Category Archives: 1950’s

Matira

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Matira reflections

Matira Kaiarara Bay 3

in trouble

MATIRA

Chatting recently on-line with Bryce Strong he mentioned his ownership of the 1956 Collings & Bell launch Matira, the lead photo was taken at Great Barrier Island & also shows Altair nearby, Bryce commented that the water was so still you have difficulty deciding which way the photo should be up.

Bryce kept her on the Clevedon River & at one stage there was a flood & Matira pulled out the front mooring pole, and swung around and collided with Altair, moored behind on the pontoon. Only held by a single stern rope which held her until Bryce could sort it.

Bryce sold Matira in 2009 to Steve Martin, a boat builder who carried out an extensive and immaculate refit in 2011, setting up Matira for another 30 years. Photos below of Steve’s work. There is an extensive documented history of the vessel here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/03/matira/

Link below (blue) to a spec sheet of Matira from during Bryce’s ownership period.

Short spec updated version

Note – this shows her powered by twin 4 cyl.Ford 75hp engines, in late November 2015 she was re-powered with twin 110hp Yanmar’s that while lifting her performance, significantly reduced the running noise. Her owner Guy Warman commented to me post her re-launch sea trial, that that alone was worth the cost 🙂 Matira is a lucky lady to have been so well loved & cared for over the years.

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Caroline

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Coroline

CAROLINE
Caroline was built by Roger Carey for Gilbert Rivas of Whitianga in 1951. She still has her original 3LW Gardner & measures 36’L x 10’B x 4′ 6″D. She still has her original 3LW Gardner. She was maintained by Howard Pascoe.

The photo above shows her berthed at Whitanga, Baden commented that it was nice to see an old girl return to her home port.

Do we know anything about her past life?

UPDATE 07-10-2019 Movie below, ex Allen Heatlie,  showing Caroline underway after painting inside and out.

 

Ever Wondered How They Used To Make Rope? Click the link below (ex The Mariners Magazine)

https://www.facebook.com/themarinersmagazine/videos/1910327765888740/

 

 

 

Port Townsend Classic Wooden Boat Festival 2017 – 80+ photos

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Port Townsend Classic Wooden Boat Festival 2017 – 80+ photos
Kiwi woodys Jenny and Malcolm McNicol sent me the below photo essay from the Port Townsend 41st Classic Wooden Boat Festival from The Puget Sounds in Washington State USA. They were holidaying in the Sounds and got to enjoy the festival.
The McNico’s are members of The Rotoiti Wooden Boat Association and are the proud owners of Tauraka, which has featured on WW.

Enjoy the collection – sorry if I have ruined your day ……… 🙂

Remember to click on photos to enlarge 😉

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Mystery Lidgard Launch

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Mystery Lidgard Launch

The above launch is only a mystery because the broker has not revealed her name.

I can tell you that she was built by Lidgard’s in 1955, is 35’ in length, with a 10’5” beam. She has a kauri planked hull. The zoom zoom comes from a 120hp Ford diesel & home is the Marlborough Sounds.

Any southern woodys able to ID this launch?

 

ALPHA A90 ( Arrow Class) – Sailing Sunday

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ALPHA A90 ( Arrow Class) – Sailing Sunday
I have been contacted by Adam Akehurst who is Interested in what us woodys knows about the Arrow class sailing dinghy. Adam is currently restoring A90 – Alpha. Progress photos attached. Wood working done, interior nearly done, soon time to turn it over and sort the outside ready for summer.

All Adam can find on the class is that they are a Jack Logan design from circa 1950 and that until recently the class seems to have been based at Glendowie but interest seems to have died out a few years ago in favour of the Mistral. Also interested in what else Jack Logan designed. I have heard he had a boatshed at Mangawhai at some stage.

The historic photo of Alpha above on the beach (date unknown) shows her rigged for a gennaker on a fairly long prod. Adam assumes this is a later class development and that they originally flew a symmetrical kite.

Adam hasn’t been able to find many photos of the class online, so is interested in seeing anything ww have.

07-08-2017 Update from Adam. Project finished – see below. Stunning

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Check The Video Link Below Out – If you thought the commute to work was bad, these guys are mad 🙂

Kaikoura in the B.O.I.

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Kaikoura in the B.O.I.
The above launch is pictured above anchored in the Bay of Islands, Dean Wright scanned the image from ‘old’ film but is unaware of the boats name.
Anyone able to ID her & provide some history on the vessel ?

Update: Vessel has been ID’ed as the 1952 built launch Kaikoura. Lots of chat in the WW Comments section & photos at the link below

Kaikoura

03-09-2017 – Updated photos below ex owner of 25 years – Peter Jones, via Ken Ricketts. Peter bought her off the Bridgeford family & this would make him only her 3rd owner.
She still has her 2 x 510 cu. in. 165 h.p .V8 Perkins diesels.

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Unknown / Mystery Boat 20-07-2017 + Woody Homes

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Unknown / Mystery Boat 20-07-2017

I was sent the above photo by Ray Morey, Ray is hoping to be able to ID the vessel.  It was on the Waikato River in the mid 1950’s operated by ‘Henry’s Sand Co.’, until being replaced by the steel tug “S.P.”  – Ray has no idea where she came from nor where she went.

Can any of the woodys help out with any details?

Woody Homes

Woody Brett Evans sent me a link to a feature on a sleepy seaside village in France with a small fishing port, a population of less than 3,000 and some very peculiar-looking houses. At a moment’s glance, they could almost appear to be an unfortunate pod of beached orcas, but look again carefully at those unusual roofs. Yes, those are boats … upside down! Local fishermen of Équihen-Plage have lived under scavenged boat hulls here for over a century and today, many of these upturned vessels now serve as a unique holiday accommodation for travelers visiting the French coast. Very cool idea. You can see more at the link below.

Postcards from a Seaside Village of Upturned Boat Homes

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Lady Ellen Restoration

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LADY ELLEN RESTORATION

The plight of Lady Ellen has been documented on ww in the past (link below). We were able to happily report that she had been purchased by Bruce Mitchinson & 6 weeks ago transported north to Russell in the Bay of Islands.

Lady Ellen

A few days ago Bruce gave me an update on the restoration – read below.
“Restoration work underway with removal of rotten timber around cabin, decks and bulkheads. Much of the interior has gone to the tip. Under the foredeck canvas, near perfect Totara decking, which is drying out ready for a sand and some fibreglass.
Next up, replacing the rotten timbers with old kauri before new side and aft decks go down.
Engine is back together, almost, and Ken Jaspers is sorting out new mounts, gearbox seals and couplings down in Whangaparoa”
Bruce has promised to keep us updated on the project.

27-09-2017 Project Update ex Bruce M

Starting to look like herself again.

Glassed plywood cores for  cabin sides ready for timber finish inside and out.
Slight adjustment made to the rear windows, which always looked a bit odd, but still trying to retain that McGeady look.
Rebuilt coachroof over the aft cockpit to remove the v-shape combing and modified structure so that corner posts are no longer required.
Narrower aft deck now provides enough room for continuous seating around 3 sides of the cockpit and storage.
Galley has gone, including the floor, to make way for a new under floor water tank, raised floor and new galley fit out.
As you can see there is still a lot of work to do.
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Update Jan 2018 – The focus over the last few weeks is to get topsides ready for finishing by the end of the month. A lot of work has gone in to re-fastening and frame repairs to pull everything back into shape, and as you can see the Lady Ellen has plenty of shape. Thanks to our boatbuilder, Brett Avery, we now have a very sound vessel. Main saloon is now completely stripped out, including the old steel diesel tanks and de-greasing the bilge and engine bay is next up, while removing the last of the antifoul underneath and cleaning up the diesel soaked planking. New rudder tube is in and Brett has made a start on framing up the floors so that we have some work space inside to start on the interior work next month.
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UPDATE 24-02-2018 More restoration photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/02/23/an-update-on-the-lady-ellen-restoration/

Arima

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ARIMA

The above photos of Arima were emailed to me by Ken Ricketts & according to info attributed to her owner, she measures 36′ & was built in 1955 of planked kauri by Salthouse to a Colin Wild design.
Arima has a 110 hp. 6 cyl., Ford diesel that sees her cruising at 8.5 knots. with a top speed of 10 knots. Home port is Whangarei.

What else do we know about her & is this provenance correct?