Category Archives: Boat Sheds

MILFORD CREEK WOODYS FLASHBACK 

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2026
c.1980

MILFORD CREEK WOODYS FLASHBACK 

In the last few weeks the WW inbox has been receiving a lot of photos of the Milford Creek aka Wairau Estuary (if you own a plastic boat berthed there) from days gone by. 

The recent upgrades to the marina berths have transformed the area into a very swish place to keep your boat, aside from the draught and tidal access window issues.

As we can see in some of the photos – it really was a mangrove creek once.

(photos come to us from Ian McDonald and Glenn Martin)

AND HOME THIS WEEKEND TO THE WOODYS BOAT BOOT SALE AT THE SLIPWAY MILFORD – IF YOU’RE WANTING SPACE TO SELL YOUR TREASURE  – BOOK NOW. Email waitematawoodys@gmail.com

MAHAKI – 1895 LOGAN YACHT SEEKS A NEW CUSTODIAN 

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RESTORATION – 1980’s

LAUNCH DAY

2026 SHED PHOTOS 

MAHAKI – 1895 LOGAN YACHT SEEKS A NEW CUSTODIAN 

Back in October 2024 the 1895 Jack Logan built yacht – MAHAKI came onto the WW radar via a request from Chris Leech from the Devonport Yacht Club re the yachts current owners. DYC had received a gift of the ‘NZ Yachtsman Cup’ that MAHAKI won in 1910. (below b/w photos from her past)

Some history that we have learned – MAHAKI was owned by Harry Upton, and his friends Geoff Clark and Dick Wilson (later his brother in law) during the 1930s. Owned by Russell Going an Auckland architect in the early/mid 1980’s.

Bought by Eric Wing (McMullan & Wing) in the mid 1980’s. Partially restored by Wing and then on his passing in 1994 was purchased by Peter Blundell who finished the project in Clevedon.

Todays photos are in three parts – firstly photos from the 1980’s restoration, then as seen at her relaunching after Peter completed the restoration project And lastly as MAHAKI is today, back in Peter’s shed part way thru a refresh. 

Aside from showcasing this wonderful 130 year old artefact, the purpose of todays WW story is to help Peter Blundell secure MAHAKI’s next chapter. A very common thread in my conversations with owners is that who the next custodian is and their commitment to the vessel is more important than the sale price. I do not want to scare people off but if you think you or someone you know are fitting of adding their name to the list of people that have rubbed up against MAHAKI, be prepared for a robust ‘interview’

Interested parties to initially contact Peter at pblundell2270@gmail.com

CLASSIC WOODEN FROSTBITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE NZ TRADITIONAL BOATBUILDING SCHOOL 

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CLASSIC WOODEN FROSTBITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE NZ TRADITIONAL BOATBUILDING SCHOOL 

The long term WW followers will be familiar with The New Zealand Traditional Boat Building School, I have attended several courses over the years and it was a sad day when it went into hibernation. After YEARS! of procrastination around getting access to the Vos Shed on Auckland’s waterfront its so good that the school has a permanent home and is up and running again.

Some background, NZTBS is a volunteer run charitable trust started in 2005 that has been providing education, skills development, personal growth, community support, youth development and plays an active part in maintaining New Zealand’s valuable maritime history. Check out the website and learn how you can help this worthy group survive. Money is always nice – https://givealittle.co.nz/org/nztbs  but how about you or a couple of friends enrolling in one of the many hands on courses –https://nztbs.org.nz/

Currently the NZTBS team have been commissioned to build a classic wooden Frostbite sailing dinghy(hull #313) as seen above in todays gallery.

Frostbite History and Design

  • Designed by Jack Brooke in 1937 as a stable, versatile father-and-son boat that could handle general use and fishing.
  • Became the premier class for the Wakatere Boating Club and achieved national status in 1946.
  • Served as the official secondary school sailing trainer in New Zealand from 1951 until 1975.
  • Built with traditional clinker (lapstrake) wooden construction.

MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SIGNATURE (BELUGA)

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MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SIGNATURE (BELUGA)

Today again thanks for Robyn Kellian and Tobias Forsyth we get to see another launch from the Leigh region. No name is visible but the photo is tagged – Gav Perry. The photo was taken on 31-01-1994.                                                                                                  

The shed / yard appears to be at Whangateau, back when it was a public facility controlled by Russell Ward and used by the local boating community. 

Can we learn more about the vessel, has a slight workboat look to her.

INPUT ex MARK MCLAUGHLIN – This is SIGNATURE (Beluga), a  late Miller and Tunnage build. Featured on WW in November 2016. Lots of details and photos here. https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/11/08/signature-beluga/

WHY CLASSIC WOODEN BOATS BECOME AN OBSESSION

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WHY CLASSIC WOODEN BOATS BECOME AN OBSESSION

There have been several magic bullet moments in the history of waitematawoodys, actions that had significant impacts on the readership numbers. The most significant was an international phone call, now I tend to ignore these calls as normally it is some self titled investment guru wanting to share a once in a lifetime investment opportunity with me. For some unknown reason I took the call  and it was a gent named Carl Cramer, who introduced himself as the Publisher of WoodenBoat magazine in the USA, that got my attention pretty quick. 

Carl told me he and the founding publisher / owner of WB – Jon Wilson, had been chatting on the phone, bored senseless after being snowed in for 3 days. As they were talking Jon Wilson was trolling the web looking for sunny wooden boating content – bingo Jon hit on the waitematawoodys site and the story of the day was my coverage of the  3 day Mahurangi Regatta weekend. Over 200 photos and videos, Carl told me Jon suggested he make contact – which led to our telephone call.  Back then WB was print only and a very popular on-line forum, so he was impressed with this new-ish blog format. Carl used to send a short, chatty weekly email out to the WB magazine subscribers, we talking 50,000+ – he asked if he could do a story on waitematawoodys. The story was a cracker and started with being snowed in and getting an infusion of summer boating that cured his cabin fever. He finished by saying.“This website is truely great”
Overnight the WW viewing numbers went into orbit, from around the world and we still retain a high % of them. In fact the USA is number 2 on the readers list.

Sorry for the long lead in to todays WW story. Over the years I have read several features on how Jon Wilson founded the WB  group but over the weekend I stumbled on a YouTube channel named ‘LIFE ON THE WATER’ – one of the featured videos is titled ‘Jon Wilson – The Restorer’s Journey’. In their words it is is a cinematic portrait of the man who took on a monumental task to change the course of wooden boat history. I haven’t come across a better insight, explanation on this bug we all suffer from. Read it, I promise afterwards you’ll feel better about life and your classic wooden boat.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – EAGLE RAY

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – EAGLE RAY

Today thanks for Robyn Kellian and Tobias Forsyth we get to see another launch from the Leigh region. The name on the helm seat reads – EAGLE RAY, and the photos are tagged – Wayne Collings.                                   Given the bunting and ‘crowd’ we can assume this was launch day.

The shed / yard could possibly be at Whangateau, back when it was a public facility, available to the wider boating community. 

Can we learn more about EAGLE RAY.

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – A strip plank Greenwood so far as I know,. Photos below (as of today) ex Jason Prew

RESTORATION OF THE 26’ TERCEL BROS BUILT CLASSIC YACHT – ROXANE

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RESTORATION OF THE 26’ TERCEL BROS BUILT CLASSIC YACHT – ROXANE

Recently WW was contacted by Ross Dawson with an update on the restoration of his brother, Keith Dawsons Tercel built 26’ yacht – ROZANE.

Before we start todays story , back in May 2018 we ran a brilliant story on Keith celebrating his 105th birthday and we were also given an insight into the 1937 voyage Keith and his mate Dick Wellington undertook sailing ROXANE from Auckland to Sydney, Australia. Link to the story below. (Keith passed away in Dec 2018)

May 2018 https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/05/13/roxane-a-105th-birthday-party/

Then in September 2024 Ross updated us on the start of the restoration of ROXANE at the hands of Ralph Finch. Link to that story below. Sept 2024 https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/09/15/restoration-of-a-new-zealand-classic-wooden-yacht-in-australia-roxane/

Now fast forward to July 2026 and Ross has shared the above photo and the note below he received from Ralph in Cairns, Australia :-

“We’ve now installed a total of 11 sister ribs on the starboard side from beside the engine and moving back towards the stern. I want to get another 2 ribs in if I can, tucked under the rear deck. It’ll be a tight squeeze.

We’ve also started steaming, bending and clamping longer sections of spotted gum to be used, 3 each side, as backing blocks for the chain plates. The original internal backing blocks for the chain plates only extended 3 planks down the sides. The new pieces we’re making will extend down a total of 7 planks thereby spreading the stress and upward pull from the mast and rig over more of the hull. We’ll use copper nails and roves to fix them in place.

I had removed a 3 meter length of the sheer strake (very top plank at deck level) on the starboard side with the intention of replacing that section with Oregon Pine. Removal of the sheer strake revealed the beam shelf, a heavy internal timber running fore-and-aft along the top of the hull which supports the deck beams. Unfortunately, the now exposed beam shelf shows a great deal of dry rot. It has been very time consuming digging out the dry rot back to a solid timber base.

As you can see in the photos, the beam shelf has a great many holes in it. We’re treating the dry rot sections with preserver and then packing west system epoxy mixed with spotted gum wood shavings as filler. If this much dry rot is in just a 3 meter length then I feel I have no choice but to remove the sheer strakes both sides and the full length of the boat. The starboard side may be the worst as this was the side of the boat that had layers and layers of wet leaves sitting for 20 odd years.

Even with the beam shelf repaired, I’m intending to strengthen it further by cutting, shaping and fixing a doubled up layer of ¾ inch thick marine ply (1.5 inch thick total) under the present beam shelf for the whole length of the boat and both port and starboard sides. Yep there’ll be a few scarf joints in all of that!! It’s impossible to remove the existing beam shelf, so all we can do is strengthen and reinforce it.

We’ve also exposed a small section of dry rot in the starboard bilge stringer.

We haven’t really started work on the port side of the boat. This restoration project seems destined to drag out for a little longer.“

FRIDAY FLASH BACK – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH RONGO 

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FRIDAY FLASH BACK – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH RONGO 

Back in June thanks to input from several WW followers we had a wonderful peek back in time on the classic wooden launch RONDO. https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/06/07/classic-wooden-launch-rongo/ 

Earlier in the week Tobias Forsyth contacted WW to say his mother – Carol Forsyth had been going through a few old photos after Tobias’s dad, Iain, had found a few photos of his own on RONGO. The hunt was prompted by a WW story mentioned above. Tobias commented that some were taken at Kawau Island at ‘Two House Bay’ and some from Iain’s place at the entrance to Helliers Creek. The bare timber shots would have been in the boat sheds down at Ngapipi Road when Ernie Gordon (owner c.1985>2007) did a full strip.

RESTORATION UPDATE – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANAPOURI 

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RESTORATION UPDATE – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANAPOURI 

Our last major update on the restoration of the 43’ 1960 built classic wooden bridge decker was in November 2022 – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/11/28/manapouri-refit/

Then in December 2023 we had a note from Mark with some photos of a rather smart helm chat he was building and advice that the project was still underway but any boating in the summer of 2023/24 was not a happening thing.

Back in June 2025 after chatting with Mark he sent in todays photos with the promise of some ‘almost finished’ ones, so I held off. Sadly the promised photos never arrived so after a year I post the above and fingers crossed this bumps Mark into an update 🙂

MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT BAYSWATER – TAWHIRI

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MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT BAYSWATER – TAWHIRI

Being a resident of Devonport I’m a follower of a fb page titled ‘Original Devonport Locals’, recently Geoff Glanville posted the photo we see above.

The location is Bayswater, just along from the waterfront clubrooms of the Takapuna Boating Club. 

The building still stands today (photo below) but in poor condition and is the subject of heated debate between local residents, sporting clubs (rowing) and the TBC. The TBC several years ago built very smart new clubrooms at Takapuna Beach, but refuse to give up the peppercorn lease on the Bayswater building.            

Recently there are noises about an extensive refurbishment, but time will tell.

Anyway, back to the photo, which is from the E.B. (Jim) Menzies collection, can we put name and possible date to the vessel.

INPUT ex KEN RICKETTS – She is the TAWHIRI, built c.1946 by Roy Lidgard in his Kawau Island shed, & taken to Auckland to have her 4cyl Lister diesel engine installed, (in a box come table,) in the centre of the main cabin. Later replaced, with a 6 cyl. Ford diesel, by Uuan Berger, who owned her in the 1970s, after which she floated about 6 inches higher in the water in the bow. (photos below ex KR)