Category Archives: 1950’s

Australis

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AUSTRALIS
photos & details The Plowman Family & Ken Ricketts & Karen Moren

Australis was built by “Mac” McGeady  (Supreme Craft)  in 1955  at 1A Summer St Ponsonby for Auckland businessman Jack Plowman. She is 42′ long & was originally powered by 2 x 6 cyl. 100hp Austin ‘Skipper 100′ petrol engines, which were replaced with 2 x 6 cyl Ford Diesels about 2 years later by Seagars.

Mac McGeady once comment to Ken & his father that Australis was unique in the history of Supreme Craft, as she was the only boat he had built (at that time anyway), where his instructions were that she was to have the food in the cupboards & the liquor in the cocktail cabinet & be ready to go for a 3 week cruise to Great Barrier Island, an hour after she went in the water.

Jack P owned her until he replaced her with the John Salthouse built 60’ Biscayne (photo below) in 1969 at which time she was sold to a Mr Morry (or perhaps Maurice) Ralph, of John Courts Ltd.
Below is a press clipping of a ‘International Marine’ 4sale advertisement, NZ Heard May 1991, which gives an indication of her possible current configuration.
Just been advised by ww follower ‘SeaRover’ that this is not” Australis”. It is in fact “Maranoa” about to go back in the water after a hull repaint. It is up the Clevedon river on Murray Inglis ( who owned ALTAIR at that time) slip and that is me standing on the foredeck.

She appears to have disappeared off the radar – name change ? or what? Anyone able to help with info / photos?

BISCAYNE BY J SALTHOUSE FOR J PLOWMAN

01-05-2017 Update ex Alan Burdan

I’m Alan Burdan and have owned “Australis” since Feb 2001. I purchased her from Whangarei and the previous owner said he owned her for 11 years.
I have only just found and read your article on Australis and the history of Supreme Craft. I wish to thank you for filling in a lot of holes in my knowledge of the history of Australis.
Australis now is berthed in Seaview Marina, Wellington.
From my knowledge the repower to “2 x 6 cyl Ford Diesels” is incorrect and it was 2 x 4 cyl Ford Diesels.
The previous owner then did a repower to 2 x 6 cyl Ford Diesels in about 1990, claiming he put in the 6 cyl motors in as they ran smother.
Other changes he made was to extend the hull by 800mm by fitting a boarding platform and putting in a walk through transom.

Please see below photos of how she looks today

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20130302_180742 Crop2

A Cruise on Matanui – as told by Jack Brooke

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A Cruise on Matanui – as told by Jack Brooke

WW thanks Robert Brooke for supplying this article that his father wrote ( one of  many) about cruising in Matanui.
When Joe Kissin had Matanui, Robert used to do a lot of work on Matanui. Joe was a very close friend of the Brooke family and was also very involved with the Wakatere Boating Club and served time as Commodore. He also served on the RNZYS committee. Matanui was a regular “Finishing Boat “ for the squadron cruising races.

You can view / read more about Matanui by using the ww search box 😉

A trip to Watchman Is, Cuvier Is and Great Barrier Island –  12,13,14 July 1952
I quote Jack Brooke – “My only excuse for typing out these stories is the thrill and pleasure they give me in re-living them the second time around, some twenty or thirty years later.
Joe’s launch,Matanui, was a single skin, round bilge vessel of theold type. Her dimensions were – Length: 42 feet, Beam: 11ft 6 ins, Draught: 4ft 6ins, Displacement: 18 tons.
Matanui had several engines from 45 to 70 horsepower, giving her a speed of 8 to 9 knots”

Saturday

4 p.m. Left moorings to fuel up at Westhaven.

5.30 p.m. Alongside Devonport Wharf to load stores.

6.00 p.m. Tossed out of Masonic Hotel!

7.05 p.m.Got Jerry from home and put to sea.

9.30 p.m. Abeam outer Noises, wind still light south.

11.00 p.m. Turned in, Watchman light on bow – moon just up beautiful night. Wind out here a light to moderate southwesterly.

12.45 a.m. Woken up by rattle of anchor chain – Joe has decided to have a fish on the NE side of Watchman, just three lengths off! It is still a fine night, with a light southwesterly wind setting up a slight roll around the Dog. Caught the first fish – a grandfather hapuku, 6 inches long, but Joe still shouted! The others caught a few good cod and a four foot shark. Turned in.

6.30 a.m. I was woken to the beat of the old Kelvin diesel with which the Matanui was then equipped. It was about as old as its owner and even more stubborn! It started on petrol, and then ran on almost anything, from hair oil to boiler crude! The ship was under way, heading out east for Cuvier. The wind was now a light southeasterly and dawn was just breaking. It was a cold winter morning and we were doing 7 to 8 knots in a moderate sea. The crew had caught a few large snapper, but no hapuku off the Watchman and Joe decided to try fishing a pinnacle some miles outside Cuvier – if he could find it! So we were on our way.

9.00 a.m. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day – the Mercuries are showing up away to the south and Cape Barrier is abeam to the northwest. Cuvier is lifting up out of the water ahead. A whale is blowing at regular intervals on our port bow and is crossing our course. It passed two lengths away, leaving a distinct oil slick on our bows.

10.15 a.m. Cuvier abeam, we are running down a quartering sea past the southeast bay – there doesn’t appear to be a wharf, only a crane and landing steps on a long rock. We ran round to the northwest side and anchored close in, the depth being about 9 fathoms. We had breakfast, caught some whopping blue cod and a snapper or two.

11.30 a.m. Brought the anchor and set out to the northeast to find Joe’s 30 fathom shoal. We steamed for about 40 minutes on 010. The average depth hereabouts was 60 fathoms and Joe had brought a wire fathometer, which we were expected to use to find his patch. It proved to be far too heavy, taking at least a quarter of an hour to reel in. So we decided to drift fish in 60 fathoms. Good snapper fishing but no hapuku. We fished for about an hour, then decided to return to Cuvier and visit the lighthouse keeper. We landed at 2.30, the wind had now dropped right away. We were a long way out to sea, so we left Jerry on board as an anchor watch and left the old Kelvin idling. Jerry also cleaned the fish! We went ashore and made our way up to the lighthouse and signed the visitors book. Three families were there then (1952) looking after the light and everything was in first class order. The western bay has a striking steeple like rock locally known as the ‘Monument’. A rock, awash at low water is in the centre of the bay, where good shelter can be found in winds from the south and east.

4.00 p.m. Left Cuvier for Great Barrier

4.30 p.m. Sunset. Barrier purple and black, also Cape Colville, far to the south. It is still almost flat calm with little swell and almost no wind. A beautiful night, but dark! The steward has been busy, and the wheelhouse is warm, what could be better! I am giving the Barrier coast about three-quarters of a mile clearance to avoid a rock between Cape Barrier and Tryphena. In the fading light profiles are important, Anvil Island and the Pig Islands are standing up like teeth on the western horizon. I recognised Tryphena by the profile of its southwest point and we altered course to enter the quiet harbour.

6.30 p.m. We tied up alongside Tryphena wharf on the eastern side of the bay. It was a calm clear night, with hundreds of fish jumping in the bay. And so to bed.

Monday 5.30 a.m. Up and away! The Kelvin was a bit sluggish in the chill of the morning, but finally got the message and rumbled away contentedly as we headed for the Watchman in a light but cold southeasterly. We arrived off the south side of the Watchman, but NO HAPUKU. So we left the Watchman at 8.30 a.m. and set off for home. As we got clear of the Cape and into the Gulf, a fresh southwesterly sprang up and in no time at all we were bashing into a short steep sea right on the nose! Making 7 knots at 900 rpm.

10.30 a.m. Waiheke just in sight – appears to be a fog bank over the mainland – heavy haze over the lower end of Waiheke.

11.00 a.m. Dropped anchor in 8 fathoms between Gannet Rock and Thumb Point. No good – soft juicy mud!

12 noon – left for D’Urville Rock Ooe’s spot!) – Even worse! Left for home.

1.30 p.m. Lunch in Crusoe Passage. Fog over Auckland – even light fog here! Little wind now but plenty of tide – no fish! Left for home again, bucking a strong ebb tide arrived at 5.00 p.m.. Emptied out of Masonic Hotel 6.00 p.m. Home at last 6.15 p.m.!

 

 

 

Cleone

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CLEONE
photos & details ex Ken Ricketts. edited by Alan H
Cleone is thought to have been built in the 1950’s by Jim Young to a Couldrey design & her current owner Bruce Orborn believes she was the first launch that Jim Young built. Her specs are 30′ long by 10′ 6″ beam. She presently has a 4 cyl 72 hp Ford Diesel, which may be original. Orborn has owned her for approx 15 years & bought her off a Mr Stubbs who had her he believes for about 8 years & who had bought her off people called Armitage, who apparently bought her off the original owner Bert Follas.

Orbon commented that she spent some of her early life in Whakatakataka Bay & was using one of the sheds in the bay in her earlier years. She later moved to Devonport, during this period the present owner, first went out on her aged 10 yrs, with his family, who were friends of the Follas’s.
Cleone later moved to Milford Marina where she has been moored for all her life under the Stubbs & Orborn stewardship.

Anyone able to confirm the design/build details & add to the history of Cleone?

Harold Kidd Update

Arnold (Bill) Couldrey designed CLEONE for Bert Follas in 1948 and had her built by Jim Young a little later, probably launched in 1950. She originally had a petrol engine, later replaced with a Ford diesel. Follas owned her until about 1963 when M. Alison of Waitangi Rd, Onehunga bought her. John Grainger owned her from 1975 to 1987. I have a bunch of pics during his ownership. John Stubbs bought her in 1989. His story was that CLEONE was the first boat Jim Young built when he came out of his apprenticeship because she was the size of his shed.

New photos added 14-06-2015. Alan H

Koala (Amaryllis)

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Koala (Amaryllis) NOTE- HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE BOAT FEATURED IN THE BOAT IS PROBABLY NOT KOALA  photo ex Sandy Richards (wife of the late John Richards, refer below) details ex Ken Rickets, edited by Alan H She was built by “Mac” McGeady at 1A Summer St. Ponsonby c.1955 for H T Morton a prominent businessman on Auckland’s North Shore. As an aside, a number of streets are named after him & his family on the North Shore e.g Dianna Drive (after Dr. Dianna Morton), Rosalind Ave., (after Dr. Rosalind Morton), his daughters, Morton Ave., & Varlene Tce. He was also a pioneer private aviator, who owned his own aircraft right back in the 1920s. She started life named Amaryllis (later changed to Koala) & followed on from Morton’s last boat, the McGeady built c.1938 bridgedecker Varlene, which was originally named  Lady Sunshine (bought off Com Hardley c.1949) which in turn had followed her predecessor, Spindrift. Dam launches & names changes – makes life hard 🙂 Originally powered by 2 x 4 cyl. Lees converted 80 HP Ford Diesels, installed by Tracey Nelson & was used by Morton for extensive coastal cruising right up to North Cape, one of his favorite spots was Mangonui & he spent much time there through many summer months. Ken recalls that in her earlier days Morton had a habit on running her on 1 engine at a time, at slow speeds, for longish periods, as a slightly embarrassing result of this, he completely wore out 2 gearboxes, as the shaft would spin on the engine not in use (he never locked the gearbox in forward gear, or fitted shaft clutches) & in due course this was the result. She was sold in the 1960s by Morton to a friend of Kens, John Richards, who was the owner that changed the name to Koala. Can anyone update ww on what became of her post John Richards ownership?

How Many Boats Did McGeady Build? Updated 27/10/2015 (& the launch Fantasy)

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How Many Boats Did McGeady Build? Updated 27/10/2015

A MESSAGE FROM KAREN MOREN

I would personally like to thank everyone who has contributed to postings and supplied information on Granddads (Mac McGeady) and Ben Hipkins Supreme Craft boats.

Without all of this information and photos it would not be possible to be up to 140 pages and more with further info still to come.

Kind regards
Karen Moren

LIST OF MCGEADY/SUPREME CRAFT BOATS

SUPREME CRAFT was founded in the late 1930’s possibly 1936 by                               my Grandfather Clarence V. McGeady but everyone knew him as ‘Mac’. Due to ill health, he retired approximately 1962 and the business was taken over by Ben Hipkins. The actual builders of Supreme Craft boats are distinguished by the suffix of ”McGeady” or “Hipkins” as the case may be. It should also be noted that some Hipkins boats were based on McGeady Designs and suffixed accordingly. Where McGeady designs were used, and the boat was built by Hipkins this would be suffixed with, “Design McGeady/Built Hipkins

This is a list only. (I know many people have contributed pics and info which is on my acknowledgements page)

ALBACORA – McGeady

ALCYONE – McGeady

ALPHEUS – Design McGeady/ Built Hipkins

ALTAIR – McGeady

AMARYLLIS renamed KOALA – McGeady

ANTARES – McGeady

AQUARIUS – McGeady

AQUILA – McGeady

ARCTURUS – McGeady

AROHANUI – McGeady

ASTRA – McGeady

AUSTRALIS – McGeady

AWATERE – McGeady

CHALLENGER – McGeady

EL ALAMEIN renamed RANUI- McGeady

FANTASY – McGeady (sistership to ANTARES

HUKARERE – McGeady

LADY ALLYSON renamed ERINOR – McGeady

LADY DIANNA – McGeady

LADY HELEN ? – McGeady

LADY SUNSHINE renamed VARLENE -McGeady

MANUIA – McGeady

MARANOA – McGeady

NIKA-SIA – Ben Hipkins

RANGIORA – Gary Wheeler/Ben Hipkins built under McGeady banner

ROTOITI renamed ISLAND PRINCESS – McGeady

SCEPTRE – Ben Hipkins

TEMPEST – McGeady

VALWYN – McGeady

VENTURE – sister ship/hull to SCEPTRE – Ben Hipkins

WAIMARU – Ben Hipkins

WESTERING – Ben Hipkins

WHITE CLOUD – Design McGeady/Built Hipkins

2 x M-CLASS 18 foot Patikis – McGeady

M – 22 MILADY 1945

M – 35 MARIANA 1946

 

Fantasy – below b/w photo ex Karen Moren + colour photos & details ex Ken Ricketts

Built in 1952 by Mac McGeady for Colin Lannam. Ken believes that she was built on the basis of Lannam’s first boat, Lady Dianna e.g. McGeady built the hull & cabin then Lannam finished the interior. Ken commented that Lannam had masterful cabinet making skills.

Neither Karen or Ken know much more about Fantasy – can anyone add more details on her?

Astra

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McCeady on Astra
Mac McCeady c. late 1950′ / early 1960’s

Recent hauled pout at Sandspit photos

ASTRA

b/w photos ex Karen Moren’s mother Lyn McGeady,ex Ben Hipkins. other photos ex Ken Ricketts, details told to Ken Ricketts by Ken Robinson & Ven Barclay. edited by Alan H

Thought I would continue the McGeady thread of late.

Todays post is Astra, built in 1957 at 1A Summer St Ponsonby for Percy Ward, who had previously owned the Wairuama (refer earlier ww post).

Percy Ward did not keep her very long & sold her approximately a year later to Aussie Lawless, who was a good friend of the late Les Robinson & family & when a couple of years later Lawless become ill, Robinson bought Astra off him in 1960. Astra remained in the Robinson family until October 1992 (32yrs) when the Robinson family sold her to Ven Barclay the present owner.

She is 30′ LOA with a 10’4″ beam which made her extremely beamy. She is also one of the very few McGeady sedan toppers with a high bow & sweep in the deck that does not have the ‘signature’ McGeady look i.e oblong portholes in the bow.

Astra, as built, was a smorgasbord of timber e.g. kauri for the hull, spotted gum for the ribs, totara for the frames, pacific mahogany cabin tops &  interior, matai decks & a pohutukawa knee in the stem.

She was originally powered by an Austin “Skipper 100” 6 cyl 100 h.p. petrol engine with a side exhaust 6 inches above the waterline in amidships, which is still there exactly as it has been since she was built, however it has been blinded off inside & the exhaust is now just above the waterline out the starboard side of the tuck. The Austin was replaced in 1974 by a 60 hp 4 cyl Ford diesel.

Her varnished coamings were retained until fairly recently by Ven B but it became too much for him to maintain them, so he reluctantly painted them.

Voyageur

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April 1959
Before & after extension


VOYAGEUR
photos & details ex Sea Spray (c1958 & April 1965) & Ken Ricketts ex Brian Worthington

Voyageur was built for Jack Lewis, the M.D. of Lewis Motors Ltd., the North Shore Ford franchise holders back in the 50s (later to become Lyon Motors).

She was originally 40′ by 14′ 2″ beam & 3′ 4″ draft, with a high performance hard chine hull, designed & built By T.K. Atkinson at Browns Bay & launched in either late 1958 or early 1959.

When launched she had 2 x 86 HP 6 Cyl naturally aspirated Ford diesels for which Jack L., was North Shore agent, driving through 2 to 1 reduction Vee drives, with the engines under the cockpit/sundeck floor.

Ken was aboard Voyageur (see below) when she was only 3 weeks old, in Little Muddy Bay Waiheke & commented that her finish had “Rolls Royce” perfection, in every aspect, with all the very latest mod. cons., of that era. She was in her original format a  huge volume boat, & as it stated in Sea Spray, at the time, more like a flat than a boat, from a space perspective, with a 12′ by 13′ 6″ main cabin & the  cockpit being 11′ by 6′.  She was in many ways, ahead of her time. Absolutely everyone knew about her, even before she hit the water. Even today, she appears as a modern, high performance boat.

With her comparatively very small 172horse power, she cruised comfortably at 10 & ½ knots, at 2000 rpm, with a top speed of 12 ½ knots, through 23 x 21 props., at just 1 & ¼ gallons of fuel per hour each engine, cruising.

Jack L. decided c 1964 to extend her rear end by 8 feet, once again Atkinson was commissioned to do this. Ken recalls vividly the day in early 1965  that he & his lifelong friend Lloyd Burnand,  went to see Jack, to buy the 6 cyl Ford, for the boat Lloyd was building (Pearl Diver) & Jack insisted on taking them in his brand new red & cream Mk II Ford Zodiac, out to Browns Bay to see the work in progress on Voyageur. Ken recalls the work was being done to the very highest standards, in every respect. He told us, it was his intention to re-engine her, with 3 new larger engines, fitting a additional one in the middle. Can anyone confirm this happened?

Below is Kens story of how he came to board Voyageur post an oops moment

“About 40 or so of us boaties, were sitting in our boats about 6 pm, preparing dinner, on a lovely flat calm Saturday evening, in Little Muddy Bay, Waiheke Island, minding our own business, when suddenly without warning, 2 launches appeared from around the point on the eastern end of the bay, travelling side by side at high speed, less than 1 km off the point. – To say we were all amazed would have been an understatement.
 
One was Albie Lemmon, in his fairly knew lovely c40 foot sedan topper, powered by 2 x Kermath vee driven petrol engines (the name of which escapes me), which later was sadly destroyed by fire, & yes you’ve guessed it, the other was the brand new VOYAGEUR, which most of us had never seen before. About 500 to 600 metres past the bay, they slowed down, from what had obviously been a little probably impromptu race between them, – they knew each other well, & then VOYAGEUR came in to the far western end of the bay, at the slowest of slow idles, & anchored all by themselves, in complete isolation.
 
Notwithstanding the huge wash that had destroyed the peace of the bay for that inevitable minute or so, & probably upset a few pots on stoves as well, my fiancé & I, leapt in to our dinghy, fired up the trusty Seagull,  & zipped over to have a look at “God’s latest creation,” & as we circled her from a discrete distance of about 50 m., Jack beckoned us with enthusiasm, to come closer. When we reached the stern he could hardly wait to invite us aboard, which would have been partly because he was naturally very proud of his new toy, but more especially it seemed, it was to apologise profusely to us as individuals for what he had just done. – He said, as we had thought, that as they sped past, he had not given a seconds thought to their wash & inevitable result. He said he was deeply embarrassed, ashamed, & confused about what to do next. He asked me if I thought he should go to all the individual boats in the bay to apologise, but I said, as we all knew this was his first foray into the world of boating, & he had just made one of the mistakes, we all make, in our early learning days, ( & which many of us can continue to do occasionally, right through our boating lives), & I told him I felt that everyone would forgive him & by the next morning, it would all be forgotten, & indeed this proved to be the case. – I never heard it mentioned by anybody ever.”
 

Acquiesce

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Acquiesce
photos & details ex Tim Brown

The existing ww post on Acquiesce prompted Tim to send me the above photos (reproduced from slides) of Acquiesce taken while owned by Tim’s uncles, Tinny and Bunty Brown while they owned her for a few years during the 1960s (Tim thinks).

Some look like they are on a cruise (Barrier?) and spent some time hanging out with the scow Owhiti… The question of the day, whats the other launch alongside Owhiti?

To view more on Acquiesce click this link  https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Acquiesce&submit=Search

More photos just in from Tim. That bow is something else 🙂

The launch along side the starboard side of the Owhiti was if Tim recalls, owned and built by either the manager or foreman of Shipbuilders.  It certainly has a distinctively flared bow….

St. Clair

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St Clair
photos & details from owner John Newton

The 34′ sedan St Clair was built for Lionel Barney by Brin Wilson in 1956 and is kauri carvel construction. ww readers may recall that it was used as a ferry for St Clair lodge at Vivian Bay on Kawau Island . Piers Barney who runs Norma Jean charters has recollections of collecting passengers from Sandspit when he was 10 years old, Piers had to stand on a soap box to see out of the wheel house.

She was surveyed for 39 passengers to Kawau limits and amazingly carried up to 20  x 44 gallon drums of diesel for generators and bags of wheat and meal for all the chooks and muscovy ducks at the lodge, so a really solid little launch.

Piers father Lionel used to enjoy racing it in fun races against other boats off Kawau Island Yacht Club where she did very well reportedly getting up to 13 knts with a 100hp Ford engine. She hasn’t seen that sort of speed since, perhaps because of the new heavier sedan cabin.

St Clair was bought by John and Helen Hager and refitted to a comfortable sedan in 2006 by Robertsons Boats. Current owners John & Natasha Newton bought her in 2011.

Ballerina

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BALLERINA
photos ex James Groenhart – details ex owner & Harold Kidd.

Ballerina was built in 1951 by ‘Lidgard’ (Ngapipi Rd ? ) & is of kauri carvel construction. Her first owner was C.B.H. Miller of George St., Morrinsville. She is 28′ x 9′ x 2’6″ and had a 100hp Osco Ford V8 petrol engine (Mercury 239 cu in) when launched. Miller shifted to live at 6 Bongard St., Mission Bay about 1957 and sold her sometime after 1961. In 1973 she was owned by L.G. Armstrong of 12 Saltburn Road, Milford and kept at Milford. Ballerina is now powered by a 60hp Ford diesel.
James & his partner Laura purchased her in November 2014 & after some minor repairs at Lees Boat Builders & a new timber mast by Colin Brown, she is being regularly used & enjoyed.photos

As the photos above show, she is a very pretty classic.  As I said on Monday, its hard to get a sub 30′ boat to look proportionally ‘right’, Ballerina looks right 🙂

03-06-2015 Photo below at 2015 Mahurangi Regatta