Today we are state side to have a tour of the 1933 Stephens Brothers built 43′ classic woody – A Dora Blu. I was sent the youtube link by John Dawson – now I ask that you ignore the youtube fluff at the start and the obvious sales pitch – trust me its worth checking out. I was very envious of the boat shed, must make caring for a classic a breeze. Her owners attention to maintaining the boats heritage looks and fit out is wonderful, but when they lift the engine bay covers the sight is a very big wow, twin Yanmar JHC120hp engines, proof that you do not need to weigh these old girls down with huge engines.
(note: some confusion on the build year – the nav light boards say 1931)
ID The Russell Yachts Friday Quiz Winner – Ken Fyle. WW burgee on the way – the yachts were – (L) XANTHO & (R) IIEX. As I thought a lot picked IIEX but only 2 correctly had XANTHO.
COMPASS ROSE – A Peek Down Below The launch Compass Rose popped up on tme nearly a year ago and at the time we ran a story on her that generated a lot of discussion / chat in the comments section around her DNA. We never really established her origins but I tend to lean on the side of Allan Keane’s input – i.e. her builder and as launched name is unknown but c.1986/88 her name was changed to – Arthur Daley. c.1995 she was sold again and renamed – Compass Rose. Allan’s ‘knowledge’ comes from having sold (brokered) the boat 3 times.
In the previous WW story – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/05/02/lady-fay-arthur-daley-compass-ros/ there was speculation her launch name was Lady Fay and built by Orams & Davies in Whangarei in the early 1960’s. As often happens the collective memories get a little mashed up over the years so very keen to be able to clear up the question marks hanging over her. Thanks to woody John Dawson for the photos.
Well woodys it is only a mystery because the owner, trying to sell her chooses to not show the vessels name – a tad crazy when selling a classic – the name is what joins the dots.
What we are told (thanks IanMcDonald / tme) is that she was built in 1978 and is described as a Woolley 25, kauri planked, powered by a Volvo Penta 28hp diesel engine and calls Lake Rotoiti (Nth Island) home.
The ability to trailer the boat is a big bonus – but sadly the trailer is probably worth more than the boat 😉
Hopefully one of the Lake Rotoiti woodys can enlighten us more.
OSCAR – Born Again Back in May 2022 Oscar made an appearance on WW, link below to that story, back then she was in a very sad state and being offered for sale via ‘As Is Where Is’ condition.At the time we learned that the 34’6” Oscar was designed by Sam Ford and commenced the build c.1968>70. Sadly Sam passed away and his son Trevor completed the project. When launched the she was named – Shimca’. 2022 WW Storyhttps://waitematawoodys.com/2022/05/01/classic-boat-barn-find/
Recently I was contacted by Mark Pearce who purchased Oscar and undertook to refit the launch (see Marks words below) – as seen in the above photos. Currently 4sale on tme.
“I’ve stripped the outside from the deck down. I re-fastened the hull bottom and sides to the frames and put thousands of screws into the inner diagonal and outer horizontal planks which are about 12mm thick on the topsides and 15mm on the bottom. I replaced a small part of one rotten plank but the rest are in great condition. I then glued and screwed 6mm ply strips on the bottom and topsides and cut out ply to shape for the deck. I glassed the whole boat with 200g cloth and two pot inter protect followed after lots of sanding filling and fairing. I replaced the cutlass bearing after dropping the strut 10mm to line the shaft correctly. The boat has new paint from cabin sides to keel. We had to hiab the engine up to remove and repair some holes in the cast aluminium sump. New electric toilet was fitted along with a new gas stove, VHF and an am/fm radio. It has a new electric anchor winch as well.”
I had cause to spend sometime last week/end in Queenstown and made the effort to take a ‘cruise’ across Lake Whakatipu on the 1912 built coal fired steamer – TSS Earnslaw. I have visited Queenstown a lot in the past but mainly for business related events and was always running to a tight agenda – not so this trip.
A wedding invitation was the excuse for a visit, so while the rest of the family went for a long walk I boarded the ship, at nearly 160’ in length she is a ship.
Trip included a brief stop at the Walter Peak farm – a very impressive looking complex.
The conditions were perfect and woodys I would encourage you to do it if you are down that way. Enjoy the photo gallery.
And the wedding was a stunner – the best of everything – people, venue, food, wine and music. I think I danced more in one night than in the last 20 years, hopefully no one was filming 🙂
Todays woody slips onto WW primarily because home of the 34’ launch – Konini is Queenstown and thats where I am today. Thanks to a tme listing back in Nov 2023 (via Ian McDonald) we learnt that Konini started life as a fishing boat from the east coast of the South Island. Her owner back in 2023 bought it from a fisherman in Bluff. Her hull is double skin kauri plank and the cabin and wheelhouse were rebuilt about c.2017.
A 51hp Perkins 4.108 pushes her along at 6>7 knots. I’m sure she gets some sideways looks from tourists onboard the TSS Earnslaw, but as they say – ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ 🙂
Back in February we did a story on the 38’, 1959 Fred Wilkins designed, Allen Williams built launch – Nor-East. That story was a great comparison of her as launched and with the help of a Feb 2019 photo of the craft moored in the Tamaki River we were able to see the ‘additions’ (I’m being polite) check out that story here, lots of great photos https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/02/18/nor-east-before-and-now/
Current forward propulsion is via twin Ford 80hp Diesel engine that get her along at 8 > 10 knots. There were two almost sister ships – Sou East and Nor West
Now thanks to Ian McDonald and a recent tme listing we get to have a gander down belo
Todays woody has a few question marks alongside her provenance – on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) her owner has said she was built by Lanes to a Logan design and a commentator has mentioned maybe / possibly built by Charlie Gouk in Herne Bay. Build year is listed as 1928, measures 32’ in length with a 9’ beam. Built in traditional kauri carvel planking. Forward propulsion is from a Nissan LD20 engine, reconditioned but not operational.
The name draws a blank with me so it would be nice to clarify the boats DNA and what she has been up to for the last 96 years. Home is Picton, South Island.
INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – G Tanner of Auckland was the first owner. Later she was sometimes called GEORGENE T. She was registered with APYMBA as late as 1935 as GEORGENE T with the number 20..
16-04-2024 UPDATE – Never believe what you read on tme 🙂 the listing named the boat as – Georgine, so that was the name we used for the WW story. Harold Kidd commented above about the name – Georgina T.
Then yesterday well doing a deep dive in the WW archives for another vessel I came across the March 2016 story based on a trip south by Nathan Herbert.
When I received the photos above the first thoughts were ………… where and why.
Chatting with the sender, Ant Smit, I learned that the location was the MacKenzie Basin, which is situated approx. 1/2 way between Christchurch and Queenstown in the South Island. The area is almost the dead centre of the island.
Ant advised that a friend was on a motorcycle tour and spotted the boat and couldn’t not stop and snap a few photos.
I quick chat to my WW steam guru – Russell Ward and we learn she was purchased ex Picton and should currently be viewed as ‘art’. Lets hope there is a long term plan to restore her.
Her back story is a good read and she appeared on WW in May 2020 – link below. We learned then she was made of steel in 1987 and was originally named – James Torrey, and was used for trout fishing tours on Lake Tarawera – lots of details in the story. In the photo below we see her at Picton when she was running as a commercial passenger vessel. https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/05/17/ss-duke-of-marlborough/
Anyone able to enlighten us more on her future
INPUT ex DAN CONAGH (owner) – I can confirm that I’ve purchased and moved the Duke to a section of land I own in Twizel. Our intention is to restore, repaint and return to service on one of the lakes in the MacKenzie District.
Unfortunately the boat is showing the signs of having been stored next to the ocean in Picton. The hull has some rust that requires attention. The wooden topside has some sun damage. New varnish required, and the PVC roll up sides are beyond repair. The photos in this article are very recent as I was up there on Saturday cleaning up all the coal spread across the floor inside.
Hi Alan – nice to see Skipjack, nee Sea De’il featured in a recent post. Perhaps I can clarify re your question about whether James Hoey’s boat is in fact Skipjack? You are quite correct that the length has changed. Many things have changed with this boat since she was launched! The owner/guardian before me, which is pre-2016, was Brent Gribble of AkzoNobel Paints. Brent and his father had a major stern modification carried out by Glenn Burnnand of Burnnand Marine in Auckland. This increased her length to 10 metres, with a square, step-through transom and with a fish cleaning s/s basin built-in. Prior to Brent’s ownership, Sea Devil, as she was called then, was a restoration project for Captain Vern Tonks in Whangarei. I received the boat’s original history from Winston Hoey, via Brent. Winston recorded that Sea De’il was built and designed by Chas Bailey circa 1918, for James Hoey and his son Cecil (Born 1901). The boat was used for transport from Whangarei to Reotahi Meat Works, near where the family bach was located. She was powered originally by a flat head Dodge or Desoto gear, and the first doghouse was added in 1928.
Cecil Hoey in stern of “Sea De’il” in Whangarei Harbour
Subsequently, Dec 1951 – ship wrights Angus Henderson and Bill Naggs – built a new cabin to create more head room. They also created the step-up foredeck, and added the lead board on the bow. This was built of Kowhai timber and each rib in the boat was replicated – doubling the ribs in the hull to strengthen for the extension, and a bronze rudder was cast in Whangarei. At this time too, a 4-cylinder Ruston Engine was fitted.
After the refit and new topsides in 1952
In 2005, after hearing she was destined for the tip, Captain Vern Tonks took her on as his “passionate hobby”. Captain Tonks was quoted saying, “She’s a piece of Whangarei’s history that requires restoring. It’s quite amazing really how many of them are lying around the country, sticking out from under covers, in various states of disrepair. We are a very strong nation of boating people and unfortunately a lot of these crafts have become non-existent and some of them are nice classic vessels”
Vern expected that he had a two-year project. He completely gutted her and started rebuilding the structure, keeping the original portholes, installing a new wheel house with the engine under the floor and a couple of bilge keels to dampen rolling. “Three or four trailer loads have gone to the dump out of her. She’s been derelict for so long and from what I’ve found there was a lot of things that weren’t up to spec in the construction. Someone somewhere along the way has put a lot of veneered Rimu custom wood into her, which is allergic to water and of course it all went rotten. So, I got to the stage where all the timber I’ve had sitting around is coming to good use”
Vern also changed the name back to the English meaning of Sea Devil. Sadly though, one month before finishing her, with plans to compete in the Classic Boat fishing completion in Whangaroa Harbour, Vern passed away in 2008.
This is when Brent and Sarina Gribble took over the project, and with the help of widow June Tonks and close friend of Vern’s and Brent’s – Steve Ekman, they completed the refit, and in June 2008, she was launched on the beach at Oakura at low tide – going back in the water for the first time in 23 years. After a time, Brent took her to the Outboard Boating Club, onto a swing mooring in the Okahu Lagoon, and as mentioned, I purchased her and kept her there before moving her in 2019 to her current berth in the Waikawa Marina in the Sounds.
June 2008, Oakura Beach Whangaruru, Peter Gribble in foreground
Like all classic boats, and especially those of considerable age, Skipjack has had lots of work done to suit the inclinations of the various owners and simply to keep her seaworthy. Since I’ve been taking care of her, I’ve concentrated primarily on improving the mechanical side of things – which has included all keel-bolt replacement (which you reported at the time), new prop and shaft, new gearbox shaft and universal, new steering, all engine seals and engine mounts replaced (Ford Dover 80hp), new water-pump and tanks (replacing an old copper hot water cylinder!), new stove, Eberspacher diesel heater (which in the Sounds makes winter cruising a doddle…), replacement of all topside decks, new mast, large holding tank and shore pump-out fitting, new electric toilet, new oil cooler and all hosing upgraded, all s/s exhaust system and dry riser…you get the picture! Something always needs to be done. But these days, Skipjack is very seaworthy and much loved! The pic below shows her recently, in Greville Harbour on the western side of D’Urville Island – a trip of around 250kms. Skipjack cruises at 7.5 knots at the engine’s optimum rpm of 1,800.
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