Category Archives: Designers & Builders

Naomi + John Street taking about the steam crane Rapaki

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NAOMI

One of WW spotters, Shane  Anderson was driving thru Whangateau this week and spotted a woody parked up on a yard in the middle of a major restoration.
Turns out the 45’ launch is named Naomi (see interior carving photo) – the boatbuilder – Josh, working on her believes there may have been a name change in the past, but if so, a long time ago – the skylights have Naomi sandblasted on them. There is talk of her possibly being a Logan and even originally steam powered. Also talk of a 1897 build date. Her name board records her builder as Chas. Bailey. Investigation shows the existence of 3 sets of engine beds.
There also appears to be old repairs to both sides of the boat.
Her current owner has had her for 20 years, kept in dry storage in West Auckland.
A suggestion – in a previous WW story (link below) on a launch named Naomi III, Harold Kidd spoke of the original Naomi (I) being built in March 1902 and Naomi II in November 1902, both by Chas. Bailey Jnr and both for M.A. Jenny of Nelson. Could the above launch be one of these boats?

JOHN STREET – ONE MAN’S TREASURES VIDEO SERIES – Part 5

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Every day this week WW we are featuring a video filmed at John’s recent speaking engagement at the New Zealand Maritime Museum. The language is a tad ‘blue’ in places, but thats how John rolls 🙂 NOTE VIDEO IS COPYRIGHT DO NOT DOWNLOAD WITHOUT PERMISSION. Videos edited & enhanced with the help of Andrew Christie. 
PART Five – The Steam Crane Rapaki (turn your sound up)
UPCOMING VIDEOS
MONDAY–         Fosters The Beginning
TUESDAY–        History of The Breeze
WEDNESDAY– The schooner Daring
THURSDAY–     Amercias Cup
FRIDAY –            The steam crane ship Rapaki
SATURDAY–      Tug Boat Racing on the Waitemata
 

Silver Spray + John Street on the America’s Cup

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SILVER SPRAY + JOHN STREET ON THE AMERICA’S CUP

The above photos of Silver Spray popped up on a fb post last night via Ngapipip Road boat builder GlenBurnnand. In the past Silver Spray has appeared on WW many times, she was owned by passionate woody Mark Stapleton. Mark restored her and kept her in his Ngapipip Road boat shed. Unfortunately after many years of ownership, poor health forced Mark to sell Silver Spray. I’m guessing but I suspect  Glenn Burnnand bought her.
There is a vast amount of details and photos at the WW link below – but a quick overview – built in 1926 by Joe Slattery for Charles Ravenhall of Remuera. Silver Spray is 26′ LOA, 7′ beam with a 2’6″ draft, powered by a 4108 Perkins. A selection of photos from her past below.
I have held my breath on the addition of the two cabin top hatches, a tad out of place…………… on a 1926 woody 😦
 
 
 

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JOHN STREET – ONE MAN’S TREASURES VIDEO SERIES – Part 4

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Every day this week WW are featuring a video filmed at John’s recent speaking engagement at the New Zealand Maritime Museum. NOTE VIDEO IS COPYRIGHT DO NOT DOWNLOAD WITHOUT PERMISSION. Videos edited & enhanced with the help of Andrew Christie 
PART FOUR – America’s Cup (turn your sound up)
UPCOMING VIDEOS
MONDAY–         Fosters The Beginning
TUESDAY–        History of The Breeze
WEDNESDAY– The schooner Daring
THURSDAY–     Amercias Cup
FRIDAY –            The steam crane ship Rapaki
SATURDAY–      Tug Boat Racing on the Waitemata

Sir Francis Relaunched + John Street Video Series – Part One

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July 2019

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July 2019

28 MAY 2018 (2)

In need of attention – May 2018

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Prep for new caulking
Re building the stern deck
Fore deck ready for painting
New toe rail and refurbished bollard
Stern deck finished
SIR FRANCIS
Back in June 2016 one of the woodys spotted Sir Francis berthed on Lake Taupo and commented on WW  that she was looking a little tired. Well folks I can report that after thirteen months of hard labour, Sir Francis went back into the water on July 6. Co-owner Paul Drake commented that she was last out of the water for 9 days, 10 years ago and she was becoming an embarrassment. 
As part of their re-fit the deck canvas has been replaced with the usual ply and glass cloth, and much other deferred maintenance was attended to. (scroll over photos for captions)
 
Sir Francis is 22’ and built by Collings and Bell in 1916, powered by a Universal Utility Four. This engine was added in 1937. 
When launched she was named – Fairy, then renamed – Aloha and when Grandfather Drake purchased her in 1938, he changed the name again to Sir Francis. She has been owned by the Drake family for the last 81 years. 
The Drake brothers (Paul, Nigel, Roger and Michael) individually and collectively are a great bunch and between them own numerous woodys. I have meet them at the Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade. Photo below.
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Brothers Nigel and Roger on SF late 1950’s.

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Paul

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L to R – Michael, Paul, Nigel, Roger. Oldest to youngest

 

 

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JOHN STREET – ONE MAN’S TREASURES VIDEO SERIES 

Every day this week WW will feature a video filmed at John’s recent speaking engagement at the New Zealand Maritime Museum. The language is a tad ‘blue’ in places, but thats how John rolls 🙂 NOTE VIDEO IS COPYRIGHT DO NOT DOWNLOAD WITHOUT PERMISSION. Videos edited & enhanced with the help of Andrew Christie.
PART ONE – Fosters The Beginning (turn your sound up)

 

UPCOMING VIDEOS
MONDAY–         Fosters The Beginning
TUESDAY–        History of The Breeze
WEDNESDAY– The schooner Daring
THURSDAY–     Amercias Cup
FRIDAY –            The steam crane ship Rapaki
SATURDAY–      Tug Boat Racing on the Waitemata

The Restoration Of Ida

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THE RESTORATION OF IDA

New Zealand’s A class fleet grows steadily larger as yet another important Kiwi yacht is restored to her former glory. Chairman of the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust John Street and boat builder Wayne Olsen visited Sydney in August 2018 to inspect Ida, the 45’ Charles Bailey Jnr. designed and built in 1895 by C&W Bailey gaff rigged cutter. In racing mode with hers spars she has a LOA of 58’, a beam of 8’ draws 6’6”.

Ida was for sale as the current owners (20 years) had reached a point where, due to ill health, they were unable to complete the planned deck restoration nor maintain her to the standard they previously took pride in. Her owners had raced her regularly in the classic yacht races on Sydney Harbour with the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club at Mosman Bay and the Balmain Sailing Club, where she won hands down.

Wayne’s assessment was that, while the hull appears sound, being triple skinned kauri, it i was unclear what will be found once the inner layer is pealed back. She was in poor condition with much of the rest of the boat needing replacement. John recognised that Ida is an important part of New Zealand’s boat building history and a deal was done to acquire her, her owners  generously donated 20 kauri deck beams (220 x 13 X 5cm) and a spinnaker pole. John then arranged shipment back to New Zealand where she was moved to Horizon Boats shed in Stillwater.

Yesterday (06-07-2019) The CYA members were invited to view IDA before the deck is fully replaced. I understand the target is to have her sailing this summer.

You will see from the photos above she is a whippet, look at her keel and with just 3 ton of lead hanging of it, you can imagine a slightly damp crew 😉

Photos below of Ida as launched, ‘recent’ Aust.photos, and as she arrived at Horizon Boats + the early days of the restoration.

You can read more about Ida’s history on the CYCT website here

Details & some photos ex CYA and the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust websites.

Miami > Queen Victoria

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Miami > Queen Victoria

I have a few questions re the above photos. To be honest, I’m a little confused so I have drafted the details below from info supplied ex her current owner and ask that those of you with more / better knowledge than me, give me feedback.

In 1915 Dr. Rayner of Moose Lodge, Lake Rotoiti, commissioned the Bailey Boatyard in Auckland to build a launch named ‘Miami’, when Rayner sold Moose Lodge to Sir Noel Coles Miami was replaced with the 28’ launch – ’The Moose’. The Moose was built in Feb 1939 by Collings & Bell. The Moose is shown in the top photo being transported to the Lake. The next two colour photos I believe to be the same launch at a later date.
The next three photos show the launch Miami, now named Queen Victoria, that Lake Rotoiti boatbuilder Alan Craig is about to start a re-furbishment on, during this work her Yanmar engine will be rebuilt. Her current owners in 1985 replaced her Redwing engine with the Yanmar, this being her 3rd engine – previous owners, the Armstrong family of Gisborne Point, fitted the Redwing during their ownership period. Bob Armstrong is on record as saying the launch was hard to moor and had a history breaking away which resulted in the Armstrong selling her to an unknown person, who kept her on Lake Rotorua for approx. a year.
Miami was then purchased by the Lewis family of Te Puke and kept at Otaramarae near the Harris boasted. Many years later it was sold to Bert Goulding a Tauranga surveyor, who kept her in a boatshed in Te What Bay next to his lake house (house now owned by ex MP Mr McLean)
Miami’s present owners had always admired her and regularly enquired if Bert Goulding wanted to sell the launch – his wife always replied “not ready yet”. Then in 1979 at the grand old age of 93, Bert Goulding decided it was time to sell. Her present owners jumped at the chance and purchased her. In 1985 she was sent to a Tauranga boatbuilder (Bill Visser) and altered to what we see today.
So woodys – is the above story factual and can anyone supply photos and more details on the past life of Miami > Queen Victoria ?
Input from Harold Kidd – The top left pic is OKATAINA built by Sam Ford in August 1938 for Beamish-White of Okataina. (oops – since moved to the bottom of this story. AH) The top right pic is MOOSE; same Ford truck though!
As for MIAMI, I just can’t find her being built by Chas Bailey for Dr. Rayner although 1915 had a lot more news going on than pleasure boating! Gallipoli, for example.
The first mention I have of a launch MIAMI is in 1924 when she was owned by G W & E L Best of Tennyson St., Northcote. She appears to have been sold to Whakatane in 1927, owners H West, F Prideaux and D McKenzie. In 1937 -1940 she was owned by H Dunton of Bowentown. Maybe she gravitated to Rotoiti from there or maybe there was another MIAMI at the same time?
The Bests had another MIAMI themselves in the 1950s.
I suppose Dr Rayner would have used the name MIAMI for a launch as, apart from being an enterprising dentist with his “American Dental Parlors” in Auckland, he was a developer of resorts like Turangi, Rotoiti etc obviously inspired by the contemporary conversion of Florida sandhills into the resort of Miami.
Just the same I’m eager to establish his connection with the launch MIAMI.
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Knoxie III > Miss Ida

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KNOXIE III > MISS IDA 
I was contacted yesterday by Greg Philpott, up until recently the owner of the Opua General Store in the Bay of Islands. Greg is on a missions – I’ll let him tell the story.
“By way of introduction, my partner Margaret and I have recently sold the Opua General Store business after owning it for just short of 6 years. During that time I became immersed in the history of the General Store and Opua itself  (along with it forerunner Te Wharau, which was the town that grew up in the 1870’s/80’s to service the Loading Ground – the site where Kawakawa coal was trans-loaded to ships at anchor. In 1884 the rail line was extended to Newport (now Opua), many buildings were shifted from Te Wharau to Opua and as such the township of Te Wharau has now totally disappeared.) The reason for relating that little snapshot is that all manner of launches, workboats, ferries and tourist craft have been a part of Opua (and by locational connection, the Bay of Islands) for its entire existence.
And so on to my current project – The Boats of the Bay. This is looking at the history of the commercial tourist Boats of the Bay of Islands. Their origins, their working life and their final situation
 
Here’s where I need help – Knoxie III was built for A E Fullers and Sons by Warne Bros at Matauwhi Bay in 1939. She was renamed Miss Ida in 1949. Whilst built originally to enhance the Fullers fleet for the Cream Trip it appears that much of her latter days were spent as a work boat and as the back-up launch for the Opua Okiato vehicular ferry, photos above. I am looking for pictures of her carrying the name Knoxie III And when did she depart the Fullers fleet and what was her history post Fullers?”
Anyone able to help out?

Merryweather

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MERRYWEATHER
 

I was recently contacted by Lionel Sands of ‘Sea Craft’ fame – as most of you will know, Lionel’s late father, Sandy Sands, started Sea Craft Ltd in 1946 building clinker boats. Today they build the Haines Hunter range of fibreglass boats and are still based in Ellerslie. 

Lionel was contacted by one of his dealers in Gore in regard to an old Sea Craft boat that they had come across. Lionel commented that looking at the photos supplied the boat appears to be in very good original condition including the Ford 10 motor that is also original. Lionel contacted WW to see if there was any interest in the boat.
 
The story goes like this – the Gore dealer, Brad Inder from Inder Marine, was asked to price a re-power on a larger glass boat and the customer is wanting to sell some of his old cars and boats. The vessel that the dealer thought might spark some interest almost the classic wooden boat movement was a 1955 Seacraft powered by a Ford Prefect motor, pictured above.
 
So Woodys my question today is – any interest in this iconic woody? and what do we think she is worth? A nice winter project for one of the lake boys 😉
 
BOB SALTHOUSE RIP
Sadly today I have to advise that boat designer / builder Bob Salthouse passed away peacefully yesterday morning. While he had not been in good health for a long time and his passing was not unexpected, the event marks another milestone in the Salthouse boatbuilding dynasty. I read several years ago that Bob had designed over 750 boats – I would doubt if anyone in NZ has come even close to that, ever, and even more impressive – most are still afloat.
A sad day for the expended families given the recent death of brother John.