It is only a mystery because the owner doesn’t think a vessels name is part of its history…….
The woody featured above is approx. 33’ in length, with a carvel hull and powered by a Ford 75hp diesel engine. And that woodys is all we know so keen to learn more about her other than home is Nelson.
I suspect her owner has some basic engineering skills – the stern davits suggest a DIY addition, practical I’m sure but maybe better suited to a workboat.
CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOATS OF THE HAURAKI GULF – ANZAC
Trolling thru the WW archives I found a file tagged Anzac that was created in 2019, inside was was the above photo of a launch named ANZAC, back in 2019 Harold Kidd had advised that she was 33’, built at Great Barrier Island and in those days powered by a 12-18hp Zealandia engine.
ANZAC was used for general cargo and passenger work in the Hauraki Gulf. Harold commented that she was probably built by G Osborne in Tryphena.
Todays photo originally came from the Auckland War Memorial Museum and was tagged – ‘ANZAC on the Puhoi River.
Do we know what became of ANZAC. Harold once told me these launches were the equivalent of todays Toyota Ute. Everyone had one. I’ll get it wrong but I think I was told the annual production was something like 3>4,000 a year.
CLASSIC WOODEN DICK LANG LAUNCH – RUBY II
This great photo and tale popped up recently on a post that Dennis Mansfield made on the NZ – Our Past Our Present fb page. Its a cracker read so I’ll hand thetiller over to Dennis today –
“My grandfather, Edward Mansfield, who was born in Napier in 1878 , came to Auckland about 125 years ago. In due course he commissioned Dick Lang, one of St Mary’s Bay’s boat builders to construct the Ruby 2 for longlining. She was built of end to end kauri and I believe she was 34ft in length. Grandad paid £150 deposit, £150 at the halfway stage and £150 on completion.
She was converted to Danish seining eventually to make her more commercially viable but lost her visual appeal in the process. She was my dad’s first place of work when he was taken from school at the age of thirteen to become a full time fisherman. Grandad compensated Dad for limiting his formal education by presenting him with a brand new clinker built kauri sailing dinghy for his next birthday. Dad was certainly diligent. When they had unloaded the Ruby he would take the dinghy and row around to the Kauri Timber Company. The logs were held in a boom and would often break out if the sea got up. Dad got two bob a log to retrieve them. I thought it was quite a lot of money for those days but the size of the logs and the tide meant it could take an hour or two to effect a recovery. No wonder he was so damn strong.
In later years Dad was Master of an 86ft tugboat called the Odin. He would take a bit over seven hours to steam to the Blackjacks on the Eastern side of the Coromandel. The bulldozers would push the kauri logs down onto the beach and Dad would give his mate a leg up so he could run an auger through the log and chain it to the herringbone raft they were building out of the logs. In one raft they brought three quarters of a million feet of timber back to Auckland. It took them three and a half days to steam home.
During the war years dad would tow a scow up the Wairoa river to Clevedon. It was laden with McCallum’s red chip which was used as base metal for the airstrip at Ardmore, built primarily at the request of the US Air Force. The old man said the shrouds would twang like guitar strings as they got caught up in the the willows that overhung the riverbanks.”
A CLASSIC BOATING VENUE LOST FOREVER
During the week the media have been flagging the sale of the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron Kawau Island property (Lidgard House and property”) to Ngati Manuhiri. I have no issue with who bought it and I’m not going to enter into the debate around whether the property will be visually and physically respected by its new owner.
What concerns me is the loss of access to a resource that all boat owners had access to. Sure the RNZYS owned it, but no one ever stopped a boat owner stretching their legs or exercising the family dog. And if you were a squadron member, you had access to an all tide wharf/pontoon where you could tie up the dinghy.
If you think it will be business as normal re access, you are wrong. I quote from the RNZYS advice to members – “In recognition of the Squadron’s long stewardship of the property, Ngati Manuhiri has warmly invited RNZYS to continue to enjoy use of the beachfront, jetty, pontoon and lawn area TWICE annually….. for an initial period of 20 years”.
Sadly I suspect the real loser from this sale will be the Kawau Boating Club, there will be fewer ‘walk up’ customers frequenting the club and less fuel sales. The only winner out of all this is Waiheke Island retailers, and when you factor in high fuel costs – I predict boats will be dropping anchor closer to home this summer.
NORTHWIND – NOT LONG OF THIS WORLD
The 33’ wooden motorsailer NORTHWIND is very close to an appointment with a back hoe. In the words of the wellington Harbour Master – “this is a serious project for a classic boat and not for the faint hearted” – that would be the understatement of the year.
In my eyes probably best viewed as a donor boat for someone wanting some fittings. Searchable on tme. (thanks Ian McDonald)
ATHOL BURNS CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER – TEIGENES
Back in Oct 2019 we featured the 1956, Athol Burns designed 32’ motor-sailer – TEIGENES on WW. https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/10/14/teigenes/
At the time she was looking for a new owner on tme. She sat on a marina berth at Westhaven for a longtime with a forsake sign on her. I past her whenever I was on-route to a couple of woody launches that the Wooden Boat Bureau were selling on the same dock.
She then disappeared so I assumed she sold. Fast forward to the weekend and we are doing the Sunday morning waterfront dog walk and I spotted TEIGENES hauled out at the Devonport Yacht Club.
At a glance she is overdue some TLC -fingers crossed thatswhy she is hauled out :-).
(2019 photos below)
MORE DEVONPORT NEWS
One of Aucklands coolest waterfront abodes is the Calliope Sea Scouts hall, the building is perched over the sea front and just like our craft is always in need of constant maintenance – the crew that look after the hall are seeking help via a fund raising campaign – see below for details.
WHY DO SOME WOODEN BOATS NOT SELL – MARAMA
Short answer because the owners are just lazy – take todays 1927 built double-ender 33’ classic wooden boat currently on tme, one photo and the copy below –
“Boat and mooring in Oamaru. Fordson major engine parsons3/1 gearbox. Needs some ribs replaced ( freshwater damage) also comes with 8 meters of brand new 60mm thick heatproof waterproof sound deadening for a new engine cover ( cost me $2000 ) Good wee sea boat. Time for someone else to give it some love. $1 reserve”
OK – there is no reserve and a starting bid of $1, but seriously you’d be better off giving it away.
I hope she finds a new owner, the bones are there of a smart woody.
REMINDER – TOMORROWS BOAT BOOT SALE – 10am – details below – BRING CASH 🙂 PLENTY OF ROOM
CLASSIC MYSTERY WOODEN LAUNCH – + Boat Boot Sale RSVP – SURF
Today classic wooden launch photo is from Robyn Kellian via Tobias Forsyth so we can safely assume the location is the Leigh region. No names to help us but thats a very distinctive side profile so I’m sure we will get a positive ID from the readers.
In the photo she looks quite big (40’) until you factor in the child on the fore deck and the gent in the cockpit – so maybe 32-34’.
10-08-2026 INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – SURF was built in late 1916 by W. R. Dawson who owned her until 1927 . Fred Woolley of Auckland bought her in 1930. She was 32′ loa and was fitted originally with a 25hp Wisconsin which probably developed about 80bhp. She may have spent a season gamefishing out of Whangaroa in 1927 run by Kent.
LESS THAN A WEEK TILL THE WOODYS BOAT BOOT SALE AT THE SLIPWAY MILFORDIF YOU’RE WANTING SPACE TO SELL YOUR TREASURE – BOOK NOW. Email waitematawoodys@gmail.com
THE BEST BOAT RESTORATION TOOL IS OFTEN A SHARP PAINT SCRAPER
At first glance todays classic wooden launch would scare most off but the last photo shows that beneath all that old paint lies a nice woody. Her seller on tme is open to offers so this could be a great winter (or winters…) project.
What we are told – built in 1929 by Lidgard , she measures 31’6” and has been dry stored for a period.Her interior has been removed, as has the engine – so a blank canvas.
Anyone know the name of the vessel.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – NGATEA
WW was contacted earlier in the week by Bob and Lea advising they were the ’new-ish’ owner of NGATEA, the 1909 built 31’ carvel kauri planked launch.
Her builder is unknown but there has been speculation that she might be by Collings & Bell.Built for the Works Department (which helps the C&B story, as they did a lot of work for the Works Dept and the Navy) for use on the Hauraki drainage scheme
Currently powered by a Yanmar 3cyl diesel 30vhp.
Approximate owner dates – Lands and Survey Dept from 1909 > c.1923. Kapiti Island rangers boat for nearly half a century 1923 > 1973. R Saunders 1973 > 2008. Alan Codyre 2008 > 2026. And now Bob and Lea. While operating as the Kapiti Island rangers boat she was used for mail and supply runs, and also for sea rescues up as far as Whanganui. Reg Saunders purchased her after she broke her mooring at Kapiti Island and was grounded suffering damage to its stern. Reg faithfully rebuilt her, which is probably why she remains in such great condition to this day,
Bob is yet to discover whether the cabin was modified at that time. Bob has given NGATEA a topsides repaint over the past 7 weeks while on the slip.
While NGATEA currently remains on her mooring in Ivey Bay, Wellington, later this year she will move to the Marlborough Sounds and be housed there.
13-07-2026 Update
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JRYJByZx1/?mibextid=wwXIfr
SOUTHERN SEAS – A Peek Down Below
The 34’ classic wooden launch SOUTHERN SEAS was launched c.1966, most likely built to a Shipbuilders ‘kit boat’ design. Her hull is triple planked kauri (f/glassed over).
She last appeared on WW back in April 2014 – link here – https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/04/04/6728/ at the time we only saw her hauled out at Gulf Harbour Marina.
Back in Sept 2025 she came on the market, and thanks to Ian McDonald we get to have a peak down below. The photos are a good example of a seller not maximising the vessels features eg most photos are very cluttered with items that should be removed, but its their boat, their money.
Back in 2014 she was powered by a Lees Ford 6cyl. engine, but was re-powered in 2018 with a Ford D Series (2nd hand).
Do we know what became of SOUTHERN SEAS.
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