Category Archives: 1920’s

NZPBA Championship 1929

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NZPBA championship races of 1929 on the Whau River (upper harbour)

The small speedboat in photo1 is OP-IT. She was built by Jack Brooke in late 1928,.and according to Harold Kidd & the Brooke family, that’s probably Jack racing her in the C Class outboard race)

Update from Harold Kidd

Photo 1 is certainly of Jack Brooke and his C Class (20 cu in) outbioard racer ‘OP IT which he designed and built himself. 
Photo 2 is MISS CLEVEDON (S2) and SPOT II (S15). MISS CLEVEDON was built and raced by T M Roberts and was one of the fastest in the over 20 knots category. I don’t know what power she had. Roberts also raced an outboard MISS CLEVEDON which had a 10hp Dunelt 249cc. Dunelt were upper quality English motorcycle manufacturers of the time who were trying to beat the Depression by getting into the outboard racing craze sweeping the world. SPOT II was a single step hydroplane built and raced by Alf Williams of Ponsonby. She had a “high-speed” Rugby 4 cylinder car engine, a favourite for marine use. The Rugby was built by the Durant Corporation and was the Star car rebadged for British Empire markets as there already was a fine English Star car, built in Wolverhampton and very like the contemporary Sunbeam. 
Photo 3 is HOBO (S3) which was built and raced by R. Mouat. She had a 6 cylinder Buick engine with which she won 2nd place in the Masport Cup in January 1929 at Wanganui. She was a crib of the American MARGARET III type.

Update from Colin Orum 30/03/2014

Photo 2 above is a photo of my grandfather Tom Roberts driving boat Miss Clevedon. I have heard quite a lot about his speedboat escapades from Mum now 88 and it was mentioned today. I thought to inquire if any information photos etc. were available. I was quite friendly with an old bloke at Waiheke named George Rose who(as a boy) new Tom quite well and used to tell me stories about his time with the racing boats. George said the power in Miss Clevedon was a Beardmore aero engine. Today Mum said the last she can remember is that Tom was taking Miss Clevedon on a practise run on the Clevedon river, struck a submerged log and sank, we assumed that it was recovered but unsure what happened after that. My brother has a cup trophy for Tom for Auckland speed boat champion around 1929-30.

Shenandoah Hauled Out

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A collection of photos showing the  1929 Chas. Bailey & Son built  launch Shenandoah when she was hauled out for work at the Te Atatu boating club. a few years back. I had to include one old b/w image to remind us what a beauty she was when launched.
Photos supplied by Russell Ward
10-10-2016 Photo ex Ken Jones, via Ken Ricketts – off Devonport.
shenandoah

My Girl – about time we had some older wood posted

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Harold – can you help ID this launch – thx

Harold Kidd Update

That’s the lovely MY GIRL, built by Dick Lang in late 1925 for C.B. “Tui” Waldron of the Wade who commuted with her. The square-bilge design was based on one by W.H. Hand. She was fitted with a 6 cylinder 100hp Scripps that pushed her along at over 18 knots. Waldron later took her to Whangarei and she was in NAPS as Z32 out of Whangarei in WW2. She survived at Te Atatu as recently as 2001 owned by Trevor Davies.

Dauntless

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Dauntless

DAUNTLESS

Built c.1927, most likely a Lanes (I can hear HDK now 🙂 “aren’t they all” )50′ in length. Owner looking for more details on her past. Dauntless most likely not the original name.
Currently berth at Milford Marina (the creek).

31-01-2019 Update – Hauled out at Milford Cruising Club yard for some TLC. Photo ex Jason Prew

dauntless @ mcc jan2019

Help needed to ID launch

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Help needed to ID launch

A real mixed bag of vessels here. Must have been a regatta or speed boat racing.

Of interest to waitematawoodys is the fine looking launch in the centre with the canoe stern. Can anyone help ID her?

Harold Kidd Update:
There are numerous candidates for the canoe – sterned launch. I will work on ID-ing  her. It’s unusual to have a combination of a raised forward deck, a clerestory, a dodger and a canoe stern on a launch of what…36 feet? In the meantime, some possibilities are RONOMOR, HAZEL, WAHAROA, ROMA and DIXIE.
The little outboard racer is FLEETUN built by Collings & Bell in November 1928. That’s probably Charlie Collings handling her.
 
What I can advice is –
1.       It’s a NZPBA event
2.       It’s on the Whau River
3.       It’s some time after March 1928 and before they moved these races to the Panmure Basin in January 1930.

 

Silver Spray

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Silver Spray

SILVER SPRAY

Story & photo by Lyn Hatrick

The above boat is the Silver Spray which my Dad has noted as being built by Joe Slattery in Judges Bay about 1925 and was 26ft long. It was powered by an Ailsa Craig petrol engine. This boat is still in existence and has been completed done up and is now moored out by the boatsheds at Orakei. My grandfather owned one of the boatsheds there which he housed the Silver Spray in. These sheds were offered to those affected by the buildingof the pipeline and who owned boats which used to be kept up on the foreshore where the Shore Road/Orakei Road intersection is. The family lived in Orakei Road at the time and then moved to Tuahere Street and loved boating

Note the above was ‘borrowed’ from a facebook page & used based on the fact they we borrowing waitmatawoodys material 😉

Centennial Rudder Cup Winner

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CENTENNIAL RUDDER CUP
Raindance the floating head office for waitematawoodys picked up another shiny thing at the CYA prize giving last night. Will sit nicely alongside the Motor Launch Trophy won last year.
This year Raindance collected the Centennial Rudder Cup, the trophy donated by Pauline & Harold Kidd to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rudder Cup Race, one of the most significant events in our motor launch history.
Special mention should be made to my boat boy Simon Yates.

Shenandoah Cruising in the North

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Shenandoah Cruising in the North
Over the 1931/2 xmas holiday period Shenandoah cruised in company with Alcestis & Lady Margaret. Two of the photos above show Shenandoah off the settlement of Mangonui, one tied up alongside Alcestis (Guthrie family launch) at the Mangonui Store, now the site of the famous (in the Far North) fish & chip shop. The other photos are possibly on-route to Haruru Falls.