Category Archives: 1930’s

Lucinda

Posted on by
5

LUCINDA

Lucinda sat unused off Devonport Yacht Club for a number of years & being a DYC  member I have had more calls about her than any other boat. Normal stuff – “who owns her”, “is she for sale”, “has she been abandoned” etc. This was all because she is a very pretty little ship & would be a perfect restoration project. Its rare to find a sub 30’ launch that looks ‘right’ i.e. in proportion.

Well people – nows your chance, a CYA friend has tracked the owner down (overseas), purchased the boat, hauled her out, scrapped a few wheel barrow loads of weed & mussels off her & now circumstances have changed & she is on the market,  ready for someone to take on the project. At $4,500 ono they do not come better priced than this.

Some Info:

1930 hard chine Coulthard bridgedeck launch –  28ft.

The hull is sound and the boat does not appear to have rot in it, but needs a full re-paint & engine overhaul.

Engine is a 1987, Perkins 50hp which was apparently rebuilt before the boat was left on mooring, and now does not turn over so will want taking apart again.

She has new navy blue upholstery, various electrical spares, spare bronze nails, GPS chart plotter, fish finder, VHF

Has engine compressor driven refrigeration but unkown if it works still.

Stove/ oven in good visual condition but have not tried to start as there are other priorities with such a vessel.

View here http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=705353146&ed=true

Achernar

Image

1

Achernar

ACHERNAR

Todays post is another boat from the 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade, Achernar is rather special, being the only launch designed by R L (Bob) Stewart & built by Collings & Bell for Bob’s father. You can read more about her past by entering her name in the ww search box.

I post her for another reason, her owner Don Atkinson is a star in my world, when he purchased Achernar in 2008 he removed the flybridge – give that man a cigar 🙂

Achinar after makeover by Lanes

Suzie

Posted on by
1

SUZIE

NZ built (kauri)  in approx. 1935-40, Suzie is 16′ & based on a Chris Craft design. She has been in the same family since 1955 & underwent an extensive restoration in 2011.

Pictured here at the 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic Wooden Boat Parade.

Echo

Posted on by
7

ECHO

details & hauled out photos ex Ken Ricketts, editing & on the water photos ex Alan H

Echo was built in 1935 in Onehunga by Coulthard & is an excellent example of an almost totally unspoiled original 32′ classic tram topper of the early to middle 1930s era.

Her present owner, John Rea, a retired boatbuilder himself, has had Echo for approx. 10 years & keeps her in the Wade River. She is powered by a 4236 Perkins Diesel, which was fitted in the 1970s.

During his stewardship, he has put a lot of time & effort in splining the entire hull, hence the permanent eggshell finish, a job, of which, she is well worthy.

John told Ken he bought her in Totara North, Whangaroa, where the previous owner, Graham Armstrong, had kept her for a good number of years (at least 10 he feels). Armstrong owned or leased a small shop on the foreshore by the boat ramp. Previous to this she belonged to the Ashby’s, a boatbuilding family in the Bay of Island, they upgraded the original dodger, which was lower & ‘squarer’ than the present raised version, which is a very practical modification & in Ken’s view, is still aesthetically balanced & acceptable.

John believes at one stage she was owned by a man of the cloth – a Reverend (name unknown) & that she was possibly on the Kaipara Harbour for a while. This possiblility is backed up by the fact she still has the same marine grade high quality carpet from way back & when vacuuming John is still getting black sand in reasonable quantities out of the carpet, which he thinks is West Coast sand.

A lovely boat, which must have an interesting history, so hopefully there will be some additions to this story from others to fill us in on the original owner & confirm the build date  & maybe even ID the ‘Reverend’ 🙂

Harold Kidd Update

This launch was advertised for sale by Serena Armstrong of Totara North in 1999 as being built by Les Coulthard in 1935. I had serious doubts about that at the time because she’s clearly much older than 1935. I cannot imagine Les building such a launch in 1935 as his launches of that period were much more up to date eg LUCINDA.
I can track an ECHO on the Manukau from early 1912, a flushdecker, which Les could have built because he was living at Mairere Road, Onehunga at the time but was only 23. That ECHO was built for Stan Vause who was killed in WW1.
My pennyworth.

Wakatere

Posted on by
3

WAKATERE

photos & details ex Ken Ricketts 

Built in 1939 by Roy Lidgard  & was based at Mercury Island as the Island managers boat, for a period in the later 1950’s – early 60’s.

The shed photos of Wakatere were taken by Ken when he recently inspected her on the owners property in Te Atatu. She is currently undergoing a protracted major refit, which started in the early 1990’s & it appears work has stalled on her.

She still has her 60hp 4 cyl Ford still in place, having been refitted after an overhaul, as part of her present restoration.

The hull has had a major work over, having been splined & sheathed in fibreglass 😦 . In addition a little rot around the deck lines has been removed & some fairly major refastening work, in respect of the ribs.

She was lengthened to 40 feet a good number of years ago, so she in fact now looks a little different to her sister ship Isa Lei (Taipari), search Isa Lei to view. She still has her special tuck lines.

Harold Kidd Update

WAKATERE was built by Lidgards for Ray Vincent, the well-known truck wrecker and repairer. She was in NAPS as Z27 between 1942 and 1943 with Ray as skipper. P.D. Simmonds of Tauranga owned her in the early 1960s when she had a 90hp Graymarine.

Juliana @ the 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Weekend

Posted on by
3
Juliana
Juliana

Juliana @ the 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Weekend

Juliana was built in 1930 by Sam Ford & now resides on Lake Rotoiti, the pride flag ship of Lake Rotoiti commodore Fraser Wilson. Fraser bought her as a bare neglected hull, with no bulkheads, engine, underwater gear, mast or anything else & undertook a major 3 year restoration /rebuild at the hands of Lake Rotoiti boatbuilder Tony Mitchell. The attention to detail & standard of workmanship is second to none. I was fortunate to go on board & on Friday night & see her up close – stunning.

The are numerous posts on ww about Juliana & her past, so to read & see more, enter Juliana in the search box.

I will post more on the weekend on Monday, but yesterday I had two magic boating experiences that were VERY wow & made the trip even more special 🙂

Pirate

Posted on by
5
Pirate @ Mahurangi 2014
Pirate @ Mahurangi 2014

PIRATE

photos ex Keith Munro

I do not know much about her other than she was designed (& built?) by Leon Warne in 1939.

Pirate is a CYA vessel so someone should be able to join the dots for us 🙂

The above photos were taken at the 2014 Mahurangi Regatta

Harold Kidd Update

Actually she was designed and built by Leon Warne for Otto Sommer in 1939 (corrected) . Billy Rogers used to tell the story that he towed her hull from the Bay of Islands to Auckland for her engine to be fitted with his KERERU, arriving the day war was declared in September. She was seized from Sommer as a German national and used as a tender by the RNZN until handed over to the Police in 1944. She was fitted with a 55hp pre-heat Kelvin diesel originally.

Atalanta (Rotoiti)

Posted on by
1

Atalanta > Rotoiti

photos ex Ken Ricketts (b/w) & Harold Kidd

Built by L C Coulthard in 1936. I just ‘discovered the colour photo in my files. There have been other ww posts on her so type her name & the search box to view.

I understand that she might (HDK ??) be featured soon in Boating NZ.

 

Lady Gay – before & after

Posted on by
9

LADY GAY – BEFORE & AFTER

‘old’ photos ex Keith Munro, new ex Alan H

The older photos above of Lady Gay show her when Tommy Allan first bought her. I post as inspiration to anyone considering undertaking a restoration, all it takes is money 🙂 (I joke). The combined efforts of a lot of very talented people have gone into bringing LG back to her finest. But she deserves it, she is after all one of the 3 big & beautiful Colin Wild sisters (Lady Gay, Wirihana & Linda) .