Category Archives: 1960’s

Whironui

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WHIRONUI BY SHIPBUILDERS AT GULF HARBOUR HAVING TLC 28.12.15 - 3

WHIRONUI
details & photos ex Ken Ricketts. (edited by Alan H)

Whironui  is 34′ LOA & was home built & Ken suspects  in the earlier 1960’s, the reason for this being she has a Paragon mechanical gearbox, on a Lees Ford diesel & these boxes were phased out in the earlier 1960s. In terms of designer, Ken feels probably she is a Shipbuilders kit-set as one of a good number of similar hull type, designed boats were sold in this form by Shipbuilders between 30′ & 34′ from c.1960 to 1965. They all had individually styled coamings with 3 glued skins on opposite diagonals, kauri hulls.

Whironui is powered by a 90hp 6 cyl. Lees marinised Ford diesel, with a Paragon mechanical gear box & 2 to 1 reduction gear, most likely still the original set-up.

She is presently owned by Murray Brighouse who along with his son Tony, do a great job of caring for her, & using her as often as possible. They bought her off the late Sonny Cross in 2002, who they believe had owned her from about 1976, during which time she was moored for the entire period, they believe, in the Wade River, which is where she was moored, when the Brighouses bought her. She now resides at Gulf Harbour.

Anyone know anymore about her past & the home build element?

As a comparison – below is a photo of ‘Southern Seas’ which is rumoured to be a Shipbuilders kit boat.

SOUTHERN SEAS - 2 - 31.3.14

26-01-2016

Photo from c.1979 ex Ken Rickets

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Florence May

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FLORENCE MAY

Florence May was designed by Dick Laing & launched in 1965. She is strip planked kauri & measures 28′ LOA . Powdered by a 80hp Ford diesel. Currently listed 4sale on trademe.

Can anyone expand on her past & possibly confirm the above details? Its says ‘Ngunguru’ on the stern so maybe the northern woodys can help.

Update from Rodney Webb (owner)

I have owned Florence May for 34 years.She was built near Auckland for Harry Muir and was named after his wife.She spent several years in Ngunguru then went to a retired sea captain in the bay of islands.She was then purchased by Tom Thompson who bought her back to Tutukaka.I approached him and purchased her 34 years ago.The builder was Phil Lange who lives in mill bay Manganui.He is 85 and still in good health.I still have her in Ngunguru.I guess you could say i reluctantly have her for sale and would probably refuse any offer 🙂

Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

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Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

The above video records the renovation of the classic 1965 Lane Motor Boat Co. built launch Arohanui. The refit work was undertaken in 2015 at the Sandspit yard of Lees Boatbuilders for owners Fiona Driver & Rod Marler. Greg Lees & his team have established themselves as the go to yard for the application of Awlwood MA (Uroxsys) the flexible polyurethane marine clear coat finish. But I have to say that the yards craftsmanship & attention to detail prior to the final applications was second to none. Lees is a very classic friendly yard & whether the vessel is sail or motorboat, large or small its in good hands.

The short film was produced by Gareth Cooke (SubZero) who also filmed the restoration of Trinidad at Lees, refer below videos.

 

Silver Sea

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SILVER SEA 1

SILVER SEA
details ex John Ellis & Ken Ricketts, photos KR.
(edited by AH)

Silver Sea is according to her present owner, John Ellis, a  36′ Alan Williams launch built in 1960. Powered by a 120 hp Lees marinised Ford diesel, driven by a vee drive, integrated into the gearbox & 2 to 1 reduction gear. Home has been Gulf Harbour for a number of years as John bought her off a Frank Steed 4 years ago, who also kept her at GH.

Given that she sports a chart of the Whangarei cruising area mounted in her cabin, it is highly probably that at some stage she spent time in the Northern region.
Its rumoured that she featured in a 1963 issue of Sea Spray magazine –  if anyone can find the article & scan, please email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com 🙂

During Jan 2016, Silver Sea was in Brin Wilson’s Gulf Harbour shed having some routine TLC, including tightening up the caulking & re-puttying, painting etc. Now ready for re-launching.

Silver Sea pre relaunch

Harold Kidd Input

I always thought that she was designed and built by E Buckland in the North around 1946. She was in Whangarei for many years owned by Buckland, then Richard Ahlers then came to Auckland when bought by Frank Stead in November 2001, but perhaps that 36 footer SILVER SEA(S) was another boat of the same name?

21-01-2016 Food For Thought

Chatting with Harold K on how she could possibly have been mistaken for an Allen Williams launch & Harold suggested that its likely that someone has seen the BANSHEE article in Sea Spray magazine (March 1963, see below) & jumped to the conclusion that SILVER SEA was a Williams.
Williams took several whole back page ads in SEA SPRAY later in 1963 showing BANSHEE so it was a well-known image at the time.
Anyone else able to expand on this supposition? May Ian Mason ?

BANSHEE239

10-07-2016 Hauled Out At Milford Cruising Club

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Maybelle

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MAYBELLE
photos & details ex Bryce New

Today’s post is an attempt to track down Maybelle, Bryce New’s  grandfather, Harry (Henry) New (ex Coromandel / Kawakawa Bay) old launch.
Maybelle is 36′ & was built c1959/60 by Ken Turner in Coromandel. Ken Turner named her after his grandmother & built her for drag netting. She may have been designed by Dick Laing. Built from heart kauri & powered by a Lees 6 cyl. Ford diesel.

Harry New purchased her from an ‘Evans’ in Coromandel in the late 1960s/early 1970’s & sold her in c1975 to an unknown person. She was moored at Kawakawa Bay before the sale.

Bryce’s parents spotted her anchored in the Bay of Islands in December ’92 but her name had changed.

In the above photo (Jan 1975) of her at Tryphena wharf, the people in the water are – (L>R) Bryce, Lois New (his mother) & sister Jacqui.

Bryce would love to know what has become of Maybelle – anyone able to shed some light on her whereabouts / past?

1966 Holiday’s on the Waitemata

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1966 Holiday’s on the Waitemata
photo ex the Gordon Miller family archive, sent in by Adrienne Miller

I have been sitting on this photo for a few weeks – aside from being a very cool photo, its a hoot because it shows two very well known boating people in the photo. The pic was taken in the Christmas 1966 period & shows two Mason Clippers. One person is easy to ID – in the background we have Tony Mason and his family on their Clipper.

The question of the day is – who is the ‘lad’ in the foreground snoozing on the stern of the Clipper ‘Diana’?

ps I’m in hiding – I might get a clip on the ear for posting this 🙂

Fiesta

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FIESTA

I spotted the above launch anchor in Rocky Bay on 30-12-2015, wind & tide were never my friend so I did not get to see if she had a name on her stern.

She does look familiar – possibly owned by an Alloy Yachts employee & kept in the Viaduct for a while 12>24 months ago ???

Anyone able to shed some more light on her?

Andrew Pollard advised she is called Fiesta & was built by ‘Laing’, powered by a 120hp Ford & moored at Panmure.

Harold Kidd Input

AYA records show FIESTA was built in 1962 by “Lang”. She was 31′ x 10′ x 3′ and had a 100hp Fordson diesel. The first owner appears to have been K.R. Buchanan of Arney Road, Remuera who may have sold her to J.J. Lenwood of Balmoral Road in 1973, although I think there may have two FIESTAs at the time.
So was it Dick Lang who built her? He would have been 74 in 1962 but I’m not sure he was still building that late in his life. He died in 1972. Her hull is sweet enough to be by Dick, not too sure about the tophamper though. The strip plank construction doesn’t sound like Dick. There were other Langs/Laings/Langes about in the 1960s, including Philip Lang, who favoured strip planking and he could be the one. Anyone know anything about him?

23-01-2016 – Update – the photos below are ex Baden Pascoe. Baden has advised that she was built by Philip Lang in 1964 (confirms Harold Kidds thoughts) & is currently owned by Gordon Love.

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Pirimanu

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PIRIMANU

Every time I catch the ferry to Waiheke Island I notice this classic sedan top launch moored in Matiatia Bay, in close & to the the right of the ferry terminal. Never been close enough to get its name so last week after anchoring in the bay (just a coffee stop) I rowed past with the camera. She looks to have recently had some TLC as she appears a little smarter than on previous visits 😉

What do we know about Pirimanu?

ps hard to tell from the photos but a very tall mast

Harold Kidd Input

The 28 footer PIRIMANU is an Arnold Couldrey design built by Salthouse Bros in 1968 for W.M. (Bill) Macindoe. Her design harks back to 1948 but good things don’t date, do they? Both Couldrey and Macindoe put some time into the build at Greenhithe.
Macindoe still owned her in 1972 according to Couldrey’s notes and in 1973 according to AYA records. Dennis and Suzie Craig owned her 1997

Mahina

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MAHINA
photos & details ex Russell Ward

Mahina is a William Garden (USA) design & was built in the early 1960’s, her wheelhouse is a later addition. She had an open steering position. She still retains the inside helm and  is still powered by a Gardner.
Russell has a suspicion she was launched as Konoihi, any able to confirm this ?

With yesterday being the end of the year it was perfect timing to hit the 1,500,000 views – thanks to everyone for following the blogsite. Cheers Alan H

Santa slipped a few one-off ww tee-shirts into some friends & family santa sacks. ‘Santa’ was a little concerned they might not have been well received but they have been spotted at Waiheke, London & Prague !! so santa must have got it right 😉

 

 

Tainui

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TAINUI

Heads up from Murray Willis (MV Margeurite)

Tainui was built to survey for the Auckland Harbour Board in 1967, originally a workboat but later converted into a pleasure vessel. She is built of kauri & is 38’ in length with a 9’3” beam.

Tainui is powered by a 70h.p. 3LWGardner diesel that gives her a comfortable 9 knots at 1000rpm. A great sea ship, she has plied across Cook Straight many times.

Currently moored in Whangaparapara Harbour, Great Barrier Island.& listed for sale on trade. The asking price is $15k ono & from the photos, for that price looks like a great restoration project.

What do we know about her, designer, builder & who did the conversion?