Category Archives: 1920’s

Paikea

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PAIKEA

Helped take Trinidad last Sunday to the Sandspit boat shed of Greg Lee Boatbuilder’s last Sunday, spied this classic – Paikea – moored just off the wharf at Sandspit. Can anyone shed some  light on her? Poor photos, facing into the sun.

On the trip north passed 4 different large pods of dolphins, the biggest pod was mooching around the moored boats at Sandspit. Photo (iphone) is of one of the smaller dolphins that kept us company for a while off Tiritir.

Harold Kidd Update

PAIKEA was built by Collings & Bell for A.H. Court and launched on 26th January 1921. She was fitted with a 120-150hp Model M Van Blerck 6 cylinder petrol engine (not a straight-eight Packard as is often said). PAIKEA had Chas. Collings’ “concave-convex” type of hard chine design which he made famous with his various FLEETWINGS and whale-chasers. Indeed she was a refinement of the FLEETWING whose image appears in the Collings & Bell section of WW.

PAIKEA was good for 20 knots and can still do it with her present big Iveco/Fiat, as I experienced not long ago at Sandspit. She goes like hell and stable with it.

Alf Court sold her to Hec Marler in 1925 and he sold her to R B & S S Wilson  just pre-WW2. She was in NAPS during WW2 as Z17. .

 

Launches & Yacht at Tauranga Regatta

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Launches & Yacht at Tauranga Regatta

Would be interested to hear if anyone has another view but pretty sure these photos are from the Tauranga Regatta that used to follow the Auckland to Tauranga race in the late 1920’s – 1930’s.

The Guthrie family launch Alcestis (now Raiona) can be seen heading towards the bridge between the white hulled yacht & the bigger dark hulled steamer??. What made the ID easy was that Roger & Graham Guthrie’s grandfather (Hugh Douglas Guthrie) always wore either a captains hat or as in the case here – a white Panama hat.

 photos ex Roger Guthrie

1925 Anniversary Regatta “bona fide cruisers over 9 knots” Race.

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1925 Anniversary Regatta “bona fide cruisers over 9 knots” Race.

The 4 boats nearest the camera, from left ROMANCE II (W C Mills….winner by miles), ROSEMARY (Leon Warne), ALL BELL leading (Alf Bell….NO Collings in this one…it’s All BELL….lots of angst between Mr. Collings and Mr. Bell post WW1), and CARMINE (ex-MAUDIE..Bailey & Lowe). At the rear are, on left, CAVALIER (Bell brothers, Alf and his brother whose name I’ve temporarily forgotten but great uncles of Dick Coughlan) at left and KATHRYN R (built by Leon Warne for W J Reid, Des Townson’s grandfather) on the right. Big St Mary’s Bay representation, 2 Warne boats and two Bell boats (and 2 Bailey & Lowe boats)

2nd photo of Romance II ‘at full chat’ crossing a finish line in 1925 (possibly the same race as above)

3rd photo shows Romance II not moving fast at all – high & dry near Coromandel one Easter, she re-floated on the next tide with no damage other than the crews egos, the owner Frank Aspden was in Sydney at the time. The next crew meeting would have been a dozy 🙂

Anniversary details ex Harold Kidd, photos ex ‘Sir George Grey Special Collections (Auckland Libraries)

Harold Kidd Update:

ROMANCE II cheekily entered the next race too, the “Open Speed Race” against the flyers of the day, Chas. Collings’ FLEETWING JR (120hp Hall-Scott), MISS VIRGINIA (220hp Hispano-Suiza), MISS AUCKLAND (ohc Masport), MISS EILEEN (6 cylinder Buick), MISS DEVONPORT (90hp Curtiss), MISS MILFORD (ex-FLEETWING I), and FIREFLY Colin Wild-built, 6 cylinder Studebaker). Some of these hydroplanes were running war surplus aero engines of course. ROMANCE II was given 20mins and won on handicap.

She will see some action this season after Pauline and I have had a sad time in the past 18 months with family matters and my bloody arthritis. She’s out at Gulf Harbour right now for antifouling and a tidy up. She was built for 17 knots and still does that (and quite a bit more if you have the courage to push the Morse to the bulkhead). Basically she’s a standard Bailey & Lowe 35 footer hull, but fined down forward and with a flatter run aft. It may not be your classic planing, but it sure feels like it!

Maritza II

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Maritea II

MARITZA II

The launch Maritza II on her journey to Lake Waikaremoana.

In the days before we had the boys from ‘Boat Haulage’ on the scene 🙂

photo ex classicboatnz

Harold Kidd Update:

The penny has dropped. It’s not MARITEA II but MARITZA. She was built by Peter A Smith, the Alpha marine engine agent in St. Mary’s Bay for himself in 1923. Like W R Twigg, Smith contracted to build launches, his input being the engine which usually cost over half the total price. He contracted out hulls to local builders, usually those handy to his premises in St. Mary’s Bay. This hull was built by Dick Lang before he left for Sydney during the transition of his business to Sam Ford so Sam Ford took some credit in advertising. She was 37ft x 9ft and was fitted with a 25hp Alpha (Danish) engine. Smith named her CYRENA. She was launched around Christmas 1923.

Smith sold her to the Manukau in September 1924. F G “Boy” Bellve of Herne Bay bought her and brought her back to the Waitemata in January 1926 and had her until he commissioned the keel yacht CYRENA from Collings & Bell in late 1938. 

Bellve sold the launch CYRENA to A M White of Ngatapa, Gisborne who renamed her MARITZA (II) and had her trucked over to Lake Waikaremoana on 6-7 October 1938.

PS I’m pretty sure the truck is a Diamond T with a locally-built cab.

Rangitihi & Patiti

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Rangitihi & Patiti Hauled Out

Photo from Roger Guthrie’s grandfathers collection & shows Roger’s father aged approx. 14 so the date of the photo must be c.1925/6. The location could be Tauranga area??

Harold Kidd Update:

Lake Tarawera; PATITI was built by Bailey & Lowe in July 1904 for the Government Tourist Dept. RANGITIHI was built for Tarawera but transferred later to Rotomahana. I’m pretty sure she was built by Bailey Lowe too.

PS PATITI was built by Bailey & Lowe for the Government Tourist Dept and completed in July 1904 alongside her twin IRINI which was intended for the Lake Rotomahana tourist trade. Both were railed to Rotorua in mid July and taken to their respective lakes, by bullock wagons, I assume.

PPS She was called PATITI after Guide Joe Warbrick (Patiti is maoriisation of Warbrick),one of the Warbrick brothers, heroes of the 1884 NZ Rugby team who played Australia in 1884 and the New Zealand Native Team that toured the UK in 1888-9. He had been killed in the eruption of the Waimangu Geyser in 1903.

Russell , Bay of Island Jan 2 , 1927

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6 Jan 1927 Russell, Bay of Islands 

Seems a large % of the Auckland classic launch fleet had head north in Jan 1927, the above photo shows an impressive collection of classics anchored off Russell for the regatta.

photo ex ‘Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries

Linda

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Sea Spray April ’74
Sea Spray April ’74
Linda @ Salthouse July 2013
Linda @ Baywwater

LINDA 1927 Colin Wild

You would not know it by viewing her today but in the mid 1980’s Linda experienced a major fire that almost was the end of her. Enter Robert & Russell Brooke who rebuilt Linda to the magnificent classic launch she is today. I came across (classicboatingnz) a copy of the April 1974 edition of Sea Spray, which featured Linda pre fire & then 51 years old. Text might be a little hard to read (click image to enlarge) but the photos are interesting. For comparison I have also attached a photo of Linda on her marina berth & a July 2013 photo showing Linda post her recent lick of paint & Uroxsys.

Lady Margaret (Colin Wild)

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LADY MARGARET

She is back in Auckland after quite a few years in the far north. They are numerous posting on her on waitematawoodies, just enter her name in the search panel. But a quick overview – 1927, Colin Wild bridge-decker, 42′, one of THE launches in her day with a wonderful provenance.

Very very pretty, then aren’t all Colin Wild boats 🙂

Will be interesting to see if the Col Wild stable is enough to justify the asking price with potential buyers. Talk around the docks is that she sold for a LOT less last time she was on the market & the term used in the listing to describe the recent work is ‘ a make-over’ so best to view her as a wonderful classic that you could go boating in tomorrow but she is very ‘traditional’ in terms of motor, layout, fittings & finish so at some stage to return her to her best you will have to be visiting the bank manager. She will not sell for the asking price but launches with her provenance & looks do not come on the market often. Take a look at the ‘at sea’ photos – a fine looking vessel.

I will be interested to see how she fares in the current classic wooden boat market. The Logan (do not get much better breeding than that) launch Ngaio recently sold for sub $40,000 & was in similar condition, excluding the fresh paint.

More details here.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=620813973

Lady M out on the hard at Gulf Harbour, with her new owner giving her a tickle, Ken R took the photo 22/03/14.

LADY MARGARET - TLC FROM NEW OWNER - 22.3.14

A couple from the new owner

02/07/2014 – Launch date photo below at Colin Wild’s Stanley Bay yard. According to Papers Past the date was 9 Oct 1928, else were on this post we have her as launched in 1927?

I was mooching around Westhaven this afternoon, 17/08/2014 & spied LM on her new berth.

Updated Photo – 15/01/2015

Update 19-02-2020 – photo below of LM c.1962. taken at Okahu Bay
Lady Margaret

Ngaio

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NGAIO
I’m pleased to be able to announce that after being ‘on-the-market’ for several years, the 1921 Arch Logan 36′ launch Ngaio now has a new owner. She passed her survey with flying colours & has been hauled out & is now safely in a shed for a major external renovation.  As part of the work she will return to her original colour scheme i.e. a dark (black) navy blue. Above are photos of her post launching (possibly taken in Devonport), today – both in the water & at her recent haul-out, a preliminary sketch of her new colour scheme & wonderful scale model built of her by CYA member Bruce Tantrum.
Also click this link to view a youtube clip from the recent CYA Riverhead Cruise.
Her new owner has already applied to join the CYA, so Ngaio will be a wonderful addition to the launch fleet.
We will follow the project with great interest.
26/07/2013 – The restoration begins, photos added of haul out & transport to her new (temporary) home – a boat shed for the work.

Weekend 1

All fittings are off, belting 50% off, mast and stack removed, paint stripping beginning.

Findings so far; pohutakawa stem, kauri carvel planking, original waterline belting line cut into hull, original color is black hull, 13 coats of paint below the belting strip, 6 above the strip.

11/08/2013 – On Bruce Tanturm’s instructions (I always do what BT’s tells me to) I visited the boat shed today & meet the new owners, pleased to report that Ngaio has fallen on her feet 🙂

To quote Bruce “Her beauty out of the water, as one would imagine, is complete, simple and beautiful. The hull’s multi layered accumulation of many decades of paint has been removed revealing the symmetrical artistry of master craftsman Jack Logan’s full length bare kauri planking, all in absolutely perfect condition. In the next few days, she is going to be splined and fibreglassed to preserve her.

Never again will this particular definitive testament of material, form and craftsmanship be seen, never”

I can happliy add that the splining & f/g will only be above the waterline.

An Oops or a mid season bottom clean?

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An Oops or a mid season bottom clean?

Someone out there might be able to enlighten us as to what really was happening but by the assembled ‘crowd’ looks more like Shenandoah had been practicing her impact hygrography skills 🙂
I also posted a photo to once again remind us what a magnificent ‘ship’ she was in her heyday.
photos from Roger Guthrie