SUZI Q > EMILY M – Could Be A Perfect Lake Day Boat
The 27’ 1960 built launch – Emily M recently popped up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald).
Her owner believes she was built by Lanes of Totara North, but we all know how frequently that name is attached to wooden craft 🙂
Forward motion is via a 80hp Ford diesel. Looks like she needs some TLC to the interior but a very salty looking craft that could easily be returned to looking smart again.
In a previous life she was named Suzi Q and worked as a commercial snapper long-liner out of Whangamata in the 1970’s.
Todays woody the 42’6” – Santa Maria ticks a lot of my boxes – built in 1955 by Curnow & Wilton for what’s loosely referred toad ’the Italians’ (Wellington based) for Hapuna and crayfish fishing in the Cook Strait.Post this she worked various roles around much of the rest of the country, and then professionally converted to pleasure use around 20 years ago.
I was aboard her a few years ago and she is a very comfortable woody.The icing on the cake is a 127hp Gardner diesel that has her cruising at a very stately 8 knots.
Keen to learn more about her past. Current home is Kerikeri.
UPDATE ex Brian Kidson – WOW, stunning photo below –
George Curnow, his partner Maurie Wilton and their foreman Keith Carnahan all came from Lanes in Picton. Business started in Nelson about 1933 and finished in 1966 after their last fire. They were then absorbed into Nalder and Biddle.
Brian was told that the Santa Maria was involved in a rescue off the east coast of the North Island at some stage. Brian doesn’t know dates and details. Does anybody?
I talk often on WW about some classic woodys being lucky in terms of their owners over the years – the 1963 Claude Smith 30′, E-Class yacht – Elusive (E75) is one such craft, enjoying 33 years of continuous ownership.
Elusive was designed and built by Allen Smith at his boatyard on Riverside Drive in Whangarei , Northland as his own yacht She was a very successful yacht in her first season winning many races, in fact probably every race entered.
• OYC 100 and 150 mile races • The White Island race • Balokovic Cup • 4th in The Noumea race
Her builder once told her owner, Alan Turner, that she was built with the “surplus” timber in their yard and is mostly full length kauri and has three bilge stringers instead of the usual one. As a result she is very strong and has had 2 pot paint to the topsides for the last 25 years and was repainted circa 5 years ago.
Her keel was dropped and bolts checked at the same time. The stern tube was replaced with fiber-glass c.10 years ago and a new Blue Water seal is about to be fitted
When required forward motion is via a Ford 15hp diesel engine. She sports an extensive wardrobe of North Sails in good condition – main, No1, No2, Storm jib and spinnaker plus a cockpit tent and sunshade (cockpit is 6′ long). Toilet is near new and holding tank fitted. Electric windlass and chain.
Talking with Alan he commented that with her mainly paint finish she is very economical to maintain.
Elusive is for sale and when I asked Alan what her strong points were he said – very easy to sail and strong as and doesn’t have any vices. She did the Noumea race in the 1960’s and is great at sea. She is a great little ship for a mature couple wanting an easy ship to manage and maintain. Her marina berth at Half Moon Bay will be available to rent and with a first right of refusal when up for sale.
Alan is happy to answer any questions, in the first instance contact via email. xpdxrd@gmail.com
Todays woody – Mata Hari has had several name changes – built by James Reid at Mechanics Bay, Auckland and launch in 1910. Her launching name was Avis, and Harold Kiddd has commented on WW before that the change toLady Avis was reasonably new and then to Mata Hari in the last few years.
39’ in length and built of kauri carvel planks, she is powered by a Perkins 90hp Diesel engine that gives her a top speed of 10 knots.
Todays woody is – Lady Luck, a 36’ Roy Parris launch, built in 1961 from kauri planks. With a 10’6” beam Lady Luck is very spacious and has 6 berths, and a rarity on a 36’ vessel – separate shower and head.
Forward motion is via a 6 cyl. Ford 120hp diesel that gets her along at a comfortable cruising speed of 8 knots. From her tme listing she appears to be well fitted out in terms of utilities – instrumentation, auto anchor, frig/freezer, hot (gas) shower, solar charging and more.
Home port is Thames. Booked for annual haul out and anti-fouling.
Advancing years necessitates her owners locating a new custodian for Lady Luck. Interested parties in the first instance should contact Bruce Fulton 021 857255 – email b.fulton@xtra.co.nz
Back in late December 2023 we reported on the 28’, Lanes (Picton) built woody – Waione that had been in storage in a shed in Mapu, Nelson for 50+ years – link here to that story https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/12/21/waione-2/
At the time John Burland had promised to track her down, which he did with his friend Patrick. The above photos come to us from that days outing.
Patrick also included his observations from the visit:
“Well I went to inspect the Waione a few days ago and she’s securely parked in a shed and you know it’s been well covered, out of the water for a long period I think 30 years and the paint basically has all been stripped off so it’s a bare hull. Construction is kauri and seems to be double skinned, the inner skin is diagonal and the outer planking is end to end or a longitude carvel arrangement, she has a long keel and a counter stern, quite a small volume boat. I think built by Lanes in Picton, so she would’ve been designed for the Marlborough Sounds before there was much access via road so would’ve been designed to to operate pretty economically with a small 5 to 10 hp engine, some sail arrangement plus large oars or sweeps as they called them in those days to propel the boat and manoeuvre it should the engine fail or docking or whatever. Some of the first engines didn’t even have a reverse gear so you were up against it a bit for manoeuvrability, but it would’ve been a very easily driven boat being quite narrow and very fuel economic and quite fast for the time. That sort of a classic early 20th century design with tram cab arrangement in the higher part of the cabin and then a curved front to the the cabin not a lot of room inside it but a very sweet little boat and seems to be in reasonably sound condition. And I would say a relatively easy restoration as far as restorations go, a little bit of dry rot on the cabin top and things around some of the work around the hatch at the companion way probably a little bit not keeping with the times made of not solid timber, but overall it’s amazingly original and so I think it would be a very worthwhile and enjoyable project for anyone who who was keen to take something of that nature on. The caulking that would all need to be redone, it’ll all need to be re-caulked and primed and painted and possibly refastened, no doubt and just a good going over really, but there didn’t appear to be any worm in the keel or or anything. The propeller shaft, propeller and rudder are all in place. The oval portholes and the fore cabin were still serviceable and able to be to be restored to their former glory I would say and it’ll be a lovely little craft once it was operating again and quite practical and useful for you in sheltered waters so I would recommend anyone that was interested in that sort of boat and had the desire to keep a little bit of our maritime history going would be well worth a look at.”
Well I suppose its still afloat and providing a waterfront home to her owner but ………………..
Todays ‘woody’ is according to her tme listing – 46’ in length, launched in1935, and built from kauri carvel construction.
There is mention of her once being a mussel trawler in the Coromandel, and possibly spent time in Auckland and the Kaipara Harbour.
These days she is best described as a house boat, not to my taste but there is always the chance that someone will fall in love with her and take her under their wing. Or maybe a prop on a movie set.
With 2023 being the worst boating year that I can recall, whilst I held high hopes I also was semi expecting another fizzer – well as most of you will know the Christmas – NY period turned out to be a winner for those that slipped the lines and headed away. Other than New Years eve being very wet (but warm) we enjoyed great launch cruising conditions. Not always perfect but if you picked a spot that suited the wind and travelled at times when conditions were settled it was never unpleasant. I put my faith in PredictWind and they delivered.
We left the marina on the 27th Dec. and chose Woody Bay, RAKINO ISLAND for Night One. Sundown drinks aboard Jenny and Angus Rogers stunning classic launch – Centaurus. Stunning sunset (as above)
Day Two was also spent in Woody Day as the wind had picked up, but very sheltered in the bay + the call had gone out for pizza from the islands Woody Bay Pizzeria, truely the best pizza’s I have eaten.
Day Three we moved around the corner to West Bay as the forecast had a W in it which isn’t normally a good thing at Rakino – very quiet in the bay so again secured a good spot and sent Day Three and Four there.
Morning of the 30th, Day Four was decision time – head north to KAWAU ISLAND or south to WAIHEKE ISLAND – forecast was turning south so WAIHEKE was probably the better call but me stuck with the original plan and head to KAWAU, Raindance is at her best when everything on the nose so it was an ok passage. We choose to anchor for the day / night in Bostaquet Bay , a first for me, and can report a very nice anchorage and again very few boats.
Day Five (31st) we headed over to Bon Accord Harbour and took up residence on one of the RNZYS club moorings just off Lidgard House in Smelter House Bay. Plan was NYE at the recently refurbished and re-opened Kawau Boating Club. Slight problem, the power had been off on the island for 24+ hours so club closed 😦
As we relaxed onboard several helicopters were flying overhead with all manner of kit dangling below – ladders, tool boxes etc – Around 3pm power returned and thank god the back up generator had kept the beer frig working 🙂 . But the rain arrived and continued non-stop most of the night. KBC appeared to get well supported but people tended to come ashore for a meal and retreat to the boat.
Day Six was a lazy day mooching around the island and back to the mooring + KBC
Day Seven we head south to WAIHEKE ISLAND and spent the day in Oneroa re provisioning and hosting some friends from Devonport for drinks, then catching up with Waiheke friends ashore.
Day Eight a lazy day exploring WAIHEKE and moved to Hekerua Bay for the evening. I crossed the dark side and had drinks onboard another friends new non wood boat – putting aside the construction it was very grand (ice maker + water maker – 200L a day) our pup was very taken with the ability to do 360° laps of the boat.
The plan was to head down to the ‘bottom end’ the next day but the forecast included a H & a E so the decision was made to head home after another lazy day, on Day Nine.
The trip restored my faith in owner a boat and helped make 2023 a distant memory.
There is so many photos that I have divided the trip report into two sections, Part One = the trip and Part Two (tomorrow) = the classic boats that were out and about. Todays story is broken up by location – ENJOY
(And sorry for the lengthy, slightly over-the-top title but there are key words that do wonders for the overseas search engines)
The 28’ David Bedham designed spirit of tradition launch that we featured on WW back in November 2023, link below it nearing completion at the Slipway yard in Milford.
Will be a very smart and fast addition to the Waitemata Harbour, were her intended use is as a fast island commuter.
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 14+ million views 