Category Archives: 1950’s

Marie J + Hirawanu

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MARIE J

Marie J was built in Whangarei by Master-Craft ( M Ryan) in 1956 & measures 30′. Built of kauri & presently owned (for approx 5 years) by Peter Croft  & kept at Gulf Harbour.
Peter C.  bought her off a Mr Hambrook of Auckland, who bought her in Motueka (2005) & cruised her to Onehunga, Auckland, via the West Coast. Then a quick road trip over to the Waitemata Harbour. Her history at Motueka & before that, is unknown.

She has been powered by a 4 cyl 90 hp Ford diesel since new & due to some very bad luck has had a total of 3 of these engines, including one installed  this week by Moon Engines.
The engine history goes like this , whilst in the care of a previous owner, she was tied to a wharf one day, at low water & when the  tide came in she got jammed under the wharf & ended up with water on the wrong side of the hull, which flooded the engine. This resulted in a replacement identical engine. Then the  present owner Peter C. had the misfortune to be cruising along one day & an oil cooler hose ruptured & sprayed lubricating oil all around the bilge & pumped the engine dry, which then promptly seized up. Thanks to Peter Croft & Ken Ricketts for the photos & details (edited by Alan H)

OMG – words fail me……………….. Its a bit like one of those dogs with a big body & very short legs – normally the result of a hole in the fence 🙂
For the record – it’s a 1948, 38′ Lidgard named Hirawanu.

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Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade 2017 – 160+ photos

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Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade 2017 – 160+ photos

Another stunning long weekend weather wise & also on the woody front – this weekend I was down at Lake Rotoiti (Nth Island) for the annual classic & wooden boat parade. Holding hands again on the trip with Chris Miller. For the last few years we have positioned our selves in one shore based spot & snapped the boats as they have passed, this year we were very kindly offered the use of a RHIB to get out on the water & get amongst the fleet. The RHIB was provided by LRC&WB Association Rear Commodore Fraser Wilson, Fraser deserves a lot of credit for the above photos 🙂 . Given that CM is a professional photographer we decided that I would be the boat boy & helm the boat & CM would snap the photos, that was a good call because he is rather good 🙂
Being afloat meant that we could get a lot closer to the boats & the crews. So woodys the photos above are CM’s & below are a few of mine + a collection that I took while ashore for the post parade picnic.
I was asked to judge the awards for 7 categories, these awards are highly contested as they are only handed out every 5 years. The winners are featured at the end of todays story.
I would also like to like thank LRC&WB Commodore Grant Cossey for his help & support & as always the LRC&WB Secretary & event registrar – Rachel Jamieson, who is the real hero of this event & the association.
You can also view more on the event at CM’s blog – http://www.buggeritweareoff.com
Remember to click on photos to enlarge. Enjoy – we did 😉
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20th Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade 2017 Winners
BEST ORIGINAL WOODEN BOOT – CARVEL
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BEST ORIGINAL CLASSIC BOAT – WILD HORSES
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BEST CONVERSION – PIKO
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BEST DECORATED BOAT – HAUMOANA
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BEST DRESS CREW – ALBERTO
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BEST REPRODUCTION – SUZY Q
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MOST QUIRKY – MAGGIE
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Lady Alice

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Looking For A Xmas Treat?

The above little beauty, Lady Alice,  just popped up on trademe, perfect for the lakes or as a Mahurangi boat.
Now this one is a tad special, she is a Percy Vos boat so almost royalty on the classic wooden boating scene.
Her details are – 12’6″ kauri clinker, built 1950 & powered by a 8hp Kohler petrol inboard – with electric start, perfect for the old woodys with a bad back 😉
Her current owner has owned her for 33 years which is a rarity with a boat this size. I don’t know much about trailers but she sits on a ‘Hosking’ trailer which supposedly makes launching very easy.

This ww story is not a commercial listing – I just saw the boat & thought someone needs to buy her (asking $8k)

And seeing its Xmas , I’ll give a copy of Baden Pascoe’s book ‘Launching Dreams – Percy Vos – The Boats & His Boys’ to the woody that can tell me where Percy Vos served his boat building apprenticeship ? Answers via mail to waitematawoodys@gmail.com , prize draw 9.00pm 21-12-2016.  (copies available from badenhp@xtra.co.nz  )

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Lady Noelene

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LADY NOELENE

Lady Noelene has been a ‘rolling restoration’ for the last 4+ years & while still not complete her owner is on the down hill slopes. We do not know much about her past but she is powered by a 6 cyl Ford diesel. The photos are a mix of several people over the years, with the most recent ones, at Greg Less’s Sandspit boat yard, from Ken Ricketts.

Can any woodys expand on the little we know about Lady Noelene ?

Vacuna

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VACUNA

I have deleted my comments about this boat – yes its for sale but be careful. The 4 sale story & her actual past appear to not add up.

I repeat – be careful – in fact refer the last ww story on her – link below

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26-11-2016 UPDATE

This weblog is many things to many people, one of those things is to ensure that the classic wooden boating community is kept abreast of happenings in & around the many marinas & boat yards scattered across NZ.
We get sent 100’s of photos of boats hauled out, photos of work-in-progress – both good work & dodgy work, I publish most things, often just an addition to  previous story, that way future owners can get an insight into a vessels maintenance history. Quite often an owner gets a surprize to learn that at some stage in the past their pride & joy may have hit a rock, or even been to the bottom. In fact I learned this about my own boat.

So folks when I hear things that appear to be not right, I alert you to them – the launch Vacuna is a case in point – I have NEVER had so many phone calls or emails about one single vessel, all I’ll say is that I would not buy her 😉

Also at waitematawoodys we very rarely moderate what others post in the comments section – the seller of Vacuna has attempted to post 9 comments that we have chosen to not publish – the last will be enough to get them banned from waitematawoodys, only the 2nd person ever.
I have repeated the comment below – this was their reply to a comment made by one of waitematawoodys most loyal & knowledgeable woodys.

“Get your facts right before you comment on marking a quick Buck.
Who the hell are or what are you. A lose mouthed women that has no idea about anything trying to get a name for her self at the expense of others.”

The launch of Albacora

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The launch of Albacora

Thanks to Hylton Edmonds there is a very detailed & accurate history of Albacore already on ww (link below). What we were missing was launch day images. Thanks also to Hylton Edmonds for the above photos showing her being splashed in 1954.
Albacora was a McGeady, which is surprising as she was rather pretty, she measured 38′ & was purpose built for big game fishing. Albacora spent the early part of her life in the Bay of Islands & was then freighted to Fiji in 1968. Sadly she was a victim of the 1983 Cyclone Oscar but prior to this she very neglected. Post the cyclone her fate was a bulldozer & a box of matches 😦

Full details here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/07/06/13148/

Susan Jane – Sailing Sunday

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SUSAN JANE – Sailing Sunday

With Omaha boat builder Colin Brown having just re-launched the Colin Wild built launch – Little Tasman, we have been wondering what was next into the shed. The answer is the yacht Susan Jane, built by Chris Robertson c1950. Colin is not sure whether or not he designed her so is looking for any more info the woodys can supply.

Susan Jane is having  a major rebuild as a result of rot issues. Colin has taken the project over from a friend of his, who due to poor health is unable to complete the project. The above photos are by Colin, emailed to me via Ken Ricketts.

01-07-2017 REFIT UPDATE
The Brown family – Colin, son Dylan & son-in-law Josh have been hard at work on the refit.
All exterior hull work done by Dylan & the interior ex the hands of Josh.
Photos below, ex Colin, emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

20-10-2017 Refit Update – photo ex Colin Brown via Ken Ricketts.

06-11-2017 Refit Update – photos ex Colin Brown via Ken Ricketts

She is going to be powered by a 38 Hp 3 cyl Nani Diesel

10-04-2018 Update – More photo ex Colin Brown via Ken R

And more

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24-04-2018 Update – Susan Jane & her restorer Colin Brown had a special yard visit (23/04) from the original builder Chris Robertson, aged 91 years. Chris was accompanied by his son Martin & grandson Aaron – all 3 boatbuilders.

Photo below shows Susan Jane getting the royal inspection from the Robertson family. I understand Colin was very honoured. Photo ex Colin , via Ken Ricketts.

SUSAN JANE 23.4.18

Margaret Anne

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Margaret Anne
Designed & built by Billy Rogers in 1956, she has appeared on ww before during her restoration by owner Helena Wiles. But we never saw the interior. She is 34′ with a 12′ beam, so a very roomy launch.

Helena has done a wonderful job on her & deserves a medal – when purchased she sported a small block of flats 🙂
More details & pre restoration photo can be viewed here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/01/12/10429/
Photos ex trademe so it would appear MA is looking for a new owner.

C.2000 photo below ex Ken Ricketts

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UPDATE FEB 2026 – at anchor in Bon Accord, Kawau Island. Photos ex Angus Rogers

Lady Sandra

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LADY SANDRA
Built by the Lane Motor Company for Len Peckham in 1947, powered with 2 x 6 cyl Scripps petrol engines. One of the glamour boats in her day but misfortune followed her around – she once picked up a tow line from a boat being towed, off Devonport wharf & got the tow rope around both propellers & pulled the propeller struts out of the hull & sank, just as they got her to the nearby beach. Later on in life  she went to Fiji where she was wrecked in a storm in the 1980’s. In the photos above the photo of the boys & man on the wharf, – the man is Alan Horsefall who owned Mansion House at that time.

The photos of her tied to the right hand side of the Mansion  House wharf have the Nancibel & Korora inside her. The bridgedecker, we can see a little of the dodger of in one photo, is most likely Royal Falcon. Also the boat in the Alan Horsefall photo is almost certainly Valsan.
Today’s photos are from Ken Jones & were emailed to me along with comments by Ken Ricketts. You can read more of Ken’s recollection of Lady Sandra here https://wordpress.com/post/waitematawoodys.com/1166

I’m loving the A.M.Y.C. life buoy in the bottom photo 🙂

Manana

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MANANA

Now Manana has appeared before on ww but we have never seen ‘down-below’.

First some background – Manana is a Colin Wild sport fisher built in Auckland in 1953 by Collings and Bell. She spent many years serving as the Durville Island water taxi based in French Pass. She was then rebuilt and faithfully modernised into the vessel that you see above.
Construction: double diagonal kauri – LOA: 40’; beam: 13’; draft: 6’

She is powered by twin 120hp 6 Cyl Fords that allow her to cruise at 8 knts & top out at 11 knts

You can read more on her past & view as launched photos at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/09/20/friday-quiz-can-id-this-launch/

UPDATE 13-04-2021 – now residing in Bayswater Marina

Huge interest yesterday in the Lucinda re-launch story – over 7,500 views in the first 24 hours. But interestingly ww still can not crack the UK scene, see below a list of the top 14 countries viewing ww yesterday, ranked by viewing numbers. Peru rated better than the UK 😦  Now if you are wondering about some of the countries, I have a theory – ww enjoys high readership among the super yacht crews, who have a high % of kiwis aboard, thence the ‘unusual’ countries popping up 😉

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