Category Archives: 1930’s

Lady Claire

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2014 West Park Marina
2014 West Park Marina

LADY CLAIRE

photos from Nathan Herbert & Papers Past, details from Harold Kidd & Jason Prew.

Lady Claire the 42′ bridge deck cruising launch was launched on 14th Oct. 1935. Built by Colin Wild at Stanley Bay for W.J. Reid of Herne Bay. Reid was Des Townson’s grandfather.

Lady Claire is currently owned by Bruce Carter. Colour photos at the marina.

 Harold Kidd Update

She was launched with a 160hp Lycoming but Stan Headland replaced that with a 105hp Kermath in 1952. G M Lagan owned her for a while around the 70s and Bruce Carter recently (still?). Lovely craft.
PS Wild used Lycomings around this time. WAIRIKI, the 39ft bridgedecker he built for L E MacQueen in October 1934 also had an 8 cylinder 160hp Lycoming, essentially the same engine as in the straight 8 Auburn car of the time.

04-07-2015 New Photo Below

Chris McMullen sent  the photo below in from his files. It was given to Chris by the late Des Townson. On the back is written  Lady Claire. 42ft OA Built by Colin Wild. For WJ Reid  1935. Who we know was Townson’s grandfather.
Chris once saw a photo of the same vessel on the wall of Des’s office. Hopefully someone has it still & a copy might surface on ww – a job for Bruce Tantrum maybe ?
Chris commented that when you look at both Lady Claire & Wirihana – one of the reasons for their good looks is the absence of safety rails forward.  These days health and safety concerns encourage safety rails which need to be one meter high as on commercial vessels to do much good, lower than that they can pitch you over the side. Wiihana is still ‘nude’ of rails but there are lots to hold on to on Wirihana.

Lady Clair (L) & Lady Eileen at Gulf Harbour May’14

Lady Clair (L) & Lady Eileen at Gulf Harbour May'14

Lamorna

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Lamorna c1950 Lake Taupo

LAMORNA

photo & details ex Paul & Nigel Drake

Lamorna was built in 1937 by Colin Wild for J Blundell & specifically designed for trout fishing on Lake Taupo. The photo above was taken in the 1950’s.

As boys, on the Lake, the 4 Drake brothers admired Lamorna from the family’s C&G 22 footer Sir Francis – which they still use constantly today. Paul Drake recalls his father telling him that Lamorna had twin engines that were fully exposed with a chrome rail on each side of the alleyway their only protection from stumbling bodies.

Lamorna was for sale on trademe for a long time until reasonably recently. She looks very different now, with a new dodger extending forward, and the usual fully enclosed fly-bridge. See photos below ex Nigel, taken of her moored off Herald Island – note,  these do not show the full extent of the fly-bridge.

Below are three great photos from Lamorna’s past. Thanks to Harold Kidd for pointing the Papers Past links  to me 🙂

14 September 1937 – at Colin Wild’s Stanley Bay yard

16 November 1937 – Undergoing sea trials on the Waitemata Harbour prior to being trucked to Lake Taupo

25 November 1937 – being loaded for transport overland to Lake Taupo. Love the truck !

An Update from Steve & Dylan Needham – 18/10/2014

Here are some photos of Lamorna since we took possession of her at Herald
Island Auckland. Starting with survey and then taken to Geoff Bagnal’s yard
to make Lamorna sea worthy for the Cook straight crossing. Transport to Mana
by truck as you can see we had to cut the flying bridge off because of one
bridge. Looked quite good without it but we decided to re-attach it and then
made the voyage to the Marlborourgh Sounds where Lamorna is berthed at
Havelock where we are restoring her. We have had a lot of fun with her and
look forward to summer.

Mystery Launch 15/06

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 15/06

photos from Beth Williams

The launch in the photos above was built by Beth Williams father, Bert Yates for an unknown client. Bert is pictured alongside the launch in one of the photos. During WW2 Bert worked at Shipbuilders in Poor St, Freemans Bay. The boat designer/builder Jim Young, served his apprentiship under Bert & commented that Bert “was a very harsh task master”.
Burt raced on the ‘A’ division Logan, Rawhiti & managed the yacht pictured below (name unknow) that had the sail # E 38

Anyone able to ID the launch & put a name to sail # E 38 ?

As always – click on images to enlarge

Update 16/06/2014 ex Harold Kidd ex Papers Past

Photo of Rawhiti II on 30 July 1935, just prior to her launch. Photo states built by Mr. R Lang for Mr. H Yates.

Rawhiti II July 1935

Taufale

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Taufale @ Waiheke
Taufale 4sale ad
Taufale c1950
Taufale slipped at Geoff Bagnalls yard

TAUFALE

photos ex Harold Kidd (& trademe + Paper Past)

Recent chat here around a mystery launch moored in the Whau creek & the design / builds of Onehunga based, Les Coulthard has unearthed several of his 27′>30′ v-bottomed cruiser launches from the late 1930’s. CYA member Nathan Herbert is currently restoring Lucinda (search ww for a post on her) & her sister ship Taufale, that is currently for sale on trademe.
Interestingly Taufale has had 3 different cabin tops, the photos above show her as launched with a bridge deck type cabin, a single profile aft swooping version and the current single flat cabin top.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion when it comes to which of the three versions you prefer – but as is most often the case, the ‘as launched’ wins hands down & gets my tick.

Note: you can freeze the slide show above by clicking on a photo + the smaller images below can be enlarged also by clicking on them.

Taufale c1950
Taufale ex trademe
Taufale slipped at Geoff Bagnalls yard
Taufale @ Waiheke
Taufale 4sale ad
Taufale ex trademe
Taufale on launch day

New photo added ex Ken Ricketts camera in 1948, while in School House Bay.

Taufale 1948

Recent (2014) photos ex Nathan Herbert, hauled out at the Weiti Boating Club

Unknown Launch (15/09/2013) Almost Known

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c.1948-9
2014
1939 ex Paper Past
2014

Unknown Launch (15/09/2013) Almost Known

Last year (15/09/2013) Ken Ricketts asked about a launch that he had photographed c1948-9. He commented that at the time he took the photo she was seen regularly around the Kawau Island area.
We had no joy in ID-ing her but it now appears that the ‘powers’ of ww have worked.  At the weekend Nathan Herbert was out & about nosing around the Whau Creek when he spied the launch above, a little digging into the Papers Past archive reveals that this is most likely Kens mystery boat. A 28 foot, 1939 Coulthard built in Onehunga for a Mr E. G. Webb. As the Papers Past photo (excuse the quality) shows she was trucked across from Onehunga & launched at Auckland.

Still do not know her name but getting closer – anyone know the boats current owner or more details?

Photos below of Dawn as discussed in the RECENT COMMENTS section – click to enlarge

Moana

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Moana 2014
Moana c1950s

MOANA

Chasing more detail on Moana & her past. She is a Sam Ford bridge decker. Note the ‘trademark’ waterline (engine room) portholes.

The full colour photo above I took at the CYA launch cruise to the Riverhead Hotel on 02/06/2014.

The b/w photo was sent in by Paul Drake & was taken c.1950’s & shows her on a mooring in Lake Taupo, near where the Waikato River exits the lake. Paul’s boyhood memories are that she seemed to spend most of her time on her mooring. Her owner enjoyed being aboard her watching the world go by, without feeling the need to go anywhere.
He also remembers seeing her transom being rebuilt, no doubt due to dry rot, whilst afloat.

Can anyone add more ?

Harold Kidd Update

She could be one of the two 38 footers built by Sam Ford just before the outbreak of war in September 1939. One was LADY NGAIRE for Shelley B Atkinson which does not appear as such postwar and the other was for Vern McGeady to replace his 1936 Sam Ford-built 35 footer LADY PAM, completely burnt out off Motuihe in October 1938. Again, no postwar trace.

Photo below ex Graeme Willcox of Moana on Lake Taupo c.1970’s when she was owned by Graeme’s grandfather – Dick Tylee

Screen Shot 2014-06-25 at 9.12.54 PM

 

Winter Haul Out

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July 1930

photo ex Nathan Herbert ex NZ Herald

Winter Haul Out

How many of these boats can we ID? Location ? Vos yard? If it helps the date on the photo is July 1930.

Make sure you view the comments section – lots of discussion on this post.

Photo below ex Harold Kidd ex New Zealand Herald – 12 October 1934 – MR. H. D. GUTHRIE’S 45-FOOT CRUISER ALCESTIS

Lucinda

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Lucinda

LUCINDA

Built by L. Coulthard for a Mr J Griffin of Epsom, her initial ‘home’ was the Manukau. Records show she was launched with a 12-16hp Ailsa-Craig engine.

Other than this ww is very light on her history so hopefully we can expand on it today.

Harold Kidd Update

Les Coulthard built her in October 1930 for Jack Griffin of Onehunga who was the Vice-Commodore of the Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club at the time. Her 10/16hp Ailsa Craig had been taken from his former launch KATUI which Coulthard traded in and later sold. LUCINDA stayed on the Manukau until at least 1940 and I have no knowledge of when she came to the Waitemata and was bridgedeckerised but think it was reasonably recently.

Owner (Nathan Herbert) Update

I wish I had never seen this photo, as I was happy with the current configuration and the excellent interior room/ layout it provides until I saw the looks of the original! The engine now is where the bridge is, but there are old engine beds right up into the bow? Other than those, the only original parts are t+g sole in parts of the cockpit, and the chain locker bulkhead with Bakelite switch and light fitting attached.
The engine sump was toast from salt water in the bilge and after 4 weeks a complete replacement has almost been manufactured for me. James at Moon Diesels helped me out with a similar bell housing to replace the toasted one, which I have modified to fit.
We’ll tow her to Milford in the next week or so to be slipped for a few months to be given a full going over. A lot of gear will be biffed…

Excuse the crudely covered bridge window, I put my hand through it while navigating the sole-less cabin area

Lucinda 2014
Lucinda 2014

Nahlin

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Nahlin

In the last few weeks the Waitemata Harbour & outer gulf has been graced with the presence of one of the most beautiful vessels afloat – Nahlin. I have posted recently about her but I was sent last week by CYA member Nathan Herbert, two photos of Nahlin from the 1930’s anchored in Whangaroa Harbour. Given that she was launched in 1930 & her first owner Lady Anne Henrietta Yule had requested “a steamship built that could take me around the world in total comfort”, she was probably on her maiden circumnavigation. It took her 80 odd years to make it back, but it was worth it. In between she had a very colorful life – In 1937 King Edward VIII chartered her for a cruise of the Adriatic with Mrs Wallis Simpson aboard. The Kings one request before departing was for the library to be cleared of all books to allow more alcohol to be stowed 🙂

Lady Yule must have been as my son would say – ‘well wedged’, in total she ordered 3 steam yachts from shipbuilders John Brown & Co, all 300ft plus. Lady Yule sold Nahlin in 1937 to the King of Romania for 120,000 pounds, a staggering amount back then.
Before being rescued from Romania in the late 1990’s she had been a floating museum, floating restaurant.
Her restoration was a rocky road with the ship yard going into receivership. She was recommissioned in 2010 & is currently owned by British industrial entrepreneur, Sir James Dyson.

The name, Nahlin is taken from the native american word meaning ‘fleet of foot’ & at 300′, with the top speed of 17+ knots, she is that. There is a figurehead of a native american wearing a feathered headdress beneath her bowsprit.

In the bigger photo, on the right is Milford Island & Peach Island behind, on her starboard side.

b/w photos ex British Museum Collection

Keeping Fine Company

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Keeping Fine Company

photos ex Brian Fulton
Anchored this morning at Rotoroa Island along with a fine collection of classic woodys. Yesterday after lunch at Man ‘O War vineyard (Waiheke Island) several of us where motoring across the Waiheke Channel when we were ‘joined’ by the rather grand 300′ super yacht Nahlin, owned by British industrial entrepreneur Sir James Dyson. Truely a magniciciant 1930 ship.
The CYA gang all went a shore for a BBQ dinner at Rotoroa & later a very shinny black chopper landed to collect Sir & Lady James who had spent the day on Rotoroa.
We were treated to a stunning sunset.