Category Archives: 44′>50′

CLASSIC WORKBOAT VANGUARD – A WATERFRONT APARTMENT FOR $2.50

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CLASSIC WORKBOAT VANGUARD – A WATERFRONT APARTMENT FOR $2.50

First up that isn’t a typo in the headline – todays woody is for sale and the current bid is $2.50 and the reserve has been met……….

Two option here, buy her as a live aboard or as a project to end up with a very fine workboat conversion.

What we know about VANGUARD –

• Built in 1947 by Lidgard’s

• 50’ in length with either double or triple skinned hull

• Powered by a GM V8.

• Was in survey up to May 2025.

• Located currently in Pelorus Sound.

(thanks Ian McDonald for the tme heads up)

CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOAT – TENACITY

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CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOAT – TENACITY

Back in 2024 the 44’ classic wooden workboat TENACITY was for sale in Nelson as a commercial fishing boat , but the suggestion was she had the bones to make a good recreational cruiser.

At the time we learnt she was a Jack Guard design, built in 1988 from kauri and was powered by a 150hp Gardner 6L3B engine.

Todays woody question is did she sell, and if so did she remain in commercial work or get converted to recreational use.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – PIRATE + Win A WW Cap

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH- PIRATE + Win A WW Cap

Recently WW was sent the above photo of the 46’ Leon Warne built (1939) classic wooden launch PIRATE by Derek Gerritsen.PIRATE has made many appearances on WW – links below.

 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/06/14/pirate-a-peek-down-below-4sale/  https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/05/30/beautiful-boats-attract-beautiful-people/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/24/the-waitematawoodys-x-factor/

WWhasn’t seen this particular photo. The crew shirts suggest the photo was taken during a game fishing tournament and possibly indicate the dateisn’t as old as the boat appears in the photo.

Woodys that can correctly name the crew go into the draw towin a WW cap.Note the more correct names = more chances in the draw.ENTERY IS VIA EMAIL ONLY TO– Entrycloses at 9am 10-06-2026

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – REHUTAI 428

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – REHUTAI 428

Last week WW was contacted by Mitchell Hutchings regarding the classic 43’ Sam Ford built (1926) wooden launch – REHUTAI, his note is reproduced below. Mitchell also supplied the photos we see above of REHUTAI under construction and on a cruise.  Sam Ford built REHUTAI for C C Ross of Wellington and when launched she was powered by a 50/75 hp Stearns engine.

“The photos were taken by my Uncle, Peter Parsonson, a Milford resident and past Commodore of the Devonport Yacht Club. His wife, Eva, is shown in some of the onboard photos. Also Bob and Bertie Davidson are named, probably the owners? They look like a happy crew. “

In Sept 2023 REHUTAI was in Wellington (painted yellow) and we learnt from Nathan Herbert that she had has several name changes over the years eg ARAWA, NOMAD, IRIHAPETI. Converted to her current configuration by Allan Williams in Milford, Auckland. Link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/09/05/mystery-wellington-launch-2/

Nathan Herbert pointed WW in the direction of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand (Photograph Collection) where there are two stunning WWII photos on file (last two above) of REHUTAI W428, during her time with the Air Force Marine Section, based at RNZAF Station Hobsonville. At the time she was ‘on-loan’ from Stan Parker.

A ROAD TRIP TO WARKWORTH + CEMENT WORKS BOAT YARD

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A ROAD TRIP TO WARKWORTH + CEMENT WORKS BOAT YARD

I had a good reason last week to head north and so took the chance to mooch around the woodys berthed or hauled out in the upper reaches of the Mahurangi / Warkworth River.

The excuse for the trip was to delivery a model of the coastal cruiser VANESSA to the vessel before she heads south to her new Wellinton owner. 

VANESSA was out for a serious service before the delivery crew headed away down south.

Sad to see such a salty looking woody leaving our area but we tend to win more than we lose eg more coming north ✔️

In varying stages of repair were  – NEPTUNE, LADY JANE AND WAIONE. The yard was very busy but I started to itch as I got close to most of the other craft hauled out.

I also popped down to the river and spotted – RIPPLE,JANE GIFFORD, ANAM CARA (L33), and NOW .

150 YEARS OF NZ SHIPBUILDING – Reference Guilde

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150 YEARS OF NZ SHIPBUILDING – Reference Guide

Released in 2012 as a compact disc (CD), by Miles Hughes and covering the period 1795 > 1945, this booklet is of epic proportions – topping out at 837 pages.  For easy of reading in todays digital world the ‘book’ is below in PDF format.

The publication contains more than 1,200 NZ shipbuilders, shipwrights and boatbuilders and includes their biographies and the names, specs and first owners of over 5,600 craft.

150 Years of New Zealand Shipbuilding_260414_080355Download


HEADS UP: WW can not vouch for the accuracy of the content and when reviewing the list of contributors , several stood out as ‘being fond of interviewing their typewriter’ i.e. they make up what they either do not know or are unsure of. So woodys best treat it as a guide 😉

WW would be interested in feed back on this guide – maybe chose a designer/builder well known to you and review the content. 

As an example below is the listing on my boat RAINDANCE, some of the content is correct and some unknown or speculation that I have been told over the last 18 years of ownership, but it is very close her provenance.

So the question of the day – is this an amazing reference tool or to use that old school english saying ‘A Load Of Pants’ ?

UPDATE – Still available in print version at Boat Books in Westhaven, Auckland.

MYSTERY 43’ WELLINGTON LAUNCH

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MYSTERY 43’ WELLINGTON LAUNCH

Todays woodys sat on tme for a while (thanks Ian McDonald) and has now been removed, hopefully sold.The vessel was promoted as a live aboard option and at $20k was low cost city pad.What we knew about her :

  • 43ft bridgedecker launch
  • Carvel kauri hull
  • 120hp Ford diesel, with a few minor issues
  • Cruises comfortably around 8 knots

Looking at the last two photos above as compared to the lead photo, she is in need of some TLC. Can we learn her name, designer/builder and what became of her.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MAHANA 

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MAHANA 

The classic wooden launch MAHANA has appeared before on WW but woody John Dawson sent in this gallery of photos, to give us a better look down below.

She was built in c.1975 by Atkinson and with the date falls into the ‘Spirit of Tradition’ category. A lot bigger than she looks in the photos -– 46’ LOA and not sluggish with a 315hp Yanmar providing the forward motion.

EASTER ON THE WATER – Classic Wooden Boat Cruising

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EASTER ON THE WATER – Classic Wooden Boat Cruising

Just back from three days on RD , Friday was one out of the box, simply stunning. Saturday was another goody and Sunday a tad overcast but still warm. Very happy with the number of classic woodys at Rakino Island over the weekend. I managed to catch up with a lot of the skippers, general consensus was ‘grabbing a few days afloat before winter kicks in’. 

The white bridge-decker above was a mystery to me, short 4 letter name – Nathan what say you?

On Saturday I caught up with Bill Brown whose family (Corrine & James Brown) owned my launch in the late 1960’s. Back then she was named LADY GAY. Bill works off shore but keeps a very smart woody yacht (SusanJane) at Westhaven for when back in NZ. 

We meet a few years ago via a mutual friend and the WW site, the penny  dropped re the boat link and Bill sent me a great album of b/w photos from back in the late 1960’s.

 I spend a lot of time matching other people and boats from the past so it was extra special to have an ‘own goal’. 

One of Bill’s photos below of LADY GAY (RAINDANCE). For those interested more on RD’s past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/04/23/lady-gay/

Late 1960’s
2026

CLASSIC SOUTHERN WOODEN WORKBOATS 

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CLASSIC SOUTHERN WOODEN WORKBOATS 

Earlier in the month Glenn Martin was mooching around the South Island on a bike  (I assume motorbike) and sent in todays gallery of woody workboat photos from Bluff. 

Not all capable of heading out to sea but wonderful to see them still intact, if that was Auckland they would have made a oneway trip to the landfill years ago.