Category Archives: 50’+

Harrier – Our Biggest Woody

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HARRIER
At 70’ Harrier would have to be the largest woody on the Waitemata Harbour. Built by Brin Wilson (year unknown) to a Sparkman & Stephens design, she has a 16’5” bean and draws 4’11”. Powered by twin Yanmar 165hp engines, I’m no engine guru but I would have expected bigger, but combine these engines with a 5,000L fuel capacity, this girl is set up for long haul cruising.
In her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) there is no mention of her performance.
You will observe from the photo gallery above, she is fitted out for just about any situation – but you will need a Lotto win to own her 😉

Reo Moana

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REO MOANA

Talking with Bay of Islands woody – Dean Wright recently, he mentioned that John Gander had sent him a story on the work boat Reo Moana. I’ll let John tell the story –

“I am prompted to write a few lines about Reo Moana after seeing her coming through the Albert Channel and arriving in the Bay of Islands, she looks so different with the extra top hamper that has been added. Her current owners have recorded that she was built by Roger Carey, this is not correct, see below.

I worked at the Carey yard and in 1963 we commenced work on a Roger Carey design of a 51’x15’8”x 7’ fishing boat for John Buchanan of Cascade River. She was carvel planked in karri and launched in 1964 named “Compass Rose” The moulds of this Roger Carey design were then taken across to another Picton boat builder Bob Swanson. Bob’s yard was directly opposite the Carey yard at the southern end of the harbour, it was formerly the site of Ernie Lane’s boatyard.

Bob was commissioned to build a boat to this Roger Carey design by Bill and Sylvia Kenny of Red Funnel Launches and an associate. She was built multi skin and was powered by a 6LX Gardner. There was talk that the boat was to do a Pacific cruise that was to include Tahiti but the cruise did not come to fruition. She was put into service with the Red funnel fleet, it was also at this time that the pine plantations in the Sounds were starting to be harvested and with a substantial tow post Reo Moana was regularly used to tow rafts of logs to Picton. Her spacious after deck also proved ideal for work in and around the Marlborough Sounds.

In the above photo she can be seen in the Red Funnel colours, I was involved with salvaging the fishing vessel Ascot that had sunk in Cloudy Bay and we used Reo Moana as the salvage vessel to tow Ascot into Port Underwood to pump her out and then continue the tow to Picton.

Seeing her now, photos below, I suppose she is handy for charters in and around Auckland, but with the windage from the considerable extra top hamper that she now carries, I think she would be more that a handful going alongside wharves in the Sounds in some of the extreme wind conditions that can be experienced at times.”

RED FUNNEL LAUNCHES
While on the topic of Red Funnel boats- I was sent the photo below of Ramona by Liam Daly. Liam commented that Ramona along with Reo Moana, Rawene, Rongo and Rio Rita made up the fleet of  Red Funnel Launches operating out of Picton . The “Rio Rita” was the prominent mail boat in Queen Charlotte Sound for many years, later when sold, re-named – Resolution.
 
The photo of Ramoana shows her in Resolution Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound
Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

 

Ida Dips Her Toes

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IDA DIPS HER TOES

After a full restoration and a Covid19 lock down delay, the 1895 Chas Bailey designed and built by C&W Bailey, Ida finally left Horizon Boats shed on the 1st May 2020 and headed to the water (Stillwater) to be rigged. Yesterday she was lowered into the water with all sails and equipment on board so that the team could determine her water line ready for anti-fouling. At 7050kg and with her slender lines she is going to be a slippery challenge for the rest of Auckland’s A class fleet. Check out the gaff collar – talk about bling 🙂

Next steps: anti-foul coating > final rigging detail > a tidy up ready for a formal launch celebration. Bring It On!!
Well done to the whole team behind getting Ida back from Australia and restoring her – an amazing feat given Ida arrived back in New Zealand in December 2018. It goes without saying that none of this would have happened without John Street, the classic wooden boating movement owes so much to this man.
WW will have more on Ida post the official launch.
(details & photos ex The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust)
Read more on Ida at the links below
23-05-2020 – First sail
IDA 1st sail 2020

HDML Manga > Haimoana

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HDML MANGA > HAIMOANA

In the interests of saving you from getting a sore neck from shaking your head – this boat ended up with a beehive restoration i.e. was put on the bonfire.

The HDML Manga was built by Madden & Lewis in Sausalito, California, USA during WWII and was sold by the NZ Navy in 1980. Her first owner post the Navy was Steve Hansen of Herne Bay, Auckland. When Hansen purchased her she had no engines. During his period of ownership she was kept on the outer side of the Auckland’s Viaduct Basin.
Hansen sold her to his friend Hans Van Duyn of Helensville in the early 1980’s, still with no engines. (Hansen also owned the HDML Black Watch).
Van Duyn stripped the coamings off her whilst she was at the Viaduct Basin and took her bare hull to Helensville on the West Coast, where they spent the next 2+ years rebuilding the vessel – including 16 single berths and 2 staterooms. In the mid 1980’s she was renamed Haimona after the owners late son.
The vessel was fitted with two Ruston Hornsby, 200hp diesel engines, with hydraulic gearboxes. Top speed was claimed to be 18 knots. The engines were ex the A.H.B. tug Manukau. Also fitted with a funnel & dry exhausts with silencers.
Van Duyn used her extensively, from the mid 1980s to c.1999. She was the largest pleasure boat in the Helensville Cruising Club fleet and was frequently mark boat and involved in many regattas and other club activities,  
She fell in to disuse around 1999 when Van Duyn sold his waters edge property, on the Kaipara Harbour. As there was nowhere else on the Kaipara that had a suitable facility to slip her, she deteriorated through lack of ability to maintain her and lack of use. Ultimately, she got  to the point, where her pumps were running 24/7 and despite attempts to provide her with better moorings, the end was near and they brought her ashore, stripped her engines out of her and saved what they could e.g. portholes and other useable fittings. In c.2006 they put a match to her.
Note: during this period Hans Van Duyn also owned HDML Kupara, which is now owned and restored Scott Perry, Whangarei. The story of Kupara has appeared on WW – link here   https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/10/04/hmnzs-kuparu-hdml/
Story assembled by Ken Ricketts with input from Steve Hansen, Rene Van Duyn and Bob Siegel. Edited extensively by Alan H.
Manga Navy Service ex Greg Philpott

HMNZS Manga (Q1185) was one of 16 Harbour Defence Motor Launches (HDML) to be delivered to the RNZN in 1943. She was commissioned on 6 April 1943 and joined the 124th. ML Flotilla at Auckland. She was used in anti-submarine patrols in the port approaches and the Hauraki Gulf northwards to Cape Brett. On 11 October 1945 she paid off in Auckland and was placed in reserve. In early 1946 she was converted for army use, fitted with a towing bitt and transferred ‘on loan’ to the Army. She was renamed Bombardier and used by the RNZ Artillery for target towing and general transport duties for over 10 years. In 1948 she was reclassified as a Seaward Defence Motor Launch (SDML) and renumbered P3567. In November 1959 she was transferred back to the RNZN. In 1960 she was commissioned as HMNZS Manga (call sign ZMBJ) and joined the fishery squadron where she served until 1967. After a refit she was assigned to Wellington RNZNVR until 1973, and then re-joined the fishery squadron briefly, returning to Wellington in 1974. In 1977 Manga was restricted to sheltered waters and returned to Auckland in 1977. During the period from 1977 to 1981 she was attached to HMNZS Ngapona. She was withdrawn from service and sold in 1982 to Takapuna Contractors Ltd., and was later sold again and transported to Helensville for rebuilding.

 

Great story tomorrow (Monday) – I’ll make good for today’s work-boat / military OTT story 🙂
Don’t Be Embarrassed If You Emailed Yesterday Asking For Chris McMullen’s Berthing Tips – 178 people did 🙂
Something For The Yachties – photo below sent in be Nathan Herbert – looking to ID to the two yachts seen here berthed at Whangarei.
Mystery Yachts Whangrei

Kerikeri Wharf

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KERIKERI WHARF

 

Todays photos come to us from Nathan Herbert and show a small flotilla of woodys that regularly cruised together – the boats being – Kudu, Lynmar, Kotanui, Haunui, and Valhalla. On this cruise Rakanoa was present also but had not made the trip up the river for provisions, she decided to ’stay out’ at anchor.

 
Nathan commented that Kotanui was always the ‘pilot’ boat for the Kerikeri river being as his grandfather – Jack Hobbs had been up so many times over the years in Pacific, now owned by Nathan.
 
Dulcie Dennes (Valhalla) told Nathan that on this particular trip, the men were sent up to Kerikeri township to get groceries, and forgot them altogether, instead spending the whole time at the pub. They had to hitch a ride on an orchard truck back down to the Stone Store basin, a few sheets to the wind…  I understand not all the men were guilty – Jack and Harry Julian had stayed at the boats to keep an eye on them.
 
Yesterdays Best Caption Competition
The comments section on WW only ever goes a maximum of 15 (the last 15) comments, so I have reproduced them below. Given Flora’s on / off relationship with the boys in blue – her winner is Matthew Drake.  
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Click to view / enlarge the below 🙂 Thanks for all the entries
 

Sea Bee – Part 2

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E taking the strain

E Umm, back a bit

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SEA BEE Part 2

In early March 2020 I ventured north with David Cooke to sniff out woodys that we never see in or around the Waitemata. One of the most impressive we came across in the Whangarei Town Basin was the 1965 ex workboat – Sea Bee, designed and built by Harold Sanders. When launched she was named CB (after her 1 st owners George Cornwall and Dave Baker). Now converted for pleasure use by Brett and Linda Stanaway. I featured her on WW – see link, great historical photos
Chatting with Brett he promised to send in photos of the rebuild, which we get to view today. Brett and Linda live aboard Sea Bee and are currently isolating so when they get to better internet coverage there will be more photos (i.e. Part 3). I’ll let Brett tell us more about the project:-
“The rebuild was a massive undertaking in time, money and hard work – the budget blowout was huge but we have no regrets Linda and I both love the boat, we live aboard full time and go out on her every chance we get . We’ve still got lots to do but Seabee is what we wanted a comfortable live aboard cruiser. If you or anyone else in WW is interested you’re welcome to come aboard and have a look around and if anyone else is contemplating converting a fishing boat we would be happy to talk about our experiences with them. Hope you’re well and getting through the lock-down okay”

Antique & Wooden Boat Festival – Contact Less Home Delivery of 70 photos

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Antique & Wooden Boat Festival – Contact Less Home Delivery of 70 photos 🙂
 
Today woodys you get to go to a antique & wooden boat festival without leaving your couch.
In 2019 Alan Sexton visited the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St Michaels, Maryland and has shared his photo collection from the trip.
Enjoy.
 
You can see / read more on the museum here.  http://cbmm.org

 
Interesting input below from a woody in regard to the BOI woody that was intercepted by the boys in blue rowing the 100 yards to check on his boat.
 
“Security is listed as an essential service. There seems to be no restrictions on who can undertake the service, and the ‘premises’ being provided with security services do not have to be part of an essential activity.

Question is – can a boat be considered to be a premise?

Checking the mooring strop, flapping halyards, bilge pumps etc is part of normal boat security, particularly when grumpy weather is forecast or has just been.”

The Restoration Of Melodeon

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The Restoration Of Melodeon

Now woodys if you know Dick Fisher you  will know that Dick likes BIG things – big classic boats, big projects, big (zoom zoom) cars. Chatting with Dick recently he informed me he had a project on the go, his words “something to keep me out of trouble” so of course I said ’send me some details – givens Dicks other two boats – Akarana, the 60’ 1960 AJ Collings designed and built by WG Lowe, ex Auckland Harbour Board pilot boat and Hamal, the 1975 purpose built exploration ship – I suspected the project would be a doozy. Photos of Akarana & Hamal below.
Dick and Colleen have a stunning track record of converting ex work boats into the most amazing classic cruisers so WW looks forward to following this project, we will be giving Dick a friendly nudge for updates.
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I’ll let Dick tell us what he is up to, remember click in photos to enlarge 😉

 
“The story so far goes a bit like this……
We purchased Melodeon from Greg Hayes in April 2018. Greg had owned & fished with her for the past 25 years. 
One of the photos above shows her at her semi-permanent berth at the Whangarei Town Basin prior to our buying her.
After the successful negotiation of price with Greg, who had expressed the wish for Melodeon to only be purchased by someone prepared to restore her.
We lifted her out at Dockland 5 in Whangarei, her estimated weight at this point was in excess of 50 ton. We removed as much equipment as were able which included 9 ton of lead balast. This would explain why when blasting the paint from the hull we uncovered seven (7) waterlines this made her draft aft at 7 ft. 
 
With the assistance of Boat Haulage Ltd we moved her to our workshop at Kamo & then commenced dismantling decks, bulwarks, wheelhouse & removed the engine & fuel tanks etc. She was then high pressure water blasted & garnet blasted all of the paint off inside & out.  She was then moved inside the same shed where Akarana had been for 5 years during her restoration.
 
The hull was copper fastened of 3 skin construction.. unfortunately the 2 inch Kauri decks were iron fastened & unable to be saved.
 
To date we have treated with preservatives the inside of the hull & currently has a holding undercoat.
 
The last few month I have been focused  on restoring the T8 Kelvin engine which was in reasonable condition. Main items needing replacing were a set of 8 exhaust valves , a complete gasket set plus other small items. I was able to purchase these from  Kelvin Diesels in Glasgow, a subsidiary of British Polar Engines. We have found this company & their staff most helpful in procuring parts. The engine is now complete & running very nicely. 
 
Up to date the work has been carried out mostly by myself & my son Richard when he had time. The engineering side of the restoration we can manage ourselves.  We now realise we need a skilled boat builder to assist us with the woodworking aspect.
It is our intention not to alter the overall design, with the exception being the wheelhouse which needs to be a little bigger.  
 
We are fortunate in that Greg Hayes has passed on to me the Marine Dept files dating back to October 1934.
Some salient points for you:
Plans, specs & building was carried out for Melodeon by Chas Bailey & Son in Auckland.
Original engine was a German Deutz/110BHP / 2 cycle diesel/ @ 450RPM this was replaced by the current T8 Kelvin.
Propeller:  4 blades /59 inch dia x 48 inch pitch – 3.3 to 1 reduction
Dimensions: Overall 57ft Beam 15ft6in draft 7ft
The existing T8 Kelvin was installed new in 1960 & the estimate from info we have, is that she has run well in excess of 100,000 hours.
Melodeon fished using different methods all around NZ, during the 1939/45 war the US Navy commandeered her for service in the Pacific.
  
This is an ongoing project for me in my dotage & its keeping me out of trouble.. in fact it’s a pretty big job….as the TV Ad goes…”
 
A Heads Up
Two cool things you may have overlooked in the last week
1. Do check out the link that Hylton Edmonds posted in the WW comments section. Its to a National Film Unit movie that features the then police launch Lady Shirley going about its duties on the Waitemata Harbour – fast forward to the 5:10 mark to catch the start, its a great watch and lots of our woodys make appearances – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mlqfwtybXE
2. Put your hand in your pocket and spend NZ$5 to subscribe for two months to the very informative and entertaining Vblog – OFF CENTER HARBOR. The guys at OCH have offered up this deal to WW readers so you can get your classic boating fix during the lockdown – details here  OCH $5 Deal
Akarana (L) – Hamal (R)

IDA – All Dressed Up & No Where To Go

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IDA – All Dressed Up & No Where To Go
Last night this 125 year old A-Class classic yacht was going to be the leading lady at the RNZYS for a party to celebrate her relaunch – but CV-19 put a stop to that 😦
So woodys today you get a peek at her tucked away in Wayne Olsen’s shed waiting for the green light to step out.
It seems unbelievable  that it was only July 2019 that I Iast visited the yard and now she is all set to splash (see link below for photos + details on her history and how she came home after ‘migrating’ to the Big Island.
Ida was designed by Charles Bailey Jnr and built / launched in 1895 by C&W Bailey gaff rigger
She is 58’ LOA, with a beam of 8’ – LOW = 45’ so there is a lot of bits hanging off her when she is in racing mode
Once again the classic yachting movement is indebted to John Street and his Classic Yacht Charitable Trust, they restore and maintain the cream of New Zealand’s A-Class fleet, and race the pants off every other woody in the fleet. Well done.
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Choptank

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CHOPTANK

Todays WW story falls into the eye candy category and will spin the wheels of the workboat group.
The 62’ Choptank was brought to my attention by Australian woody – Andrew Christie, who spotted her on the WoodenBoat Forum.
Built in 1938 in Virginia, USA by O.W. Payne Palmer and named – Julian.
Later name changes were – Callis Brothers, then – Crow Bros II.
She has just had a complete rebuild at the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where her name was changed to – Choptank.
Choptank is what they call a ‘Chesapeake Bay Buy-Boat’.
Make sure you check in tomorrow (Sunday) – great story coming u 😉
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