Category Archives: 32′>34′

SPEEDWELL – Vanishes At Sea

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SPEEDWELL – Vanishes At Sea

Todays woody story is a deep dive back to 1927 and concerns the mystery surrounding the reported loss of the 33’ game fishing launch Speedwell.

In the photo above  ex Papers Past, ex Lew Redwood via by K Ricketts, we see a 215lb swordfish across the stern of Speedwell. The fish was landed by a Mrs. Dunville listing from Ireland. Some sniffing around in Parers Past told us that the photo was dated 11 Feb 1926. The photo was used to highlight the plight of the launch after it went missing on a passage from Auckland to Russell in the Bay of Islands. The launch owner / skipper – Mr. Edwin Walker departed Auckland on 26 September and was last seen off Leigh, Warkworth by a local fisherman..The NZ Herald covered the unsuccessful search and also reported on the discovery in June 1937 of a hull washed in the Whananaki Inlet area.

Below are press clippings of the event.

Can anyone tell us the design / builder of Speedwell. I’m assuming no more information / finding surfaced on the vessel.

NZ Herald 4 Oct 1927

Article above es NZ Herald 7 October 1927

NZ Herald June 1937

QUEST – Heads Home 

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QUEST – Heads Home 

WW got alerted last week that the Roger Carey built double-ender – Quest was heading back to Picton after my time in the winterless north.  Sad for the northland fleet, but good news for the southern woodys.

Now Quest has been well documented on WW (use the WW search box) but we have never really got to have a good look aboard. Today thanks to the camera of Dean Wright we see Quest in all her glory.

The short story is – built 1959 as Roger Carey’s private boat, later converted to a work boat, then converted back to pleasure. She sat on the hardstand in Picton for a number of years and then came north, where she was given a major refit. Specs – 33’ x 9’9” x 4’6” and powered by a Gardner 5LW. A lot of boat for 33’ and in my eyes her new owners bought very well.

Nows The Time To Order WW Kit For Xmas – click link for details https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/

Ozone

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OZONE

The launch Ozone was built by Percy McIntosh in Whangarei for Harold Vipond Silverdale for the Wade River <> Auckland trade (thank you Harold Kidd – WW story link below)).

Then in the early 1920’s Ozone was taken to the Bay Of Islands for the big game fishing trade which as just starting. Then we have a big info hole until she popped up in the late 1980’s in the Mahurangi Harbour, where she is today, as a fishing / pleasure boat.

What we know about her from her recent tme showing (thanks Ian McDonald) – built c.1914, 32’ in length, 8’6” beam and powered by a Ford 90hp engine.

Keen to learn more about the missing years. Would be nice to see her return to a configeration closer to her early days – photo below

WW 2016 story link – https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/07/29/ozone/

UPDATE 25-11-23 photo below sent in by Linus Fleming.

NAUTILUS – On The Move

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NAUTILUS – On The Move

 Todays woody is a wee bit of a mystery, while the Nautilus name has graced numerous classic launch sterns, this one appears to have disappeared off the radar.

In the photo above we see the 34’ Nautilus being transported on a lorry from Auckland to Onehunga for loading onto the coastal vessel Ronaki. The destination was Raglan, where her new owner lived. The photo is dated 24 July 1933.

So woodys can we learn more – designer / builder and what became of this Nautilus.

(Photo ex NZ Herald 25/07/1933 and comes to WW via K Ricketts, ex fb)

When Comes To Docking – There Is Always Someone Worse Than You

Photo below ex Bayswater Marina, Auckland………… remember woodys, it always pays to give way to plastic boat owners.

AWARIKI – On The Market – PRICE REDUCED – $48,000 ono

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27-02-2024 UPDATE – Owner has just installed new exhaust hose to transom, new S/S through stern fitting turning. 90deg outside to a flapper finishing inside the belting starboard side.

AWARIKI – On The Market

Two years ago I helped sell the classic launch Lady Adelaide for her owner of 20+ years, my first question was – what’s next – well he was way ahead of me, having identified a very smart 32’ Owen Woolley designed and built launch named – Awariki. It was one of those relationships always meant to happen because back in 1967 Kerry was serving his apprenticeship under Owen Woolley and helped build Awariki. So the DNA was strong. 

When I inspected Awariki she was a little tired, but the bones were there and Kerry was the man to give her a serious dose of TLC. Over the last two years Awariki has had a refit to her interior and most of the systems  enhanced / upgraded – including a solar system and auto windlass – there’s even a custom built in wine frig 🙂

Some specs – 32’ x 10’5’ beam and 3’ draft. Built from Kauri planks. A 6cyl. Perkins 97hp engine (recon 1987) gives Awariki a top speed of 10 knots.

Another rarity in a 32′ classic is her 2m headroom.

Its not often that a 32’ launch with a flybridge looks good to the eye – Awariki carries hers well, everything is in proportion. Check out the last photo with everyone ‘up top’ – as I mentioned – she just looks right to the eye.

So woodys after reading all this its obvious that Awariki is reluctantly on the market – she is in turn-key condition – a wonderful classic cruising launch ideal for family summer cruising in absolute comfort

Interested parties to initially contact {the} Wooden Boat Bureau at waitematawoodys@gmail.com

LYNETTE – A Peek Down Below

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LYNETTE – A Peek Down Below

Regular WW readers will be familiar with my view that the builder of f/glass L33 launches, 20 years ago was decades ahead of their time – the market is ripe for low maintenance classic looking launches that has a degree of mast/sail to keep the older sailors happy and tell themselves they have not really moved over to the dark side 🙂

Lynette would be one of the top fitted out and maintained L33’s in the fleet. Her price on tme reflexes this but like most things in life – you get what you pay for 😉

Standard specs – 34’4” in length / 7’10” beam and draws 1’11”/ 35 hp Lomdardini engine  and lots of bells and whistles.

Hauraki Gulf Mooching

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WAIKARO
AC/DSEA
HINEWAI
KOWAI

Hauraki Gulf Mooching

Bay of Islands woody Dean Wright reversed the trend over the Labour Day holiday long weekend and pointed the car south for some Hauraki Gulf cruising aboard his friend’s classic 33’ launch Waikaro. Waikaro was designed and built in 1978 by Roy Parris and later underwent a major refit at the hands of boatbuilder Geoff Bagnall.

Waikaro’s owners, the Smit family have given her a new lease of life with system upgrades and a return to varnished coamings.

Dean also spotted several other woodys out over the weekend – in the photos above Waikaro, AC/DSEA and Hinewai are anchored off Ocean Beach at Motuihe Island. Kowhai is in Waikalabubu Bay at Motutapu Island.

As always from Dean, stunning photos.

Previous WW Stories

Kowai https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/11/22/kowai/

Hinewai https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/06/21/hinewai-a-peek-down-below/

AC/DSEA https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/02/18/ac-dcs/

Waikaro https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/11/10/waikaro-emerges-from-the-beauty-parlour/

Woody Euro Tour

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Siesta – approx. 45′ canoe stern bridge-decker – Stockholm
Vasa – 17th century warship – Vasa Museum – Stockholm
Oslo, Norway
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Gothenburg
Probably steel

WOODY EURO TOUR

Todays story comes to us from the camera of Rick McCay, owner of the 1920 MT Land built 47’ launch – Luana. Rick has been tripping around the northern hemisphere. Rick didi a similar trip back in 2017, you can view that story at the WW link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/11/02/a-woody-on-tour/

Where known I have tagged the locations – enjoy the photo gallery.

WHANGAREI MARITIME FESTIVAL TRIP REPORT

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WHANGAREI MARITIME FESTIVAL TRIP REPORT

A little late posting todays story – its been rather a full on weekend – on Saturday we had our general election, which resulted in a change of government (very happy with that). Then early Sunday morning the All Blacks had a do or die clash with Ireland in the Rugby world Cup which resulted in a well deserved win for the AB’s. 

After the final whistle I was in the car and heading north to Whangarei to check out the Whangarei Maritime Festival. The temptation to stay in Auckland and enjoy a celebratory breakfast was very strong but wow I’m so glad I didn’t – I was rewarded with a most enjoyable day out.

I’ll start by thanking Druce Dunlop for alerting me to the upcoming weekend and also say that the organisers did an great job promoting the event on social member. Anyone contemplating hosting a similar event  could learn a lot from mirroring the WMF. It ticked all the boxes and was rewarded with a huge turnout.

A wonderful collection of mostly wooden craft on display that given the location / layout of the dockside, allowed the public to get up close and experience the vessels.  

Well done to everyone involved – both on and off the water. Enjoy the gallery of images.  As always – click photos to enlarge 😉

Dolly – AK1901

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DOLLY AK1901

A bit of a sober story today, probably brought on by its Election Day in NZ and probably the biggest one in my (voting) life time. Most of the time WW is politics free, so I’ll bite my tongue today.

The photo above of the launch – Dolly comes to us from a fb post, via Ken Ricketts. It shows the early 1900’s 33’ launch – Dolly that was lost at sea in early December 1927. On board were owner/skipper Joseph Henery Maslam and crew Thomas Hook.

I have done some research and the story goes like this –

Maslam left his home town of Whangrei on November 14 with the intention of buying a small fishing launch and returning to Whangarei, the launched purchased was Dolly.

About November 18  he engaged Hook to work for him as a fisherman, on the same day Maslam had the Customs Dept. inspect the launch and confirm the Marine Dept. fishing license number AK1901 was painted on the side of Dolly. The departed Auckland on November 22, heading to Little Barrier to fish, and the intention was to take the catch to Whangarei. The departure date was confirmed in a telegraph that Hook sent this wife on November 22.

On December 3 a fisherman named Matthew Janovich, owner of a launch named  Busy Bee, who sited Dolly that night in Nelson Bay, Kawau Island. At the time in a conversation with one of the men he was told Dolly had been fishing for Hapuka. When Busy Bee left the bay the next morning, Dolly was still there. Janovich is on record stating that there was a strong southerly gale for a couple of days after he had seen Dolly, the weather compelled Janovich to return to Auckland.

Dolly was not sighted again and a hearing in Auckland Magistrates Court found that Dolly was lost at sea on or about December 5.

(Thanks to Sun Newspaper – December 8 1927 and the Northern Advocate = 31 May 1828 for intel)

Question of the day – do we know who designed / built Dolly and when she was launch – she was 33’ x 9’ x 3’ – and possibly powered by twin engines