Category Archives: 1960’s

Tainui On The Move

Posted on by
5

Screen Shot 2016-02-10 at 3.06.01 PM

Screen Shot 2016-02-10 at 7.54.18 PM

TAINUI ON THE MOVE
photos ex Pam Cundy

One of the ww woodys, John Sloane, recently purchased the 1967, 38′ kauri plank carvel launch Tainui from the Great Barrier Island. We do not know a lot about her but she did start life as an Auckland Harbour Board work boat.

John has retained the service of the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard to under take a two year restoration of Tainui. Pam & George had previously travelled to the island to inspect her & yesterday (10-02-2016) the real work began with Pam & George towing Tainui back to Whangateau with the help of Dave Jackson & his wee ship Karros. Pam reports it was a very pleasant trip & Tanui’s now tucked up at T Point and will go up the creek to the boat yard later today.

Tainui is a great looking launch & I’m sure John picked her up for a good price. She is also a very lucky boat because she is now in the care of one of the best classic friendly yards in NZ.
We will follow the work at WTBY with great interest.

Still keen to learn more about Tainui’s past – anyone able to help?

More details on Tainui here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/12/28/tainui-3/

15-06-2018 Update – photo below ex Whangateau boat year fb  showing Tainui’s rebuilt Gardner being delivered ex Dave Shaw’s workshop. Looking stunning 🙂 well done John. 

Visit the yard fb page to see / follow the restoration

IMG_3084

Update 10-09-2019 – Tainui seen here off Cape Brett, in the 1958>1966 period. Her owner John Sloane commented to me that she was probably ‘working’ in her role as an Oyster Inspector boat.

Screen Shot 2019-09-10 at 12.43.08 PM

Screen Shot 2019-09-10 at 3.57.54 PM

Screen Shot 2019-09-11 at 6.36.17 PM

Ballerina Restoration

Posted on by
5

 

IMG_0834

Haul out at Omaha

Haul-out

 

Rot behind port sliding window
Port side repairs underway
Re launch Omaha
New fore-hatch
Finished port cabin side
New duck-board
Colin Brown
Finished cabin sides /deck

IMG_0832

BALLERINA REFURBISHMENT

photos & details ex James Groenhart

I spied Ballerina at Mahurangi during the 2016 Regatta weekend & she was looking superb. James told me she had recently spent 5 weeks in the care of Colin Brown & Dave Walker at Jones Road, Omaha (same site as Anita Bay & Little Tasman). While she was structurally in great condition there were some areas that needed attention.

Colin & Dave completed the following work to a superb standard, & interpreted what James wanted perfectly, as well as being completely sympathetic to the character of the boat.

  • A new hardwood worm shoe was made & fitted.
  • Mahogany cabin sides & coamings were taken back & minor rot repairs carried out, particularly around the sliding side windows & timber fixed window beading.
  • Butterfly skylight hatch was restored & glass re set to stop leaks.
  • A new timber forehatch was made & fitted.
  • Duckboard deck was replaced.
  • Cabin top grab rails removed, restored & re fastened.
  • Repainted hull (using Altex ‘Classic White’), cabin sides & deck.

Great to see work like this recorded so thoroughly.

Click photos to enlarge.

Another Record Viewing Day Yesterday !!!!!!

Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade – 2016 – 150+ photos

Posted on by
8

P1210884.JPG

Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade Weekend – 2016 – 150+ photos

Get comfortable this ones a biggie, 150+ photos from the 2016 Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade weekend.

The inclement conditions (lots of H2O) on Saturday resulted in the parade being moved to Sunday, to most this was a positive as it gave everyone more time to socialize. We took the opportunity to mooch around the lake & visit a few lake-side properties. The transport for the day was rather special – 2 of the regular parade attendees, Cathy & Shawn Vennell and Pam & Tim Aurisch had bought their classic cars – a 1960 Dodge & 1956 Chev Bel Air, very impressive tow cars & a cool mode of transport.

So today’s post is a mix of classics – motorboats, day boats, speedboats, steamboats, yachts & cars – Its a visual attempt to give to you a taste of the weekend & showcase the vessels that make up the parade.
Special thanks to the LRC&WBP committee, especially Commodore Grant Cossey, past Commodore Fraser Wilson and the lass that makes it all happen Rachel Jamieson.

Due to another engagement we could not attend the post parade picnic.

Each boat carries a number, to find out more details on any vessel e.g. name, year, owner – refer to this link to a master listing. 2016ParadeEntrantDetails

Enjoy 🙂

Click photos to enlarge 😉

(L>R) Commodore Grant Cossey, past Commodore Fraser Wilson, Chris Miller

P1220376

Whironui

Posted on by
2

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

Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 5.52.13 AM

 

Florence May

Posted on by
9

Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 7.33.24 PM

Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 7.33.33 PM

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’

Posted on by
8

 

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

Posted on by
11

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

IMG_8783

 

Maybelle

Posted on by
6

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

Posted on by
6

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

Posted on by
8

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.

img_2256

img_2257