Category Archives: A Peek Down Below

Ballerina Restoration

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Haul out at Omaha

Haul-out

 

Rot behind port sliding window
Port side repairs underway
Re launch Omaha
New fore-hatch
Finished port cabin side
New duck-board
Colin Brown
Finished cabin sides /deck

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BALLERINA REFURBISHMENT

photos & details ex James Groenhart

I spied Ballerina at Mahurangi during the 2016 Regatta weekend & she was looking superb. James told me she had recently spent 5 weeks in the care of Colin Brown & Dave Walker at Jones Road, Omaha (same site as Anita Bay & Little Tasman). While she was structurally in great condition there were some areas that needed attention.

Colin & Dave completed the following work to a superb standard, & interpreted what James wanted perfectly, as well as being completely sympathetic to the character of the boat.

  • A new hardwood worm shoe was made & fitted.
  • Mahogany cabin sides & coamings were taken back & minor rot repairs carried out, particularly around the sliding side windows & timber fixed window beading.
  • Butterfly skylight hatch was restored & glass re set to stop leaks.
  • A new timber forehatch was made & fitted.
  • Duckboard deck was replaced.
  • Cabin top grab rails removed, restored & re fastened.
  • Repainted hull (using Altex ‘Classic White’), cabin sides & deck.

Great to see work like this recorded so thoroughly.

Click photos to enlarge.

Another Record Viewing Day Yesterday !!!!!!

Mystery Picton Boat

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MYSTERY PICTON BOAT

Its only a mystery because the broker selling it obviously doesn’t want to sell the vessel. Why else would you not include the vessel’s name & designer / builder details?

I can tell you this bridgedecker is made of wood, 42′ long, built in 1929, is powered by a 75hp 5LW Gardner diesel & sleeps 6.
Her current home is Picton & at $49k ono its appears a reasonable buy – unless of course it was built in India 🙂

Just re-read the listing & hows this – they list the design of the tender (Seabird)………………

Update – so it looks like it is Rio Rito / Resolution, the photo below of Resolution was sent to me by Don Macleod, taken in Mercury Cove in summer of 2011.

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Whironui

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WHIRONUI BY SHIPBUILDERS AT GULF HARBOUR HAVING TLC 28.12.15 - 3

WHIRONUI
details & photos ex Ken Ricketts. (edited by Alan H)

Whironui  is 34′ LOA & was home built & Ken suspects  in the earlier 1960’s, the reason for this being she has a Paragon mechanical gearbox, on a Lees Ford diesel & these boxes were phased out in the earlier 1960s. In terms of designer, Ken feels probably she is a Shipbuilders kit-set as one of a good number of similar hull type, designed boats were sold in this form by Shipbuilders between 30′ & 34′ from c.1960 to 1965. They all had individually styled coamings with 3 glued skins on opposite diagonals, kauri hulls.

Whironui is powered by a 90hp 6 cyl. Lees marinised Ford diesel, with a Paragon mechanical gear box & 2 to 1 reduction gear, most likely still the original set-up.

She is presently owned by Murray Brighouse who along with his son Tony, do a great job of caring for her, & using her as often as possible. They bought her off the late Sonny Cross in 2002, who they believe had owned her from about 1976, during which time she was moored for the entire period, they believe, in the Wade River, which is where she was moored, when the Brighouses bought her. She now resides at Gulf Harbour.

Anyone know anymore about her past & the home build element?

As a comparison – below is a photo of ‘Southern Seas’ which is rumoured to be a Shipbuilders kit boat.

SOUTHERN SEAS - 2 - 31.3.14

26-01-2016

Photo from c.1979 ex Ken Rickets

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Florence May

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FLORENCE MAY

Florence May was designed by Dick Laing & launched in 1965. She is strip planked kauri & measures 28′ LOA . Powdered by a 80hp Ford diesel. Currently listed 4sale on trademe.

Can anyone expand on her past & possibly confirm the above details? Its says ‘Ngunguru’ on the stern so maybe the northern woodys can help.

Update from Rodney Webb (owner)

I have owned Florence May for 34 years.She was built near Auckland for Harry Muir and was named after his wife.She spent several years in Ngunguru then went to a retired sea captain in the bay of islands.She was then purchased by Tom Thompson who bought her back to Tutukaka.I approached him and purchased her 34 years ago.The builder was Phil Lange who lives in mill bay Manganui.He is 85 and still in good health.I still have her in Ngunguru.I guess you could say i reluctantly have her for sale and would probably refuse any offer 🙂

Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

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Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

The above video records the renovation of the classic 1965 Lane Motor Boat Co. built launch Arohanui. The refit work was undertaken in 2015 at the Sandspit yard of Lees Boatbuilders for owners Fiona Driver & Rod Marler. Greg Lees & his team have established themselves as the go to yard for the application of Awlwood MA (Uroxsys) the flexible polyurethane marine clear coat finish. But I have to say that the yards craftsmanship & attention to detail prior to the final applications was second to none. Lees is a very classic friendly yard & whether the vessel is sail or motorboat, large or small its in good hands.

The short film was produced by Gareth Cooke (SubZero) who also filmed the restoration of Trinidad at Lees, refer below videos.

 

MoanaLua

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Collings & Bell 1935

MOANALUA
photos ex Philip Hamlin

Sadly for a lot of folks today signals the return to the office, so I thought I would try to brighten up the day with a rather special post.

In early December Helena & Philip Hamlin, the owners of the magnificent 1935 Collings & Bell launch MoanaLua, sent me this amazing photo essay of Moanalua’s past. Philip & Helena would like to acknowledge the generosity of their friends & previous owner of MoanaLua for sharing this collection compiled by Allan Keane.

Where possible I have captioned the photos & remember you can enlarge any photo by clicking on it. Enjoy.

Input from Allan Keane – past owner
Fantastic – great to see that this history is not lost and there is no safer site than WW. I hope people enjoy seeing boating as it used to be.
Seeing crew on the bow reminds me that when we bought her there was no deck access to a huge anchor locker. This locker originally had a large header tank to give pressure water, including to the bath aft. Graham Watt who used to cruise on her told me his first job each day was to pump up water to the header tank—how things change! So all the anchor rode was carried on deck.
We built two good hatches to rectify having to pull everything out over the front berth, and of course the bath is long gone.

1930’s

1935 Launch Day
After launching
Christmas 1935 Cruise. Monowai (ex Razmuk) in background
New Year 1935 Cruise
Northern Cruise 1935. Note extra fuel on board
New Year Cruise 1935
New Year Cruise 1935
Northern Cruise 1935
Underway
Taking snaps 1935
Opua Wharf 1935
Atau Crew – Barry, Cuts & Dolci Boucher
Original interior
Easter 1935 on-route to Kawau
Northern Cruise 1935
Easter 1935 – Uncle Pip,Bill Boucher,Cuts,Mrs Boucher,Aunty VE,Dulcie,Bob
1935 – The Skipper – Bill Boucher
1935 – The New Skipper
1935
1935 North Cruise – Russell
1936 North Cruise. Fueling at Auckland
1936 Nothern Cruise. Russel
1936 Northern Cruise. Opua Wharf
1935/36 – in Matiatia
Christmas 1937. Mansion House Kawau
Christmas 1937. Muriel,Dulcie,Ken,Bob
Christmas 1937. After big storm
Jan 1938 Cruise. Ken,Irene,Sam
Christmas 1938. Alice,Betty,Loris,Irene
1939. Rewa wreck
With cockpit dodger,flybridge & bow rail
Christmas 1939. Muddy Bay Kawau. Te Rauparaha (fwd)

1960’s

c.1969 – Mansion House Wharf. Owner Ken Burroughs

1990’s

Coromandel 1993. Owners Broadbent & Keane families
c.1994/95 – 9>10 knots
1994/95
1999 Refit at HMB
1999 Refit at HMB

2000’s

Schooner Bay, Great Barrier 2001/02
2010 – Patio Bay, Waiheke Is.

27-04-2016 Input from Graham Watt

I am the Graham Watt referred to by Allan Keane as the Lad who had the onerous morning duty of pumping up the water header tank. Moanalua was owned by Denny Bishop during the late 50’s and early 60’s, and his best mate,my father Colin Watt ,plus family made up the regular crew. I believe Denny purchased the boat from the Boucher estate.
She was moored on the piles ( pre marina ) at Westhaven and our regular cruising was to the “bottom end” and Kawau ,with Christmas to the Bay of Islands and as far as Whangaroa.
To clarify the comments around engine, at that time it was a Petrol Kermath Seafarer Special along with a wing motor with its own shaft. Another feature was the R.T. , ex army ZC 1, a massive multi dial affair whose only purpose was to call Auckland Radio to get a telegram away to a mate giving instructions on horse racing bets..
Both Denny and Colin were builders who figured that by cladding the cabin with this latest Formica product they could get a permanent finish without the varnishing. Not a good idea with the benefit of hindsight.

Tainui

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TAINUI

Heads up from Murray Willis (MV Margeurite)

Tainui was built to survey for the Auckland Harbour Board in 1967, originally a workboat but later converted into a pleasure vessel. She is built of kauri & is 38’ in length with a 9’3” beam.

Tainui is powered by a 70h.p. 3LWGardner diesel that gives her a comfortable 9 knots at 1000rpm. A great sea ship, she has plied across Cook Straight many times.

Currently moored in Whangaparapara Harbour, Great Barrier Island.& listed for sale on trade. The asking price is $15k ono & from the photos, for that price looks like a great restoration project.

What do we know about her, designer, builder & who did the conversion?

TURAKINA – Sailing Sunday

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TURAKINA – Sailing Sunday
photos & detail ex Danvers Devereaux via Shane Anderson

Turakina is a very lucky boat, designed by Arnold ‘Bill’ Couldrey,  she started life being built in 1949 by Danvers uncle (Leo H Clarke) under his family home in Mt Eden. She is double skin kauri – 30′ / 8′ / 5′, the timber was actually a wedding gift.
Turakina is a sister ship to Tuirangi (C35). Bill Couldrey was a protege of Arch Logan. These 2 vessels look like clones of Tawera and Gypsy.

Leo sold her approx. 20 years ago, then 5 years ago Danvers found her for sale on trademe, in a very poor state, Danvers alerted his step-father Les & his pal Phil Rice to the sale & they jumped at the chance of getting her back. That was the 1st piece of luck, the 2nd was that her new owners chose Peter Brookes to do a complete 2 & 1/2 year restoration on her, the full monty –  from the keel up and cabin off.

The relaunch of Turakina featured on ww (link here)  https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/10/12/turankina/
Todays post shows some of the early build & sailing photos + her recent restoration. Enjoy 🙂

 

Capri IV

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CAPRI IV
photos & details ex Michael Fann

Danger – Alert – Not A True Woody 😉

Today’s post breaks one of the fundamental ww rules, it has to be wood………….. but sometimes rules need to be broken (not too often).

Capri IV is a Mason Marine Clipper 24 built in the early 1970’s & if you believed the company hype back in those days “the finest powerboat in the world”.
In recent weeks I have had the pleasure of sharing some time with the her present owner, Michael Fann & her previous owner, Tim Evill. Both gents are wonderful, passionate classic boaties but I understand that it was the owner prior to Tim, a Taupo resident who painstakingly restored her.
Capri IV is 24′ long with a beam of 8′, these days she is powered by a Volvo Penta 5.7L V8 that has her comfortably cruising at 22>24 knots & topping out at 32>34 knots -thats quick for a boat of her size. I imagine that Michael is on first name terms with the the fuel jetty jockey 🙂

I have dropped a copy of the May 1971 boat test from Sea Spray magazine into a slide show for viewing, see below. Click to pause & enlarge.

When launched the Clipper 24′ had a quite a revolutionary launching set-up with a sliding cradle trailer (see photo), further proof of the build skills of the team at Mason Marine, Capri IV is still using the same trailer today – thats over 40 years later.

Some of the sales advertisements make amusing reading, as do the features on Tony Mason.

Enjoy.

Sea Spray – May 1971

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Remember to click images to enlarge 😉

 

 

Rawhiti MV

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RAWHITI

Rawhiti was designed and built by the Strongman Brothers in Coromandel in 1962, originally as a fisheries inspector vessel. She at some stage moved to the Kaipara where she was used as mother ship for a mullet fisherman.
She is a very capable sea boat with a fine entry forward, generous hips amidships and a flat run aft. She has a nice flair and a tumble home transom. At 28′ x 8.5’. Powered by 49 hp 4108 Perkins she cruises comfortably at 8 knots.

Her present owners have had her for 12 years and taken many trips to the Great Barrier, Bay of Islands and fishing north of the Poor Nights.
Her owners are boat builders & had planned to remove the cabin and replace with something more flattering to her hull quality. However they preferred to invest the money on beer and bait 🙂 The cabin is functional with full height headroom forward to the galley and steering station. The above photos were taken recently when hauled out at Snells Beach.

I understand she was / is for sale. Any woodys able to expand on her past?

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