Category Archives: Designers & Builders

STOLEN AUSTRALIAN CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER WITH A KIWI TIE-UP

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STOLEN AUSTRALIAN CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER WITH A KIWI TIE-UP

WW was sent a heads up by John Dawson with a YouTube link to the video above. John stumbled across the video while trolling YouTube, when I checked it out, how could I not with a title that reads ‘A Stolen Sailboat, a Kidnapping and a Stabbing – The Mid Pacific Story’, I see it also appeared on the Australian blog – Southern Wooden Boat Sailing which I’m a big fan of, but I missed this story. It is a cracker story about a theft of a 1960’s classic wooden motor-sailer, from Morten Bay, Australia and the plan was to sail to New Zealand and sell her. Things didn’t so as planed – click the youtube link and enjoy.

You might like to check out the SWS blog – https://www.southernwoodenboatsailing.com/

SHOULD I PAY FOR A SURVEY ON A CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT

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SHOULD I PAY FOR A SURVEY ON A CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT

Short answer yes, best money you will ever spend.

But with the current depressed market the temptation is not to or at least ‘ask a friend’ i.e. someone who thinks they know more than you. A dangerous option.

I tell people that what you end up with is a to do list for the inevitable ‘rolling restoration’.

BUT – if you decide to be a DIY’er , this article from a UK publication titled CLASSIC SAILOR (I think its RIP) is a good starting point.

WHERE IS THE CLASSIC LAUNCH WAIRUAMA

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WHERE IS THE CLASSIC LAUNCH WAIRUAMA

Back in November 2014 (the very earlier days of the site) WW ran a brief story on the classic wooden launch -WAIRUAMA. Over the next 3 years the comments and photographic input just mushroomed. There was a lot of debate as to who designed / built WAIRUAMA, link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/29/wairuama/

Then in late 2017 we went into radio silence and nothing since.

Until yesterday when I was contacted by a gent who advised that he had an item engraved with the message – ” With best wishes from the skipper and crew of the Wairuama 26.5.43”. Given the date we could safely assume the ‘skipper and crew’ were her war time NAPS crew.

So woodys do we know where WAIRUAMA is today, would be nice if we could reunite the item with the boat. Ps Given the price of gold these days, have not disclosed what the item is – joke 🙂


STILL ROOM DOCKSIDE IF YOUR WANT TO JOIN IN ON THE CLASSIC WOODYS OVERNIGHT BBQ CRUISE TO CLEVEDON RSVP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

A SUNDAY CRUISE ON THE CLASSIC 1928 WOODEN LAUNCH NEREIDES

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A SUNDAY CRUISE ON THE CLASSIC 1928 WOODEN LAUNCH NEREIDES

I uploaded this story before any election results were known – so some of you will be happy and some disappointed when reading this on Sunday morning. Hopefully enough intelligent people did their homework and that sanity has prevailed.

Whatever your mood, it will be improved by a cruise aboard the 1926 Joe Slattery built launch NEREIDES, click the video above and marvel at the craftsmanship and vision of owner Mark Lever. The man is one of those blokes that can just about turn their hand to anything – check out some of Mark’s projects and craft HERE

More photos and intel ere https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/06/26/nereides-centenary-book/

RSVP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

WINDHAVEN II – IS THIS THE BIGGEST COLIN WILD CLASSIC WOODY BUILT

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WINDHAVEN II – IS THIS THE BIGGEST COLIN WILD CLASSIC WOODY BUILT

Ten years ago WW ran a brief story on the relaunching of the rather large Colin Wild classic wooden yacht WINDHAVEN II.

She had just emerged from a rebuild at the Yachting Developments yard in Hobsonville.

Link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/11/27/windhaven-ii/

She was berthed at Westhaven for several years along side her owners floating office / apartment.

Last time I saw her was in March 2020 competing in the classic regatta on Waitemata Harbour. – photo below.

Maybe I’m yacht blind but I can’t recall seeing her since – can we get an update.

STILL THINKING ABOUT DOING THE WOODYS CLEVEDON BBQ CRUISE NEXT WEEKEND – RSVP TODAY waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28’ CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – KORORA

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CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28’ CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – KORORA

Yesterday WW was contacted by Chris Read regarding a 28’ double-ender named KORORA that Chris bought approx. 20 years ago.

The sellers name was Mike (surname forgotten ). He was a vintage car enthusiast and had done a rebuild on the boat with his brother.

The story goes that Mike’s wife was not so keen on boating so KORORA was promptly put up for sale 😦

Chris commented that when he bought KORORA he was told she was built by Joseph Fell in 1905. The accuracy of that intel has since been questioned, as the only boat Joe Fell built that fits her size was built in 1917.When purchased she was moored at Waipapa Landing, Kerikeri, Northland and powered by a 50hp Perkins.

As visible from the photos KORORA is at the tail end of an extensive refit, with the plan to get her in the water for Christmas. Chris has re-powered her with  a  new 25hp Beta engine.

Chrisr is keen to learn more about KORORA, and a possible clue  to her past is when the hull was taken back to bare timber the final topcoat colour was a bottle green.Post launching home will most likely be Milford Creek marina – we like that, another woody for the Auckland waitematawoodys group.

Photos below when the gun whale had been removed as it was too far gone.

UPDATE – Photo before she went into the shed “ to address a couple of loose planks “.

HAVE YOU RSVP’ed

CLASSIC WOODEN LAKE BOAT – PRINCESS

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAKE BOAT – PRINCESS

Yesterday while trolling thru the WW archives I found a file that had slipped between the cracks, and deserves to be shared.

Back in early 2023 I was  contacted by Richard Amery from the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Assoc. asking for help on a project. The club were wanting to acknowledge the very generous (20+ yrs) gift of access to one of Alan Clark’s boat sheds for club storage.
Richard commented that the club had plans to present him with (a surprise) half model of Alan’s classic wooden launch – PRINCESS.

WAITEMATA WOODYS input was to locate a suitably talented craftsman to build the model. That was relatively easy, the hard part was tracking down plans, out of water photos, dimensions etc without Alan Clark’s knowledge. That’s where follow club member Grant Wallace entered the equation and with some undercover work we had the intel for the project to proceed.

I have not mentioned the craftsman because I’m sure he doesn’t want to be swamped with requests for similar projects 😉

I understand that Alan Clark was over the moon with the 1/2 model and it takes pride of place in his lakeside home.
Lots of photos of PRINCESS on WW, just use the Search Box.

THE NEXT BIG CLASSIC WOODYS EVENT – Clevedon River Overnight BBQ Cruise Nov 14>15

RSVP NOW – BOAT NAME AND APPX CREW #’s – Note dock space is limited

EMAIL waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC QUEENSTOWN HYDROFOIL TOURIST BOAT

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CLASSIC QUEENSTOWN HYDROFOIL TOURIST BOAT

Over the last week I have been following the update on the ‘Famous Meteor 3 Queenstown NZ’ fb page that has been documenting the start of a refit on the iconic Queenstown classic tourist boat – METEOR III.

METEOR III was once one of the star attractions on Lake Wakatipu. Fingers crossed that post the refit she will take her place as one of Queenstown’s leading water based tourist attractions along side the TS Earnslaw . Yes – its not wood and not made in NZ but its a kiwi classic.

I’ll hand over to the crew overseeing the work for an overview of the vessel

SOME BACKGROUND

In 2021 the Society purchased the Meteor III, a 10m fast hydrofoil assisted tourist viewing vessel constructed of aluminum (rivetted) on steel frames.

Vessel History

The Meteor III was constructed by Porthleven Shipyard in Porthleven, Cornwall, UK in approximately 1964. The vessels design was by Supramar AG of Lucerne, Switzerland. Once completed, it was shipped to New Zealand for its original owner Frank Howarth of Lake Wakatipu. The vessel was put into passenger survey. It is well known that Meteor III attracted plenty of business both because of its space age looks and its high speeds.

The vessel was then held by various people, retired and fell to dereliction. It was then purchased by an owner who undertook and completed a full restoration of the vessel so once again she appears intact, bright and sparkling with a quality paint job, fresh carpeting and refurbished seating.

Design & Layout

The Meteor III is designed as a fast hydrofoil monohull constructed of aluminium. The engine compartment is at the bow and the drive shaft extends almost the full length of the vessel. There are hydrofoils both forward, below the engine, and aft. The passenger cabin is somewhat reminiscent of an aircraft with 15 seats that take up most of the interior with just a small area aft for storage of safety equipment and providing an emergency exit. There are plenty of viewing windows for the passengers with extra windows built into the cabin ceiling to allow passengers a full view of the scenery.  Cabin head height varies from 5ft 10′ to 6ft 2’.

The Engine

The Meteor III is powered by a Chrysler 440 petrol engine rated at 300HP V8 coupled to Chrysler gearbox.  This engine is not original to the boat. Fuel tank capacity is 200L. Cruising speed is around 31mph and top speed is 45mph. To get vessel up on the plane it needs to achieve approximately 4,000RPM following which it can drop back to 3,100 RPM. There are two hydrofoils on the vessel, one forward and one aft. The forward foil is adjustable using a hydraulic pump and the aft foil follows suit automatically. The drive shaft is stainless steel and the prop measures 420 x 560.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH MENAI RELAUNCHED

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH MENAI RELAUNCHED

Over the last 2months WW has been following  the 38’ 1937 Sam Ford built classic wooden launch – MENAI as she has been continuing her rolling restoration.

Very likely one of the longest projects since she changed hands in 2021. Her latest owner has continued righting the deferred maintenance and when she slid down the railway slipway at The Slipway Milford yesterday, MENAI was looking very smart. Probably her best in the last ten years.

Lots of discussion re whether the bow and side rails are reinstalled – owner and myself say yes, Milford crew say no.Time will tell. Photos below of her with and without rails fitted.

Lets put it to the vote below 👍 = no rails – 👎 = refit rails

HAD A WEE OOPS YESTERDAY – NEED MORE COFFEE

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HAD A WEE OOPS YESTERDAY

I HIT THE WRONG KEY RE WHEN TODAYS STORY WAS SCHDULED TO APPEAR – SO YESTERDAY YOU GOT 2 IN ONE DAY.

SO FOR THOSE THAT MISSED THE SECOND STORY – 2 OPTIONS 

1. CLICK HERE https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/10/13/classic-wooden-launch-kalamere-uncovering-her-story/

2. JUST SCROLL DOWN 🙂

And for those that can’t be bothereddoing either – sit back and have a coffee

THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A WOODY PHOTO – From memory I think Nathan Herbert took this one of RAINDANCE on route to the Riverhead Tavern. But Jason Prew commented I must be wrong as NH would never be out in those conditions 🙂

RAINDANCE