LIDGARD LAUNCH
Built c.1965 by Lidgards, three skin heart kauri & solid teak. Powered by twin 130hp Ford Dovers. Her specs are length – 52’5”, beam – 15’5”, draft – 5’2”.
Underway photo ex Ken Rickets, interior photos ex web. Her name is unknown to me.
WAIHAHA
photos & details from Alan Craig
When talking with Alan Craig the Lake Rotoiti boat builder a few weeks ago re the restoration of Manowai (ww 14-09-2015), he casually mentioned that he had just ‘put another boat in the water’. The other is Waihaha, previously named Avalon when she was on Lake Taupo. Alan’s yard, Craig Marine, installed a new Volvo D2 engine & raised and extended the wheel house as the old one was rotten. You will see from the above photos that they have done a great job, it so easy to get the proportions all wrong.
So woodys, what do we know about Waihaha>Avalon>Waihaha ? ex Lake Taupo now residing on Lake Rotoiti?
UPDATE from Paul Drake
The photo shows her at Taupo in the 1950’s, before she was renamed WAIHAHA, when she was LENA. She ran commercially in those days.
She went from Taupo to Tauranga (Omokoroa) when she was renamed AVALON, because someone told the then owner that she was in fact Zane Grey’s AVALON.
This is clearly not the case. It is good to hear that she has reverted to WAIHAHA. At Taupo she had a Morris Commodore engine. I think she is 32 feet.
I believe that she is Bailey and Lowe, although I cannot remember why I believe that! Perhaps she had a builders plate?
Also in the photo is LAMORNA (Colin Wild 1936) – on her mooring – and LADY PAT at a finger berth. Both well covered in WW.
REVENGE
photos & details from Michael Marston
Todays post features Revenge, an ex Kaipara Harbour work boat, converted to pleasure use. Her new owner Michael has just relocated her to Lake Rotoiti & she was relaunched there last Thursday (01-10-2015), photos below. Her details are as passed onto Michael so he would love to get clarification & if possible uncover more on her past. Revenge was built 1905 & is a carvel planked counter stern design, made from kauri with puri cross floors and pohutukawa ribs, fixed by copper nails and roves. Originally she had a mast which is now on show at the Matakohe museum
She is 36′ LOA with a 12′ beam & 3′ draft. Engine is 6.2 litre D-Series Ford truck engine 150 HP matched to a Newage gearbox. This all turns a 22″x18″ prop.
Until recently she spent all her life on the Kaipara Harbour. Early configuration was a small wheelhouse up front, with the deck fitted for cream can collection throughout the Kaipara Harbour. Its also believed she hauled logs throughout the Kaipara Harbour.
Her previous owners (from 1965) had her rebuilt in 1995 with new floor boards, wheel house and engine as per the condition you see today, for live aboard retirement cruising of the Kaipara.
Revenge will be a welcome addition to the Lake Rotoiti classic fleet.
So woodys what do we know about her – Zach what do the Kaipara guys say?
Launch Day – Lake Rotoiti
Harold Kidd Input
All I have is that she was built by Thompson at Aratapu in 1905 as a sailing fishing boat for Morgan Bros who sold her to Edgar Brown who sold to the Fisheries Department around 1930. She was skippered by Bunny Tilby as a fisheries protection vessel. In 1942 her then engine, a Kelvin Ricardo 24-30hp diesel, was removed and sold by tender. The Department sold her to Tilby in 1948. He sold her to Colin McPike who sold her to Bill Pook who sold her to Bob Moyle in 1968. Moyle converted her into a pleasure launch.
A lot of that is from the Matakohe Museum’s archives and may be pure anecdote.
ps I have since found confirmation that The Fisheries Branch of the Marine Department bought her in late 1930 and fitted the Kelvin-Ricardo in October 1930. That probably replaced the Twigg. The Kelvin-Ricardo was a “paraffin engine” rather than a diesel.
Zach Matich input
I know early on she had a Twigg 40hp in her, and I think she was towing metal from Green Hill for the Hobson county. She has very full underwater lines especially in the bow area,my great uncle said that she used to pound badly in a head sea so much so that all that was left on the cup hooks in the galley were the handles!! Bob Molye had Eric William convert her to pleasure ie new cabin,bulwarks and hull work etc. The Ford came out of one of our family boats which Bob brought just for the 6 cylinder ford and on sold it with Revenge’s old 4 cylinder ford. I’ll have a dig for some photos
Zach photos below 🙂
08-10-2015 Update from Michael Marston
Michael just sent in the photo below which he received from the last owner, who bought her from Bob Molye (who had her from circa 1965 – 2012).
Only the hull looks familiar, with the wheelhouse looking as though it is back-to-front compared to today.
Michael is hoping the picture will jog more memories, with stories to flow onto ww.
As for the where about’s of her mast at the front (see photo), one story has it as a flag pole on a front lawn at Tinopai whilst someone else says it is at Matakohe museum. The good news being it seems the mast still exists in the area.
MAEWA > ISLAY II
b/w photos & details ex Geoff Cooper
Recently Geoff spotted the launch Islay II on ww & contacted me to advise that approx. eight years ago while dinghy sailing around Bon Accord Harbour he identified the Isla II as the launch, Maewa, his father, Ted Cooper (E.R. Cooper), built in the years 1936, 37, 38. Geoff was invited aboard & the interior inspection positively confirmed the history of the launch. The then owner told Geoff that when he bought her he was told she was built by Billy Rogers in 1953. Somewhere along the way her cabin has been rebuilt and she has been extended as she is longer now.
Geoff’s father had the use of Billy Rogers shed at the bottom of Curren Street, Herne Bay on the beach to build her. The photos above, during construction, confirm to Geoff that Islay II is the Maewa.
Can any woodys input more on her past? She ‘resided’ in Milford Marina (creek) for a period in recent years. Her present owner has had her for approx 2 years.
On the original Islay II ww post Harold Kidd commented that he had Billy Rogers 1956?, alongside her name in his files, could this have been when the rebuilt cabin & water line extension was done? In my eye, as launched, she was a very smart launch 🙂
The photo below of Islay II was taken by Dean Wright in Te Uenga Bay (part of Parekura Bay), Northland.
MEOLA
Meola is one of those boats that no matter what angle you view her, she just looks right. Built in 1961 by Miller and Tunnage at Port Chalmers for the Ministry of Works. Her job was the servicing of Marine Dept. & Navy installations around Waitemata Harbour & the Hauraki Gulf. She is 42’6″ LOA with a 12’7″ beam. Her engine is a 4L3 Gardner that sees her comfortably cruise at 7.5>8 knots, using 1L of fuel per mile.
In 1976 she changed hands & was taken over by the NZ Navy.
When decommissioned by the Navy she was converted to a pleasure boat & is now a very salty launch capable of coastal cruising. Her current owner has recently rebuilt the wheelhouse, rewired her, installed new ‘plastic’ water tanks (700L). She carries 600L of fuel (s/s tanks).
Her galley & engine room have also been revamped. As you would expect she sports all the electronic & safety gear needed for coastal passages. Also installed are solar panels & 12v refrigeration to support the engine driven compressor frig / freezer.
Sleeping is a very comfortable 4 berths, being 2 forward bunks, a skippers Queen size bunk & a very cosy ‘winter’ bunk alongside the Gardner.
If you wonder why I’m being a little OTT with details, thats because her owner has decided that sail is really his thing & wants to see Meola move onto a good owner.
You would struggle to find a vessel better suited to either mooching around the gulf or coastal cruising to the Bay of Islands or Marlborough Sounds. Most of you have heard me rabbit on about the concept of the ‘floating bach’ – well Meola is a boat that fits that role perfectly & you could own her for less than a 1/4 the price of a bare coastal section. AND – she is a serious looker 🙂
If any woodys out there are looking for the perfect floating bach or know someone that is – contact Bram Cone at coneco@xtra.co.nz
01-10-2015 Additional Photos ex Owner
LADY SAM
Collings & Bell built Lady Sam in 1925. Approx. 32’ long & constructed of kauri planks. She is powered by a 80hp 6 cyl. BMC diesel.
She underwent a major refit & near complete rebuild in 2002. Home is the Coromandel Harbour. Recently for sale on trademe.
Can we confirm & expand on her history?
MASON BAY
photos & details ex Gary Underwood
Mason Bay (originally named San Guisepp) was built by Curnow & Wilson c.1956/57, while she has spent most of her life as a work boat she is now a very comfortable pleasure craft.
Details: LOA 14m, BOA 4m,.DR 1.5m 22Tonnes, 1500l diesel,800l water. Engine is a 6BD1 ISUZU 3 with a Capitol box, prop = 29in X 17in. The hull is 3 bl. 32mm Kauri copper fastened on 3 stringers/side. Below is a summary in chronological order of her life – her present owner Gary Underwood would like any input to confirm or add to these details.
To view more details on her & the restoration visit gazzabomasonbay.blogspot
HISTORY OF MASON BAY
1956/7 Built Curnow and Wilton, Nelson for Tony Bonica, Island Bay Wellington as a day fisher. Launched as “SAN GUISEPPE”. Powered by a Lister JP3 (tbc)
1974 Ian Boyce went to Napier as she was for sale as “MARY LW”. Owned by Willy Watson. Had a Fordson (6?) and the Capital 3:1
1974 Late 80’s in Port Chalmers.
1978 Big NE blow (see newspapers) and 8 boats caught off the Nuggets, Otago bar closed “SEAWITCH” (sistership to DORADE) lost with 2 crew, Warren Wilson skipper & Les Walker (leadboots) MASON BAY all ok. ( Not sure if those 2 guys were on Mason Bay or Seawitch)
1985 Big refit at Miller and Tunnage. new bulwarks, and the 6BD1 Isuzu was installed with the 3:1 Capitol box. Then sold to a Mr. Hall in Nelson/Motueka. He also had “PEARLY SHELL” I believe
1993 Bought by Ian Boyce (from whom a lot of this info comes). Based in Tauranga with the “SEA BEE” and fished tuna off the west coast of the South IS.
1995 Sold to “Blondie”who had her for 2 years and ended up in Bluff
2001 Seen and photographed fishing in Lyttleton Hbr.
2007 Bought by Russell Keen from a finance company.
2009 Sold to Gary Underwood
2010 Motored north to Whangarei in Jan.
2010 May – hauled at Norsand boatyard for refit/rebuild and conversion to pleasure. Shipwright was Marcus Raimon
2012 Re-launched and now home port is Whangarei Town Basin.
THE RESTORATION OF AKARANA
Details & photos below ex Dick & Colleen Fisher. Edited by Alan Houghton. Above photo ex Dean Wright
Akarana was designed by A.J. Collings & built by W.G. Lowe in 1960 for the Port of Auckland. They sold her 34 years later in December 1994 to Peter McDonald of Whangarei, Peter (deceased) was a long time friend of Dick Fisher & Dick purchased Akarana off Peter in April 2000.
Akarana is built using single skin 1 ¾ inch thick Kauri planking on spotted gum ribs with a hardwood keel & her displacement is 42 ton. W.G. Lowe had the contract to build her & allowed 23,000 man hours for her construction. When Port of Auckland sold her in 1994 she was on engine #6, having worn out 5 engines while working for the Auckland Harbour Board. From a couple of her log books that Dick has he would estimate that she has traveled somewhere between 600,000 + 700,000 miles during her working life as a pilot boat on Auckland harbour.
The 8L3B Gardner engine which Dick re-built was originally installed in an oyster dredger based in Bluff. This engine was built by Gardners in 1960. The same year as Akarana. She cruises comfortably at 10 knots.
After purchasing her, Dick took Akarana to his workshop at Kamo & then constructed a shed over her. You will see from the photos that shed is a little bit of an understatement 🙂
The photos below will give you an insight into the scale of the project & the stamina, patience & dedication of Dick Fisher in undertaking this restoration. Akarana is a magnificent vessel & a visit to her engine room normally sees most males gob-smacked at the attention to detail & cleanliness that would equal the finest medical operating theaters.
In additional to being a very skilled artisan, Dick is just a seriously good bloke, he once drove down to Auckland from Whangarei so I could show a visiting classic boater from the USA, who was a Gardner nut, over Akarana. You would struggle to find a more hospitable couple afloat than Colleen & Dick Fisher.
One day I’ll post on ‘Hamel’ the Fisher families other wee ship 😉
I have captioned the images – scroll over to view, also remember you can enlarge a photo by clicking on it.
At the bottom of the post (part two), for your interest I have included some papers that Dick acquired from the old Auckland Harbour Board.
A. Harbour masters comments prior to letting tenders.
B. Some of the requirements for the construction of Akarana.
C. AHB reviewing costs.
D. Breakdown of building costs.
E. Copy of daily log, note the totals for the month of July 1982 were 278 pilots, 510 hours running, & 2791 miles.
Photos below during her build at W.G. Lowe in 1960
As sold by Auckland Harbour Board – 1994
The restoration
Rebuilding the engine
Relaunching
Back in her happy place – April 2005
Supporting paperwork
Helm Photos
10-04-2018 Update – Photo below of Akarana on launching day. Photo sent in by Paul Drake, taken by his brother Michael.
Update 09-01-2021 – Photos below of Akarana in Kent Passage, Bay of Islands – 6th Jan , sent in by Grant Anson
MANOWAI
photos & details from Alan Craig ex Ken Ricketts, rewritten by Alan H
Well folks I now know the first boat I will be checking out at the 2016 Lake Rotoiti Classic Wooden Boat Parade 🙂
Manowai has spent the the last year tucked away in boat builder, Alan Craig’s boat shed, Alan has recently taken over the former shed of Tony Mitchell at Lake Rotoiti.
Ken has known the boat for over 70 years, first going aboard when he was around 8 years old.
Alan Craig advises that Manowai is 32′ with an 8′ beam & now owned by Lake Rotoiti local Dennis Walsh, Dennis intends to keep the launch on the lake where she will be a stunning additional to the classic fleet.. Dennis bought her off a Mr Andy Culpin of Hampton Downs. It is understood he had kept her in a shed for approx. 2 years & had started the restoration work & Alan has spent the last 12 months working on her. The target for relaunching is prior to Christmas 2015.
Alan commented that when purchased by Dennis Walsh she was powered by a BMC Commander, 4 cyl diesel, this is being replaced with a much lighter, brand new, 4 cyl. 40 hp Lombardini diesel, similar to what powers the launch Marjorie Rosa (ex Juliana) which also resides on Lake Rotoiti.
From the photos, the finish looks outstanding & given its been achieved just with elbow grease, lots of sandpaper & putty is a credit to Alan the boat builder.
Alan Craig has asked for help in sourcing early photos of her & any info from previous owners. The original builder & launch date are own known.
MANOWAI update ex Colin Brown via Ken Ricketts.edited by Alan H
Until today, I did not know that Colin B had significant roll in the refurbishment programme on MANOWAI.
He first became involved with her about 2003, when she was owned by Ralph Power & worked on her for an 8 year period in total, with around 3 years in his shed at Kumeu & also in the shed in McLeod Rd, Te Atatu South. During this period she changed hands from Ralph P., to Andy Culpin who sold her to Dennis Walsh.
The work included replacing the planking “hood ends” where the planking is fixed to the stem, with a new apron & new big pohutukawa stem knee. He also replaced most of the interior, except the middle section, where the engine was fitted over about a 3 year period
Colin told Ken he believes she was built by Bailey & Lowe in 1921
TAURAKA
Now I’m not sure if Tauraka is her current name, but according to trademe she was built in 1912 by Fred Man for F.W. Chalmers. She started life as a gaff rigged sailboat with a 10 hp Frisco engine. About 1925 she went to Tauranga where she had 4 owners before moving to Lake Rotoiti about 2005. Currently powered by a Ford 4 cyl. 60hp diesel engine. The trademe listing says she sold for $4,020, at 32′ that is a huge amount of boat for the price. Someone got a real bargain.
Harold Kidd (brilliant) Input
It’s actually a bit more complicated than that. Fred Mann of John St., Ponsonby built a 24ft launch for Frank W. Chalmers in 1910 called GWEN. Chalmers worked for J.J. Craig. In December 1912 Mann launched another launch for Chalmers, the 32 footer, GWEN C. She had a 10hp 2 cylinder ‘Frisco Standard. Chalmers kept GWEN C until September 1921 when he sold her to Percy Carter of Tauranga. Carter changed her name to HELEN C.
Now Carter was a leading light in the Tauranga Yacht & Motor Boat Club and a yachtsman through and through. Although the launch had used an auxiliary rig beforehand, Carter rigged her right up as a schooner and took part in yacht races in Tauranga with her. There had been a number of such launch/yacht hybrids before that in Auckland but they were neither fish nor fowl and generally defaulted to their launch role. HELEN C didn’t and carried her rig for many years. She was allocated the sail number E79 by the APYMBA and raced in the 1932 Auckland Anniversary Regatta on 20m handicap and came 6th on line.
Carter sold her when he bought the Woollacott ketch MAY in 1953 and renamed MAY RAUMATI after a small yacht he had owned and raced in Tauranga pre-WW1. HELEN C’s new owner renamed her TAURAKA.
