Category Archives: 1920’s

A Mystery Boat 20/05/14 – RIO RITA > RESOLUTION

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A new photo & a question from Chris Manning – is the above photo taken at ‘Curious Cove’ Marlborough Sounds (possibly c1950’s) of the boat with the tyre fender possibly  Rio Rita? The sheer line looks about right, as do the vintage stanchions and the after windows . Can anyone comment on this ?
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A Mystery Boat 20/05/14 – RIO RITA > RESOLUTION

Ok woody boaters – todays post is an enigma to me. The boat is unknown to me, but she is flying a CYA burgee, a check of the CYA database shows no match so the vessel is either belong to a very distant lapsed member or someone has ‘borrowed’ the burgee.

The photo is ex the very talented pro photographer Dean Wright & most likely shot in the BOI.

Anyone able to shed some light on the vessel?

It also appears she is currently in Tauranga & listed on trademe (thanks Andrew Pollard for the tip). Photo added above.

Update
Lots of chat about todays mystery boat in the comments section – check it out. I can confirm it is ‘Rio Rita’ > ‘Resolution’ . I have also added a great photo sent to me by Harold Kidd of her on launch day, 1929, at St. Marys Bay, she was built by Collings & Bell & launched as a tourist passenger boat, note the open cockpit forward. Looked rather grand, quite different now days.

Updated photo– 13/06/14 – ex Harold Kidd of Rio Rita in the Sounds, still with ‘Rio Rota Auckland’ on her transom.

Updated photo – 23/07/2014 – ex Liam Daly on or close to her launch day

Rio Rita lauching 1929

2014 photo below ex Dave Jones ex Baden Pascoe

Lady Joyce 40yrs On

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Lady Joyce c1973
Lady Joyce 2014

LADY JOYCE  – A 40yr. COMPARISON

I was sent by CYA member Ian Kohler (Ngaio) this c1973 photo of Lady Joyce when see was owned by Sally Cassells Brown. Looking at the photo of her I took earlier this year at Mahurangi, its wonderful to see how she has survived over 40 years & retained her original configuration. Her owner for the last 20 years, John Foreman, needs a medal.

To me what these two photos also show is how the addition of varnish (or possibly wood effect paint in those days) to the coamings can so significantly enhance the look of a classic craft.

For more details on LJ – use the ww search box or click the link below
https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/22/lady-joyce/

And to show we are a caring sharing bunch – compilments of HDK via Paperpast is the “Joyce” of LADY JOYCE 🙂

NZH19390518.2.5.5-a1-700w-c32-3464-7377-1639-1820

18/06/2014 – A correction / error to the story- ex Paul Baragwanath

The error relates to the above picture. The Lady Joyce was in fact named after my grandmother, Joyce Winstone, nee Harrowell. Lady Joyce was owned by my great-grandfather, Shirley Harrowell. The photograph above is of her brother Bill Harrowell, Joyce’s brother, and the lady in the photo is Bill’s wife, known as Eddie, but whose name was also Joyce. An easy mistake to make!

I think that my grandmother was born in 1918, If they bought her in 1932 Joyce would have been 25… I am surprised they didn’t buy the Lady Joyce earlier… because Joyce was already married with two children (or so).
They lived at 44 Ranui Road, Remuera and Joyce’s husband Don, my grandfather, bought his first house over the road… and commissioned my little Corsair (Frostbite number 47). Don’s uncle had the big yacht Nga Toa.

13-11-2024 UPDATE ex John Wicks – Hauled out at Chafers marina in Wellington  today.

Rangitira

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RANGITIRA

Looking for a good entry level classic motor launch? Rangitira is currently for sale on trademe. The listing states that she was built in 1929 by Collings & Bell & as expected of a vessel of this era is kauri carvel plank construction.
At 32′ & powered by a Ford 60hp diesel engine that pushes her effortlessly thru the water & she is therefore very economical to run.
The photos of her were taken over the last few years. While her interior is a little tired, she has good bones & has not been ‘mucked around’ with. Very usable as is, but a restoration would be relatively straight forward.
I do not normally mention prices on ww but at $18,000 it is a good entry into classic boating.

As always – ww is interested in hearing more about her past.

Update & photo from previous owner – Tom Jackson

Stolen from her mooring by  school boys from an Auckland boys school and taken to Waiheke.Garboard plank smashed and she sunk. Then refurbished by Derek Dempster.  Sold to me by a Mr Pack in Auckland in 1989  as a  Dick Lang launch. He purchased it from a Whangarei owner who installed the butterfly hatch. Sold by me in 1991 to an American who took her to BOI. Many fond party memories.A great boat.

Nereides The Facts

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Nereides The Facts

Lots of dock-side chat & speculation around the fate of the rather special 1926 B.J.L. Jukes launch Nereides.

Fact 1 – On Sunday  27th May she was involved in a ‘vessel hits submerged item’ incident
Fact 2 – She suffered damage to her port side, refer below photo
Fact 3 – She took on considerable water, refer above photos
Fact 4 – She did not sink
Fact 5 – With the help of Coast Guard she was pumped out & ‘beached’ overnight on Motuihe Island
Fact 6 – She was recovered the next day & is now on the hard at the marina while being assessed.

Her owner is confident she will return better than before. That will be hard as she was a 9/10 before this oops, as per photo below of her at Patio Bay.  🙂

Looking for a marina to rent ?

While Nereides is out (2>3 months) her 14m berth on A pier at Westhaven is available for rent. If interested contact    mark@thesweetshop.tv

Luana

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Luana

LUANA

photo ex Harold Kidd

The above photo of Luana shows her with one of the most famous warships of all time, HMS Hood. In 1924 Hood visited Auckland with another battleship, HMS Repulse as part of a 38000 mile circumnavigation. HMS Hood is seen at Princes Wharf.

At 860 ft she was for many years the largest & most prestigious warship in the world, with a top speed of 31 knots what a sight she must have been.

Sadly on the 24th May 1941 she came 2nd in one of the most famous surface engagements of WW2 – the German battleship Bismarck sank Hood in 3 minutes with only 3 of the 1418 men onboard surviving.
There was at the time much controversy into the speed of her demise & the exact cause of the loss of Hood still remains a subject for debate. Whether a shell from Bismarck king hit Hoods armory or a fire detonated her own torpedoes will never be know.

On a happier note Luana is still with us & a quick entry in the woodys search box will reward you with some great photos.

Ineawa

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INEAWA

A Jimmy McLaren 34’4′ kauri carvel planked displacement launch built in the late 1920’s at Onehunga. Powered by a 105hp AEC diesel. Calls Tauranga home these days & currently for sale on trademe.

Anyone able to supply more info / photos?

2104 photo ex Dave Jones ex Baden Pascoe

Ngawini

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NGAWINI

The listing on trademe says this 27’9″ kauri launch was built in 1924 by Lanes.Powered by a new 40h.p. Isuzu diesel.
She has the potential to be a a very nice classic – I love the out riggers 🙂

Keen to know more about her, at her asking prize of $20k, it appears to be a lot of boat.

05-01-2016 Updated photos of Ngawini moored at Tryphena ex Rod Marler

 

Lady Joyce

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LADY JOYCE

The photo above shows her at the 2014 Mahurangi Anniversary Regatta. Owned by John Foreman for approx. 20 years, John purchased her off Alan Keane & told me that he had touched base again with Alan in Port Fitzroy over Christmas and at the regatta weekend. John has been told she was built in 1927 by Chas Bailey – probably the son, Chas Bailey Jnr.

John & ww would like to near more about the ‘lady’ so if you know any details or have photos – send ww an email.

Harold Kidd Update

I think she was built by Leon Warne in 1922 for James Tombs as SHEIK. Tombs sold to Roy Browne in 1925. Browne sold to S. Harrowell in 1932 who had her largely rebuilt by Lane Motor Boat Co. which included her present bridgedeck. Harrowell renamed her LADY JOYCE. During WW2 she was in RNZN service. After the war Willie Oliver owned her for a while, which says a lot for her ability. She’s a few boats along from me at H Marina, Gulf Harbour, so I’ve been interested in her for years and I’m happy that the above provenance is correct.

27/01/2015 Updated photo (ex Ken Ricketts) of LJ leaving Gulf Harbour on-route to the 2015 Mahurangi Regatta

August 2015 – LJ hauled out at Gulf Harbour (photos ex Ken Ricketts)

04-09-2023 Update ex John Wicks – Lady Joyce spotted in Chafers Marina Wellington

KORAMA (THETIS)

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Wade River 2014
Mansion House Kawau Is c1950
c1980
c2004
Wade River
2004
2004
Kawau c2000
Off Manly Beach
As original c1920

KORAMA (THETIS)

photos & details ex ken ricketts. edited by alan houghton & supplemented by harold kidd

Some fine detective work by Ken has uncovered that the launch Korama is in fact Ronald William Grant’s (b1897-d1984) launch Thetis. Grant named the launch after his wife Thetis Maud Grant nee Braund (b1896 d 1985), a daughter of famous rugby player and yachtsman Albie Braund who named her after his friend Reg Masefield’s steel 5 rater of 1895. Albie named his first launch MAVIS B, after his daughter Mavis (b1899). To complicate matters the vessel has changed name numerous times across her life. More on this below.

Korama is 34feet overall with a beam of 9 ft 6inches & cruises at 8-1/2 knots with a top speed of 14 knots.

She is presently owned by Leo Comesky, who bought her in October 2012 off Gus & Kelcey Gager who had brought her up from Tauranga c.1999. Comesky & Gager  have provided tech. & historical data & info., to Ken.

According to Comesky she was designed by Logan & built by Fred Mann, in 1922, in St Mary’s Bay. She was built for a Bob Knox of Grey Lynn, who apparently, along with his son, used to walk down to see her during construction, every evening. The Logan claim is questionable as she does not look like a Logan & if Arch Logan had designed her its highly unlikely that he would have allowed Fred Mann to build her. Mann was very much a spare-time builder at his John St., Ponsonby home, and nothing he built attracted much attention. His main job was looking after the horses for the Cashmores’ timber mill in Cox’s Creek and maintaining their craft.

Her original engine was an Ailsa Craig petrol engine & is presently powered by a 120hp Ford diesel.

Knox apparently owned her for 15 to 20 years & other owners include a Mr Dickson of Pakuranga (could be Jim Dickson an ASB manager of Pakuranga, who later had a sedan top 34 footer built by Owen Woolley who Ken knew well in the 60s & 70s), Bill Ridley of Pakuranga, Cyril Parker of Mission Bay (for approx. 6 years in the 1980’s – powered by a 110hp Ford diesel), Gary & Fay Lowe of Whangamata, Reg Hodson of Tauranga, & then she went to Picton. She was owned in Picton by a Mr M Montgomery (refer survey letter) & later returned to Tauranga where she was purchased by the Gagers

Leo Gager says that when Bill Ridley owned her, he changed her name back to Thetis. When Cyril Parker bought her, he discovered ‘Korama’ carved in to the tuck & changed her back again to Korama.

The Gager’s sold her to Comesky in October 2012.

In Grant’s day she had varnished coamings which no doubt were original, perhaps one day, someone may reinstate her to her absolute original concept.

What kindled the discovery:

Ken’s shape eyes & a good memory combined with Harold Kidd’s knowledge & wicked database combined with the following elements confirmed the discovery.
1. Both had Ailsa Craig 24h.p. engines
2. The common position of the their engines & exhaust i.e. well forward
3. The common rounding at the waterline at the tuck
4. The reference to Bill Ridley having owned her

07-01-2016 – photo ex Harold Kidd of Korama (c.1970?)

KORAMA221a

01-05-2017 Update from Leo Comeskey – hauled out at Weti River

Korama @ Weiti April2017

Castaway & La Rosa On The Slip

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Two of the CYA ‘s launch fleet have been getting some late summer TLC

La Rosa

Ward House & Bob Stevenson  had their 1923 Ernie Harvey launch out recenty at Tamaki to take her underwater surface back to bare wood & treated with Chem Bar (the Altex equivalent of International Primercon), the topsides received a splash of paint as well- looking very sharp for a 90 year old.

Update 23-12-2019 La Rosa hauled out for some TLC, interesting to note the no growth of marine animals what so ever around metallic parts after being in the tide for 3 plus years. Note, no propspeed as well. Baden Pascoe supplied the photos and commented that if she had anodes she would have needed a tow to the slip.

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Castaway

Chris Leech’s 1947 Dick Lang launch seen here on the slip at the Devonport Yacht Club. Once a familiar sight on the harbour, lately its rare to see her away from her marina, Chris has almost earned the ‘floating man bach’ award 🙂  Hopefully this work will mean she is out & about more.