Lake Taupo c.1950’s.
photo ex Paul Drake
This photo appeared on a postcard & shows two boats that have recently featured on ww – Lady Pat & Moana.
Also in the picture, on moorings, in line astern are – Kotare (steel), Arcadia and Kahurangi.
Arcadia is still on Lake Taupo – with new cabin. Kahurangi was last seen at Mana, Paremata, also with new cabin. KOTARE is still at Lake Taupo.
The vessel poking out of the boat shed is Water Nymph now restored and at Lake Rotioti.
OKAHU BAY LATE 1950’s?
Timespanner photo & details ex Russell Ward
Left to right, who can name the launches?
Russell feels the photo most likely dates from the late 1950’s as over at the Devonport Naval Base, the minesweeper Stawell is alongside, astern of the Loch Class (Rotoiti?) and she was put into mothballs July ’59 which means she would have been moved inside the wharf.
SEAGULL – a classic 4 Sale
A lot of people say your mad owning a classic boat, if thats true, owning two must make you certifiable.
CYA member Paul Burton is bucking the market trend that normally goes like this – Yacht > Launch > Camper Van > Die. Paul is going from a classic launch back to a classic yacht, well to be 100% correct a motorsailer.
The upside of Paul’s flip/flop is his rather nice 1953 ex Navy Launch ‘Seagull’ is for sale.
As you would expect from a vessel that has been in service, she was very well presented & an ideal classic for someone looking for an affordable (<$50k), easily handed, low maintenance, economical classic for exploring the Hauraki Gulf.
Powered by a 52hp Volvo Seagull runs on the smell of an oily rag e.g. $3-5 an hour.
Now unless you are Tony Stevenson, no one wants to own 2 classic boats so it would be an understatement to say that Paul is a motivated vendor. If you are interested, contact Paul to discuss the many options as to how you could own Seagull.
Viewing is available at Bayswater Marina until July 5th, then on the hard at Devonport Yacht Club.
Paul Burton 021 876 496 E: paulburton@hotmail.co.nz
A twist – the CYA member selling the classic yacht Paul is buying, is buying a classic launch, so its all a merry-go-round. Maybe I should be a broker? in fact I am……. now who do I send the invoice to 🙂
ANN MICHELLE
CYA members Janet and Bruce Pulman purchased Ann Michelle in July 2013 from Ken McDonald who had owned her for approx. 18 months, before he moved to Kerikeri. All the Pulmans know about owners prior to this is that she was owned by someone at Tanners Point for about 30 years, it has been suggested that she was built about 1952. The photo alongside the wharf, sporting blue paint is a ‘as purchased’ shot.
Any help would be appreciated in uncovering more about Ann Michelle. Hopefully with such a distinctive name someone will have rubbed up against her.
waitematawoodys network again provides the answers – very impressed 🙂
The two posts below will make the Pulmans happy.
Shamus Fairhall
I believe from Ken McDonald she is a Owen Wooly designed and built boat. Now berthed back at Owens old boat shed by the Panmure bridge ( Now Leader boat builders ). Great lines and a good example of Owen’s ” eye ” for proportion. Well done on the tidy up, looks great.
Des Workman
She was built by Owen Woolley for the Flecther family in Tauranga. Woolley built 3 x 26 fts. Anne was the last & best.My wife & I owned her for about 6 years & really loved her. I sold her about 1966 to someone from Tauranga. So I guess that would be the folk from Tanners Point.
Siren
photos & details ex Stuart Johnston
Siren is a 19ft Marlin launched at Onehunga just prior to Labour weekend 1958, it is believed she was one of the first if not the first 19ft version built by Sutton & Mason in Mt Roskill before Tony Mason set up Mason Marine. Siren was powered by 1958 35 HP Johnson and managed about 20MPH light and struggled to plane with a load. She was later repowered with firstly a 1960 40hp Johnson, and later by an early V4 50HP followed lastly by a 75HP Johnson. Stuart says that she was always a pretty vessel and with the bigger motors a joy to pilot, although launching off the beach at Stanmore Bay could be a mission, getting such a vessel through the soft sand, in the days before proper ramps were built.
Photos above show her new – being launched at Onehunga, cruising off Stanmore Bay and Stuart’s Dad “hooning” at the same location. Stuart is not sure who’s who of the builders beside the boat but his Dad is the guy inside.
The big question – has she survived & if so where is she now?
CALEDONIA
Details & photos from Richard Gordon
Caledonia was built in Auckland in 1956 as a 11 metre ketch. If you believe the old sales document (copy attached below) her designer was a gent or company called ‘Knaggs’.
Richard bought Caledonia, initially in partnership with Don Wilson in 2009. Previously Don was in partnership with Dave Johnson, these two bought the boat off trademe in approx. 2002-3. She had been kept at Milford Marina & owned by a father & son. These owners advised she was built by a father & grandfather, the GF supposedly having worked at Bailey.
Between 1984 – 1988 it looks as if she may have been based in Thames – Coromandel judging by an incomplete log book, her call sign was ZMV3644.
Richard is based in Mana, Wellington & lives aboard Caledonia & reports she is a great Cook Strait boat and Sounds boat.
Richard is interested to find out more about her history. Can anyone help or point him in the direction of someone that can?
Click link to view old sales doco caledonia
As always click on any image to enlarge 😉
JUANITA
Juanita has appeared several times before on ww, but always in b/w, her current owners, Marty & Lena Pooley of Whitianga after ‘discovering’ the b/w older ww postings, sent Ken Ricketts some stunning colour photos of her & some updates on her previous ownership & length – she is 32′ not 36′ as previously reported.
Built by Allan Williams at Milford Creek for Cyril Bertrand of Bell Rd. Remuera c.1953, she had an Osco converted Ford V8 originally. When she was sold, she lived for a good number of years, at the Sandspit Warkworth, had a 6 cyl For Diesel fitted & was maintained (tbc) by Lees Boatbuilders, for the then owners.
She was owned by Ernest & Rae Blumenthal from the mid 1960’s to the 1994, when her husband died, Mrs Blumenthal sold her to Eric Nicholson Vickers in 1994. Vickers sold her to James Brown in Whangarei in 1997. James Brown sold her to Greenwoods in Napier in 2007, who took her to Kinloch Marina on Lake Taupo. Her current owners, the Pooley’s, bought her in January 2009 and she now lives in Whitianga Marina.
Juanita today remains almost identical to ‘as launched’ & her past owners need to be thanked for this. Marty & Lena say she is a babe – that she is.
Harold Kidd Update
JUANITA was built by Alan Williams at Milford in 1951 for Cyril Bertrand. The APYMBA records show her dimensions as 32’6″x31’3″x10’2″x2’10″ and being fitted with an Osco Ford V8 as Ken states. She was sold to M.T. Burrill in 1959 and then to John L. Gilbert in 1961.Her call-sign was ZMZF.
She was part of the honour guard for the arrival of the GOTHIC in Auckland in December 1953 for the Royal Tour.
What confuses me a bit is that she was called JUANITA II in APYMBA records after 1966 when Gilbert still seems to have owned her, and was JUANITA II when the Blumenthals owned her in the 1970s. Any reason? Same boat?
Photos above – with ‘mast’ is at Lake Taupo & minus ‘mast’ is at Ohinau Island Mercury Bay
Photos below – taken a Mercury Islands 3/4 May 2014
TAKARO
update photos from Zach Matich
Takaro was built approx 1952 & has had the same owner for the last 29 years.
35 ft kauri planked displacement launch, with a 11’3” beam which makes her a wide bottomed girl 🙂
She has recently been fitted with a reconditioned 120hp D-series Ford motor with Lees Marine conversion. Top speed is 10 knots, with a comfortable cruise speed of 8 knots, which = 7L per hour.
Home port is Pahi on the Kaipara Harbour & she is for sale on trademe.
Anyone able to expand on the builder, designer?
Harold Kidd Update
My first thought was that she’s very like the Colin Wild-designed 34 ft sedans that John Salthouse and then Salthouse Bros carried on building after Wild died. I went to the TradeMe entry which says “TAKARO = PLAYMATE” so Ken’s memory is correct on this occasion.
MY PLAYMATE was indeed designed by Colin Wild and built by O’Rorke Bros in 1949/50 for M.V. Wilson of Awatea Rd Parnell who owned her until at least 1964. Her original engine was a 90hp Chrysler. It looks like her present owner of 29 years didn’t like her name so used the Maori equivalent.
There were a couple of plain PLAYMATES owned by Roy Swales, a 22 footer he built himself in 1931 and the bridge decker built for him by Sam Ford in 1936 which caused confusion with MY PLAYMATE whose “MY” was eventually dropped in the Squadron and APYMBA records.
PS One of the brothers,J.J. O’Rorke, was a shipwright and boatbuilder living at Westmere. He built my former E Class keeler LOLOMA in 1909 and a number of big workboats over the years including MAROKOPA for Marokopa and RATAHI for Tauranga.
SEAGULL
Now this boat has some provenance, built in 1953 at the Devonport Navy dockyard, was originally on the starboard side of the HMNZ Monowai Survey ship.
29.8’ in length & powered by a 53hp diesel, new in 2004, now with 1850 hrs on the clock.
Seagull is a solid, reliable, economic, ex Navy survey launch converted to pleasure use & is perfect for cruising around the Hauraki Gulf.
Recent work over the winter of 2013 includes, full hull repaint, including anti foul, new cockpit, lockers, new toilet, new stern platform with stainless steel ladder. Full engine service, oil and filters, belts etc including new batteries.
Garmin GPS chart plotter/fish finder. New VHS radio. New 2 burner gas stove. Good sized electric fridge. Solar panels for battery backup.
Owned by a fellow DYC member, Seagull is currently for sale on trademe as her owner has a desire to return to the dark side (sail)…… Hopefully he will see the light & buy a motorsailer.
LADY DIANA
photos & details ex Ken Ricketts
Phil Seabrook had Billy Rogers design and build the 36 foot Lady Diana for him in 1950 and fitted her with an Austin Skipper 100 from new, replacing it with a 155hp Nordberg sleeve-valve engine in 1956 shortly before he sold Lady Diana to Monte Winter. She performed better with the Nordberg than she did with the Austin.
Ken was aboard Lady Diana several times at Kawau Island during Christmas 1950.
She is still around today & still fairly unspoiled, as per the above photos, except for the lovely original varnish work, on the combings, which unfortunately has long since gone.
She also has an almost identical sister ship called Margaret Anne (photo below), which apart from a flybridge & varnish, is also fairly original, as per the photo.
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