Category Archives: A Peek Down Below

PACIFIC GETS A TICKLE UP

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PACIFIC GETS A TICKLE UP

Happy New – todays the first story for 2023 and Pacific is a very fitting woody to welcome in the new year with – during the winter of 2022 Pacific sent time on the hard having some delayed maintenance issues addressed and some creative comforts added. I’ll let owner Nathan Herbert tell the story:

“Bit of an update is due after Pacific’s most recent haul. In past attempts, the prop shaft wasn’t able to be drawn out more than 150mm so I had always been nervous about the situation up there. This time with the help of Seagar Marine and The Slipway Milford, we by brute force and a makeshift large slide hammer removed the shaft. It was found to be pitted, and then very badly pitted in one section where she ran in a highly noble bronze bush about tube centre. Three bearings were subsequently rammed out; one lignum vitae, one fibrous and one bronze. The Tube was found to be thin walled gunmetal and had almost completely de-zinced to mush. The mystery bitumen bath on the keelson was found to be a crude repair some decades old, hiding bad corrosion. A boring bar was made from the old 3.6m tail shaft extended to 5m and with unholy effort the remnants were removed and the hole gradually bored out to accept a fibreglass stern tube. This tube was epoxied in, with two Vesconite and one rubber  cutless bearing installed, topped off by a Chatfields  blue water dripless seal. 

Interior works included re-configuration of the saloon to cater for modern(or at least 1970s) needs and finished in kauri and honduras mahogany. A lightweight cradle was made for the RIB when in commission, and a Francis  searchlight fitted to the bridge deck.

There are always extras attended to along the way such as minor/insidious leaks but they fade in the memory compared with the newfound smoothness of a new, dry drivel ine”

2021 saw major updates to the zoom zoom – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/01/27/pacific-the-105-year-old-woody-get-a-new-heart/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/02/03/pacific-sea-trial/

29-10-2024 INPUT ex JOHN DAWSON – JD sent in the photos ex fb below of PACIFIC’s new cockpit refit

Northern Star

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NORTHERN STAR

The 40’ ex workboat Northern Star was built c.late 196o’s by Roger Carey in Picton, then c.2009 she was converted to a trawler cruiser / live aboard.

Forward motion is via a rebuilt 6LX Gardner that is keel cooled. Like all good southerns woodys there is a diesel heater to keep toastie below.

From her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) we see that she is very well fitted out for extended cruising.

INPUT ex Russell Ward – photo below taken 20+ years back, in Picton marina. Russell commented that they all looked so much better in working colours than in the stark white that present owners use.

Tranquila (Dundonald) A Peek Down Below

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Tranquila (Dundonald) A Peek Down Below

Twice this year the Don Brooke designed 37’ launch – Tranquila, previously named Dundonald, has made a cameo appearances on WW. Now thanks to Ian McDonald spotting her on tme we get a better look. (fyi – recently sold)

Specs are – built in 1986 from double diagonal kauri (f/glassed) and powered by a Ford 120hp 6.2L 6 cyl. diesel.

Lady Margaret – Dick Lang

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Lady Margaret – Dick Lang

Todays woody story features the Dick Lang built launch – Lady Margaret.  And comes to us from Bruce Papworth – I’ll let Bruce tell the story (minor edits) The photos are from the Ted Clark photo album, taken by Tudor Collins           

“I was a personal friend of William A Clark (Ted ).  Ted had this boat built in 1938 at a cost of 13,000 Pounds,  a lot of money in those days. I have written this to fill in a number of gaps in the history of the Lady Margaret named after his wife.

Like Johnny Birch I had a number of trips away on this boat with his grandfather Joe Birch and Ted and can still remember them well. Up until Ted sold the boat due to poor health at the time to Jim & Nancy Francises. Nancy France as young girl and pre marriage to Jimmy would also go away for weekend with Ted & Margaret as they had no children of their own, they enjoyed having young people aboard. Even though more than once the odd tea pot got lost over board when helping out.

Lady Margaret was loaned to Navy (NAPS # Q08) for the duration of the war and Ted joined the Navy as its Captain. Margaret his wife ran his business, Clark Potteries, which manufactured earthenware Clay pipes for sewage systems. He told me that they never refused an order to sail even though other boats did due to the weather. Not every day was a calm day over that period you just go. Based In Whangarei they would cover the area between Whangarei and Leigh out as far as Great barrier with trips often to the radar station on the Mokohinau Islands he told me.

The boat had two Fairbanks morse engines fitted when new, later being replaced by two Foden’s in the early 1960’s. She was armed with a Bren gun on pedestal on the roof of the wheel house and on the stern where two depth charges. The Bren gun was often test fired at the goats on the cliffs of miner’s head Great Barrier. Ted said he had the fuses for the depth charges set to maximum as if we rolled one off the stern we would not be far enough away if it went off.

At the end of the war the Navy returned the Lady Margaret having restored her back to her pre war state. New paint and varnish job top and bottom as its colour was a grey colour like Many of the Navy vessels of the  time.

The interior of the boat has changed since the sale from Jimmy Frances – in the bow were 4 bunks, then a bulk head to a toilet and wash room (no shower ) either side and another bulk head up a couple of steps to the wheel house beneath where the twin Foden’s and to one side a Stewart Turner generator.

Lady Margaret was fitted in those days with an auto- pilot (Bendix brand), around the spokes of the helm,  Ted had fitted a stainless band around the outside of wheel, this was to stop you getting thrown to the floor when the auto pilot was engaged as if a spoke grabbed you in the pocket of your pants  you would end up on the floor. In those days the helm had an electric motor driving the chain to the shaft of the rudder

From the bulk head of the wheel house you went down two steps and the galley on one side where the sink and small oven sat. Across from the galley on the opposite side was a large heat absorption refrigerator then another bulk head into the main cabin and in the middle of the main cabin sat  a folding island table, underneath the table were the biscuit tins. The seating either side could sleep four, moving towards the stern two cupboards one either side  that contained the wet weather gear and the outboard motor for the dinghy, on the stern there where two davits .

There was no landing tuck on the stern in those day Jimmy Frances added that in his time .

Memories are made from the people you have known and the things you do together.”

Recent photos below of Lady Margaret – looking very regal 

UPDATE 26-07-2023 LADY MARGARET – NAVAL REQUISITION 2.2.1942 EX FACEBOOK P. BUDDLE via K Ricketts

Corinthia – A Peek Down Below

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CORINTHIA – A Peek Down Below

The launch Corinthia was built / launched in 1967 at the Shipbuilders yard in Auckland. She has made several cameo appearances on WW, link below to a 2013 story that showed her alongside the jetty at Arran Bay, Waiheke Island. It appears that the exterior has not changed much but now today thanks to a heads up from Ian McDonald re a tme listing we get to have a peek down below.

Corinthia is 45’ in length , has a beam of 14’ and draws approx. 5’. Forward motion is via a 180hp Detroit 671 that gives her a top speed of 12 knots. FEB 2015 WW LINK  https://waitematawoodys.com/corinthia-new-arran-bay-wharf/

WILL YOU BE BOATING THIS SUMMER  – 5 FAMILY SIZED CLASSICS 4SALE – STEP ABOARD AND YOU’RE OFF

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PARTICIPATE 🔻1982 – 42’ Lidgard – 19 knots- Sleeps >9 DETAILS BELOW  https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/07/13/participate-a-peek-down-below/

MAHANUI 🔻1977 – 42’ Atkinson – 16 knots – Sleeps > 6+ DETAILS BELOW https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/10/28/mahanui-gets-a-refit-and-is-ofs/

RANUI 🔻1948 – 48’ Lidgard – 8.5+ knots – Sleeps 5+ DETAILS BELOW https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/07/08/ranui-a-peek-down-below/

KATHERINE 🔻2013 – 39’ Robertson – 8.5 knots – Sleeps 4 DETAILS BELOW https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/13/katherine-a-peek-down-below/

ALLERGY 🔻1985 – 58’ Culler/Ganley – 10 knots – Sleeps 5+ DETAILS BELOW https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/10/21/allergy-aucklands-most-livable-woody/

Sorry for the overtly commercial message today, but have you seen the price of diesel lately , if I don’t sell a boat, I’ll be staying on the marina this summer ;- and we have marina berths for them (rent or buy)

For more details or to arrange a viewing – initially email – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

LINK BELOW TO VIEW MORE WOODYS 4SALE https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/17/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/

Puffin

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PUFFIN

Todays woody has just popped up on tme, thanks Ian McDonald, and no design / builder is mentioned – what we do know is that Puffin is 28’ in length, built in 1960 from kauri and powered by a Ford (Lees) 72hp diesel that gives her a 5>6 knot cruising speed.

Would be nice if we could ID the builder, the hull shape is quite ‘unique’.

Manapouri Refit

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MANAPOURI REFIT

Chatting last week with Mark Sorrenson, owner of the 43’ launch – Manapouri, that was built by Hector Parks, and he mentioned that he was part way thru a major refit of Manapouri. Obviously the request went out for photos, so today we get to have a peek at the work-in-progress. 

Manapouri has appeared several times before on WW – links below to those story. In the 1st link Marks gives us a great insight into her ownership history. The 2nd link is a doozy, if you scroll down Noel Fyfe (Parks) gives us a wonderful account of Manapouri’s backstory. 
https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/01/28/mystery-launch-1-mahurangi-regatta-2014/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/01/30/manapouri-the-early-days/

In the gallery above we see Manapouri wrapped up in a tent / shelter that Mark helped build. A summary of the TO DO / DONE LIST below: 

• New fuel tanks and lines • Complete engine room paint • New bridge sole and beams • Reconfigured engine hatches• New sound proofing • Full rewire  • New dash • New gauges and chart plotter  • New auto pilot• Fibreglass decks • Extend cockpit roof • Full exterior repaint • new dorade boxes • new name plates • strip, repair & varnish bridge doors 

Marks words – “Needless to say, I’m poor, tired and won’t be boating at Xmas” 🙂

UPDATE 27-11-23 – Mark commented that another Xmas will slide by before the refit is completed – but the very talent man is making a very samrt helm seat – photos below

Clinker Runabout – Seeke II

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Clinker Runabout – Seeke II

You will have heard me in the past prattle on about the future growth of classic wooden boating being trailerable boats – something you can take home and tinker with. This growth is driven by two key factors – the cost of keeping a boat afloat (marina $) in any of our metropolitan cities and the maintenance of larger craft as the owners get older and less mobile.

Todays woody popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb and at the time the seller was looking for around $13k – try buying a classic car for those dollars.

Approx. 15’ in length and powered by a 25hp Evinrude.

Hopefully Seeke II sold and is now someones pride and joy 🙂

SEE YOU @ 10am SATURDAY @ THE WOODYS BOAT BOOT SALE @ THE SLIPWAY MILFORD – 5 Omana Road – Bring cash

Mystery Miller & Tunnage – Tuatea

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TUATEA – Miller & Tunnage

If we believe her tme listing todays woody ws built in 1936 by Miller and Tunnage.

36’ in length she has a 60hp BMC diesel that gets her along at a top speed of 11.5 knots.

Home is Whangarei in the north and that woodys is all me know about her – can we put a name to her and expand on her past.

Heads up on Saturdays Woody Boat Boot Sale at The Slipway Milford yard – we have some serious collectors of marine ‘stuff’ dusting off their lockers so should be some treasure up for sale – remember CASH ONLY.

INPUT ex Paul Drake – The boat is TUATEA. Photos below of her on the Paremata Harbour in the 1980’s. I was told that she was Miller and Tunnage, about 1925. She was a Lyttelton boat, and went to Picton after I photographed her. Subsequently, while on her Ivy Bay (Paremata) mooring, she was struck by lightning and required extensive rebuilding. Whoever rebuilt her did a magnificent job. She re appeared at Seaview Marina, Wellington. Interesting that she is now in Whangarei.  She appeals to me because she is a straight stemmer (nearly), has a full length sweeping belting, is low wooded, has port holes, and has a mast! What more could you want. Note that she is clearly not a double ender.

25-11-2022 INPUT ex Harold Kidd – TUATEA was designed and built by Jas. McPhersoin of Dunedin for Jack Hudson of Cadbury, Fry, Hudson chocolate manufacturers in late 1930.Hudson moved to Christchurch and took TUATEA with him, basing TUATEA at Lyttelton. There were various statements that she was built by Miller & Tunnage and even by J. Miller Ltd of Lyttelton, but not so. Original engine a 30hp Thornycroft. In NAPS as Z124 1942-4 skipper Magnus Smith.