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
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
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
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.
Haunui Restoration Update #5
Well woodys 4 months have slipped by since I last popped my head into the tented shed that is currently home to the 1948 Colin Wild built launch – Haunui. To master boatbuilder Paul Tingey and his team it probably seems longer, always does on the down hill run – but wow, I was gobsmacked – without doubt NZ’s grandest restoration.
There is enough electrical systems on board to do an AirBus A350 proud, but tastefully hidden away. On the subject of being hidden away – the s/s mast/tower set up that you can see in one of the photos will be encased in a discreet ’ships’ funnel.
As I left the team were getting ready to start the topside painting – lots of love on the end of a long board for some poor soul 🙂
Enjoy the photo gallery – as always click on photos to enlarge.
Links To Previous Haunui Restoration Updates Below
https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/11/13/haunui-restoration/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/28/haunui-restoration-update-2-woody-classic-event-dates/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/24/haunui-restoration-update-3/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/07/25/haunui-restoration-update-4/
MUSIC
Today is part 3 of a 3 part insight into the craft built or altered by boatbuilder Neville Robinson.
The launch – Music was built from scratchy Neville and his daughter Marie commented that as a family they spent many hours in the boat shed building her. Unfortunately Music later caught fire and burnt to the waterline. Neville managed to get his hands on some of the burnt timber and made a scale model incorporating the timber into the finished piece, refer below photos.
Remember last weekend to clean out the shed of any woody stuff thats gathering dust and taking up space – see below.
CODA
Todays story features the launch – Coda and follows on from yesterdays story on the boats of Neville Robinson.
Neville’s daughter, Marie Breden, supplied all the photos and commented that Neville purchased Coda in Picton, and then under took a refit that included removing the wheelhouse and rebuilding her to give the boat his look and practicality.
Anyone know what happened to Coda?
LOURENA – A Peek Down Below
The 35’ launch Lourena was built c.1963 by Watson Brothers in Wellington to an Athol Burns design, using 1 1/8” kauri carvel planks. With a 11’6” beam she has a healthy interior for a 35’ boat, the draft is 3’6”. Forward motion is via a 70hp D series 4 cylinder Ford that gives her a 7 knot cruising speed.
Lourena is a well traveled woody having spent time in Wellington > Marlborough Sounds (15 yrs) > Opua (20 yrs),
Thanks to Ian McDonald’s heads up re the tme listing, today we get to have a peek down below.
Woodys Classic Beach Picnic Review
On Sunday we held a woodys gathering ashore on Motuihe Island – trip down was commonly described as ‘lumpy’, except for the large woodys skippers who just smiled.
The bonus of a lumpy passage was almost zero trailer craft or pwc’s, so had the beach to ourselves. Very sheltered and sunny afternoon – always good to catch up with other woody owners and swap tales. Trip home was perfect with wind and tide assisting.
Nice to see both Lady Crossley and Pirate after there winter hibernation / haul outs.
My boat of the day was John Wright’s latest project the uber cool double-ender – Kiwa. That man has a wonderful eye for bringing the best out of any classic craft. Photo below when she was at Te Atatu Boating Club + links to previous WW stories on her
2014 https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/09/30/boat-on-the-move-kiwa/
2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/09/10/what-happened-to-kiwa/
KATHERINE ON DISPLAY @ WESTHAVEN – THIS WEEKEND – INVITATION ONLY
Considering an upgrade or a boat for summer – the 38’ Conrad Robertson designed classic – KATHERINE, has been relocated to Westhaven Marina for one weekend only – inspection by invitation.
More details on this immaculately presented, ready for immediate delivery craft – click here https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/13/katherine-a-peek-down-below/
To book a viewing time email waitematawoodys@waitematawoodys
SAGA – A Peek Down Below
There is some debate around the provenance of the 35’ bridge deck launch – Saga, featured above, her tme listing told us she was built by Bailey in 1946 and Harold Kidd is going for built and also probably designed by a Val Maxwell. What we do know is Saga is single board, kauri, carvel construction and powered by a Perkins 145 hp turbo diesel engine. These days she calls Kerikeri, Northland home.
Any woodys able to tell us more about her past life.
08-11-2022 INPUT ex Harold Kidd
Val Maxwell was a very experienced launch man. He was a teacher at King’s College (not my school; I went to Takapuna Grammar) and retired as Deputy Principal.
In 1936 he bought the Joe Slattery launch WAINUI which had been wrecked on Rangitoto and fitted a 1918 Studebaker car engine. Just before WW2 he started building SAGA and finished her in 1950. She was bigger than Ken R remembers (refer WW comments section) at 33’x32’x10’x2’9″ and had a Leyland Cub engine as Ken R remembers.
In 1963 Val sold SAGA to A.J. (Jimmy) Osborne of Panmure. In 1969 Osborne moved north to Mangonui and took SAGA with him.
I knew Val’s son Peter for many years. He died just recently. We were both Sunbeam car owners. He had a most magnificent 1925 25hp Sunbeam tourer which I later owned. Peter of course owned for many years the 1937 Dick Lang 34 footer RESOLUTE at Devonport.
My feeling is that because Val’s SAGA is the right size and went North, she is the SAGA above; but I wouldn’t dream of being dogmatic about it.
UPDATE Feb 2024 – Hauled out photos added.
24-05-2025 UPDATE ex Bruce Pascoe – I believe SAGA started out as a sedan . The aft section of the roof has been cut off and raised up to become a bridge-decker. The raised cockpit floor has been built over the old floor. When they fitted the turbo 6 cylinder Perkins they had to raise the wheel house floor 100mm. Unfortunately instead of raising the wheel house roof to maintain headroom they cut a section of the roof out only and built a plywood box on top.
I have stripped many layers of paint off the roof beams and uncovered the Kauri one piece beams, not laminated. All the deck and roofs are planked with Kauri. The cabin sides are plywood. She is a very sound boat, dry bilges.
WOODYS CLASSIC PICNIC AT MOTUIHE ISLAND TODAY – 1PM
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