Category Archives: 36′>38′

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH WINSOME II (MAUDE T > LATEX) 4SALE

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH WINSOME II (MAUDE T > LATEX) 4SALE

Todays feature classic wooden craft is WINSOME II, the 36’ William Hand designed launch was built in 1924 by the Lane Co., Freemans Bay, Auckland.

WINSOME II has appeared on WW numerous times over the years as we have followed her movements around New Zealand.

Today thanks to her current owners we get an extensive deep dive into her past. I have included below a brief overview but encourage you to open / download the PDF file attached to todays story to experience her amazing visual and written history.

Built 1924 – LOA 36’, beam 9’6”, draught 2’9”, kauri chine hull.

Launched as MAUDE T for David Teed, the then mayor of Newmarket, Auckland. Purchased by a Capt. A.E. Emanuel, a ships’ pilot who came to NZ from Shanghai. Re-named LATEX. Commandeered 1940 by the RNZAF, served in Auckland and Tauranga harbours ferrying trainee pilots to and from airports. Acquired by Andy Donovan 1945, used as a charter boat, big game fishing, etc Re-powered with Gray V8 gasoline engine, Cruised at 20 knots. Wheelhouse added 1952. Repowered with Nissan SD 33 diesel 1991. Bequeathed to grandson Andrew Lusty c.1995. Then an unknown owner took her to the Bay of Islands. Found in 2002 by Mike Allan (Marlborough) and trucked and sailed down to Havelock, Marlborough. Refurbishment is ongoing, continued by Chris and Julia Knowles from 2002. 

Maintained with significant assistance from Richard Browning (mechanic/electrical engineer) who also refurbished hull, and installed new galley, conversion to all-round LED lighting, installation 40 V solar panel and associated control panel. WINSOME II is powered by a Nissan diesel  SD 42 T 120 HP straight 6 cylinder that had a marinised cooling system installed 1995. Refurbished motor installed 2016. Her comfortable speed range (cruise > max) is 8 > 10 knots. 

Todays photo gallery are a mix of dates, used to give an overview of her adventures.

Today’s story has two objectives.

To record and share the remarkable history of this beautiful 100-year-old classic so that her story is preserved for future generations.

And to help find her next owner – not simply a buyer, but a custodian who recognises they are acquiring one of New Zealand’s maritime treasures… a vessel that also happens to stop people in their tracks wherever she goes.

Interested parties to initially contact waitematawoodys@gmail.com for more details.

Brochure 2026Download

14-07-2026 INPUT ex ELLEN ANDERSON – Daughter of the “unknown owner” (mentioned above) that took WINSOME II to B.O.I. – the old photo below is Ellen at the helm as a little girl.

WOODEN LAUNCH – KARA HAKA – A Peek Down Below

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WOODEN LAUNCH – KARA HAKA – A Peek Down Below

Todays launch is a recent arrival on tme (thanks Ian McDonald), before I comment I reproduce the sellers comments “Shes a bit rough around the edges but got solid bones. A lot of boat for the money.”

It states she is a Sam Ford design but I struggle with that and at some stage an owner must have had access to sheets of plywood at a good price and didn’t own a protractor i.e. not a lot of curves to be seen.

All that to one side asking price is only 12k, so a low cost entry level 36’ launch. What we know – 1964 build, triple skin kauri, powered by a 120hp Ford, home port Tauranga.

Do we know if the name KARA HAKA is original.

CLASSIC SOUTHERN WORKBOAT – ELIZABETH DN.61 – CONVERSION 

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CLASSIC SOUTHERN WORKBOAT – ELIZABETH DN.61 – CONVERSION 

The 36’ 1956 Miller & Tunnage (Port Chalmers) built classic wooden launch – ELIZABETH started life was a work boat, built for E.J. Pile of Moeraki. Her reg # being DN.61 .

From her tme post she was converted to pleasure use in 2000. Post the conversion she has lived on Lake Wanaka (fresh water).

Forward motion is via a 75hp Ford 6 cyl.2715E engine.

Like all southern girls she is well fitted out for comfortable life afloat, including a heater.

If the top photo above is current and with her parentage, its a good buy at 28.5k. Thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up

CLASSIC KAURI LAUNCH HUIA HAULED OUT FOR SOME TLC

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CLASSIC KAURI LAUNCH HUIA HAULED OUT FOR SOME TLC

Back early 2021 the 37’ 1919 built launch HUIA made an appearance on WW , at the time her then owner was seeking a new custodian for HUIA. Link here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/09/huia-needs-a-new-owner/

At the time we learnt she was built of kauri and powered by a 60hp Ford Lees diesel engine.

Earlier in the week her current owner, Daniel Carter posted on-line that he had just hauled her out for some TLC. The post generated some amusing chat with a previous owner (Robin Smith15 yrs) recalling that the gent he bought her off was a house painter and every year ‘annual maintenance’ consisted of him mixing together all his part tins of house paint and applying it to both the interior and exterior 🙂

Home these days is the Bay of Islands. Can we ID her builder.

CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOAT – KANONA

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CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOAT – KANONA

Back in January  2023 Shamus Fairhead sent in some photos from a visit to the Nelson Marina, included were the two colour photos of the launch KANONA, as above.

At the time Mark McLaughlin commented that KANONA was built in Havelock by Sonny Johnson in the early 1960’s and was used until the early 1970’s by the Johnson family for the mail run there.                       She was then used as a commercial passenger boat out of Havelock under different owners (Eric Huddleston was one, there may have been more) until the mid 1990’s when she was sold to Nelson. 

The flying bridge and cockpit dodger roof and covers are additions since her time in Nelson. I travelled on her once on the way home from a high school camp in the Sounds and she is quite fast.

Today thanks to a post by Glenn Howard via Lew Redwood we get to see KANONA on her launch day. Mark’s comment re the launch being quite fast is backed up this photo, her hull has a lot of similarities to the old whale chasers – refer photo below.

1908 CLASSIC WORKBOAT WOODYS PICNIC

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1908 CLASSIC WORKBOAT WOODYS PICNIC

Todays woody photograph was taken by A. J. Watson and originally published in the Auckland Weekly News in February 1908.

The photo captures the Thames fishing fleet departing for a community picnic ‘up the river’, which usually refers to a trip toward Kopu or further up the Waihou River, a common tradition for the local heritage groups and fishing families to celebrate a successful season.

While the full names of every vessel in the 1908 fleet are not all documented in a single public list, we can identify several based on the registration numbers visible in the high-resolution original:

Identified Vessels

T 547 (Left): This is the DREADNOUGHT. It was a well-known launch in the Thames fleet during this era.

TS 35 (Right, background): This vessel is the VIKING The “TS” prefix was common for Thames-based sailing or auxiliary vessels.

T 514 (Right, foreground): This is the MIZPAH. 

 Historical Context- The fleet shown here represents the early motorisation of the Thames fishing industry. At this time, many of these launches were owned by local families (such as the Judd, Maxwell, or Mears families) or by the growing Dalmatian fishing community that revolutionised the Hauraki Gulf fishing trade.

(photo ex Toby Hyman)

FRIDAY FLASH BACK  – CLASSIC WOODY BOATING CLUB  

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FRIDAY FLASH BACK  – CLASSIC WOODY BOATING CLUB LIFE 

Todays woody story comes to us from the Shelly Park Cruising Club (East Auckland) via woody owner James Dreyer (MV LAUGHING LADY) . James sent in the above video that was pulled together by one of the club members from the clubs archives and with the help of AI (image retouching and historical data input) we get to have a flash back to how the boating club scene snowballed in the 1970’s > early 1980’s.

After the first minute we get to see some amazing craft, a lot of which are still very active in the classic wooden boating movement today.

The film is less than 5 minutes so make yourself a cup of your poison and sit back and enjoy the film.

CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT – KORARI II – A Peek Down Below

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CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT – KORARI II – A Peek Down Below

Back in 2017 the 1964 built, 36’ Mason Clipper – KORARI II made an appearance on WW but we never got a gander below. Now thanks to Ian McDonal’s eagle eyes on tme we get to see her impressive interior.

KORARI II is powered by twin 135hp Perkins HT6364M diesel engines.

CLASSIC WOODEN MOTOR-SAILER –  KAIKOURA – A Peek Down Below

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CLASSIC WOODEN MOTOR-SAILER –  KAIKOURA – A Peek Down Below

The 36’ classic wooden motor-sailer – KAIKOURA was for sale earlier this year, and it must have sold because I had numerous people enquiring about her – she ticked a lot of boxes and her size was an added bonus i.e. not too big.

KAIKOURA was built in Wellington in 1959, builder unknown, for a Mr. Palmer, it has been commented that she was a ‘Scottish Drifter’ design. She was used as a pleasure craft by the Palmer, then Blundell families through the 1960s. In the early 1970s Kaikoura was commercially used by ‘Mana Island Transport Services’ then from 1972 till 1974 as the Wellington Police launch. Kaikoura’s fourth owner from 1974 to 1999 was Mr George Jannis. George added masts and sails initially and a new engine, new keel bolts and fuel tanks in 1988. Kaikoura made many trips to the Sounds over these 25 years, then finding a home there with a new owner till 2008. From 2008 to 2017 Kaikoura, now based in Dunedin, was frequently used as a harbour and peninsula pleasure launch and occasionally entering, and winning club sail races (in her class of one).  Ten days after taking ownership of “Kaikoura” in late 2017 her owners did the first of several trips to the bottom of Stewart Island, they also made a winter trip to Wellington, the Sounds and D’Urville Island.

Forward motion is via a Cummins B Series 6BT5.9 As you would expect for a Southern lass she is very well appointed.

Given my attraction to the work-boat look, in another life she could have been mine 🙂

SAD NEWS ON THE EX WWII NAVY 72’ SHIP – KUPARU News reports have her abandoned off Ninety Mile Beach on the West Coast of the North Island over the weekend. Crew all safe and rescued by helicopter. 2018 WW story on the vessel here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/10/04/hmnzs-kuparu-hdml/

CLASSIC SOUTHERN WOODEN LAUNCH – MANDALAY

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2013
2016
2023

CLASSIC SOUTHERN WOODEN LAUNCH – MANDALAY

Yesterdays deluge of emails to the WW inbox contained a gem – todays top photo (2013) and a note from Janet & Bob Heart the owners of the 36’, 1940 built classic launch MANDALAY. Over the years MANDALAY has appeared on WW – first in Sept 2016 as a mystery launch seen at anchor in Jacobs Bay in Pelorus Sound, (second photo above).

Next appearance was in May 2023 when Dean Wright was mooching around Havelock Marina (third photo above). This story prompted WW reader Phil Vining to recall the vessels broker listing from c.1980’s  when she was 4sale – see below.

Janet has commented that MANDALAY was built in Auckland by Lanes in 1940, this has been questioned on WW previously because she certainly has the look (and paint scheme) of Lanes Picton.

Janet has kindly written a brief review of the craft.

“We ( Bob and Janet Hart ) have owned Mandalay for 39 years since 1987. She’s been based in Havelock Marina and has been a regular sight around Pelorus Sound over these years. Her original design has been faithfully maintained. She’s been much loved and cared for.

She has a cockpit with seats. With full headroom, there’s  a saloon with table and seating for captain and passenger facing forward. A separate bunkroom sleeps 4 people and a separate bathroom has the rope and chain locker. 

 With a Ford 75Hp  engine, Mandalay uses approx. 1 gallon of diesel an hour.”