Category Archives: 50’+

Christopher Grey

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CHRISTOPHER GREY

CHRISTOPHER GREY

Today’s photo should please the Work Boat woodys out there. It was taken by Nathan Herbert on a recent trip south to Dunedin & shows the Christopher Grey.

Keen to learn more about her past & when she came out of the closet & became a pleasure craft 😉

Update – photo below ex Russell Ward

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Need To Tidy / Clean Out The Shed?

I have been contacted by Warner Bros NZ with an interseting request – read below J

DESIGN JUNKIES – OPPORTUNITY FOR UPCYCLING

Design Junkies is an exciting, upcoming, prime time television show that takes 6 Industrial Designers and challenges them to create usable household objects and breath-taking art installations from discarded materials. We are on the hunt for old marine salvage whether it’s wood, metal, rudders, masts or even an old clinker!  If you or someone you know, has a shed full of marine rubble that’s going to waste, we could be very interested in taking it off your hands. For any queries or expressions of interest, please contact Beth Eldercable on 027 8287 555.

 

 

 

Port Townsend Classic Wooden Boat Festival 2017 – 80+ photos

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Port Townsend Classic Wooden Boat Festival 2017 – 80+ photos
Kiwi woodys Jenny and Malcolm McNicol sent me the below photo essay from the Port Townsend 41st Classic Wooden Boat Festival from The Puget Sounds in Washington State USA. They were holidaying in the Sounds and got to enjoy the festival.
The McNico’s are members of The Rotoiti Wooden Boat Association and are the proud owners of Tauraka, which has featured on WW.

Enjoy the collection – sorry if I have ruined your day ……… 🙂

Remember to click on photos to enlarge 😉

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Ariki Restoration

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Ariki

Ariki – photo ex J. Prew esq

ARIKI RESTORATION
The 1904 Logan Brothers designed & built gaffer Ariki is currently hauled out at Okahu Bay, Auckland & under going an extensive restoration, lead by master craftsman Robin Kenyon. Yesterday her owners Charlotte & Andrew held an open day to allow the classic woody community to view the project. I understand they have a target to be at the CYA Patio Bay celebrations this year (1st week Dec), that appears a rather large challenge……….. but as they say – many hands make light work.

Prowling around the yard I spotted the classic launch Wanderer looking a little sad – hopefully awaiting a large dose of TLC.
You can see/read more about Wanderer’s past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/16/wanderer-ii/

The sunny day saw woody Baden Pascoe break out his recently restored 1929 Riley Tourer, when I say recently, I mean as in on-the-road. The Riley has been in the Pascoe family a very long time & Baden has been working on her on & off for years. Attention to detail is amazing, but I would expect that from Baden 😉

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A Woody On Tour + An SoS

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A Woody On Tour + An SoS
Woody Paul Drake has just returned from a trip to the UK & sent in the above 2 photos – the first showing a very smart inboard clinker on the beach at Beer, Lyme Bay (1/2 way between Brixham & Portland Bill).

The bottom photo is of the Navy MTB24 ‘resting’ at Bembridge, Isle of Wight. Paul commented that she no longer rises with the tide 😦

An Urgent SoS

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WW follower Scott Perry, has a small obsession with rather large woodys – he is currently rebuilding the HDML Kuparu, an ex naval patrol boat. He is nearly done with Kuparu & is now looking at saving HDML Black Watch, the 72 footer sitting out in front of Bayswater Marina for the last 10 plus years.
Scott is urgently looking for somewhere he could tidal slip her e.g. against poles, or a wharf, somewhere on the Waitemata. She has a bad temporary repair on her bottom that is failing & needs attention in the next couple of weeks. She has a swim prop, so can lean her on her side on the beach or deep creek. Any woodys know of anything about?
As an aside, she currently is ketch rigged & with Scott being a launch man, he would like to sell her 2 solid timber masts – so if someone would like to purchase them, you would make Scott a happy man. Scott can be contacted on 027 278 2542
Ps I’m sure Russell Ward will email be a photo of Black Watch, he had / has the ‘hots’ for her

Input from Russell Ward 

Jeez, Scott. Knocking yourself around a bit ain’tca? You can get pills or ect for that sort of problem I am sure.
Why not take on the Kahu? Lots of fun! I’ve attached a couple of pix of Ngaroma when she was a private ship owned by Capt James Lawler and kept at Cooks Lower Landing. The fair miles were built in NZ as part of the war effort and one should be saved.
Just a thought.
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UPDATE: Photo below ex Heather & Keith Nicholson of Kahu (taken last week)
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Input from Paul Drake – below are two pics of my more humble HDML effort. This is MAKO, 36 inches long (half inch to the foot). I started building her in 1964 aged 16. The following year I was at sea with the Union Company as a Cadet. As shown in the first photo, I took MAKO to sea with me and building continued. The second pic shows her under way and more or less finished on the Avalon duck pond (Wellington). She now resides on my piano here in Taupo – still only more or less finished.

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Updated photo of HDML Kuparu – berthed at Bayswater 07-07-2018

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WAIATA II – Sailing Sunday II

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WAIATA II – Sailing Sunday
Waiata II was Snow Waters personal yacht, designed by Alan Mummery, and launched in 1971 /2 – Alan Sexton gave me the heads up on the trademe listing & Alan commented that remembers seeing her around Waiheke Island on their first summer on Tarata.

She was featured in Sea Spray August 1971 whilst under construction. The feature noted that Snow was looking for waterline length, in the Innismarra (or even further back William Garden’s Oceanus) style, ie long (55′) and narrow.

She is single skin strip planked kauri glued with steam bent ribs. No doubt with the 6 cyl. Ford she motors at a good pace too.

Waiata II has been owned by current owner for 41 years in NZ, with the last 3 years being based in the Australian East Coast, where she is 4sale. The current location making her perfect for someone wanting to cruise the Queensland Coast, Whitsundays or further north.

05-01-2025 – INPUT ex RICHARD LOCK  – It was brought to my attention that the grandson of the long term owner of Waiata II was trying to locate her.This image might assist. New years day 2026.

Yesterdays Quiz Winner – WW T-Shirt

Mr M Deeble – proof that the early bird does catch the worm, with his 6.00ish entry 🙂

Classic Pilothouse Ketch

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Pilothouse Ketch

Today’s post is about an overseas visitor, designed by Alan Buchanan & built with teak carvel plank construction by David Cheng in Hong Kong. A true world cruiser and at 17m she would make an ideal live aboard. The boat underwent a major refit and upgrade 2014/2015. Home is Nelson but if your looking for a cheap waterfront home in Auckland she would be a good buy 😉

 

Ariki – Sailing Sunday

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ARIKI

At long last the 1904 Arch Logan yacht, Ariki A3 has found a new owner & is getting some love & attention.
The photos above ex Angus Rogers, show her hauled out at Okahu Bay in April getting a major bum clean from the team at X-foul-e-8 – amazing job & look at the width & condition of those full-length kauri planks.
The shed photos below are ex Charlotte Lockhart, I have copied below Charlotte’s email to me re the project.

” As your readers may be aware Andrew Barnes purchased a few months ago and we have commenced a project to restore her to her former racing glory. As things stand she is under cover on the hard as we strip her back to make the necessary exterior repairs and repaint her exterior.
Once she is water tight and we will be putting her back in the water at the new pontoon we have had build to house her at the Maritime Museum. From there we will complete the interior repairs.
I would love to hear from anyone who is interested in being kept informed about this project or would like to connect in and share their experience of her. I can be contacted on this email, arikiclassicyacht@gmail.com or follow us on https://www.facebook.com/Arikiclassicyacht/ ”

R-Class Looking For A Good Home

James Mobberley (Moon Engines) has had R317 stashed away for a few years & a growing family & associated toys (kids & Dad) mean R317 needs a new home. James is adamant it must be a sympathetic woody buyer – so if you are a classic sailor looking for a project (nothing major required) James is open to offers. Email is james@moonengines.co.nz

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Iconic Lister Engine
Remember the Lister engine every farmer had in his possession many decades ago, that one of a kind noise 😉 Well they are still using them in India, turn up the volume & listen (thanks Paul Newell for emailing me this).

03-07-2017 Harold Kidd Update

ARIKI’s port planking, shown sanded back, is the original Logan Bros work of 1904. The starboard planking and complete triple diagonal structure is by Chas. Bailey Jr., done in the winter of 1917 to replace the damage done when THELMA smashed into her while they were on the hard at Torpedo Bay, side by side, during the freak E gale of February 20th 1917.

Classic Yacht Racing – Waitangi

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Classic Yacht Racing – Sailing Sunday

Sorry for the late post today, been out & about watching the A-Cup, 1-0 is a great start, even better is the fact we are actually (& mentally) 2 – Zip up on Oracle 🙂

Seems only fitting that we have some classic yacht racing today. The u-tube movie below is by Roger Mills & was bought to my attention on the WoodenBoat Magazine USA forum by kiwi classic yachtie Patrick Xavier (that’s not his real name, but I wont ‘out’ him here).

The clip shows the 1894 gaffer Waitangi preparing for a race in the winter series – 2016. Enjoy 🙂

 

Heading Across The Ditch In November?

The Jervis Bay Maritime Museum ( JBMM), in NSW, are holding a Classic Wooden Model Boat Festival on the weekend of November 10/11/12. Based on the info that I was sent by woody boat builder Colin Brown, whose brother Stan is on the Festival committee it’s a cracker weekend. See below details

On Friday evening (10th) there will be a casual “ Meet and Greet” in the museum.  There should be chance to mingle, swap yarns & partake of refreshments.

The museum is land-locked but has large grassed areas surrounding the main building with a large shallow pond.

The northern area overlooks the Currambene Creek which flows into Jervis Bay at the coastal village of Huskisson which is only a short walk away.

We plan to have Trade Stalls and Hard Stand boat exhibits.

So woodys if your in Australia & looking for something to do put this event into their diaries. For more details you can contact Stan at su.stan@bigpond.com

Check out the Museum here www.jervisbaymaritimemuseum.asn.au

 

 

Voyageur – A Very Big Woody

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Voyageur – A Very Big Woody

Voyageur was built in 1953 to a Chris Craft design, she measures 60′ with a beam of 14’5″ & draft of 5’6″ – so is a rather large old girl.
She is D/D kauri that has been glassed over, with a teak interior. A recent refurbishment included new Volvo engines. For sale at $750K, a lot of money for a 60′ woody but its a lot of boat & being set up for game fishing & in MOSS survey, I assume its a business venture as well.

Any one able to advise the builder?
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the trademe heads up.

UPDATE

Ken Ricketts has advised she was built in 1958 by T K Atkinson at Browns Bay, at 40 feet, for Takapuna Ford dealer Jack Lewis, (Lewis Motors), who extended her in 1965 to 48 feet, the work once again being done by T K Atkinson. —
Lewis took & a friend & me to Browns Bay one day, to see the extension in progress. He was considering a 3rd centre engine for her at that time.
She has obviously been extended again.
What a shame all her lovely exterior varnish has gone — it was such a special part of her beauty & character.
View photos from her early days as a 40 footer here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/03/18/voyaguer/

04-03-2026 UPDATE ex DEAN WRIGHT – photo below of Voyageur, in Whangaruru

Wairangi

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WAIRANGI

Wairangi has appeared before on ww (link below) but has recently had a big dose of TLC. The above photos are a mix of some taken by owner Owen Foster (via KRickets) while anchored at Rakino Island & mine that show her over Easter anchored in Man o War Bay, Waiheke Island. The newly varnished cabin/wheelhouse looks stunning & combined with a lot of other work, she looks very special – in fact I would be happy to call her mine 🙂

Also looking very smart in one of the photos is Safari, her owner Neil took the below photo of Raindance during the Sunday afternoon squall that hit the bay mid afternoon – rain, hail, wind = boats dragging their anchor all over the bay – fun & games but no damage.

Wairangi – heads north

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11-08-2018 Update – Photos below taken by Owen Foster using a drone, while at anchor at Oneroa, Waiheke Island. emailed in by Ken Ricketts

Update 19-07-2019 ex model maker John Whyte

Back in February I was contacted by John Whyte seeking info on Wairangi, John was doing the drawings of Wairangi for model maker Paul Berntsen (Havelock North). Earlier today John sent me the photos below of Paul’s finished model. John commented that the wharf behind it is a 1.34 scale model of the Opua wharf which measures just over 6 metres in length. John plans to build a lower wharf for the pilot boat with a ladder coming of the higher wharf.
The boat measures around 450mm long and 110mm wide.
Paul is obviously very talented, I struggle maintaining my own boat – building  something like this would be a recipe for disaster for me 🙂
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