Category Archives: 1950’s

Endeavour

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EndevourDSCN1419Endeavour

Endeavour – during her Kaipara motor-sailor days – was owned by Jack Matich and used for commercial fishing on the Kaipara. Now back in the hands of her original owners the Beachman family & on the Waitemata Harbour. Photo ex Zach Matich. Newer photo sans sailing rig.

Lady Sandra

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Lady Sandra

LADY SANDRA

Built by the Lane Motor Boat Co., a very “Ultra” boat, for her era, for Len Peckham, about 1950, one of “THE” boats of the day, lovely lines, powered with 2 x 6 cyl Scripps petrol engines, right at the stern, with V drives, & with reduction gears built in to the V drives.
L Peckham was a very social person & Lady Sandra had many parties, & lots of glamorous ladies aboard, on many occasions, — spent much time tied to the Mansion House Bay wharf, with an anchor out in to the bay, & then backed the stern up to the wharf, (almost as if she owned it, she was there so much.) engines were of course, later replaced with diesels (Fords I think ( as usual)
She was later sold & I have an idea one of the Cleave brothers may have owned her for a while, however she was later owned by my dear friend, the late John Richards, who eventually sold her, & she went to Fiji where she was wrecked in a storm in the 80s.
She suffered some misadventure once, by picking up a tow line from a boat being towed, off Devonport wharf, one day, got the tow rope around both propellers & pulled the propeller struts out of the hull & of course she sank, just as they got her to the nearby beach, fortuously.

photo & ‘tale’ by ken Ricketts

Flying Scud (and Waimiga)

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FLYING SCUD ( I bought her as ROBBO, but had known her since new & knew she was built as FLYING SCUD, so in accordance with my beliefs I reverted her to her original name. — (It is my view, that the original owner has absolute naming rights for a boat for its life), I owned her from 1970 to 1976. she was 30 ft long, 2 skins Kauri Built by R Lidgard at Kawau Island in 1953, towed to Auckland to have twin 6 cyl Austin Skipper 100 petrol engines fitted when built, (sister ship to Miss Lidgard). I replaced these with 2 x 6cyl OM321 Mercedes Benz diesels in 1971. I sold her to B Purdy who onsold her & later she had engines replaced with 2 x Bedford Diesels by subsequent owner. Dragged anchor &  went ashore by the sugar works at Birkenhead & was wrecked circa 1985.

photos & copy ex Ken Ricketts

Update 05/05/13 with b/w photo, when ‘new’

13-09-2018 Update from Ken Ricketts – photo below c.1980 when owned by Garth McGowan (1979>1980)

FLYING SCUD c1980

 

Waimiga – additional info ex Alan Houghton & Shane Anderson
Of interest in the photo is the launch Waimiga closest in, on the poles. The photo is dated c. Nov 1970 so Waimiga would have been very new. Have to love the yellow cockpit canopy (that would not have passed her recent owner Colin Pawsons approval) The game poles were no surprise as the boat was built for Graham May who was a very keen fisherman. Graham commissioned Waimiga in 1967 after selling his farm in Howick to the Howick Golf Club.  He lived on the river, 200m downstream of the Panmure Boating Club…..hence the picture location.

11-12-2025 UPDATE ex Ken Ricketts – KR’s first boat – the Lidgard built FLYING SCUD , appeared on the May 1956 issue of Sea Spray magazine, and made an appearance at the Easter Show in the same year.

Gay Dawn

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Gay Dawn

GAY DAWN – My late parents Ralph & Wyn Ricketts boat 1956 to 1970 is already well documented by me on the CYA Launch forum, link below. Refer there for info in “The Real Gay Dawn Story,” which I wrote to dispel many myths & much misinformation about this beautiful unspoiled example of a classic boat.
photo & copy ex Ken Ricketts

http://classicyacht.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2084

Juanita

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Juanita

JUANITA – 36 ft built by Allan Williams at Milford Creek for Cyril Bertrand of Bell Rd Remuera in 1950/51 had Osco converted Ford V8 originally — now 6 cyl Ford. Supposed to be sister ship to Aoma also built by Williams.Photo Ponui Island c.1952.

Update from Ken Ricketts (01/06/2013)

JUANITA; ( Pronounced jew-a-neat-a, by the original owners)
 A sister ship to Aoma, built a year or 2 later, circa 1953, also built at Milford Creek, by Alan Williams, for Cyril Bertrand, a clothing retailer of Auckland City, who lived in Bell Rd Remuera. She was originally powered by a mid blue painted, Osco converted, Ford V8, under a box, as with Aoma, in the same position, which perhaps may have been just a tad too far forward, as she tended to look as if she was perhaps burying her bow just slightly, at speed.
The Bertands were family friends, & we cruised most weekends with them, for 4 or 5 years, when I was a lad, until they sold her. As you will see, in the above pic., I took in North Harbour Ponui Island, circa 1955, She did not have a sweep in the deck, but interior layout was almost identical, to AOMA.
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 I believe, by Lees Boatbuilders, for the then owners, in very original condition, as at that time.
Have not seen or heard of her, for a number of years, so perhaps others could fill in the gaps, & drop me an email to kenpat@ihug.co.nz
Update 18/06/13
Juanita was owned by Ernest & Rae  Blumenthal from circa the mid
60s to the 1990s I was told today, by a friend who knew her very well, when they had her.
She had a 6 cyl Lees Ford the entire time of ownership by the Blumenthals.Mr  Blumenthal died, & Mrs Blumenthal retained her for a period after his
death, & then sold to a butcher called “Nick” …??? & she moved to
Mahurangi.She appears to have later moved to Taupo, because she was seen for sale on Trade Me,” at Taupo, post 2000, & was seen not too long after that, passing through Warkworth on a transporter, going North, & I now suspect, she is in the B.O.I area. — Have a sleuth keeping an eye out up there, for me.

Faye (LADY FAYE)

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FAYEFaye

FAYE – 32 ft Owned & built by Fred Steel of Bayswater in 1948 (one of 2, the other, Adara, owned by Des Donovan & (Andy’s brother). Both were built by “20th Century Boats” (Steele & Donovan) in Sydney St Takapuna. Adara was later lengthened by 6 feet.

Faye originally had a Willys Jeep 4cyl petrol engine which F. Steel later replaced with a 6 cyl Hercules diesel. He owned her for many years. Very roomy for 32 ft. We cruised with them most weekends in the 50s when my parents had Juliana.

photo & story by Ken Ricketts

Faye & Adara

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Faye & Adara

FAYE & ADARA – The twins, as mentioned above. Together c1954 in Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island. They were 2 of the biggest volume, roomy, & well planned for living, 32 footers I have ever seen, that sat well in the water & slid along beautifully tidily in the water at about 8 knots cruising speed.

The interior living space was unbelievable. — FAYE even had a large full boat width, owners stateroom, with full double bed in the aft end of the boat, — a rare luxury in that day & age of vessels under 40 ft, in my experience. a wonderful comfortable boat for longer cruises. Both were built by “20th Century Boats” (Steele & Donovan) in Sydney St Takapuna. Adara was later lengthened by 6 feet.

Kaikoura

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KAIKOURA BON ACCORD KAWAU CIRCA 1984Kaikoura

KAIKOURA, Built by P Vos to a Hacker design in1952 for Alf Crawford owner of E Le Roy canvas goods retailers. Originally had 2 x Kermath Seamate Specials 165 hp each — went very quickly (I had a trip one day Easter 1954 when I was 18 years old — see pic of me on board, pic also of the original owner Alf Crawford & his son Cameron & my parents & me on deck Easter 1954). Engines were replaced by Bridgefords of Mission Bay, who bought her later, with 2 x Perkins 165hp V8s — colour pic was taken with Perkins engines in Bon Accord, Kawau Island, c1985.

photos & story ex Ken Ricketts

Barbara W & Juliana

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Barbara W & Juliana

Barbara W & Juliana tied to Russell Wharf c.1952, on deck of Barbara W are Harry & June Julian (owner of Barbara W’s son) at that time, Fred & Agnes Steel owners of “FAYE” at that time & Ralph & Wyn Ricketts owners of JULIANA — 2 of 9 boats doing a Northern cruise in company under the guiding hand of Harry J who was a commercial skipper on his family tugs plying the coast mostly for sand & he was an absolutely brilliant seaman – he died a few months ago in his 80s (Barbara W had an 8 L3 Gardner Diesel & Juliana had a 6cyl Leyland Diesel)
photo & copy by Ken Ricketts