Category Archives: 1930’s

Rehia

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REHIA.
A Colin Wild classic, built in 1938, & owned by Bill & Phyl Ryan of owners of H.J. Ryan Ltd ,manufacturing engineers, who lived in Hillsborough, & owned her for many years from about 1945. She was very much a part of Ken Ricketts life in the mid 40s & 50s & he was on her on many acasions — Bill & Phyl had 2 sons, Bob, & Jeff, who were his age & we were great mates.
REHAI had a 6 cyl flat head Buda petrol engine, circa 100 hp for very many years, which had an American, “Bendix,” gearbox & throttle control system, with just 2 tiny levers, — very rare in those days. She was always impecably kept & used regularly. Eventually the Buda was replaced with a 6 cyl Ford Diesel which she still has. She was sold by the Ryan estate on his death in the later 70s earlier 80s.
She is still absolutley original, & has never been “fiddled with,” & when last seen in Whakatakataka Bay a year or 2 go she was still “a picture of health & beauty”.
Story by Ken Ricketts, photo by Ken & Alan Houghton

Royal Falcon

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Royal Falcon 2013
Royal Falcon 2013

ROYAL FALCON

Built in the mid 1930s by Cox & Filmer in 1938. Originally had a converted Studebaker truck engine later replaced with a Kermath & the Studebaker was sold to Bill Waters, who put it in the Gay Dawn when he built her. Owned by the (John?) Wrightson family in the 1940s & 50s.

Updated 20/05/2013 with current photos

Maka Maile

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Maka Maile
Maka Maile 2013 Riverhead Hotel

MAKA MAILE
Not sure of builder, originally had 1 engine of unknown make replaced with 2 x Ford V8 flat head petrol engines in about 1948 at Westhaven & Ken Ricketts remembers viewing the work in progress. Owned c.1947 by a very quiet reserved couple named Lennox-King.

Harold Kidd Update

MAKA MAILE (correct spelling) was built by Sam Ford at Ellerslie in 1937 for R.E. Farrell of Titirangi and named after his father Percy’s one rater centreboarder built by James Clare in 1898 with which Farrell had dominated racing on the Manukau. She originally had a Chrysler Crown plus an Adams but they were replaced by twin Scripps Ford V8s. Later gain she had a BMC Commodore and a Ford. She is now back in the Farrell family.

CHAPTER 2
Update from Ken Ricketts post meeting the current owner on 19/05/13
She is now owned by a Mr & Mrs Nick & Raeleen Prentis, & kept at the moment, at West Harbour Marina. They bought her in April 2004 off Mr Ken Farrell, who had stored her for over 25 years in dry storage, initially in the Glendene area, & then he moved her to McLeod Rd Te Atatu, where she was, when bought by the Prentises. They bought her more or less as an empty shell with no engines or interior, & he believes she may have had two unmatched engines, he thought perhaps a Fordson diesel & maybe a petrol engine.
He has now fitted 2 x 4 cyl Nissan Diesels. & has spent since April 2004 working on her, & making her ready for the water again, having amongst other things recalked the bottom, & resurfaced the topsides, & has been rebuilding in the interior, which is still not quite finished. She has only been back in the water for a month, after all those years, (as at 19.5.2013), & I think it’s really great that she’s back with us again — a lovely boat restored, & saved for posterity, and an important part of the Sam Ford history, & our boating heritage as a whole. Long may she be with us.

Menai

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Menai

Menai
When I was recently out at the NZ Traditional Boat Building School I spied this old (ish) photo on the wall of Menai, the 1936 Sam Ford designed launch, taken prior to the wonderful restoration by the late Peter Smith. While she looks very smart in this photo she was very sick down below. Another one thats on my bucket list.

Matatahi

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Matatahi

Matatahi Waikawa Marina c.1991

Matatahi Waikawa Marina c.1991.

Maristella

Maristella

MATATAHI

A typical example of Sam Fords work built c.1938. In the1940s & 50s she had 2 x 4 cyl Ford diesels with a single side exhaust on the starboard side with both engines going in to a single outlet. Photo taken c.1954 in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island by Ken Ricketts. Photo quality poor as taken from a 8mm movie but had to include her as she is a lovely looking launch.
Another one that seems to have disappeared off the radar so if anyone can bring us up to date that would be great.

Manunui & Bill Couldrey

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Manunui – she was designed and built by Bill Couldrey in 1939 for P.R. Colebrook. Recently berthed at Gulf Harbour but she left Gulf Harbour about 18 months ago months ago & rumour has it has returned south to Wellington.
Bill Couldrey was a master craftsman & in fact one of a very small group of Arch Logan’s preferred boat builders. Bill’s great-grand daughter, Nikki Whyte, has started a blog ‘The Boats of Bill’ documenting & celebrating the life & work of Bill, check it out here

Mahurangi

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Mahurangi

MAHURANGI – One we know absolutely nothing about, except that Ken Ricketts liked the look of her, when he took the photo in 1948/9, which was taken in Mansion House Bay Kawau Island.

10/03/2015 – Photo below ex Ken Ricketts ex B Worthington. Taken post 2000 while 4 sale in Tauranga. At the time powered by a 75hp Ford Diesel. She is 34′ x 10’6″.

Lady Dorothy & Valerie

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Lady Dorothy & Valerie

Two fine classics anchored off Milford Island in Whangaroa Harbour, Jan 2013. The one on the left is Robin Elliott’s Logan 33 replica. The other is the Lane designed launch Valerie, c1933. Valerie is kept at Whangaroa Marina and currently owned by John Briers and Jackie Te Hore of Cable Bay. Valerie was for many years owned by the Reynolds family, close friends of the Pickmeres, who owned her up until the late 1960’s. Apart from a short period in Auckland during the 1960’s she has spent almost all her life in Whangarei and the far North. It is believed Valerie was sometimes used by H. Pickmere when he was charting the far north. Info ex Robin Elliott.

Falcon ‘old’ / new

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FALCON PONUI CIRCA 1948 P1120385

FALCON. This 1948 photo by Ken Ricketts of her on her moorings in Chamberlain Bay, Ponui Island highlights how original she still is today. This photo was when she was owned by the original owner George Chamberlain. This was when she still had the Scripps petrol engine.
The Chamberlains only really used her for transport to Auckland & around the  island. She is a wonderful example of Lanes craftsmanship & is currently for sale – see link below

Gleniffer

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Glenifer

RALPH RICKETTS, TREVOR DAVIS & CREW ON GLENIFER CIRCA 1932 019

GLENIFFER – Was built by Chas Bailey & Sons Ltd in October 1930 for N & K Taylor with a 40hp Gleniffer marine engine. At the time the above photo was taken, handed on to me by my late father about 1960, she was owned by the late Trevor Davis, son of the late Sir Ernest Davis, who owned her from 1934 to about 1936, & my father was on board every trip, because of his outstanding mechanical knowledge. She originally had a 6 cyl Glenifer petrol engine, – hence the name. — replaced in the 40s with a 6cyl Crusader petrol engine, (which he ran on Kerosene) by Percy Jennings, mayor of Paeroa & owner of the Paeroa Picture theatre, who kept her at his bach at Ruffins Bay Coromandel much of the time, & who was a good friend of my parents. She later had the Crusader replaced with a 6 cyl Ford Diesel. The Jennings family owned her for many years, as I recall, till at least the later 70s or early 80s she was built by Baileys in 1929
photos & story by Ken Ricketts

16/03/2014 – crew photo added to post, c1932 during Trevor Davis ownership