Category Archives: 36′>38′

Royal Falcon Restoration – 2021 Update

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ROYAL FALCON – RESTORATION – 2021 UPDATE

It is almost a year since I popped into the Panmure boat shed to check on the progress of the restoration of Steve and Colette Popie’s 38’ bridge-decker – Royal Falcon.So last week I accepted the invitation to view the 1934 Cox & Filmer built launch and woodys its a thing of beauty – check out the finish on the hull 🙂

Launch day is a few weeks away, then the final touches will be done on her berth. The attention to detail is 10/10 but in Steve’s words “its the best of both worlds – classic and modern systems, in terms of safety and ensuring she lasts another 80+ years.
Links to previous WW stories below

https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/06/06/royal-falcon-restoration-update-june-2020/

https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/04/05/royal-falcon-restoration/

For the petrol (diesel heads) below is a short clip of the Commer TS3 being fired up for the first time post re-build. Owner Steve commented that the puff of smoke is the residual lube oil from the new cylinder sleeve installation 🙂

Details on the Royal Falcon – Rootes TS3 engine below ex Mark Erskine:

Some basic engine info and specs are as follows:

  • The engine is a Rootes TS3 2-stroke diesel, model 3DB-215 as used in Commer Trucks from 1967 to 1972-ish.
  • Designed and manufactured by Rootes Diesel Engineering Division of Rootes Group, UK.
  • Commonly referred to as “Commer TS3” through their connection to Commer trucks. 
  • Three cylinder, opposed piston (2 X opposing pistons per cylinder), scavenge blown 2-stroke, twin rocker beam, diesel engine (see video of operating cycle https://www.commer.co.nz/other-stuff/videos)
  • 215 cu in / 3.562 litre.
  • Known around the world for their legendary reliability and extreme engine life, high power density and fuel efficiency.
  • This engine was extensively reconditioned and restored to new condition / factory specifications by Rootes Engine Services, Auckland (www.commer.co.nz)
  • This engine produces from 65 HP @ 1,000 rpm, to 140HP @ 2,400 rpm.
  • Maximum torque is 340 ft lbs at 1,250 rpm.
  • Most economical running between 1,200 to 1,800 rpm. 
  • Rootes heat exchanger for engine oil cooling.
  • Water cooled exhaust manifold for marine use.
  • Lees type heat exchanger for engine coolant.
  • Savage heat exchanger for gearbox oil cooling. 
  • Diesel fuel consumption (liters per hour) in “Royal Falcon” to be advised, but will be extremely low.
  • Maximum speed with current prop to be advised.
  • Designed as an “under-floor” engine for Commer trucks, these engines have a very low engine height above the crankshaft center line, allowing for a flat cabin floor with no engine box intrusion in the cabin. 
  • Gearbox is a Borg-Warner Velvet Drive 26 spline 72C model (1.91:1 ratio).

Hinemoana III

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HINEMOANA III 

The 35’ motorsailer Hinemoana II was launched in the late 1960’s (c.1965) who for is unclear but possibly for Mr. P. W. Anker of Wainuiomata Wellington. 

Six months after she was launched in July 1966, she ended up on the beach at Eastbourne, just short of the seawall, during a severe Wellington storm, having broken her new mooring, refer top photo. Reports are that she sustained no serious damage.  

Fast forward to 2018 and she pops up at Gulf Harbour, Auckland receiving some TLC. B/W photo comes to us ex Sea Spray magazine and the GH ones + details via Ken Ricketts. Do we know what became of her between 1966 and 2018?

Falcon Comes Home

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FALCON COMES HOME
The 1930 Lane Motor Boat Co. designed and built launch Falcon has always been one of the smartest woodys in the classic fleet.I do not have a lot of photos  mainly because she was just so dam quick, always passed me like I was standing still 🙂 Previous owner – James Mobberley (Moon Engines) had shoehorned a beast of an engine (Hino turbo) into Falcon. He did the same transplant on Harold Kidd’s — Romance II and Graham Guthrie’s  – Kailua. Both of these woodys are serious zoom zooms.

Back in 2013, she was sold to a Whangarei owner and later re-sold to another Whangarei owner – the photo below shows Falcon looking a little sad, moored in the Whangarei Town Basin.
In the last few months there has been chat about her returning home to Auckland – well woodys, I can confirm that she has a new owner and is back home on the WaitemataWe look forward to seeing her get the TCL she deserves.We will follow her process closely.


LAST CALL FOR THIS WEEKENDS WOODY WORKSHOP AT MOON ENGINES – WE WILL BE CLOSING THE DOORS TO RSVP’s LATER TODAY – RSVP NOW OR MISS OUT – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

606 Rosebank Road, Avondale

Manaaki – A Peek Down Below

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MANAAKI – A Peek Down Below


The 1928 Collings & Bell built 36’ launch – Manaaki appeared on WW back in 2015 (updated in 2018) and now thanks to a tme listing, we get to see down below.

Powered by a 75hp Ford, Manaaki has a  95 year old history of game fishing in the Bay of Islands, which she is still doing today.
Check out the WW link below for lots of history and old photos on Manaaki
https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/08/10/manaaki/

606 Rosebank Road, Avondale

Kaiteriteri Beach – Kotare

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1959

Can We ID This Launch KOTARE
Todays photo is dated 1959 and is of Kaiteriteri Beach, Motueka, Nelson – from the camera of J B Rowntree and comes to us via Maurice Sharp. Other than the addition of the commercial charter boats servicing the Abel Tasman National Park, the scene hasn’t changed much.

I have added below a close up image of the launch in the bay, are we able to put a name to her?

Input From Robbie Williams – the launch is Kotare owned by NEWTON NALDER and was the first of the boats offering trips into able Tasman national park she was twin screw powered by two 10 hp petter diesel she later burned and sank in Kaiteri under different ownership

Input From Brian Kitson – Kotare was built by Curnow and Wilton of Nelson and launched in November 1951 and burnt and sank at Kaiteriteri December 1966. 38ft long X 13ft beam X 2ft 6in draught. More than likely she was built of white pine. The ladder on the bow lowers to the beach for boarding and unloading passengers. Photo taken in Kaiteriteri

UPDATE ex John Burland – who sent in a link to a Dept of Conservation (Nelson/Marlborough) booklet on the Abel Tasman Area – screen grab below that confirms the ownership of Kotare by Newton Nalder and a photo of her in Bark Bay.

03-05-2021 Update: John Gander supplied the photo below of Kotare disembarking passengers at Kaiteriteri beach in 1959

Yvonne

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YVONNE 
The above photos were sent to me by Bill Brown, Bill’s family were a previous owner of my launch so I always open his emails asap.Bill’s  family owned Yvonne for a couple of years in the early 1970’s keeping her in a boat shed at Kissing Point, Whangarei. She was kept there prior to our purchase and Bill’s father approached the owner to buy her even though she was not on the market at the time. These black and white photos were taken on a box brownie while Yvonne was at anchor in the harbour.I saw Yvonne 2 weeks ago motoring past Greg Lees shed at Sandspit, I think post some work at the Greg Lees Boatbuilders yard. Yvonne last appeared on WW in 2014 https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/06/23/yvonne-2/#comments


Also from Bill was a heads up on a rather sweet 2.2m Ian Oughtred design sailing clinker dinghy for sale on tme – search Ian Oughtred and it will pop up. Perfect eye candy for the Lake Rotoiti bach 🙂

Tamaroa + Mason Bay

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TAMAROA + MASON BAY

Marcus Petraska sent in the above photos that he snapped on Easter Monday, in Opunga Cove in the Bay of Islands. Tamaroa was built / launched in 1953 by Collings & Bell, she last appeared on WW back in September 2020, where thanks to Eric Stevens, a previous owner (1994>2010) we got to have a peek down below and read a brilliant history lesson on her. Link below.
https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/09/21/tamaroa/

Mason Bay – would have to one of the saltiest woodys afloat. Built by Curnow & Wilson c.1956/57 – and this time thanks to Gary Underwood you can read her history at the link below to a September 2015 WW story. Gary owned her then, not sure if he still does?
https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/09/22/mason-bay/

Input from Brian Kidson – The builders of Mason Bay were Curnow and Wilton, not Wilson, of Nelson. George Curnow and Maurie Wilton were boat builders with ER Lane of Picton until moving to Nelson in the mid ’30s to start out on their own. They stayed in business till their last fire in 1966 when Nalder and Biddle carried on their boat building and repair work.
Mason Bay was launched on the 11 April 1956 as the San Giuseppe for Mr T Lamacchia of Island Bay, Wellington. That was from the workshop fore-mans notebook at the time of building.

Sometimes I crop / trim photos down, but today’s photos are as taken – the water and light is just so BOI’s 🙂

Woody Easter Weekend at Kawau Island

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PACIFIC

MY GIRL & LUCINDA

LUCINDA

EILEEN PATRICIA

HAMI (WANDA > WANDA II)
WOTAN

WOODY EASTER WEEKEND AT KAWAU ISLAND

Today’s photo gallery of woodys comes to us from the camera’s (phones) of Jason Prew and Nathan Herbert and were taken over Easter weekend in and around Kawau Island. Boats featured are Jason’s – My Girl, Nathan’s – Pacific, Peter & Jenni Mence’s – Eileen Patricia, Jason & Yan Davies – Lucinda. Plus cameo appearance from Paul Tinghy’s yacht -Wotan and Madeline Rundle’s launch Hami (previously Wanda / Wanda II).


Lucinda was built in 1930 by LC Coulthard and has just been re-launched after undergoing some running repairs at The Slipway Milford. Work included re-powering – out went the 50hp Perkins and in went a 100hp Isuzu, giving her a top speed now of 14>15 knots.

HUIA – Needs A New Owner

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HUIA Needs A New Owner
Huia the 37’ 1919 built kauri launch has just celebrated her 100th birthday and was destined to receive some serious TLC from her owner her bought her in Jan 2020, but a speed bump got in the way – the owners are expecting a an additional to the family and its not another boat – this one has arms and legs 🙂

So woodys – Huia has to move on to a new owner, who has the time and determination to take on a cool project. Huia is powered by a 60hp Ford Lees diesel and appears to have most of the boat bits needed to be an good woody. Price is very realistic – so anyone keen on taking her on?
Back in 2014 – Huia featured 4sale on WW and I took the liberty of pointing out how bad the tme listing was – link below 🙂https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/09/08/how-not-to-sell-a-classic-wooden-launch/


NEXT WOODYS WEEKEND UPDATE – the date has been pushed out, will come back next week with details on our upcoming events.

WAITEMATAWOODYS ON MOBILE DEVICES eg if you read WW on our mobile (smart) phone, hopefully it should now be loading faster and you’ll be able to find the sections that appear on the right hand side of the screen (on computers), examples below, highlighted in red, at the bottom of the stories.

100th Birthday Party – Ngaio

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100th Birthday Party – Ngaio

At the weekend I attended a celebration to mark the 1921 Arch Logan built launch – Ngaio reaching the grand age of 100 years.

In the last decade Ngaio has been blessed with very good owners, starting with Ian and Lancia Kohler who commissioned the 2013 refurbishment of Ngaio and then passed ownership onto Jan Barraclough, the host of the birthday party. The launch is a stunner but you expect that from the Logan stable.


I was dockside admiring the finish on the hull and I was advised by an old boy that she had been splined and fibre-glassed (I had forgotten), obviously in his eyes not what you should do to a Logan. In the interests of not wasting any more time getting to the bar, I wasn’t going to let him know that 1/2 the Logan A-Division yacht fleet were glassed 😉


You can see/read more on Ngaio including the restoration that the WW links below.
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/07/23/ngaio-2/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/12/11/ngaio-3/