WOODYS GETTING SOME TLC + Marine Yard Sale This Saturday
As we get closer to the summer boating season, several woodys are nearing completion of significant winter work.
The first woody above is the Sam Ford built MENAI that came in for a deck replacement but the scope has slipped out to some TLC, MENAI is one of my favourite classic wooden launches so very happy to see her new owners commitment to her.
The last photo is of the 42’ LADY MARGARET (Colin Wild) in the shed for a big birthday (100 in 1927) treat – photo was sent as a tease, with the promise of a full story soon.
HEADS UP – the Te Atatu Boating Club are having a Marine Yard sale this Saturday (3rd Oct),.Nice and early start – 7am A great opportunity to find those goodies or to sell those preloved unused items. Seller spots also available for non TABC members if any of your readers wish to buy a spot. Details are on the poster below.
On my numerous trips to the OBC marina in Auckland I have walked past the classic wooden launch – SEA LEOPARD. Thanks to a note from Lindsay McMorran we learn that she has just appeared on tme. What we learnt – 36’ in length, kauri planked and powered by a 120hp Ford Leman diesel engine.
Previously owned by the Onehunga Working Men’s Club (as it was then known.) which may the origin of the OTT side rails.To quote the owner re her condition ‘definitely not new’, but the bones are there and appears well spec’ed and only asking 7k
Can we learn more about her – design, builder, launch date etc.
During 2019 I closely followed the fate of the classic wooden launch LADY MARGARET, back then home was the top of the South Island and she was for sale. By birth LADY MARAGRET is a Waitemata woody, but its rare that we get one back from the south – transport costs being the #1 hurdle.
Sadly her time in Auckland was brief as she relocated further north, where she currently remains.
Some background – built in Mt Albert, Auckland in 1955 by L. Deacon. As launched she was named Lady Mary, sadly her builder / owner passed away in 1956 and Lady Mary was sold to Mr John Senior, who changed her name to Happy Wanderer. At some stage she was renamed again to Lady Margaret.
While classified as a ‘home-build’ her builder was a professional builder / cabinet maker and the standard of workmanship and finish is second to none. There is a dockside tale that LM was based on a Colin Wild design, scaled down to 38’. The tale mentions that a friend of a friend lent some plans…….. no proof of this but in my naive eyes she is too perfect to not have had direction from one of the grandmasters.
Her hull is two skin kauri – inner is 3/8” diagonal and the outer is 7/8” horizontal.
LADY MARGARET is been re-powered several times and currently forward motion is from a Ford D series 120hp diesel engine.
Thru out LADY MARGARET’s life she has been blessed with good owners who have maintained her very well, in the 2007/8 period approx. $300k was lavished on her. This care has been continued by her current owner, a marine engineer.
Recently I received a call asking for assistance in finding a new custodian for LADY MARGARET, in an earlier life I would have bought her 🙂 So woodys if you or someone you know are in the market for one of the best looking classic launches afloat, contact me at waitematawoodys@gmail.com fast. Serious buyers only please. Its a buyers market, has been for 2+ years. Now is the
time to take that leap of faith, throw caution to the winds, take the plunge, and get yourself, your family, and your friends on the water this summer.
(footnote – along the way she lost the varnished coamings (1st photo below), I have taken the liberty to render an image, below, of what could be, est cost $10k.) FYI – I will be taking more photos this week.
Todays photos are from my wife’s side of the family, who had a higher % of salt in their veins than my side. Her grandfather John (Jack) Bonner was a co-owner of the yacht ALEXA C7 colourised photo below), built by T. Le Huquet in 1904. Later in life he was a very accomplished painter, several of his works grace my walls. When you factor in that he had (medical records speak) an ‘arm removed via field amputation i.e. no general anaesthesia in France WW!, the paintings were well done.
There were 3 random photos in the album , as seen above but no names, dates, or captions.
The top photo, carries the sale # A8 is VICTORY the 1907 Logan built A-Class yacht. Last I heard she was tucked away in boatbuilder Marco Scuderi’s shed in Helensville.
Second photo has the sail # A3, making her ARIKI – Ariki the 1904 yacht designed by Arch Logan and built by the Logan Brothers.
In the last photo the yacht centre stage has sail # A13, now I could be very know but my search has come up with this intel – HEARTSEASE (A13) was a historic 51-foot classic wooden cutter designed in Auckland by J.G. Trevithick, which raced locally before embarking on an international world cruise in 1932.
Just realised there has been a little too much B/W photos this week so promise some colour on Monday 😉
COMMENT ex ANGUS ROGERS – Angus has pointed out the spelling of the yachy above – blowning the photo up it appears to read ALXER. Every piece of intel I have seen on the boathas her named ALEXA, so I’m confused – anyone able to help out.
INPUT ex OWEN ASPDEN – I saw Heartsease posted on WW today below is a photo of her with sail number 141. According to my grandmothers diary Tom Aspden bought the Ida in 1921 and the Heartsease in 1919. FYI she now for sale in Sydney for $450k.
INPUT ex ROBIN ELLIOTT – HEARTSEASE carried number 141 in the 1913 Anniversary Regatta
Dropped into the working end of the Milford Creek / Marina yesterday and caught up on the woodys getting some late winter TLC
MY GIRL – the 1925 Dick Lang built (to a W H Hand design) was out at the Slipway Milford for an application of a new go fast bottom paint. All hush hush trial but I can tell you it wasn’t around in the 1920’s. Note to handicappers – alter MY GIRLS handicap 😉
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
