Category Archives: Boat Sheds

A Big Parris

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A BIG PARRIS

To the best of my knowledge there were not a lot of big Roy Parris launches built, was there a reason ? shed size?. This one was built in 1960 & is 36′ & made of kauri. Zoom zoom is via a 120hp Ford diesel that comfortably pushes her along at 8 knots @ 1750 rpm.

She has been a very lucky classic woody in that as well as having the same owner for the last 20+ years, she has also been moored in a boat shed during this period.
Do we know anymore about her past?

She is 4sale on trademe, I can’t make out her name, but one of the woodys will recognize her 😉 Appears to be a lot of boat for the money.
As always – thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up on the listing.

How To Steam Ribs – Sailing Sunday

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How To Steam Ribs – Sailing Sunday

Robin Elliott sent me the youtube link below to Australian Ian Smith ribbing the 24-foot Ranger class gaffer he’s building for himself. Its good viewing. Ranger, was designed by E.C. (Cliff) Gale and built by Billy Fisher in 1933 & is still going strong under the ownership of Cliff’s son Bill Gale and races with others built to her design with the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, photos below, again ex Robin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaaNzCzGQHw&sns=fb

Ranger Aust 2

Ranger Aust 1

KOTIRI B20
The below photo of the yacht Kotiri B20 was sent to me by Lesley Brennan, who commented on ww that she had come across an old B/W 6×4 photo with Kotiri hand written in pencil on it. Lesley will give the photo to the most deserving – no doubt the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust?

Kotiri

 

Do You Have One Of These?

I have asked before but the repairs did not last – so has any woody got a switch like the ones below in their bottom draw?

WW t-shirt if you have a spare one 😉

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Lady Ellen Restoration

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LADY ELLEN RESTORATION

The plight of Lady Ellen has been documented on ww in the past (link below). We were able to happily report that she had been purchased by Bruce Mitchinson & 6 weeks ago transported north to Russell in the Bay of Islands.

Lady Ellen

A few days ago Bruce gave me an update on the restoration – read below.
“Restoration work underway with removal of rotten timber around cabin, decks and bulkheads. Much of the interior has gone to the tip. Under the foredeck canvas, near perfect Totara decking, which is drying out ready for a sand and some fibreglass.
Next up, replacing the rotten timbers with old kauri before new side and aft decks go down.
Engine is back together, almost, and Ken Jaspers is sorting out new mounts, gearbox seals and couplings down in Whangaparoa”
Bruce has promised to keep us updated on the project.

27-09-2017 Project Update ex Bruce M

Starting to look like herself again.

Glassed plywood cores for  cabin sides ready for timber finish inside and out.
Slight adjustment made to the rear windows, which always looked a bit odd, but still trying to retain that McGeady look.
Rebuilt coachroof over the aft cockpit to remove the v-shape combing and modified structure so that corner posts are no longer required.
Narrower aft deck now provides enough room for continuous seating around 3 sides of the cockpit and storage.
Galley has gone, including the floor, to make way for a new under floor water tank, raised floor and new galley fit out.
As you can see there is still a lot of work to do.
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Update Jan 2018 – The focus over the last few weeks is to get topsides ready for finishing by the end of the month. A lot of work has gone in to re-fastening and frame repairs to pull everything back into shape, and as you can see the Lady Ellen has plenty of shape. Thanks to our boatbuilder, Brett Avery, we now have a very sound vessel. Main saloon is now completely stripped out, including the old steel diesel tanks and de-greasing the bilge and engine bay is next up, while removing the last of the antifoul underneath and cleaning up the diesel soaked planking. New rudder tube is in and Brett has made a start on framing up the floors so that we have some work space inside to start on the interior work next month.
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UPDATE 24-02-2018 More restoration photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/02/23/an-update-on-the-lady-ellen-restoration/

Oke Bay

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OKE BAY LEAVING SANDSPIT

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OKE BAY

Morning woodys, big post today – I owe you a goody – been a little distracted by the A-Cup (how good were we?).

Oke Bay was originally named Diana S & based on the British Registry* Certificates (number 191827, see below) she 32′ long & was built in 1945 by Roy Steadman. *Her registry was transferred to the NZ Register of Ships in Sept 1993. Ken Ricketts sent this all to me & commented that he thought she was very Dick Lang looking.

She was built for a Bay of Islands land agent, Henry Slyfield, who swapped her for another boat in January 1955 with John Lawford, who changed her name in February 1956 from Diana S to Oke Bay, Slyfield owned property in that bay, & used her for transport to & from the bay. John Lawford mostly kept her on a swing mooring in Okahu Bay. He and Henry Slyfield were members of the Royal Akarana Yacht Club. The boat used to travel to the Bay of Islands every Summer holidays.

She is recorded as having a 6 cyl 95hp Kermath petrol engine in place from 1950, given her 1945 build date, one wonders what the original engine was, her present owner advised she had blinded off keel cooling pipe outlets, which hints towards a car or truck engine, which was common after WWII. The Kermath was replaced with a 1965 model 4 cyl Ford diesel in 1965-66, which still powers her today.
Records show in May 1980 she was sold to a Waipu farmer, Arthur Terry. Colin & Annie Mewburn have owned her since May 2004, having bought her off Arthur Terry, who was in hi 80’s at the time. The Mewburn’s motored her down to Whangaparaoa from One Tree Point Whangarei, where Terry had kept her. Terry told Colin M the Ford had 1000 hours on it when he got her in 1980. Home these days is the Wade River. (photos ex Colin Mewburn, Rod Steadman & Ken Ricketts)

She is one of 4 almost identical boats, Castaway, (original name Islander) & Alofa, both of which are attributed to Dick Lang. Ken commented that Lady Noeleen looks like another Dick Lang build, while there is now proof that she is a Dick Lang, interestingly, her present owner holds a view that Lady Noeleen may be the Alofa.

Harold Kidd Input

There are several issues here
1. She was registered as a British Ship in 1955 when she was (allegedly) 10 years old. The Register contains information as given to the Registrar on the application form with no scrutiny of accuracy. There are countless cases where vessels have been registered with incorrect details, often to give the vessel a pedigree it doesn’t have e.g. “Logan Bros” or “Chas. Bailey” as builder.
2. She was registered by Henry Durban Slyfield with RNZYS as DIANA without the S in 1953. The RBS must have contained another DIANA so Slyfield added the “S” to enable registration 2 years later.
3. I think the Diana in the name was his daughter.
4. I can find no trace of her as DIANA or DIANA S or owned by Slyfield before 1953 when she had call-sign ZLCG3. Is it possible that she was built under yet another name?
5. Roy Steadman worked, of course, for Shipbuilders in Poore St during WW2. He would have worked alongside Dick Lang at United Shipbuilders, the consortium formed to build vessels for the US Forces. It is entirely likely that he took employment with Dick at his existing yard in St. Mary’s Bay in 1945 and worked on this launch there, to a design by Dick.
6. I wonder about “1945”. That seems quite a bit too early as there was an acute shortage of good boatbuilding timber after the war as huge amounts had been used in the wartime constructions and large holding stocks destroyed in the January 1945 fire at the mill of Boxes Ltd in Beaumont St which spread to Shipbuilders’ yard in Poore St. Then again, even if Slyfield (or another first owner) sourced kauri privately from Northland, it is unlikely that more than a start would have been made in 1945.
7. ALOFA (W.R. de Luen) and LADY NOELENE (sic) (V. Smith) co-existed in 1953 with different owners so are not the same boat.

My pennyworth

My Girl Restoration

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MY GIRL RESTORATION UPDATE – June 2017

If you are not following Jason Prew’s restoration of his 1925 Dick Lang, classic motor launch, ‘My Girl’ on his weblog (link below) you are missing a great woody project. The man is a very talented craftsman & has a cunning knack of being able to press-gang some of the wooden boating movements best minds & hands into helping at the right time 🙂
The project has really come along over the winter months – the photos above are just a taste of whats on show. Jason posts regularly so you can experience the work vicariously 🙂
http://www.my-girl.co.nz/mygirl/Restoration/Restoration.html
A Handy Hint: if you type My Girl in the ww Search Box you will get an overview of all the ww stories on My Girl.

It’s almost 2 years since we ran the story below on the missing My Girl Motor Boat Trophy. In the last 2 years the readership of waitematawoodys has increased by x14, so we have run the story again in the hope that one of the new readers might be able to shed some light on the missing trophy – read below.

LOST – The MY GIRL Motor Boat Trophy (August 2015)

This ones going to test the collective memory base of the all the woodys out there. We are looking for a trophy that was linked 80+years ago to the NZ Power Boat Association, I’m talking here about the old NZPBA, with races that involved real wooden boats – not the lumps of fiberglass with oversized outboards on the back they race today.

The trophy was the ‘My Girl’ trophy & was donated by a Mr. C. (Tui) Waldron to replace the ‘Burt Cup’. There are numerous press clipping that mention events where the cup was contested, won or presented. I have attached copies below for your reference / interest.
Despite all the searching no photo can be found of the cup.

The present-day owner of the launch ‘My Girl’, who the cup was named after, Jason Prew would like to track down the whereabouts of the cup &/or any information on what became of it. While the cup itself may not have survived, someone out there must know something about its past. Launches that have won the trophy include – Taura, Tasman & Crusader. Crusader was owned by the Rev Jasper Calder & was steered to victory by Miss Edna Herick. It appears that in several of the events that the trophy was offered up, one of the conditions of racing was the vessel had to be steered by a woman.
Launches that have raced for the trophy include – Taura, Aumoe, Edwina, Tasman, Nautilus, Ramona, Crusader, Wailani, Lady Margaret & Wanderloo.

So folks anyone able to help out in the hunt??

16-03-2018 Update – the other day Jason sent me the video clip below of the 130hp Volvo that will be sliding into My Girl. Shows the green lump running on a pallet – he would have happy that 1. it started 2. no knocks 🙂 With Mr Volvo at full chat, he will be buying a  set of water skis 🙂

Update 11-08-2020 Two and a bit years later there is a transplant underway – as they say in Thailand ‘same-same’. Just new and better 😉

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18′ Clinker Day Boat Restoration Project

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18′ Clinker Day Boat Restoration Project
Today’s story is a pictorial of the restoration at the Peter & Angela Murton – Murton’s Timbercrafts yard in Richmond, Nelson of an 18′ clinker day boat. It’s claimed to be a Colin Wild design/build but could equally be a Seacraft.
Peter has done a wonderful job of sympathetically rebuilding the boat, equal with her vintage. Right down to the Via 7hp two stroke engine.

Hats off to her Christchurch owner, funding a restoration of this scale on a 18′ craft is a big call & needs deep pockets.
No-doubt we will see her at next years Lake Rotoiti (Sth Island) wood boat festival.
You can view more of Peters work here http://www.murtons.co.nz/

White Cloud Movie – Leaving The Shed + Launch Day

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White Cloud Movie – Leaving The Shed + Launch Day

Today’s post is based around a movie of the launch White Cloud, being shoe-horned out of the Supreme Craft shed at 1a Summer St., Ponsonby & making its way to Fodenway Motors, Penrose for engine fit out. And then the final leg to launching at Panmure in June 1965. The movie was filmed by her original owner, Len Buckby & shared with ww by his daughter Pam Mare via Ken Ricketts.

You can see & read more about White Cloud here

The Building & Launching of White Cloud + A Peep Inside 1A Summer Street

Moerangi

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MOERANGI

As mentioned I spent the long weekend at Whitianga & on Sunday afternoon went for a mooch around the marina. Only saw two woodys that interested me enough to get the camera out of the case – one being Moerangi. It’s always a challenge taking photos from the marina, but hopefully the above show enough of her to be able to identify her & uncover some of her history.

The photo below is solely for Baden Pascoes benefit – a wee bit of publicity for his extended families business 🙂

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The Building & Launching of White Cloud + A Peep Inside 1A Summer Street

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The Building & Launching of White Cloud + A Peep Inside 1A Summer Street

1A Summer St, Ponsonby was an unlikely location for boatbuilding, particularly for large launches. The building was built on to the rear of a retail shop, on the corner of Ponsonby Rd & Summer St., Auckland. Summer St was & still is an incredibly narrow side street, dating back to the late 1800’s.
To date on ww we have never seen good photos of the interior of the yard/shed, now thanks to the generosity of Pam Mare, we have access to the above photos. Pam is  part of the Buckby family, that had White Cloud built at the yard by Ben Hipkins, to a McGeady design. Ben bought the Supreme Craft, off Mac Mcgeady. Other craftsman at the yard were boat builder Garry Wheeler & Tracey Nelson, a marine & refrigeration engineer, who did the vast majority of the engine & machinery installations, in the Supreme Craft vessels, — along with looking after all the Ponui Island mechanical work, from  all the farm tractors, power generators, to George Chamberlain’s Lane built, tram topper, Falcon.

Such was the shortage of space at the building, that every boat that emerged, meant ,the picket fence of the house opposite in Summer St, to have to be removed & later replaced, to facilitate the exit from the building on to the transporter.

White Cloud left the shed in June 1965, to go to Fodenway Motors, Penrose, for engine installation & finishing. The photos below show her leaving the shed & later, on route to launching. Sorry for the poor photo quality, stills photos taken from old ‘home’ movie footage,  recorded by Len Buckby or his wife & made available to us by his daughter Pam Mare.
Special thanks to Ken Ricketts for pulling the individual pieces together.

WHITE CLOUD -- LAUNCHING DAY -1965 - 6

Sir Peter Blake & Bandit

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Sir Peter Blake & Bandit
When Sir Peter was 18 & living at the family home in Bayswater he built his first keeler, Bandit, on the front lawn, as people did in those days 🙂
Bandit was discovered recently in a shed at Warkworth & purchased by The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust. Bruce Tantrum has overseen the restoration of the yacht & she will shortly be on permanent display at Auckland’s Maritime Museum. The photo above shows Bruce Tantrum supervising the weighing of Bandit for the manufacture of the Museum installation brackets. Ian Cook & the Yachting Development (YDL) team have done a magnificent job on the restoration.

WW has been contacted by Shirley-Ann McCrystal, the CYCA’s secretary, asking for help joining the dots on Bandits past. The CYCA are producing a register of Bandits ownership, but have some blank slots, Sir Peter’s brother Tony and members of his family cannot recall who Sir Peter sold her to in 1968/69? so today’s ww story is a shout up to any woody that may have known any of Bandits previous owners.

KNOWN OWNERSHIP
CYCT – 2013 – present)
Viv Wyatt – (1999? – 2013)
Mike Sharp ? – 1999?

So woody’s can you put the thinking cap on – any input will be most appreciated, you can rely via the ww comments section or email me on waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Once Bandit is installed at the Maritime Museum ww will do a full story on the recovery & restoration of Bandit.
Below are some photos of the original build & 2013 recovery – you can view more here http://www.classicyachtcharitabletrust.org.nz/gallery.htm?gallery_id=53
If your interested to read / view more on The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust & their fleet – view here http://www.classicyachtcharitabletrust.org.nz/

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Input from Robin Elliott
Bandit was launched with sail number E-260 possibly late 1967 but more likely early 1968. Sea Spray October 1967 reported that Peter Blake had almost completed the hull of a 24ft Van de Stadt Buccaneer design.

I first see her racing ( in print) in Sea Spray December 1968 which reports her racing with RAYC’s JOG Donaghy’s Trophy series.

SS Apr 1969: Racing in RAYC’s J.O.G. class events.
SS May 1969: Racing DYC Regatta.
AAR 1970: Entered Channel Island Race
SS Mar 1970: Racing DYC Points series.
SS Apr 1970: Racing DYC 40 mile single handed. 1st place.

In 1969 she took NZYF number 660.
Peter Blake appears to sell her in 1970 to J.A Dunnett 527 Beach road Murrays Bay who entered her in the 1971 Anniversary Regatta.
Dunnett owns her until at least 1973/74 where he has her on the register of RAYC.
NZYF has her registered to Dunnett right up to 1980 but it’s anybody’s guess whether this is accurate or not.
After 1980 she vanishes and has no registered owners.

One more thing. I see from the NZCYT website that:
“Peter, Tony and Crawford won the New Zealand Junior Offshore Group Championship in the 1968-69 season.”
I believe this surfaced a few years back in Alan Sefton’s book on Peter Blake but might not be strictly accurate. Does a plaque or cup exist to confirm this?
According to Jack Potter, one of the founders of the JOG movement and member of  RAYC’s JOG Committee, the JOG scene was driven by a bunch of young enthusiasts centered around RAYC, and barely a season old when Bandit was launched. There was no recognised National or NZ competition. Everything was centered around RAYC and supplemented by other yacht clubs such as DYC that held long distance races.
What Bandit possibly did win that year was the RAYC JOG championship. It so, it was possibly the first such championship for JOG boats, but it was not as such ‘a New Zealand JOG championship’.
The RAYC trophy list records Bandit 1968/69 as winning the Satanita Rose Bowl, presented by Ron Wilkie 100 mile JOG Classic.
The Satanita Rose Bowl is the only RAYC trophy carrying Bandit’s name
Check with Jack Potter for clearer details. I can furnish his phone number if anyone is interested.

Sea Spray’s reporting for these events was rather minimal at the time, so everything is open to correction. Maybe someone has some Herald/Star cuttings that can expand things?

 

22-05-2017 Input from Craig Johnson

I sailed on Bandit for 2 season’s – maybe 3. The owner was John Dunnett(?) and I’m reasonably confident that he purchased her off Peter Blake. She was moored on a swing mooring in Bayswater. We had a sister ship called Yunta – owned by Richie Schofield that we had many a good time with racing and cruising. The toilet was a plastic bucket and to use it you had to sit on the bucket with your head out of the for’ard hatch. Was always a time of much humour when the Bandit or Yunta crew had that call of nature. Every yachtie in the bay knew what was going on. One Christmas John D, Keith Randle & myself sailed Bandit North for a couple of weeks cruising. We made it to Mangonui which was like a great adventure for us al on a 24 foot boat. The year would have been around 1973 -75. Would love to see Bandit again and John Dunnett. He worked for Gibson Patterson back then as a Sales Rep. His wife was Eleanor and they lived in Murrays Bay.