Category Archives: A Peek Down Below

Pacific – 105 Year Old Woody Get A New Heart

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Pacific – The 105 Year Old Woody Get A New Heart

The 1917 Joe Slattery designed and built launch – Pacific, is a special boat – 105 years of one family ownership puts her into a very elite league.Now in the care of of Nathan Herbert, Pacific has sent the last 5 months hauled out getting a heart transplant i.e. a brand new FPT/ Iveco N45A 100hp diesel engine. The old green Lister sadly just didn’t provide the reliability and safety for a vessel that does the cruising miles that Pacific does.

Late yesterday afternoon Pacific had a ‘Claytons’ relaunch at the Milford Cruising Club’s slip. Not surprisingly after 5 months on the hard she had a big thirst, Jason Prew from The Slipway Milford was on hand with a large capacity extra bilge pump, but it wasn’t required. Fingers crossed the flow will abate when she goes back in again later today.

Whilst hauled out there was a serious dose of TLC done to Pacific, I’m looking forward to a better peek down below at the Mahurangi Regatta this weekend. Search PACIFIC in the WW Search Box to view / read more about Pacific past.

12-01-2021 Update – Pacific has been hauled out recently at The Slipway Milford, for a dose of annual maintenance + a new decks – looking very sharp. And these days do donr escape the yard without a Jason Prew paint job 🙂

16-10-2021 Ready to splash


I spotted Fleetwing, below,  at The Slipway Milford yard getting prepped for Mondays Auckland Anniversary Day regatta launch race. 

Valerie Update

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VALERIE UPDATE

The 1929 Lanes built, 40’ launch – Valerie, has appeared on WW a few time (link below – use the WW Search Box for more) but now thanks to a tme listing we get to see the results of the recent work done to her, including a heart transplant.The Yanmar 112hp is a perfect match for her and I imagine she has a good turn of speed. 

I spotted Valerie hauled out at Opua just over a year ago when she was getting the transplant and some serious TLC.
https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/12/31/valerie-gets-a-birthday/

Yesterday I was mooching around the Toi Tu Toi Ora exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery (well worth a visit) and spotted the clinker below. The wife wasn’t impressed “can’t go anywhere without a wooden boat popping up. You knew this was here didn’t you” 🙂

Kahu – A Peek Down Below

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KAHU – A Peek Down Below
Kahu made a brief WW appearance on WW back in 2016 and 2018 (link below), back then in the chat section, it was suggest she may have been built by either of these two possible yards – Strongman of Coromandel and Pearson of Golden Bay, Nelson.

Now thanks to a tme listing and Ian McDonald we get to have a peek down below. She is powered by a 120hp Ford diesel.
Anyone care to add there view of the builder?


Previous WW story   https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/26/kahu/

Input from Phil Vining –  The good ship Kahu brought back some
memories for me including an old photo that was taken around 50 years ago.
It shows a young Phil Vining in college uniform on the foredeck of Kahu when
my father Dick Vining travelled to see the boat in Mapua which is not far
from Nelson. Kahu was for sale at the time and dad was looking at buying
her. For whatever reason he did not go ahead but being a mad keen boatie
from an early age I have kept a selection of photos over the years. Probably
around 10 years later I started Vining Shipbrokers Ltd which kept me very
busy for the next 35 years … now retired but still messing around in boats
and helping people out where I can. During my time selling boats we had Kahu
listed twice. The middle photo shows her following a major refit which was
carried out during the early 1980’s when she was refastened, a new 120hp
Ford diesel motor installed, rewired plus new galley, squabs etc. The third
photo taken during 2009 shows her in a run down condition in Havelock – at
that time we sold her to to an Auckland buyer and she was trucked North. I
can see from the latest photos that she has been refitted again and looks in
good nick. Our detail sheets from that period show her as being design &
built by Golden Bay boatbuilder J Pearson. She was launched around 1958/1960
and the hull is planked white pine. Hope this is of interest to you and your
readers. Love your site and the great work you do keeping the history &
interest going around wooden boats. 

Helena

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HELENA
This 1960 36′ Shipbuilders launch just popped up on tme. Built with single skin kauri planks, she is powered by a 120hp Ford diesel, that comfortably pushes her along at 7.5 knots. From the photos she appears to be presented in good condition.


Do we know anything about Helena’s past and what she has been up to for the last 60 years?

HELP WANT – A Slow Boat To China

Well not quite – but the ‘Waiheke Working Sail’ group are planning on taking – Kate, their 1898 trading cutter to next weekends Mahurangi Regatta and at the moment she is sans an engine so subject to wind and tide, would be most open to a tow. So any woodys that have a a few share hp, and would like to help out – contact Bernard Rhodes –  mob. 027 228 1334 or email bernard.rhodes@gmail.com. Pick up would be from Rakino Island 🙂

Te Rauparaha QO7 – Gets A Make-Over

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TE RAUPARAHA QO7 – GETS A MAKE-OVER


Back in 2013 we ran a story on the 1938 Chas. Bailey Jnr. designed, Chas. Bailey & Sons Ltd built 55’ launch – Te Rauparaha. The focus then was what had happened to her and where was she. Good chat (link below) uncovered a lot – we discovered in 1979 she went to Noumea, New Caledonia under her own steam to start life as a charter vessel, and was renamed Samara. https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/22/te-rauparaha/


Fast forward 7 years and I get an email from her owner Valk Delevaux from Noumea, included with the email were the photos above. I think I could safely say that the Bailey family would struggle to recognise the boat they designed and built. But any owner has the right to do what they want and its only wood so someone else might one day convert her back closer to original. I understand she is for sale so if you’re looking for a old/new woody………………….

21-01-2021 Update – the engines are 2x300cv Cummins Bt06. Drive is the same but with a all new hydropique system. 


KOTARE – The Most Affordable Waterfront Apartment In Auckland

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KOTARE – The Most Affordable Waterfront Apartment In Auckland


Over the last few years we have seen a surge in the number of workboat > pleasure boat conversions. Bang for bucks you can end up with a lot of boat.Todays woody Kotare has appeared on WW before, link below.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/03/05/kotare-3/

At 50’ Kotare would be one of the best conversions I have seen and is now offered for sale – owned by a fastidious passionate woody, everything is presented in as perfect condition and is ready to motor off into the sunset or just stay at the marina and enjoy waterfront living.

Expressions of interest to   waitematawoodys@gmail.com

31-03-2021 More photos & video added

La Rosa – Flashback

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LA ROSA – FLASHBACK


I just love opening the WW email inbox, particularly when out of the blue you get a treasure trove of photos on a boat that you know but do not have much content from her past.The other day Alan Duckworth contacted me to say he came across the WW site while searching for new photos of the 1923, Ernie Harvey built launch – La Rosa. Bob King, who owned the vessel for 50 odd years and significantly modified the ketch, was Alan’s grandfather. 

The above gallery of old photos are from Bob King’s ownership period. Alan recalls that the motor was a Lister, compression start, that could run for hours on bugger all fuel.


The current owner of La Rosa – Ward House will love the photos – hopefully his good friend Baden Pascoe will alert him to the story. You can see and read more about La Rosa at the WW links below:
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/16/la-rosa/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/02/27/castaway-la-rosa-on-the-slip/

Input below from Mark Erskine

“I was interested to read about La Rosa and what a wonderful antique engine she has.

I see “Graeme” posts the engine is a 26 HP Lister HW2, but it is a Lister JP2M.

The JP2M specs are: Capacity: 2,868cc. / HP: 21 @ 1,200rpm. / Weight: 2,576 lbs/1.168 tonnes

https://www.stationaryengineparts.com/Lister-Petter-Engine-General-Specs/

They were made from 1936 and 1954 apparently (haven’t been able to confirm), so it would be interesting to see if the owner knows the age of the engine.

Like all of the old Lister / Petter water cooled range of engines, the JP2M is built so big and heavy and runs so slowly that if properly serviced, maintained and used, it should never wear out in marine use 😁 “

https://www.marinepowerservices.co.uk/engines/past-engines/90-1952-lister-jp2m

https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/12/01/wooden-boat-bureau-advice-for-buyers-and-sellers/

Mystery Workboat Conversion

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Mystery Workboat Conversion 
According to her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) the above woody is – 44’ in length, built of kauri, powered by a 1978 Detroit 150hp diesel and calls Waiheke Island home. And that woodys is all we know.

I’m sure we can uncover more details. The conversion looks very tidy and the wood stove would indicate she has spent time in the our southern waters.


Stunning weather afloat, photo below of Raindance in Garden Cove, Waiheke Island – we sneaked in before the fizz boats and SeaLegs arrived.

Emma J

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EMMA J
During a recent chap with Ian Creevey concerning the big game fishing boat –  Cara Mia , Ian mentioned that he owned a 33’ Gladden bilge keel motor-sailer that here would love to uncover details of her past life.

The previous owner, 5years ago, believed she may have been done in Marlborough Sounds prior to when he had her in Whangarei. Emma J is powered by a 45hp Perkins.
Any woodys able to help Ian out with Emma J’s past?

A Woody Christmas – A Time For Giving

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A Woody Christmas – A Time For Giving

I have an ask today – one of wooden boatings coolest and most deserving organisations urgently needs help – relax, you don’t need to do anything other than put your hand in your pocket – more on that later. But first let me tell you about the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School – it was started back into 2005 by a group of visionary wooden boat enthusiasts. I have rubbed up against it a lot over the years – during the re-birth of the classic wooden launch movement we used their facilities for social gatherings and seminars. I have even done boat maintenance workshops and built a woody tool box (under close supervision)If ever there was something that deserved its place in our maritime community – it’s the NZTBS, more so than a lot of other questionable entities that live off rate payer handouts.I won’t bore you today with the day to day challenges the current trustees have keeping the doors open – just trust me when I say – to survive the short term they need help, mid term hopefully they will be able to secure sponsorship.


Today’s WW story is an example of the amazing work the school does – last week, trustees Olaf Wiig (classic launch – Lady Margaret and Alan Hooper (spirit of tradition launch – Katherine) ran a pilot course for one they are hoping to offer in the future. In a joint venture with Taikata Sailing Club, Drowning Prevention Auckland and Coastguard Education, NZTBS ran a week long course for a group of 9 year olds, building a pair of John Welsford Scraps dinghies. The whole week was a great success, resulting in two cool little boats being launched on Saturday. Just check out the looks on the kids faces – you don’t get that from playing on an electric device. The kids all made a name board for their boat and then voted for the best names and then Moonlight and Rose Gold were christened and launched – so cool.

Special thanks to James Hutchinson and Olaf Wiig for the photos
HOW CAN YOU HELP

The NZTBS is a charitable trust – donations are eligible for a tax credit and its so easy – click on this link and invest in the future of wooden boating in New Zealand. And do you know what?, you’ll feel good about it 🙂

https://givealittle.co.nz/org/nztbs
Merry Christmas & Thank You. alan houghton – waitematawoodys founder