Category Archives: 1930’s

Pup LN 27 > Topaz

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PUP LN 27 > TOPAZ

WW was recently contacted by Carol Jukes who is researching her late fathers fishing trawler – Pup, I’ll let Carol tell the story, below.

“My Father George Hemsley purchased the fishing trawler ‘PUP’ about 1933 from Akaroa, he fished out of  Lyttelton with his friend Peg Gillard. Her registration number was LN 27. Pup was 25’ x 7′ x 3’ 6”.  I have been able to follow the Pup’s life off and on to the present day, she is now on Stewart Island and has been so for the last few years.  Along the way she had a name change and is now known as ‘TOPAZ’.  At some time she was badly crushed by a boat in Dunedin, the damage was so severe that it must have been recorded at the time, unfortunately not having a date for this accident I have not been able to find a record of the event.  A few years later the sad state of this boat was seen by a sympathetic boatie who bought her, and over the years did a fantastic repair job on her.  Pup / Topaz was given a new lease on life. This boat must be around 100 years old. 

I have managed to get some information from Papers Past, but there are holes in that.  She was called into do a few heroic things so of course they are recorded.

I also have the name of the present owner and have spoken to the person who rebuilt her and have some photos of the rebuild, looking at the photos I think most people would have taken one look and run, I gather it had been sitting in it’s sad state for a few years before he bought it. I take my hat off for the rebuild. It’s actually a funny story, after my Dad died eleven years ago my brother took his ashes to Stewart Island, he decided to go for a ride on one of the boats there, he mentioned to the skipper about Dad’s boat, on the way back in this skipper pointed to a boat and said to David is this your Dads boat? As you can imagine David nearly fell overboard in shock because it was Dad’s boat, renamed Topaz.  

It is since this incident that I have followed up and tried to find more about her history because at the time we knew nothing other than Dad had owned her.  I am working away on a book on his life and this will be part of it.

Any information on this boat  Pup / Topaz would be very much appreciated.”

In the first photo we see Pup on the dry dock c.1934 with owner George Hemsley. Photo two is her then named Topaz, after repairs.

UPDATE 15-06-2023 Photo below supplied by Carol Dukes

Annabella DN 87

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ANNABELLA DN 87

Todays woody is the trawler Annabella and the photo comes to us from the Carey’s Bay Boat Builders via Lew Redwoods fb.

The photo was captioned  – ‘Beautiful trawler Annabella afloat at the builders sheds prior to being rigged with masts and sails in 1931. Otago’. In my eyes beautiful is an understatement 🙂

Can anyone enlighten us on what became of Annabella, hopefully still afloat.

UPDATE and photos below ex Cameron Pollard – Sadly Annabella broached on the Kawhia Bar during the 1970s and sunk. Russell Ward has also advised the year was 1977 and one crew member was lost.

Classic Launches at Kawau Island 1939

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Classic Launches at Kawau Island 1939

Todays photo comes to us from the AKL Library Heritage Collection and is tagged ‘Colourised image – Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island, 1939′

Think I can confidently ID the three launches in the middle of the photo, being – Amakura II > Rehia > Atalanta. (correction – more likely to be Marguerite/Lady Una. Thanks Patrick O’Mera for the heads up)

Wonderful to see that Rehia has remained almost unaltered for the last 80+ years – we like that 🙂 Recent WW story on her here https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/03/31/rehia-a-peek-down-below/

The smaller launch to the left has me stumped. Anyone able to ID her .

MV USSCo – 4sale

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MV USSCo 4sale

The 45’ launch – M.V. Ussco was launched in 1936 as the Donald Sutherland, built for the first Labour Govt. as a tourist / passenger vessel. She was also previously known as Sea Hawk.

She has spent time as a fishing vessel, and other unconfirmed duties maybe as a lighthouse tender before use as a private cruiser.

Built from 4 skin kauri she has a beam of 12’ and draws 4’, a Gardner 6L2 provides the forward motion and like most southern woodys she is fully spec’ed.

Her owner Pete Worsnap has recently placed her on the market – as architects say “she has good bones” and while she requires a little work, she is priced accordly eg offers around $25k. And that woodys is a lot of boat for the money.

We are a little light on photos, but in the first instance interested parties to contact Pete direct either ussco1936@gmail.com or 021 998 159

Spec sheet downloadable below

ussco-1936-collings-and-bell-4sale-specs-1Download

REHIA – A Peek Down Below

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Rehia Underway Apr2023

REHIA – A Peek Down Below

The 36’ launch – Rehia, designed and built in 1939 by none other than Colin Wild, our foremost wooden boat craftsman, has been undergoing a rolling restoration since changing ownership back in late 2021. 

Last Sunday at the Woodys lunch cruise to the Riverhead Tavern, Rehia was front and centre looking very majestic.

When purchased her interior was a tad tired and new owners Amanda and Joe have given Rehia a revamp and she is looking rather dapper. (As purchased photos below)

I’m told that the next project is renewing the varnished coamings.

Marietta

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MARIETTA

During the week WW was contacted by Stuart Myers in regard to the whereabouts of the 36’ bridge decker – Marietta. 

Marietta was built c.1920>1930’s by Collings and Bell, her beam is 9, she is semi-chine and had full length kauri planks. 

Marietta was used by the NZ Navy during WWII as a look-out boat.

Marietta was owned by the Myers family from the late 1950s’ until the late 1970’s and was moored during this time in Little Shoal Bay. During this time she still had her original Chrysler Crown 6 cylinder, side valve, petrol motor. In the late 1970’s she broke her mooring and ended up on the rocks in Little Shoal Bay and after repairs (some re-fastening of planks by Baileys) she was sold, re-powered with a diesel motor and converted to a fishing boat. 

Marietta was last seen about 8 years ago at Milford Marina moored outside the Milford Cruising Club and was painted a light green colour and had returned to being a pleasure boat.

The above photos are from the 1960’s, one of her on the old grid at Needle’s Eye in Little Shoal Bay.

So woodys – can anyone update us on what has become of Marietta.

17-03-2023 INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – According to APYMBA records MARIETTA was built by Collings & Bell in 1934 for G A McKendrick who had a property at Rocky Bay. He sold her to B Kissin of Takapuna in September 1938 when she had an extensive overhaul at Percy Vos’ yard. I have zero information on the launch being used by the Navy during the war and doubt that it happened. The Hert brothers bought her in April 1947 and it was then that she was fitted with a Chrysler Crown. J S Richards owned her from 1952 to 1962 when Athol Myers of Queen ST Northcote bought her. Frank Cooper bought her in 2001 and kept her in Milford Creek. Dave Nicholson has brought you up to date.

21-03-2023 INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – I believe that she was built for Casey in 1927 as the Imanota, with a 70hp (50-75hp) redwing motor, steered from the aft dodger hence the hatch, with the bridge deck having been added later on. She was Marietta by the late 1930’s when owned by McKendrick.
Notes from when she was new include various speeds claimed from 10 to 15 knots, 15 electric lighting points, all mod cons including sink, an unusually flared bow ‘like a destroyer’ and topsides which are so rounded that she appears to be of the ‘old fashioned’ round bilge type.

NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show 2023 (Nelson Lakes)

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NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show 2023 (Nelson Lakes) 

Today thanks to the camera of Michael Brownee we get to take in the amazing woody craft and spectacular scenery at Lake Rotoiti, South Island for the 2023 NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show that was recently held (March 4>5)

Michael has captured the essence and spirit of the event beautifully , if he not a professional photographer , he should be 🙂

I attended the show 3>4 years ago and it should be on every woodys bucket list.

As always – click on photos to enlarge 😉

THE LOG OF TAMATEA – A20 

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THE LOG OF TAMATEA – A20 

Earlier in the week a nugget of gold dropped into my inbox – Mark Newcomb sent in a copy of his families yacht – TAMATEA A20 log book (refer PDF file link below to read)

The log book covers the background to the building of the yacht and her first race + some wonderful insights into life in the WWII period.

Tamatea was designed by A.C. Robb and built by A. Couldrey, launched in Jan 1937.

Amazingly the yacht was built from one kauri log, grown on the owners property in Waitakere (note: log was from a ‘dead’ tree)

Click on the blue text below to open the PDF file, the original of the log book is in the hands of the Maritime Museum, so probably this file is the only record, given the Museum’s track record with ‘losing’ things 😦

Click to access logbook-of-tamatea.pdf

Venture – Where Is She

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VENTURE – WHERE IS SHE – WW cap Up For Grabs

Todays WW story started last week – I’m standing in the queue to catch the Waiheke Island > Devonport ferry and the lady (Penny Ericson)  behind me asks if I’m from Tasmania, now it was Friday afternoon and I had been to lunch so the brain took a few milli seconds to engage. I was wearing an Aust. Wooden Boat Festival t-shirt and the logo was plastered over the back of the shirt. I explain no I’m not, and then Penny tells me she is off to Tasmania in 7 days time for a holiday, so being the nice person I am I give her my ’Things you must do / see in Hobart’ speech. I then open the photo gallery on my iPhone and back the story up with photos. She comments that there are a lot of boat photos and I explain why and tell the waitematawoodys story. 

Snap – she knows the site and was in fact about to email me concerning her grandfather > fathers launch named Venture.

After that long led in I’ll let Penny tell her story – 

“This is Penny , I met you on the Waiheke ferry the other day and we discussed the fact that I would love to know what happened to my father and grandfathers boat that he used on the lakes in Rotorua as a charter fishing launch . 
I think that it operated out of the fishing camp on the Ohau channel , and the Harvey family lived in a house on Lake Rotorua on the other side of the channel .
As you will see from the above photos the launch was called Venture, and the Log book below begins in 1937 and finishes in 1941. 

No one in the family knows what happened to the boat but I had a feeling someone thought it may have been sold to someone in Auckland .
I was delighted to meet you and you sounded so positive that you may be able to find the boat for me .
In the bottom photo my father John or “Jack” Harvey is on the left . He was distinctive as he had a wooden peg leg having lost a leg on the western front in WW1. All his life despite his disability he was a marvellous fisherman and boatman. I grew up in Torbay so was always in boats as a kid, Dad building many dinghy’s for us .

Thank you Alan , I would greatly appreciate finding the boat and maybe the original logbook needs to be reunited with the boat”

So woodys can we help Penny in her search for the launch Venture and along the way learn more about her and what became of her.

17-03-2023 INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – VENTURE was bought by K H Wilson of Rotorua in 1947 and fitted with a 52hp Graymarine engine. He kept her until at least 1955.

I’ll reward the woody that is the most helpful with a WW cap.

VENTURE LOG – Might be a familiar name featured

Woodys On The Northern Wairoa and Kaipara Harbour

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#1
#2 SWANEE
#3
#4 RONA W

Woodys On The Northern Wairoa and Kaipara Harbour

Todays collection of craft comes to us from the Kauri Museum at Matakohe via Diane Wilkinson’s fb.

From top to bottom:

1. Unknown launch – can we ID her

2. Swanee – featured on WW in 2015 – link https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/08/29/swanee/

3. Unknown launch – can we ID her

4. Rona W – possibly this boat – 2021 WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/15/could-this-be-rona/