Category Archives: A Peek Down Below

The Bristol Pilot Cutter – Cornubia – Sailing Sunday

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The Bristol Pilot Cutter – Cornubia – Sailing Sunday

Today’s post is a 8 minute film on the 1911 66′ bristol pilot cutter Cornubia. Built by J. Slade & Son, Polruan, in the UK, she was restored by current owner Tony Winter in 2009. She is carvel constructed, larch planking on oak frames. The film is wonderfully narrated by Tony Winter.
She is a thing of beauty both on the water & down below.

Anyone know the status of the bristol pilot boat that Peter Brooke is building at his yard in Waimauku?

Now if you have ever seen me mooching around in a bay in the dinghy collecting drift wood, if its a tree branch its for the garden. If its a piece of timber its for an old mate, Simon Yates who makes these rather cool signs. He bought an old metal stencil set in the USA (on ebay) & now knocks up the below – they look great at the bach – not for sale, its a labour of love 😉 All the wood on this one I collected last xmas around the gulf.

Si Signs

 

Florence

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FLORENCE
Florence has appeared once before when I spied her tied up at Bayswater Marina, so when Tim Jackson tipped me off that she has just appeared on trademe, I took the opportunity to showcase her in more detail. I do not like losing classic’s to out of Auckland but boy this old girl has got lake boat written all over her + the ability to load her onto a flatbed Hiab truck must appeal to the lake based woodys.
She was originally built in Dunedin and has a history of being used as a workboat in and around Port Charmers. Her double-ender hull is heart kauri carvel planked & she measures 28’x7’8”x3’.
There was a major refit done in 2014/15. Now based in Auckland & used as a harbour cruiser.
The 2015 refit involved new cabin from the decks up, new interior, large double bunk up forward, single bunk port side and galley starboard side in saloon. New electrics, reconditioned 1992 45hp 3JH Yanmar from Moon Engines. Engine sits on a Vee drive and creates a cockpit table. There is a new 2205 s/steel shaft & the hull was fully stripped back and re-caulked.
Yellow cedar and Maranti marine ply construction of the cabin fully glassed over &12mm Mahogany veneer to cabin sides
For more older photos & details on Florence, click this link

Florence

Mataroa (Kenya)

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MATAROA (KENYA)

As they say in the boxing game – Mataroa is the real deal – a 1928 Joe Slattery launch, named Kenya when launched, she measures 36’ LOA & was originally built for Mr Heard of Heards Confectionary. On trademe her owner claims she is a Collings & Bell but that is incorrect – read a lot more about her – build details, war history & more on the link below.

https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=MATAROA&submit=Search

Powered by a Ford 90p diesel, she will cruise effortlessly at 8.5 Knots. You will see from the photos that she is over due for some TLC but boy-o-boy the bones are there & for sale at $15k – that’s a lot of boat.

I have included below a photo from her early days, you will see how smart is was & could be with a little work.

Someone has to scoop her up.

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Awanui

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AWANUI

Home port for Awanui is Motueka, Nelson Bay. She is 30’ LOA with a carvel kauri planked hull. With her hull shape & powered by a 80hp Ford diesel she would get along very nicely. Looking at the trademe photos there appears to have been a lot of work done on her & she is well fitted out – sleeps 5, toilet, shower, engine heated hot water, 2 burner gas stove & grill + sounder/GPS plotter, VHF radio, CD stereo & anchor with electric capstan. Solar battery charging & the mandatory safety gear. If she was mine, that alloy boarding platform would be gone very quickly J.

A lot of boat for around $20k.

Anyone know who designed / built her?

14-02-2024 INPUT EX OWNER – LES NELSON 

My father owned Awanui in the 80″s we had a lot of enjoyment around the sounds during our ownership. We have a black and white image of when she was launched from the Picton foreshore back in around 1916-1919??. We stripped her back to bare timber and painted her from top to bottom, Rescue Orange “top side” with cream decks looked very smart. The mast was removed in favour of a shorter mount above the wheel house roof. A hatch was added above the wheel. A rear “duckboard” was removed to allow better control in a following seas. Would love to know where she is now, the last time we saw here was looking pretty plain and sorry looking in the Motueka marina.
We believe Cobber Kane owned her at some stage.

Darleen

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Darleen Alan H ©

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DARLEEN
photos ex Alan H & trademe

I have always admired Darleen when refueling RainDance at the Orams fuel berth as Darleen is normally berthed down at the Viaduct amongst the super yachts. The top 4 photos above I took at the Mahurangi Regatta in 2015. The others are ex. trademe. All I know is that she was launched in 1920, is 34′ long & powered by a 65hp Ford diesel. You will see that a lot of time & effort has been spent re-fitting her to a high standard, from memory I think her owner is engaged in the boat building/rigging industry.

Any of the woodys able to expand on her in terms of builder & history?

Sou’East

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SOU’EAST

photos ex trademe

Sou’East was built by Lanes in 1947, solid kauri carvel planked. She measure 39’3” & is powered by twin 90 hp Ford diesels on V drives.  Underneath all the additions there is a very smart classic , see photo below.

Currently for sale.

She has younger sister – Nor’West that was built in 1951, also by Lanes. View here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/27/nor-west/

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Ken Ricketts took the above photo of Sou’East in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island, Christmas 1949

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Classic Raft-Up at Salthouse Boatbuilders

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Wairiki & Kotuku
Venture
Wairiki & Kotuku
Trinidad
Wairiki & Kotuku
Gleam
Kotuku
Lucille & Kotuku
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Lucille

CYA SALTHOUSE 30.4.16

Rod Marler, Greg Salthouse, Bruce Marler, Bruce Tantrum, Mrs. B Marler, George & Dan Renall

 

Shalom
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Wairiki

Classic Raft Up at Salthouse Boatbuilders
photos from Alan H & 2 from Ken Ricketts

Saturday saw the CYA host a visit to Greg Salthouse’s Greenhite boat yard, members had the choice of arriving by water or road. Given the deep water anchorage at the wharf it was ideal for some of the yachting members to join in. Fiona Driver & Rod Marler buddied up with Barb & David Cooke to provide a BBQ lunch that disappeared very quickly 🙂
Greg S gave the attendees an intro to the yard & the work that was being undertaken & then thru the yard open to members to explore at their leisure.
Salthouse is one of the few remaining classic wooden boat friendly ‘railway’ haul-out slips in the Auckland area, so folks to quote that old saying – use it or lose it 😉

And on Sunday, while most of you rested I spent the day picking olives at a friends Ti Point property. Bumper crop this year made the day fly by, helped by a longish yum lunch featuring local produce & wines. If we got bored the view was pretty wow.

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Drone photo looking back at property

Irene

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IRENE
photos & details ex Dave Murphy via Zach Matich

OK woodys, today’s launch is the Lane built kauri hulled ‘Irene’ – 31′ long with a beam of 9’6″ & 2’10” draft. Other than that ww does not know a lot about her past. She is currently powered by  a 120hp, 6 cylinder D series Ford which was rebuilt 2012, with approx. $6,500 spent on her & has only done 100 hrs since then. You will see from the photos that she has all the things that make life easy on these old girls – auto anchor, gas fridge etc. If this is starting to sound like an advertisement, that is because Irene is for sale & at around $20k in my eyes is very good value + she has not been too mucked around with. Throw $5>10k at a good wood friendly boat builder & you would have a very smart classic. Not that there appears to be anything wrong with her now, as the architects say ‘the bones are there’.
Her owner Dave Murphy can be contacted on 09 439 8609

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Can we uncover more about her past ? home at the moment is the Kaipara Harbour.

Belle Heather (Heather Belle) – Sailing Sunday

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Bella Heather (Heather Belle) – Sailing Sunday
photos & details ex Tim Evill

On Waiheke Island these is a lovely 100 year old yacht that has just been rescued from a beehive restoration (a box of matches).
Belle Heather  was reportedly built by a Norwegian boat builder around 1915 and he built two other of a similar ilk. It fell into disrepair and it was taken on by the RSA who were going to renovate her and had made a start but then had to move her off the Causeway on Waiheke as all boats are being cleared now. No one seemed keen to take her on so she was due to be burned. Luckily Michael Raymond, a Waiheke builder fell in love with her super lines and put his hand up. He now has her outside his house and has already made a start on her. She is double skin kauri and needs an engine and full rigging.

So the question today is – do any woodys have more info one her, as Michael would love to find out more on her past. Also I imagine if you have an (smallish) engine in the shed that is  looking for a home…………

25-04-2016 Update & photo below from Jason Prew

Built by Neilson from Kawhia….. its not heather belle….it’s Belle Heather (amended. AH)

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Mystery Yacht
photo  ex Mac Taylor collection

I’m sure the classic yachties that follow ww will find this one easy to ID.
Make sure you check out ww tomorrow, there will be a great post on the ex Auckland pilot boat – Waitemata, wonderful photos from construction to present day.

MysteryYacht S:S 24:04

 

Volantis – Joins our classic launch fleet

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Launch day at Kenepuru

Napier April 2016
Napier April 2016
Peppeller’s @ Napier Apr. 2016
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Launch day at Kenepuru

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Alongside wharf at Ulva Island

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While in charter – Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island

VOLANTIS  – A new addition to the Auckland classic launch fleet
photos & details ex Michael O’Dwyer

Regular readers of ww will know that the CYA launch fleet are regular visitors to the 150+ year old waterfront Riverhead Hotel, in fact the upper harbour cruises are one of the highlights on the launch calendar.

What might not be well known is the publicans (good old fashioned word), Stephen and Paula Pepperell are very classic friendly, in fact before buying the hotel they built a 46′ Herreshoff mobjack ketch ‘Long White Cloud’ & cruised around the world for 6+ years.

On our most recent visit Paula & Stephen came aboard Barbara & David Cooke’s ‘Trinidad’ & I think this was the tipping point in their decision to buy a classic launch.
I can now confirm that they have purchased the 48′ launch ‘Volantis’ from the Marlbourgh Sounds.

Volantis was built in 1965 by Tom Brake at Kenepuru Sound, Marlbrough & has a semi displacement hull built from kauri & kahikatea. Power was a 6/71 GM diesel. From day one she was in charter, fishing in the Sounds. She started life at 42′ but c.1985 Miller & Tunnage at Port Chalmers lengthened her to 48′ & extended the wheel-house.

In 1985 she was sold to Phillip & Dianne Smith & based at Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island again in charter work. In August 2003 she was sold & relocated to Picton.

Volantis is powered by a 180 hp Detroit 2 stroke diesel & the Pepperell’s are currently on-route on the delivery voyage from the Sounds to Auckland, last weekend they stopped in at Napier, with the plan being to head north again this week.

Stephen commented to Michael that he already has plans to give her a more classic look without losing it’s work boat aesthetic. Given the presentation on ‘Long White Cloud’ & the hotel renovation – Volantis will be a fine addition to our Auckland fleet. I’m impressed with the expresso machine on board 🙂

Can any woodys supply more details on her past life?

Hopefully she will be heading up the creek to Riverhead & we will be able to have a peek during the CYA Launch Riverhead Hotel lunch cruise on Saturday 30th April. Should be a big day out – they always are 🙂  CANCELLED

12-01-2017 – Update from Barry Davis
Photo below of Volantis during her refurbishment, the mast is lying on the cabin top, some of the comings are under repair and there was masking tape around the cabin windows.

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