Category Archives: 40′>42′

KAWAU SPRING SPLASH CLASSIC PARADE – 25 WOODYS + A BAY FULL OF BOATS

Posted on by
Reply
Screenshot

KAWAU SPRING SPLASH CLASSIC PARADE – 25 WOODYS + A BAY FULL OF BOATS

If you were thinking about buying a classic wooden boat but weren’t quite sure which style floated your boat, a visit to the 2026 Kawau Boating Club Spring Splash over Labour Weekend would have gone a long way towards answering that question!

Over the last two days, I’ve shared a series of semi-random Waitemata Woodys posts to give you a taste of the action, both ashore at the KBC and out on the water.

Aside from New Year’s Eve, I can’t recall seeing so many boats anchored in Bon Accord Harbour. Now, I know that’s not everyone’s scene – some skippers will do a U-turn if they’re not the only boat in the bay! But for most, the fleet, the atmosphere and the chance to catch up with fellow boating enthusiasts are all part of the magic.

There were a few new systems to navigate and the inevitable operational speed bumps, but none of that stopped the good times rolling. Each evening, the dining and partying got underway, with music perfectly matched to the crowd. The food gets an 8/10 from me, which is high praise indeed!

So, a big tick to the team behind the weekend. If you enjoyed this year’s gathering, do yourself a favour and circle Labour Weekend 2027 in your diary now.

Today, I’m sharing a photo gallery focusing on Sunday’s WaitemataWoodys Classic Wooden Boat Parade. We had a fantastic turnout, with 25 classic craft joining the parade. I have include a few photos that show the ambience of the KBC (thanks to Beth Houlbrook from KBC for her photos). When I cover these big events, my objective is to try and give the WW readers a taste / feel for what it was like, so enjoy the gallery and remember if you click on a photo it enlarges.

And it wasn’t just the parade. I’ve never seen so many classic wooden motorboats out on the water at one time, the bay was absolutely teeming with woodys, my count was 41 classic craft.

Enjoy the gallery, and remember, clicking on any photo will enlarge it. Scroll down to view the two previous weekend posts.

P.S. If you were there and we missed your boat, apologies. With so many classics on the water, keeping track of everyone was always going to be a challenge.

WOODYS GETTING SOME TLC + Marine Yard Sale This Saturday

Posted on by
1
MENAI
LADY MARGARET (Colin Wild)

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.

1929 CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SOUTHERN MAID SAVED

Posted on by
4

1929 CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SOUTHERN MAID SAVED

Lately too many WW stories have been about wooden craft that have an impending appointment with a back-hoe. Today is a feel good story – the 1929 classic 42′, Ernie Lane of Picton built wooden launch – SOUTHERN MAID has been saved.

Let’s back the truck up – back in June  2026 we ran an SOS story on SOUTHERN MAID, reaching out for someone to step up and save her. Link here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/06/13/sos-southern-maid-classic-1929-motor-launch-needs-saving/

On Saturday I received an email from Jeff Giddens – reproduced below

“As you often post, of boats that are heading for an appointment with the back-hoe, this one brings joy. 
The vessel “Southern Maid” which had fallen into hard times, had been placed up for sale, was once owned by the McAllister family in the Marlborough Sounds for a very long time years ago, has now been purchased for $1 back to the family to be restored to her former gory. Such a fantastic outcome”.

We look forward to following the project.

04-09-2026 INPUT ex JOHN WICKS – In the  photo below of her under way is actually right in the middle of Blenheim, on the Opawa River, the other photo is at a wharf just inside the Wairau River bar. Date is c.1950, maybe a year either side.

NGATIRA – RARE CLASSIC WOODEN YACHT FRESH FROM RESTORATION & READY FOR HER NEXT CHAPTER

Posted on by
2

NGATIRA – RARE CLASSIC WOODEN YACHT FRESH FROM RESTORATION & READY FOR HER NEXT CHAPTER

Heads up – when it comes to the 1904 Chas Bailey Jnr. designed and built yacht – NGATIRA, I’m a tad biased. I have known her owner , Steve Horsley for 25+ years, in fact he is responsible for igniting my passion for classic wooden boats. We worked together in the same advertising agency and I used see Steve each year crafting the Mahurangi Cruising Club Year Book and view / read the wonderful tales on wooden craft that participated in the Mahurangi Regatta.

At the same time Steve was undertaking a FULL rebuild / restoration on NGATIRA. I witnessed the highs and lows of a hands on, one man, self funded project. The fact he came thru it (twice) is a testament to his fortitude and a very sympathetic wife 🙂

Steve has owned NGATIRA since 1998 and converted her back to original gaff configuration over a 5 year restoration 2005-2010.

Then he undertook a second 5 year restoration in the 2020-2025 period.

As she sits today NGATIRA is in immaculate condition, better than as launched 122 years ago. 

Steve is one of those people you hate, he can turn his hands to just about anything – what you see in the above photos is Steve’s work. Including bespoke traditional rigging, spars, blocks.

She sports a very traditional sail wardrobe – main, topsail, jib and staysail.

Forward propulsion when not sailing is via a Yanmar 3YM30AE diesel engine.

If you have read this far you will be starting to think that NGATIRA is for sale – well woodys she is – now is the chance to own an immaculate classic yacht that is ready to sail away today – either classic cruising  and racing with the Auckland’s classic yachting group. 

Classics with the WoW factor that NGATIRA exhibits are very rare and its a buyers market.  

Interested parties to initially connect Steve Horsley at srhorsley@gmail.com

UPDATE 11-10-2026 New Photos Added.

CLASSIC WOODEN GAME BOAT – MARGARET ANNE 

Posted on by
2

CLASSIC WOODEN GAME BOAT – MARGARET ANNE 

I start todays classic woody story with an apology – I can not recall who/how I received todays photo of the classic wooden launch – MARGARET ANNE.

Lots of woodys on WW named Margaret Anne, my clouded memory says she is a Oliver & Gilpin design / build.

Obviously from the photo she spent time as a big game boat. 

Todays woody question – is today woody the same vessel as below. What throws me is the visual look of the photo, maybe its just the camera angle but it appears shorter than 42′ – thoughts?

FRIDAY FLASH BACK – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH RONGO 

Posted on by
Reply

FRIDAY FLASH BACK – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH RONGO 

Back in June thanks to input from several WW followers we had a wonderful peek back in time on the classic wooden launch RONDO. https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/06/07/classic-wooden-launch-rongo/ 

Earlier in the week Tobias Forsyth contacted WW to say his mother – Carol Forsyth had been going through a few old photos after Tobias’s dad, Iain, had found a few photos of his own on RONGO. The hunt was prompted by a WW story mentioned above. Tobias commented that some were taken at Kawau Island at ‘Two House Bay’ and some from Iain’s place at the entrance to Helliers Creek. The bare timber shots would have been in the boat sheds down at Ngapipi Road when Ernie Gordon (owner c.1985>2007) did a full strip.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH SILVER FIN (TUARANGI)

Posted on by
1

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH SILVER FIN (TUARANGI)

Following on from Saturdays WW story on classic wooden launches hauled out at the Te Atatu Boating Club, today we see the launch – SILVER FIN getting some TLC. (photo ex Geoff Fiebig)

SILVER FIN has made several appearances on WW, and in 2018 Bryan Wagstaff sent in the b/w photo above and confirmed that SILVER FIN was built by Lidgard Bros for a H.S White & launched in 1950, when launched she was named TUARANGI. 

White sold her in 1951 to Bruce Winstone. She was 42’x12’x4’3″ and originally had twin 90hp 6-cylinder Redwing petrol engines. During Whites ownership, she blew up while refueling at Whitianga.

Bryan’s father, Eric Wagstaff, purchased the damaged boat from the Bruce Winstone. It was collected from Whitianga and towed to Tauranga by a boat called RAINBOW which was an old bridge decker owned by Eric. RAINBOW had a marinised Rolls Royce engine and was built for the Mills Bros who were Bay of Plenty farmers. Post the explosion the roof section from SILVER FIN  was basically upside down and pretty much in place on collection. The boat had been beached at Beach Road, Otumoetai.

The boat was lifted onto a transport trailer by Bert Godfrey, the founder of the NZ Lumber Company and moved to Eric’s joinery factory in Judea. The top was replaced and Eric consulted with Willy Oliver, who was a friend, on the design of the new cabin. The motors were replaced with 60hp Fordson diesels converted by Lees marine.                                              Back in 2018 Bryan commented that the family enjoyed many a trip on the Silver Fin. She was chartered for game fishing for a while in the days of Bob Gray. 

The boat was sold c.1959 to Dr. Kennedy the family doctor, who painted the boat green. Back in 2016 she was for sale and at that time was powered by twin 110hp Hino engines.

CLASSIC 1920’S WOODEN LAUNCH – DUCHESS – One Of The Most Impressive Woodys To Grace The Waitemata

Posted on by
1

CLASSIC 1920’S WOODEN LAUNCH – DUCHESS – One Of The Most Impressive Woodys To Grace The Waitemata

I tend to rotate the laptop screen saver image on a regular basis – for the last week todays photo of the ccc classic wooden launch DUCHESS has been the photo of choice, hard not too – she is such a looker.

DUCHESS has made numerous appearances on WW , starting back in 2013.

Thanks to a 2018 story and input from Harold Kidd and Nathan Herbert we learnt the 40’ DUCHESS was built in the late 1920’s by Bailey & Lowe. In 1934 she has a wee incident with Eel Rock, off Cowes Bay, Waiheke Island. Photo below.           More details on DUCHESS here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/03/25/duchess/

More details and photo from her past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/05/13/duchess-2/

Todays photo is from Ian McDonald via Lew Redwood , via the Auckland Maritime Museum. It was commented that the location was Kawau Island, date unknown.

A CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH IS HIDING HERE – CAN YOU FIND IT

Posted on by
3

A CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH IS HIDING HERE – CAN YOU FIND IT

There is a lot of craft named RESOLUTE, todays one was designed by Sonny Levi & built by Shipbuilders for Stan Waters in the later 1950s or earlyish 1960s.The photos were sent in by Ken Ricketts who was friends with a later owner – Ray Bailey (1970’s).

Waters replaced RESOLUTE with another slightly larger but similar boat to some degree to another Sonny Levi design, which he called the ILIKAI. 

She was originally powered by 2 x 4/53 GM Detroits & were replaced post  2000 with 2 larger engines (Yanmar 6 cyl. I think). She was lengthened & the original coamings seem to have been replaced. 

Apologise for the bottom two photos, sourced from KR 8mm movie footage back when Ray Bailey owned her.The top photo was taken on the hardstand at Gulf Harbour while having her new engines fitted. This photo gets auto entry into the ‘Boat That Most Resembles A Block Of Flats Award’ and is currently in the lead by a long margin …………..

SOS – SOUTHERN MAID – CLASSIC 1929 MOTOR LAUNCH NEEDS SAVING

Posted on by
7

SOS – SOUTHERN MAID – CLASSIC 1929 MOTOR LAUNCH NEEDS SAVING

The 42’ 1929 wooden motor launch – SOUTHERN MAID, built by E.R. Lane in Picton has just popped up on tme with a call out for someone to help save this significant southern woody. Current owner is unable to continue the upkeep of the vessel and the call has gone out for a new owner to step up.

As we can see from the photos below, she hasn’t always been in the ‘as presented for sale’ condition.

There must be a woody follower in the South Island that can bring the SOUTHERN MAID back to the condition she deserves. ( thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up)