current.
So woodys if you are seriously seeking a historic New Zealand launch for refit or restoration then Fleetwing could be for you.
You can read more about her at the ww link below. You’ll find her list on trademe at $900 ono – yeap – $900.
12-11-2016 update ex Gavin Pascoe – In the colour photos the launch in the background is another Collings and Bell, named Surprise. Built for Cook Strait whaling again on the concave convex principle.
28-08-2018 Update
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