Back in January 2022 WW was contacted by Geremy Hinton who advised he and his father had acquired an old wooden motor-sailer named – Kaha. All they knew about her was a possible build date in the early 1900’s.
The top photo shows Kaha as found / purchased.
Since early 2022 they have been undertaking an extensive refit, as seen in the photos below.
Geremy and his father would like to learn more about Kaha, so today woodys we are reaching out to see what the collective WW minds can come up with.
The 1965 John Gladden ketch motor-sailer is one of those rare vessels that you have an immediate attachment to – it has everything it needs, in the right place and proportionally correct, which is hard for a designer to get right on a 36’ vessel. Her designer was a UK resident named Francis James. Her first owner Gordon Robertson, an engineer by trade and a very skilled amateur boatbuilder, had input in the finishing. All the cast bronze fittings throughout Taranui are impressive.
Built from kauri, carvel planked , Taranui has a 9’ beam and draws 5’. When the wind drops there is a 62hp Nanni Diesel engine, installed new in 2000 by the Salthouse yard. The eagle eyed will note that her name (big tern in maori) appears on her bow with a hyphen, this is a songwriters oops – its Taranui.
Stepping on board is a treat, she is a boat that you could easily call home for extended periods of time – in fact her owner of 26 years has been off shore 3 times (in Cat1 each time) – destinations being Tonga and New Caledonia. I’ll let Richard tell us about the trips.
“Our first trip to Tonga in 2000 was a wonderful family experience. We were there for 3 months with out 3 young children. Sailing back to NZ from Tonga was my first solo ocean trip, and Taranui proved herself to be a very easy boat to manage solo. I also sailed solo to New Caledonia and back to NZ twice. On one of these trips we spent many months living aboard with family and friends flying over to join us aboard. Taranui has also taken me on a solo 3 month trip around NZ, including Stewart Island were I was joined again by family and friends and got to explore most of the fiords. Other family cruises have been to the Marlborough Sounds and numerous excursions exploring the Northland coast and islands including Great Barrier and Coromandel. Taranui’s most recent voyage was a cruise from Auckland to the Bay of Islands and on to Whangaroa – skippered by my daughter and partner. We’ve had great fun with Taranui and been so lucky to own such a safe and comfortable ship”
Todays woody – Ocean Star, is probably the cheapest apartment / home that you could buy in NZ at the moment. The fact Ocean Star has a bath backs up the owners ‘live aboard’ claim 🙂
Ocean Star is 55’ in length, with a 15’ beam. Built in kauri to a Jack Guard design in c.1950.
If you wanted to leave the mooring a 160hp Detroit 471 diesel engine is below decks. As per the photos she is very well fitted out and at $135k ono seems a bargain. The price includes her Tauranga waterfront mooring.
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the tme listing heads up.
I see in the comments section that she in a previous life was a Govt. vessel servicing the Hauraki Gulf islands – can we learn more about her work-boat days.
15-05-2023 UPDATE: Photo below ex Chris Rabey, sent in by Russell Ward
Todays woody while based in NZ started life on the other side of the world – at the Merritt boat yard in Fort Lauderdale, USA. Built in the early 1960’s she was originally named – Tuna Teaser. Fast forward to the mid 2000’s and she is now named Dream Girl and pops up in Pago Pago (American Samoa) and then in Rarotonga. Sadly while in Rarotonga she sunk on her mooring in Feb 2006, fast forward again and she was freighted to New Zealand. Not sure of the timing between sinking and transport to NZ but before the sinking Dream Girl was powered by 2x 320hp Cummins giving her a reputed cruise speed of around 15knots and a top speed of 25knots.
Home these days is in West Auckland where she has been stripped back, damage repaired and is currently a hull and deck + a few original fittings.
What we know about her is that she is 40’ in length and appears to be strip planked and glassed.
Top photo and below from her ‘off-shore’ days.
While lacking the kiwi classic woody looks, if a fast classic sport-fisher appeals, Dream Girl could be a good entry point. You’ll find her on tme, if not already sold.
Regular WW readers will know that I have a soft spot for converted workboats, Todays woody – Freedom started life as a cray boat, built from kauri in 1956 by Millers in Lyttelton and fished out of Dunedin. Later (date unknown) converted to a live-aboard.
Thanks to Ian McDonald giving us a heads up on a tme feature we get to have a look below. Freedom is 40’ in length and powered by a 1970’s 120hp Ford diesel engine. Being a southern lass, she sports a Dickensen heater – we like those 🙂
Well if you believe the NZ Classic Yacht Association constitution – steel construction gets the tick as being eligible to fly the CYA burgee.
So today we feature the 70’ steel schooner – Haparanda, designed and built by John Lundmark in 1960. She under went a refit in 2008. Haparanda is in charter, based in the Viaduct in Auckland so could be a nice retirement business for an old salt. The asking price ($1.3million) might narrow the list of buyers.
With a beam of nearly 15’ she is a fulsome lass and can sleep >12 people. When the sails are all stowed away a 95hp Gardner gets her along at 9+ knots.
Haparanda is a boat that I have walked past many times berthed in the city, now we get to see below decks. Buy a Lotto ticket 😉
The John Lidgard built launch – Kingfisher* was built c.1965, her owners Noel / Thora and son Gary Sparnon finished the boat off at the Lidgard shed in Glen Eden. With Noel being a cabinetmaker the fit out was to a very high standard. When launched she was 43’, with a beam of 13’6” and drew 3’6”. Her hull is 3 skins kauri with the 2 inner skins on opposite diagonals and the outer skin full length fore and aft + f/glass.
As launched she was named Avenger and kept at Te Atatu.The Sparnon family did not keep her long because by 1968, the family were living in Paihia, Bay of Islands.
Prior to Avenger there was Olympia II, also built to hull & decks stage by John Lidgard c.1962-63, with Noel S again fitting out the interior – link to previous WW story below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/10/15/olympia-ii-2/
Noel S also built the Avenger II after her, having bought a 42′ molded Cookson hull, onto which he added & completed all the varnished teak coamings & interior himself, at his daughter’s property in Avondale, Avenger II was later sold.
Noel S never actually kept any of his boats very long after they went in the water. Kingfisher was quite unique when launched having a fly-bridge styled in to her coamings making it visually part of the boat i.e. not appearing to be an add on or afterthought.
There are still some gaps in her ownership records, Ken Rickets has established that she was bought c.2015 off a policeman who had been living aboard her for an unknown length of time up to 2015, at Westpark Marina, by Richard & Bernadette Schofield. During their ownership they re-conditioned her Ford 120hp diesel engine and Borg Warner gearbox. She was sold c.2018 to her present owner, then Mangonui resident Brett Walford. Now retired Brett has moved to Great Barrier Island and has the boat for sale, still based at Mangonui.
Brett W also changed her name to Kingfisher*, he commented to KR he made the change because as she cruises around 8 knots and this is an ideal trolling speed to catch kingfish.
Both of the last 2 owners have spent collectively large sums on maintenance and upgrading of the interior and equipment, hence she is in very good condition and more or less just as KR remembers her when launched. Keen to fill in any ownership gaps, in particular Noel Sparnon’s son, Garry Sparnon, who may still be in NZ and hopefully he gets to view this story and might be able to embellish it more. (Update – have been in touch with Gary Sparnon , he is still in NZ, father Noel died 3 years ago aged 96. Gary was very happy to read todays story, but has nothing to add. He will however keep a look out for any old photos. AH)
(Thanks to Richard and Bernadette Schofield, and Brett Walford and wife for providing access to the data and images and Ken Ricketts for pulling this story together – edited a lot by Alan H)
The 39’ launch Wanderer II was built in 1965 by Owen Woolley in his boatyard on the Tamaki River.
Powered by a 100hp Ford diesel, she cruises at 8 knots. Current home is the Bay of Islands and thanks to Ian McDonald spotting her tme story we get to have a gander below.
At the risk of ruffling Cam Pollard’s feathers – I include the two photos below to show / support my personal view on varnished coamings and the addition of a fly bridge 🙂
The 46’ launch Marinus was designed by A. Deeming and built by Barr Brown (Wellington) in 1946. Over the years she has undone several rebirths, starting as a bridge decker and the most recent one has in her owners words “converted it into a modern style displacement cruiser’. Lots of time and $$ have been spent on her and she presents these days as a high-end wooden launch.
The level of the work and presentation probably helping her be the fastest selling woody in the last 12 months – less than a week on the market.
Some specs- 46’ x 12’4’ x 4’ – her hull is heart kauri, carvel planked and in the 2019 refit play/glass has been utilised. Marinus is powered by twin Cummins 85hp Diesel engines.
As sold she was very highly spec’ed and in my eyes excellent value for a vessel her size.
The designer / builder of the 33’ launch Spindrift is unknown, but the date is c.1954. Built from Canadian ply (what ever that is) her cabin tops has been glassed.
Forward motion is via a 1980 110HP Ford diesel, that gives her top speed of 10 knots.
Current home is swing mooring at ‘The Grove’ ( head of Queen Charlotte Sound). Prior to this she spent some years in Motueka.
Purchased by her current family in 1996 she made a trip down the coast to Akaroa and underwent an extensive but sensitively crafted refit in 1997. Then returned to Queen Charlotte Sound where she has spent her years exploring both Marlborough and Pelorus Sounds.
Today we get a look aboard thanks to Ian McDonald spot her on tme.
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