Category Archives: A Peek Down Below

RESTORATION OF CLASSIC LAUNCH – TAINUI – UPDATES – RELAUNCHED

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RESTORATION OF CLASSIC LAUNCH – TAINUI – UPDATES – RELAUNCHED

Very pleased to be able to report that the restoration of the 38′ classic wooden launch – TAINUI , built c.1967 is progressing well – recently Blair Boats provided via fb the above images. TAINUI is kauri carvel planked and has a beam of 9’3″.

TAINUI was originally named KAIPARA and was a pilot vessel on the Kaipara Harbour. From that role she was converted to a commercial fishing vessel and then went off to Great Barrier Island, GBI more often than not ends up a grave yard for wooden boats but she was saved by John Sloane who and bought back to the main land. After 8+ years at the boat shed at Whangateau TAINU was moved to Blair Boats for fitting out and re-powering prior to launching.

Recent work has seen the ‘new’ Gardner engine fitted and aligned on reenforced engine beds. The photos show that the head and anchor locker work is almost complete. 

As is becoming the normal these days a jet bow thruster is also being installed 🙂

Read more on TAINUI here https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/08/27/the-classic-wooden-launch-tainui-relocates-north/

11-04-2025 UPDATE ex Blair Boats – new floorboard have been fitted and varnished

24-08-2025 UPDATE ex Blair Boats – the work continues – teak hand rails and anchor roller, engine box undercoated.

10-09-2025 UPDATE – First coat of varnish on the hand rails and teak capping going on the toenail. 

22-09-2025 UPDATE – work continues with bonding and screwing on the laminated teak capping on the toe rail.

01-10-2025 UPDATE – Varnish going on the trim and toe rail

07-10-2025 UPDATE

UPDATE 10-10-2025 – Tainui was moved the outside shelter to free up some space in the shed. Latest work includes – installing custom built bifold doors, bronze potholes and engine vent.

01-11-2025 UPDATE – Bow rails receiving final coat + installed.

UPDATE 30-11-2025

SPLASH DAY HAS ARRIVED

2025 AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – DAY 6

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DAY SIX – BULLETIN – TUES 11TH

On the big silver bird today heading back to Auckland. Today we have a glimpse at a rather fine speed boat – MISS JAMAR that caught both my self and Angus Rogers eye.

Powered by a 383 ci Chev V8.

2025 AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Day 5 Bulletin

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DAY FIVE – BULLETIN – MONDAY 10TH

DAY FIVE – BULLETIN – MONDAY 10TH

Today woodys we have a gallery of photos of the 1895 Bailey Brothers built yacht – TE UIRA. She was one of the first NZ designed and built racing craft to be exported to Australia (Victoria, Melbourne).

TE UIRA has had a colorful past and been very close to a Beehive restoration several times. Luckily she found the right owner who commissioned a full restoration that was only completed late last year by Cygnet Wooden Boats.

Won’t bore you with the full details but lost my IPhone yesterday, spent hours visiting lost & found + police etc but there are some honest people out there and later in the day I recovered it. So relived.

Lunch was a shared pizza – very good 😋

2025 AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Day 4

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DAY FOUR – BULLETIN – Sunday 9th

My favorite woody

Four seasons in one day today on the weather front but all good post mid day.

Some serious culture today via museum and gallery visits then dock mooching to snap the woodys I’d not photographed and then some R&R at the local watering holes. Public holiday on Monday so crowds could be a little OTT.

Bumped into anyone and everyone that matters in the trans Tasman classic wooden boating scene and made a few new friends.

Lots of activity at the Pacific exhibition, with Johnny Wray’s – NGATAKI, stealing the limelight.

Back at the hotel our wallaby mate came around for dinner and bought the whole family 😄

WORLDWIDE CLASSIC BOAT SHOW- FREE ACCESS TICKET

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WORLDWIDE CLASSIC BOAT SHOW- FREE ACCESS TICKET FOR WW READERS

As you read this I’ll be winging my way to Hobart for the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival. There will be daily posts of the best thats on display so check in each day.

Readers of WW will be familiar with my addiction to the USA based v-blog OFF CENTER HARBOR, one of the super cool gigs these guys pull together is the annual WORLDWIDE CLASS BOAT SHOW, which waitematawoodys is co-sponsoring this year. The online show kicks off on February 14th – and as a WW reader you get a Free Ticket to the Worldwide Classic Boat Show

See over 1,200 of the world’s best wooden boats at the show. The show is 100% online/virtual, February 14 to March 2nd, so you’ll get free access to everything from your favorite lounge chair at home.
You can CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE TICKET/PASS.

WHAT’S AT THE SHOW? 

  • World Map – Everything related to classic boats on one interactive world map
  • Boats – Beautiful photos and details of 1,200+ of the world’s best classic boats
  • Organizations – Explore festivals, boatbuilders, clubs, museums, schools, etc.
  • Live Presentations – Inspiring presentations featuring experts on a variety of topics
  • People – Connect with other attendees anywhere in the world (right on the map)

Your free ticket will get you into all of these presentations:

  • Arctic Solo Sailor Veronica Skotnes
  • Yacht Restoration w/ Dave Snediker
  • Indigenous and African Maritime Legacies w/ Akeia de Barros Gomes
  • Why Are These the Best Boat Festivals? w/ Port Townsend, France, and Australia
  • Two-Tim Race to Alaska Winner Jeanne Goussev
  • Marine Systems w/ Kevin Ritz from NWSWB
  • Small Boat Design w/ John Welsford, Clint Chase, and Ross Lillistone

+ SUBMIT YOUR OWN BOAT:
They’re still accepting boat submissions too, so you can CLICK HERE to submit your own boat to be in the show.
Enjoy the show

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – CAN IT BE SAVED OR A BEEHIVE RESTORATION

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – CAN IT BE SAVED OR A BEEHIVE RESTORATION

Todays 22’ classic woody photos come to us from a tme listing, thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up. 

I know if its wood a rebuild is always doable but there is always the maths to be done eg cost v’s what its worth restored. 

Even though the asking price is $1, unless someone with deep pockets and a past connection to a vessel – sadly these craft end up as a Beehive restoration , if you aren’t familiar with the term, scroll down.

Looking at the photos the potentially most valuable items – the portholes – have been removed, combine this the the boats location  – Blenheim, Marlborough. Things do not look too rosy.

So woodys can we put a name to the boat so that we at least give her a fitting end.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – BON VOYAGE – A Peek Down Below

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – BON VOYAGE – A Peek Down Below

The 34’ 4” classic launch – BON VOYAGE was built in 1962 by Dave Jackson. Her beam is 9’8” and she draws 2’6”. The go forward is from a 6 cyl. 120 hp Iveco diesel engine that sees her topping out at 9 knots. Her current owner has had her for 10 years and during this period undertaken a significant amount of maintenance and system upgrades.In the 2023>24 period the Brin Wilson yard were commissioned to strip the hull, garboard planks re-caulked, transom boarding platform completely rebuilt, part of cabin top replaced and glassed, complete hull repaint + new stainless steel hand rails.

Given the provenance of the builder and the owners preparedness to commit to regular maintenance , BON VOYAGE appears to be a very good woody, with the bonus of fitting into a 10.5m berth.
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the tme heads up.

A CELEBRATION OF THE CLASSIC WOODEN STEAM BOAT – ROMANY

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03-02-2025 INPUT ex COLIN BROWN – photo below of a painting Colin has of ROMANY in the shed at Whangateau boat shed.

A CELEBRATION OF THE CLASSIC WOODEN STEAM BOAT – ROMANY

The top photo above is on my permeant laptop screen saver rotation i.e. one of my favourite woody boating images. The craft is Russell Ward’s steam boat – ROMANY and I have been taking photos of her for over 10 years. Just after I took this photo myself and Murray Deeble joined Russell for a very special early morning cruise around Lake Rotoiti. 

The year was Feb 2014 and the annual Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade had been postponed 24 hrs due to inclement weather (mainly fog). Given that ROMANY takes several hours to fire / steam up Russell was keen to head out anyway, so Deeble and I hopped aboard. A very memorable day, made even more special by ‘visiting’ (gate crashing) several waterfront holiday homes along the way.

What prompted todays story was Russell sent in two photo of the new engine for ROMANY, in the final stages of assembly – I would not like like to be funding that project – looks very $$$. I’m sure Russell will had some details on the new engine.

Enjoy the photos, mainly taken at LRC&WBF’s over the last decade.

AND REMEMBER THIS YEARS LAKE ROTOITI CLASSIC & WOODEN BOAT PARADE IS ONLY 8 DAYS AWAY – 8th FED 2025 – details here https://www.woodenboatparade.co.nz/wooden-boat-parade/

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ATHENA

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ATHENA

The 1962 Des Donovan designed and  built launch – ATHENA has made several appearances on WW and has had a very colourful life.

She is 48’ in length, has a beam of 12’11” and draws 5’5”. Forward motion is from a 127hp Gardner 6LX.

When I arrived last Friday night at Scotts Landing, Mahurangi I dropped anchor alongside ATHENA and was greeted by an old friend, Dave, who had just purchased her.

A great back story – owned by a Coromandel farmer who undertook a 10 year refit on her. All the interior wood was felled and milled on his property. Dave had been aware the ATHENA had been on/off the market for over a year and approached the owner and made an offer – sold.

So the Mahurangi Regatta weekend was really the shake down cruise.

I was invited aboard for a sun-downer and took the photos above. A few exterior items that need addressing but Dave is the man for that, having once owner the launch – WAIMIGA. 

One of the things that makes ATHENA so special is she is a member of the sub-mariners club – Cameron Pollard told us the story a few years ago – “ATHENA ran over a bit of NZ ( like many still do) and sadly when the tide dropped so did the boat and she filled up and skidded off the rock. Story has it she was lost for quite a few days as the tide took her for a underwater voyage. When she was later found and salvaged the mud and foul inside her was quite unreal.” Photo below (ex K Ricketts) of the opps

So to see her on Friday living her best life was very special and testament to the skills of the tradespeople that have worked on her in recent years.

For further details on ATHENA contact – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

WOODEN LAUNCH – SCUFFY

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WOODEN LAUNCH – SCUFFY

Todays woody is one of the many classic wooden craft from Picton that have recently appeared on tme for sale (thanks Ian McDonald) – must be something in the water down there…….

There is no mention of a launch date, but its safe to assume that being named – SCUFFY, that she has had a name change along the way.

What we know is that she is approx 24’ 6” in length, built from wood and s powered by a 30hp Yanmar 3 cyl diesel engine. 

It’s commented that she was the vessel featured in the NZ story ‘ Herbert The Brave Sea Dog’.

Her Picton marina berth (pole) is available for $210 a month – that figure will make most Auckland boaties weep.

Can we learn more about SCUFFY.

26-05-2025 UPDATE ex Joel Gillespie (new owner)  – Earlier this year I purchased Scuffy – I’m keen to learn more about this boat. Approximate build date? Boat builder? Photos prior to 2016? Where she started life?

I purchased her in pile birth in Picton, but this past week had her relocated to Duncan Bay, Tennyson Inlet. She handled the 12 hour trip around Cape Jackson & Aligator Head very well, commented the commercial skipper that drove her. She seems to cut through chop well, though she doesn’t have much of a chine so does tend to feel a fraction tender, especially at rest. I’m keen to hear from those that know how I can reduce her inclination to be tender,  some lead has been added to the bottom of the hull but isn’t solid.

She presently sleeps 2 in the fore birth, I plan to slat her aft bench seats to sleep 4 total. She has a basic galley, portable gas stove, 3 way fridge, sink. Stainless diesel and fuel tanks with baffles. Capstan, plotter VHF, etc . Still has her Yanmar 3QM30 running well. I intend to use her as a cruiser through Pelourus sound, a weekend at a time.