Category Archives: A Peek Down Below

I Want the Compass ;-)

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I Want the Compass

The rest of you can fight over the what’s left. We could all chip in & buy her 😉 I can see the shower on My Girl?,  Lucinda needs a home-home-theater set up, the sink would look good in Trinidad’s cockpit, the alloy floors for Waimiga’s cockpit?.

Now those outboards?, might be the only way I can get more speed out of Raindance 🙂

I suppose at a $18k buy-now, it could be a cheap floating man pad but…………………………. really how do people come up with a value for their pride & joy?. Some recent trademe examples are so far off the mark, its embarrassing & just paints the wrong picture for the wooden boating scene.

 

 

 

 

Slainte

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SLAINTE – 1947 Chris Craft Restoration

I mentioned last Monday that while chatting to Alan Craig about the new restoration project for his yard – Craig Marine at Lake Rotoiti he just casually mentioned t “Speaking of projects, should probably show you the Chris Craft we just finished” – & then sends me a selection of photos of a simply stunning classic woody.

Slainte is a a 1947 27′ super delux enclosed Chris Craft. It was imported into NZ by the owner as a project that was walked away from in the states. The outside was 90% done but the inside was a shell. No motor, shaft or strut etc. A 5.7L v8 Crusader was imported too and Alan lifted the cockpit sole to suit.
Pretty much every single piece has been pulled apart fixed/painted/varnished and put back again. Some ‘ before’ photos below.
The idea has been to keep it looking original but turn key functionality!

WoW, what an additional to the Lake Rotoiti classic wooden boat fleet, can not wait to see her in person at next years Classic & Wooden Boat Parade weekend.

Tamahere – A Peek Down Below

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TAMAHERE – A Peek Down Below

Tamahere last appeared on WW back in 2014 (link below), now thanks to a trademe listing we get to see down below.
She is 40′ long & powered by a 85hp Isuzu diesel that pushes her along at 6>8 knots. Its claimed she was built in 1903.

Back in 2014 we were unable to uncover any details on her, there lots of thousands of more WW readers these days, so hopefully we can unearth more on her.
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up.

See / read more here    https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/17/tamahere/

18-04-2018 ‘New’ Photos below ex trademe

 

Lake Rotoiti Barn Find Restoration

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Lake Rotoiti Barn Find Restoration

Alan Craig the Lake Rotoiti boat builder (Craig Marine) dropped me a note the other day to say that he was restoring the about boat. She would have to win the WW barn find prize 🙂 Her story goes like this – has be in a shed on a farm in Rotoma for the last ten odd years. Built in 1928, 24′ in length, appears to be to a USA Hacker Craft design or most likely copied, she is in fact not to dissimilar to Malolo.
It has been owned by Peter Davies and was his Fathers boat from near new. Details Alan has been told about her history: Built in Picton by Vic & Clarrie Olson? (Scandinavian or Swiss?). Built for a Mr Stocker then brought by Mr Davies in 1930, it was sold a while later and brought back again by Mr Davies once the wool price lifted and in 1950 an old, but still new, 1938 Osco marine flathead V8 went in it and is still there now. Alan thinks it was sold once again then found by Peter and brought back to Rotoma.

There is a Hacker Craft step pad fitted to her (the only reference to Hacker Craft) but this could easily have been a later addition. The plans are to rebuild the engine and try get a bit more than the supposed 90hp out of it. Apparently they didn’t get much speed out of it but looks like pretty small prop set up.

This will be a great project to follow – Alan is keen confirm / learn more about her past so if any woodys can help, please comment.

Now Alan’s not a man to run things up the flag pole, chatting on-line he says ” speaking of projects, should probably show you the Chris Craft we just finished” – totally blew we away – amazing project. I’ll run a story on her soon.

Update ex Alan Craig – Alan found the below under the fore-deck – D Jennings?

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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 🙂

PRESTO – Is She Or Isn’t She?

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PRESTO – Is She Or Isn’t She?

If you believe the trademe listing, this is a very old lady – it says Presto was born 1898. Built by Charles Bailey, 42’ in length, 3 skin kauri. Originally powered by a steam engine but now powered by a 1950 100hp, 471 Detroit diesel.

Our resident Bailey guru HDK should be able to confirm or destroy this woodys birth details. Builder aside – what more do we know about her?. Current home is Taurangi. Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads-up 🙂

28-07-2017 Comments ex Russell Ward
Port Doctor’s Boat. General workboat around the place when I was a kid at school. Had a boxy wheelbase with control position atop. Always scuttling round Hobson Wharf. Eventually retired.
She lay at Barry Brickell’s Diving Creek property in Coromandel for many years and was sold to a man who did the honours and but put the rakish upper works on her. Painted her green which is what I always remembered her as. Her old wheelhouse may still be at Driving Creek.

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Comments below ex Ray Morey
1st an aft view of PRESTO under steam, that cut from the pic of Lady Vie and pan-am flying boat at mechanics bay
2nd is part of the blue boats dated 1973 from left is RANGI-SPRAY-unknown and just showing on the right is PRESTO after rebuild. This when Subritzky owned her.

Photo below from Dave Stanaway from when he knew her in the 1960’s when Bryce Subritzky was her master.

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Input from Harold Kidd – below is a clipping from the Auckland Star, 30 March 1898 – covering the launching.

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Read lots more on the Comments Section

Lady Eileen Launch Day + Classic 4 Sale

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Lady Eileen Launch Day

Lady Eileen Launch Day

Another great launch day photo ex Harold Kidd from the Tim Windsor collection. This shows the 1947, Shipbuilders/SupaCraft bridge decker – Lady Eileen post sliding down the rails. Lady Eileen has made frequent appearances on WW – check out the clicks below to view her past & current restoration it owner, Hylton Edmonds Bay of Islands property.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/05/22/lady-eileen-3/

https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/06/08/lady-eileen-2/

https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/12/23/lady-eileen/

Woody 4Sale

MontereyHoughton

One of the CYA’s most iconic classic woodys ‘Monterey’ is for sale.  The bridge decker was launched in 1946. She is Lidgard designed and built. I have spent a lot of time aboard & her layout makes her an ideal family cruiser for the Hauraki Gulf and beyond.

Built of 2 skin kauri with glassed cabin tops and decks she is ready for the summer season. During owner Mark Edmonds ownership, her hull was professionally stripped down to bare timber, filled, fared and painted. Power comes from a 130hp Ford Dover engine, reconditioned 470 hours ago by Moon Engines.

Monterey cruises at 8-9 knots. Will suit a passionate classic wooden boat enthusiast. Marina also available for sale or rental at OBC.

Specs: 33’6” ’x 10’6” x 2’7”

Interested parties can contact waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Watch a very short movie of Monterey under way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZPZYA8lyGw&feature=youtu.be

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Christmas 1948

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Monterey & crew enjoying the Rudder Cup race

Woody Winter Weekend

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Woody Winter Weekend

Given the weather in Auckland last Friday you would struggle to believe the above photos were taken over the weekend. I escaped the Principality of Devonport early Saturday morning & headed down to Waikehe Island. Did not even stop on-route to the marina for supplies. The forecast said variable so I was planning on dining ashore.

Well for once all the forecasters got it right – Saturday was a stunner. After a few months of cleaning oil out of the bilge several times & numerous repairs I was very much in the “bugger this old boat gig” mode. We are a shallow lot – one good day / night & I had the bug again J

If you do not like crowds – winter cruising is the way to go.

Coming back on Sunday afternoon I rubbed shoulders with the magnificent ship Felicitare & the 1927, Colin Wild built, Lady Margaret – both looking stunning & doing the same as me i.e. slopping off for some R&R. I was sure Felicitare had featured on ww before but my search showed nothing – what do we know about her?

Great Workmanship

I own several dinghy’s from classic clinkers to what Harold Kidd once called a ‘Baby Riviera’ – he was referring to my American built Walker Bay dinghy. I bought her 2nd hand & have owned her for 10 years – towed behind a woody, she is pig ugly but without a doubt the most stable tender I have come across.

She was looking very sad & the inflatable tube patches were out numbering the good areas. So had to make the big decision – take the tubes off & just have a normal dinghy or order replacement tubes from the USA (US$850). Enter Terminator Boats (Kevin Tomlin) in Albany. They said they could manufacture a new set of replacement tubes, I was a little hesitant about the final look, but went with it & as you’ll see in the photos below, they have done a brilliant job, in fact better than new. I highly recommend them https://www.terminatorboats.co.nz

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A Big Parris

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A BIG PARRIS

To the best of my knowledge there were not a lot of big Roy Parris launches built, was there a reason ? shed size?. This one was built in 1960 & is 36′ & made of kauri. Zoom zoom is via a 120hp Ford diesel that comfortably pushes her along at 8 knots @ 1750 rpm.

She has been a very lucky classic woody in that as well as having the same owner for the last 20+ years, she has also been moored in a boat shed during this period.
Do we know anymore about her past?

She is 4sale on trademe, I can’t make out her name, but one of the woodys will recognize her 😉 Appears to be a lot of boat for the money.
As always – thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up on the listing.

Lady Ellen Restoration

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LADY ELLEN RESTORATION

The plight of Lady Ellen has been documented on ww in the past (link below). We were able to happily report that she had been purchased by Bruce Mitchinson & 6 weeks ago transported north to Russell in the Bay of Islands.

Lady Ellen

A few days ago Bruce gave me an update on the restoration – read below.
“Restoration work underway with removal of rotten timber around cabin, decks and bulkheads. Much of the interior has gone to the tip. Under the foredeck canvas, near perfect Totara decking, which is drying out ready for a sand and some fibreglass.
Next up, replacing the rotten timbers with old kauri before new side and aft decks go down.
Engine is back together, almost, and Ken Jaspers is sorting out new mounts, gearbox seals and couplings down in Whangaparoa”
Bruce has promised to keep us updated on the project.

27-09-2017 Project Update ex Bruce M

Starting to look like herself again.

Glassed plywood cores for  cabin sides ready for timber finish inside and out.
Slight adjustment made to the rear windows, which always looked a bit odd, but still trying to retain that McGeady look.
Rebuilt coachroof over the aft cockpit to remove the v-shape combing and modified structure so that corner posts are no longer required.
Narrower aft deck now provides enough room for continuous seating around 3 sides of the cockpit and storage.
Galley has gone, including the floor, to make way for a new under floor water tank, raised floor and new galley fit out.
As you can see there is still a lot of work to do.
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Update Jan 2018 – The focus over the last few weeks is to get topsides ready for finishing by the end of the month. A lot of work has gone in to re-fastening and frame repairs to pull everything back into shape, and as you can see the Lady Ellen has plenty of shape. Thanks to our boatbuilder, Brett Avery, we now have a very sound vessel. Main saloon is now completely stripped out, including the old steel diesel tanks and de-greasing the bilge and engine bay is next up, while removing the last of the antifoul underneath and cleaning up the diesel soaked planking. New rudder tube is in and Brett has made a start on framing up the floors so that we have some work space inside to start on the interior work next month.
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UPDATE 24-02-2018 More restoration photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/02/23/an-update-on-the-lady-ellen-restoration/