CLASSIC SOUTHERN WOODEN LAUNCH – KAREN JOY
Todays 26’ wooden launch – KAREN JOY has recently popped up on tme. We know very little about her other than that KAREN JOY is powered by an older keel cooled Lister engine.
Home port is Dunedin so probably able to handle some sporty conditions.
Any of the southern WW woodys able to tell us more about KAREN JOY.
CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT – KORARI II – A Peek Down Below
Back in 2017 the 1964 built, 36’ Mason Clipper – KORARI II made an appearance on WW but we never got a gander below. Now thanks to Ian McDonal’s eagle eyes on tme we get to see her impressive interior.
KORARI II is powered by twin 135hp Perkins HT6364M diesel engines.
CLASSIC WOODEN MOTOR-SAILER – KAIKOURA – A Peek Down Below
The 36’ classic wooden motor-sailer – KAIKOURA was for sale earlier this year, and it must have sold because I had numerous people enquiring about her – she ticked a lot of boxes and her size was an added bonus i.e. not too big.
KAIKOURA was built in Wellington in 1959, builder unknown, for a Mr. Palmer, it has been commented that she was a ‘Scottish Drifter’ design. She was used as a pleasure craft by the Palmer, then Blundell families through the 1960s. In the early 1970s Kaikoura was commercially used by ‘Mana Island Transport Services’ then from 1972 till 1974 as the Wellington Police launch. Kaikoura’s fourth owner from 1974 to 1999 was Mr George Jannis. George added masts and sails initially and a new engine, new keel bolts and fuel tanks in 1988. Kaikoura made many trips to the Sounds over these 25 years, then finding a home there with a new owner till 2008. From 2008 to 2017 Kaikoura, now based in Dunedin, was frequently used as a harbour and peninsula pleasure launch and occasionally entering, and winning club sail races (in her class of one). Ten days after taking ownership of “Kaikoura” in late 2017 her owners did the first of several trips to the bottom of Stewart Island, they also made a winter trip to Wellington, the Sounds and D’Urville Island.
Forward motion is via a Cummins B Series 6BT5.9 As you would expect for a Southern lass she is very well appointed.
Given my attraction to the work-boat look, in another life she could have been mine 🙂
SAD NEWS ON THE EX WWII NAVY 72’ SHIP – KUPARU News reports have her abandoned off Ninety Mile Beach on the West Coast of the North Island over the weekend. Crew all safe and rescued by helicopter. 2018 WW story on the vessel here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/10/04/hmnzs-kuparu-hdml/
CLASSIC LAUNCH – MARISTELLA OUT FOR SOME TLC AND A SHAVE
The 1936, 40’ , Sam Ford built classic wooden launch MARISTELLA hauled out at Milford this week for some TLC and shave. Some great historical photos and a peak down below in the WW links below –
https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/07/30/a-snapshot-of-the-classic-wooden-launch-maristella/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/09/03/classic-wooden-launch-maristella-a-peek-down-below/
Westhaven was once one of the better marinas in terms of growth but looking at MARISTELLA seems Westhaven is as bad as all the others these days.
In addition there will be some differed maintenance to her rubber stock area, but thats par for the course on these old woodys.
Have to love a railway haul out and the gentle ‘roller’ method of position a vessel in the yard.
UPDATE 06-09-2026 – Back in the water after some engine maintance, engine looking very smart.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MAKURA – A Peek Down Below
The classic wooden bridge-decker MAKURA was designed and built in 1949 by Collings & Bell, and is approx. 40’ in length.
Forwar motion is from a 115hp 6 cyl. Ford diesel engine.
Back in January 2025 we shared some photos of MAKURA from her past – lots of intel in that story on her ownership and re-powers over the years.
Link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/01/18/classic-wooden-launch-makura/
The b/w photo above is from Sea Spray magazine July 1951 edition and shows her as built.
ENTRY LEAVE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WANDERING WAYS
Todays classic launch needs some serious TLC from someone with the space to park her and a winter of part-time work but come next summer they could have a no cost entry into the classic wooden boating movement.
What we know – 36’ supposedly built in 1965 by ‘Baileys’, she is double planked, and powered by a 120hp Ford diesel (tme listing states 2014, and recently recon’ed).
WANDERING WAYS is currently hauled out in Rotorua, so may have been a lake boat in recent years. (thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up)
Can we learn anymore about the launch.
IF YOU THOUGHT CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCHES WERE LOW PRICED – Check out OMICRON
The 20’ classic sloop OMICRON was built in 1945 to a Harrison Butler design at the Percy Vos yard in Auckland. She made a cameo appearance on WW back in November 2019.
Full length 1” kauri planking, kauri deck and teak cabin and cockpit coamings + all the proper metals in the bolts and rivets.
As testament to her build and easy of sailing this 20’ has even been offshore.
And the added bonus is a purpose built road trailer.
Her tme listing mentions she needs some TLC so its safe to assume todays photos are not recent.
OMICRON is one of those classics that look perfect from any angle.
At sub $30k someone needs to buy this woody, its so much boat and drop did gorgeous 🙂
CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT – MAHENO
Todays woody is described as a 38’ Morgan design, built by JackGuard.
She was launched in 1966 and has strong work boat styling.
Forward motion is from a 210hp Caterpillar V8 that gives her a comfortable 8.5 knot cruising speed, 10.5 tops.
Being a southern lass (Marlborough Sounds) MAHENO is very well fitted out. The marine chandlers down south won’t get rich selling varnish 😉
MAGGIE – A CLASSIC CLINKER DAY BOAT
Back in March 2013 we ran a brief story on the classic day boat – MAGGIE, at the time we learnt that MAGGIE was designed and built by Roy Parris in 1982 as a small work boat. Originally she had a large hatch in the foredeck and a doghouse aft-end.
After an early life transporting supplies to & from Kawau Island she was refurbished in 2004 as a small clinker built day boat, being 18ft 6″ overall.
Her stem and keels are heart totara with a hull built of rewa rewa ribs and kauri planks. A Sole diesel engine gives her a comfortable cruising speed of 7 knots at 2100 rpm.
Back in 2013 she was berthed in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour Basin. MAGGIE attended several woody cruises to the Riverhead Tavern.
A change of ownership saw her relocating to Lake Rotoiti in the central north island, where her owners participated regularly in the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parades for the last 12 years.
A change in personal circumstances saw MAGGIE appearing on tme where she has sat for the last two years – probably a result of the asking price.
Putting the price to one side MAGGIE is a stunning vessel and desires a new owner – hell if I lived near a lake, I’d buy her. Sitting on a top end trailer, you can say goodby to the marina robber barons.
WOODEN LAUNCH
Todays woody first appeared on tme 2 years ago and I saved the photos, hoping that we would learn more about her but she didn’t sell and then was delisted and sold, I assume off-line.
At the time the listing headline just said ‘Wooden Launch’ and we didn’t learn much more than that she was 33’ in length, built c.1912 and was powered by a 60hp Fordson diesel engine. There is an impressive number of switches on the dash and the radar tower id OTT. Home back then was a mooring in Mana, Wellington and she being sold ‘as is- where is’.
Anyone know what happened to the launch and more details.
