Category Archives: 1960’s

How Much Is My Woody Worth?

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How Much Is My Woody Worth?
That’s a question ww gets asked on a regular basis, the answer sadly in most cases is a lot less than the owner thinks. People get confused with ‘worth’ & what some one will pay i.e. the sale price, with classic wooden vessels – for worth think replacement cost, for sale price think less than 25% of that.
As I have pointed out before in NZ there is a growing demand for quality classic motor boats, a high % of this market do not have the skills, time or funds to restore one, so importing will become more appealing.
Today’s post features ‘Wando Lady’ a 1966, 65′ Stephens Bros motor yacht from California now calling the UK home. She sleeps 12 & is powered by twin Detroit V71 12 cylinder diesel engines rated at 495hp. Its on the market for approx NZD$400k (asking price) – I post for 2 reasons – its a great looking woody & I think most of you will be interested in viewing her. Secondly as an indication of whats available on the international market compared to NZ prices.

If you want to read more on her http://www.ybw.com/boats-for-sale/5091568?currency=GBP&utm_campaign=20161130_YBW-B_NWL_EO&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ET

Te Arahi

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TE ARAHI

ww only knows a little about Te Arahi but as they say in the architecture game, she has good bones – being a Percy Vos bridge decker. She was launched in 1965. Her owner Graeme Finch was at the CYA Patio Bay weekend & the photos above are from both mine & Chris Millers camera’s. Photos also ex Brian Worthington & Ken Ricketts.
Graeme’s  father built the speed-boat Mystic Miss, pictured below and was a life member of the Manukau Speedboat Club.

Keen to learn more about her past.

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Input from owner

Hi – we are the current proud owners of Te Arahi, and thoroughly enjoying the transition from fibreglass yacht to classic wooden bridgedecker. I am only the 5th owner of this vessel, the previous owners shown below.

Owner    Name    Position    
1    Roy V Gibbs    South Auckland timber merchant    1965 – 1968
2    Capt Williams    Harbour Master at Whangarei            1968 – 1974
3    Colin Armiger    Manager at Bendon                      1974 – 1999
4    Cpt John Martin    Airline captain with Air NZ.     1999 – 2015
5    Graeme Finch    University of Auckland                    2015 –

As mentioned boat is built from a kauri tree milled at Helensville in 1963, built by Percy Vos and launched in 1965 – it is powered by twin 120HP Ford diesels, and electrical system was upgraded by previous owner John.

I would be interested to learn when the flybridge and walk through transon were added, plus any other history.

Graeme & Maggie Finch

12-01-22 UPDATE – photo below of Te Arahi at anchor at the bottom end of Waiheke Island, xmas/ny 2022

A+B+C Class Yachts Racing To Rocky Bay

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A+B+C Class Yachts Racing To Rocky Bay

In the above photo we see, from left, Kotiri, Ladye Wilma, Waione, Rawene (race winner) & Ngatoa just after the start of the official opening race of the season (year unknown).
Photo ex the Mac Taylor collection.

Help Needed
ww has had a request from Gary Chaplin, who owns the yacht, Fidelity, see below & click photos to enlarge, based in Christchurch Gary has commented that she looks just like the Shiralee which featured on ww in October , (link below).
Gary would like to know if it is the same  vessel or possibly a sister ship . Gary believes Fidelity was built in Milford Creek by Allen Williams in 1960 .

Shiralee E64 – Sailing Sunday

REMEMBER LOTS OF PATIO BAY WEEKEND PHOTOS ON WW TOMORROW

Taree

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TAREE
Taree, the 1966 36’ Owen Woolley sedan launch has appeared before, briefly, on ww.  Back in the late 1980’s I even looked at buying her. I think she held a few records:

(1) the longest trademe listing for a classic launch
(2) the number of failed surveys

So to see her in the hands of a new owner & one thats sympathetic to woodys is a very good thing. From the photos above, some ex her owner & some 2016 emailed to me by Ken Ricketts, she is getting the attention she deserves.The name Taree  means “sticks” in Aborigine, I assume a link to the fact that she is built with kauri, carvel planked over jarrah ribs, the Australian hardwood. She has teak coamings.
Power these days is via a GM 165 hp V8 Diesel fuel pincher, installed by the previous owner in 2009. This sees her easily cruise at 8 knots.

She was bought by present owner Don Bruce in Dec 2015 & is now kept at Gulf Harbour. He  bought her off a  John Graham, who owned her for  23 years & kept her at Pine Harbour

Her current owner believes she was built for Emmitt Keenan and had a Perkins 46109 installed when launched.

Gray Mathias, possibly the 3rd or 4th owner,  fitted a 2 stroke Detroit in 1985 and after one more owner Mike McDonald, John Cameron bought her in 1988. The Detroit lasted till 2005 and the 165hp V8 fuel pincher was fitted in 2009, at a cost of $17000.

Recently she has spent time in the Brin Wilson shed at Gulf Harbour (see photos above), receiving some serious TLC.
Always good to see a classic get lucky & find a good home – well done Don Bruce 🙂

Peter Peal  Book Winner
The winner of yesterdays quiz for a copy of – Thoughts on Clinker Lapstrake Dinghy Construction.
Is Nathan Herbert with – Z Class. Lots of people sent in Silver Fern & Frostbite but surprisingly only one – Z Class entry.
Well done Nathan.

Tarata

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TARATA

Today’s ww story one of the ones that makes it all worth while – Alan Sexton contacted me a while ago trying to track down a launch his father (Howard) owned in the 1970’s – Tarata. Never confirmed but the family believed the 32′ sedan launch was built by Snow Waters, possibly to a Couldrey design. Alan had not photos of her & the last known where abouts was that she was moored in the Tamaki Riv just up from HMB.
Alan’s father sold her to a Wayne Kidd (the broker at HMB) and a partner in 1979.
Now Alan works overseas & returned to NZ last week from Chile & was in the Pakuranga area last Thursday and having been advised that Allan Keane at HMB Brokerage had some history on Tarata, Alan took the opportunity to drop into to his office. He kindly searched thru his sales records and found  the last transaction he had done in 2003 and gave Alan his display photos (as above). Attached are scans of the photos.
As a result of Alan’s time with Allan Keane & other sniffing around he has been able to assemble the details below on Tarata. Still very keen to learn details on her recent history & current where abouts.
” Tarata was built by Snow Waters and launched in 1962 for Lloyd Kitchen (of the H.C. Kitchen formica family). Designer is believed to be Bill Couldrey but this is not certain. She is 32’ x 10’6” x 3’, hull is 7/8” single skin kauri on steam bent ribs with solid timber floors, decks are one diagonal and one fore and aft tongue and groove sheathed with canvas & fiberglass. Cabin coamings are solid timber and cabin top appeared to be plywood over solid beams with the surface between the beams Formica lined. Original engine was a marinised 60hp Fordson Super Major with a Paragon 2:1 mechanical gearbox. The engine installation was quite cunning, the engine is mounted forward of the main cabin and offset slightly to starboard to allow sufficient width for the passage to port and a narrow bunk. The drive train consisted of truck assembly double universal and sliding spline shaft, with thrust from the propeller taken by a rigidly mounted thrust bearing. All tanks were copper as were the bow rails and cabin top hand rails. She has a mast approx. 6m tall fitted with a jib used as a steadying sail.

The Kitchen’s sold her about 1967 to Arthur Wagner and my father, Howard Sexton bought her in 1971, owning her until 1979. She was then bought by Wayne Kidd and a partner who owned her until approx. 1983. She has had a number of owners since and last record is that she was sold to Barry and Jane Radford from Kerikeri in 2003.

She was re-engined sometime in the 80’s with a slightly larger 85hp 4 cyl Lees Ford and a hydraulic gearbox. Otherwise she appears virtually unchanged, at least in 2003 when the photos were taken. She was a tough little launch and would plug on thru just about any sea. There is at least one sister ship, Yin Yang at Westpark, who has had her cockpit extended. At one time we were told Snow had built up to 6 of this design but this is not certain.”

Input from Robert Brooke – Tarata was built by Snow Waters to a modified ” Mapuna” design of my fathers

A Woody Dilemma – Buy original & restore? Buy restored? Buy an import?

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A Woody Dilemma – Buy original & restore? Buy restored? Buy an import?

Given the current state of the 4sale market for our wooden classics, whether they are original or restored, at some stage woodys will start to consider importing a woody from the USA – why?
#1 reason – the price
#2 reason – the high standard of presentation
#3 reason – the volume of ‘stock’
#4 reason – readily available parts & specialty service outlets.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Today’s woody was brought to my attention by Pauline Evill & is currently listed for sale on craigslist.com. She is a  28′ 1960 Chris Craft Constellation, made with mahogany planked batten seam construction on the topsides and double planked below the waterline. In excellent condition, having been restored in 2010, which included a new a single prop 307 engine. Her condition reflects the fact that she has always been kept in a covered slip. Asking price is NZD$25,000.

Deodar

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DEODAR

Mooching into Man o War Bay on Sunday I spied the 52′ Deodar at anchor, looking very smart. She was built by Millar & Tunnage in 1960 & is an ex Auckland Police launch.
In 1996 she was converted for pleasure use & recently underwent further work – more details & photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/12/29/deodar/

Kaheno

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Kaheno Looking For A Cheap Waterfront Bach

This 45’9” 1966 classic trawler styled Carey motorboat is built using stripped planked kauri & powered by a 135hp Gardner 6LS engine. She was converted to a live-aboard & ticks all the boxes for what I call a floating bach.

Asking price on trademe is $249k, I suspect it will sell for less but what ever the price – it’s a cheap holiday home or a city waterfront apartment. Again thanks to Ian McDonald for sniffing this one out 🙂

Update from Ian McDonald
It would appear that the vessel is ‘Kaheno’ – desined by Carey of Picton & built in 1966 by Sinclair & Melbourne. She was once owned by the Salvation Army to service Rotoroa Island. She tragically sank with the loss of 4 lives in the Tamaki Strait circa 1986 whilst carrying timber as deck cargo from memory.

Ma Cherie

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Ma Cherie (Adi Cherie)

Ma Cherie was built by the Lane Motor Boat Co in 1962 for L.G. Foster of 4 Awatere Road, Hamilton. She measured 50’/14’6″/4′ and was powered with twin Ford 6 cylinder diesels. Her name was changed to Adi Kuila but owner Markham Thomson has done the right thing & gone back to the original.
You can find more details & photos on her past here   https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/08/22/adi-kuila/

Ma Cherie has just seen a major re-fit that included fiberglassed topsides, rot removed / rebuilt, rewired, starting/charging system upgraded, new interior, engines head jobs & new water tanks. She is looking very smart, in fact she even gets away with the hothouse up top, just the right height.
Details ex Harold Kidd.

A Couple of Mulletties – Sailing Sunday

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A Couple of Mulletties – Sailing Sunday

The 2 photos above were sent in by Kevin Cassidy (Mulletty Mick) via Gill Bouzaid. The top one is of Bob Ewing’s Buona Sera in the 1969 Lipton Cup & lower photo is of Ron Copeland’s Taotane at Russell, New Years Day 1968.

In the comments section of ww yesterday, June Kendall was asking what became of her fathers mulletty – Celox, which he co-owned in the 1920’s >30’s. It was reported on ww that back in Feb 2015 she had sunk in the Bay of Islands & while salvaged her owner was offering her ‘free to a good home’ – June   was wondering what became of the yacht & if the she was still in Opua? So woodys – can anyone help out with an update?
ww story on Celox here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/02/01/celox-sos/