Category Archives: 1960’s

Sailing Sunday – Innismara

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Sailing Sunday – Innismara
This week the classic yachting fleet saw the return of the magnificent ex Bernie Schmidt built, 67′ racer Innismara, aka ‘war canoe’. She has been restored by Blanche & Ian Cooke with the team at YDL.

Innismere sold on trademe in 2011 for just over $3010, but was in very poor shape after being stored in a shed since 2002 & sustaining fire damage to the forward sections. Her keel was missing having no doubt been sold for lead. Refer below Steve Horsley photo at the time of sale & my photo of her in the YDL shed awaiting restoration.
Once again the Cookes have returned one of our classic fleet to better than new condition.

The above photos (click to enlarge) were taken by Tony Stevenson dockside as she was being prepped for the mast being re-stepped. CYA member Steve Horsley commented “that’s a party cockpit if I ever saw one”.

Given that Blanche & Ian already own the 1937, 60′ Ranger, who sails what is going to be very interesting.

Now I’m off to one of my favourite wooden boat haunts today so Mondays post should be a cracker 😉

Serene

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SERENE

photos & details ex Ken Ricketts, edited by Alan H

Serene was built by Roy Parris in the late 1950’s early 1960’s. She is approx. 36′ long & powered by a 6-354 Perkins diesel. She has had the same owners, Helen & Craig Brown of Whangarei for over 20 years & is kept at Opua & before that in front of their waterfront home in Whangarei.
The Browns bought her approx. 20years ago off an Italian living at Snells Beach who only owned her for 3 or 4 months & he had bought her of Garry Nordstrand who had owned her for a long time. To the best of the Browns knowledge Serene is the boats original name & she has spent all or almost all of her life in Northland from Algies Bay upwards. Her coamings were varnished until fairly recently as the surface had deteriorated so much they reluctantly made the hard call to paint them, with a thin new layer of timber like a veneer, beneath the new paint to improve the surface.

Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #4 – Kiariki Xmas 1962- 63

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Jack Brooke Cruise Collection Kiariki 1962/6

Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #4 – Kiariki Xmas 1962- 63

Thanks to Robert Brooke for making  another of these remarkable cruise drawings done by his father, Jack Brooke, available to ww followers. Jack produced a hand drawing on each cruise. Todays post is the fourth of several – enjoy.

The above drawing records the travels of Kiariki during their annual Christmas / New Year Cruise to Whangaroa, Bay of Islands, Gt Barrier & all points North

Crew: John Brooke, Elsie Brooke, Peter Walker, Rob Wallace.

This one is my favourite – the detail & humour is first-class 🙂

Kereru

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KERERU

Info & photos ex Sea Spray magazine ex Neil Chalmers

Following on from yesterdays post on the mystery Brin Wilson’s motorsailer – today we have Kereru (maori for pidgeon) another Brin Wilson designed & built 30′ motor-sailer. Originally built for Frank Pidgeon (……..Kereru).
She was the cover / lead story on the June 1960 edition of Sea Spray.
With a 86hp Ford diesel engine she would have had a good turn of speed when the wind dropped. These boats were very practical & attractive solutions to the power/sail dilemma , the only other that has come close is the fiberglass replica Logan 33’s, which unfortunately are no longer in production.

Anyone know where Kereru is today?

Update from Mark McLaughlin (article from NZ Herald 29 Jan 2011)
Kereru is now on Lake Rotoiti & since arriving she has had her saloon windows enlarged but is otherwise fairly original, and kept in great condition. There are also some photos of her on WW under the 2014 Wooden Boat Parade post.

Sea Rover

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Sea Rover

SEA ROVER

Photos & detail ex trademe

Was built by the Lane Motor Boat Company (Panmure) in 1960. Kauri carvel planked, 44’6” in length with a beam of 10’5” & drawing 4’3”. She is powered by a 120 hp Lees Marine Ford. The addition of the fly bridge / 2nd helm has been done by someone with a good eye & does not clash with the original Lane lines, the same can not be said for the bimini. I’m sure its very practical but does it need to be so tall.

Anyone able to supply more on her past.

UPDATE from Brian Worthington

In the ‘old’ photo above she was then owned by Maurie Condor  of Tauranga. Previous owner was Maurice Deadman  an Apiarist from Okoroire.

How did that get there?

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1958

Is this the biggest woody to beach at Tram Car Bay?

Pam at the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard sent ww this very cool photo. I could be a prat & ask you all to guess how it got there, but not today and I promise no more things with wings for a while 🙂

Seems Claude Greenwood, father of Howard, in 1958 towed the Catalina from the Waitemata Harbour, up the coast and into the Whangateau Harbour and beached it in Tram Car Bay just meters away from Claudes boat shed. Here the wings were removed and then it was taken by road to Wellsford to be parked on Jack Sellar’s, the owner, property. Jack a local garage proprietor paid 250 pounds for the flying boat and intended to convert it to a 20 berth houseboat. This did not proceed and the Catalina sat alongside his house (see photo below) for some years until scraped in the mid 1960’s.

If anyone is able to supply more details or photos of the Catalina being towed from the Waitemata Harbour up the coast email them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com as Pam would like to update her records.

You can read more (+photos) about the Catalina & what became of her at the link below to a great blog.
http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.co.nz/2011/09/our-last-catalina.html

Mid 1960’s

Adi Kuila (Ma Cherie)

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ADI KUILA (Ma Cherie)

For the last 6 years Adi Kuila has been undergoing a rolling restoration by her owner, Markham Thomson . The information he has on her says she was built by Lanes in 1965 & is 53′ LOA, 15′ beam, 4’3″ draft. Twin engined.
She spent time in Fiji in the 1980’s > 1990’s. There is a suspicion she has had a name change along the way. Correct

Owner is keen to get more info on her past & confirmation builder / year.

UPDATE

Lots of chat in the comments section but sometimes ww just rocks.

Scott Taylor has sent me the images below of when she was named Ma Cherie & owned in 1971 by W. J. Clark @ the Koroleuv Beach Hotel, Fiji.

And more from the current owner (click blue txt to view letter)

Letter to Bob Hawke from Graham Wallace regarding Fijian fishing trip

Update 26-07-2019 – photo below ex Peter Rinaldi

Adi Kuila

KOTARE – Builder Interview

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KOTARE  – Builder Interview

Sent in by CYA Nelson member Richard Farrar ex Eddy Marten (current owner)

Designed by Bill Couldrey & built by Frank Wilkins in 1961. She has featured on ww before but recently I received a copy of an interview with Frank Wilkins (dated 8 Oct. 1996). The story makes reference to some of the legends of our boating past.
I think most of us would love to have as much info on our boats as this. Its a great read. Sorry about the faded type but thats how it came to me.
Enjoy 🙂

Romany II

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ROMANY II

photos & details ex trademe & Ken Ricketts

Romany II, a double skin kauri bridgedecker, designed by Roy Steadman &  built in 1964 by Shipbuilders.  A distinguishing feature of Steadman’s designs was the half circle foredeck, which resulted in a very pronounced flare (refer birds-eye photo below). Steadman’s own bridgedecker, the 28′ Nauty Girl (thats nauty as in nautical) , that he built for himself in the early1950s also had this feature & may well have been the first of this concept. Does anyone have any photos of Nauty Girl?

Romany II is 44’x14’6″x3′ & powered by twin Ford 150hp engines.

A WEE TIP
Keep an eye out on Saturday, I have a promotion with a very cool prize. Details on Friday 😉
ps anyone can enter but if you are a ww ‘Follower’, entry will be faster & for this promo – the first correct answer wins 🙂 so sign up now.
Screen Shot 2014-07-20 at 8.18.28 AM

Siren

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SIREN
photos & details ex Scott Taylor
In the early 1960’s Mac Taylor of HM Taylor Shipbrokers drew up the lines for Siren & had Snow Waters build her c.1962. The Taylor family used her to cruise the gulf & sold her c.1966.
In the launch day photos above, the tractor driver is Flap Martiningo, Tony Mason provided the trailer and Snow Waters is encouraging Scott’s mother to smash the bottle on the anchor, Scott recalls it took six attempts 🙂 Mac Taylor is on the foredeck.

Scott is curious to find out where she may be now and what state she would be in.

click photos to enlarge

Update from Dave Jackson 13/07/2014

She is now renamed “Nancy Belle” and lives on moorings behind the Whangaparapara wharf, Great Barrier Island. Owned by Max Howard. Topsides have been painted white. He uses her as a cray boat.