Category Archives: Designers & Builders

Three Taupo Boats

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PIRI PONO on her slip at Two Mile Bay, Taupo, in the 1960’s

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PIRI PONO’s Gray’s
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PIRI PONO at her final resting place (Maritime Museum)

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LUYVON awaiting restoration at Taupo Oct 2017

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TUI at the Clinker Boat Exhibition

THREE TAUPO BOATS

Post a visit by Paul Drake & his brothers to the 2017 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition & a side trip to the Auckland Maritime Museum, Paul sent me the above photos & the story below – which I have re-produced unedited as its perfect as is. Read & enjoy J

 In the mid  1920’s, two gents and their families fell in love with Taupo. Both of them commissioned boats from Auckland builders. Hawke Bay’s Guy Rochfort had TUI (16 feet and clinker) built by Percy Vos. TUI was on display at the recent Classic Clinker Exhibition at the Viaduct in Auckland.  Auckland’s Robert Laidlaw had the 17 foot speedboat  SEAHORSE built by an unspecified builder. After a weather related fright on the lake in 1929, Robert approached Collings and Bell, and the 28 foot PIRI PONO (faithful friend) was the result. Honduras mahogany and bright finished, no expense was spared. PIRI PONO is on display at the Maritime Museum in Auckland.  With her 150 HP straight eight Niagara, she weighed just over a ton and could do about 30 knots. Housed in her boatshed at Two Mile Bay, alongside Laidlaw’s house ‘Monte Vista’, access to the water was via a slipway. A private jetty and offshore mooring completed the picture. 

PIRI PONO was the fastest boat on the lake.  But by 1935, she had a rival in the form of local man Stan Gillies’s  LUYVON, locally designed and built by Jack Taylor and measuring 22 feet. She was light (about half the weight of PIRI PONO) and powered with a Dodge, driving through an outboard drive.  Informal drag races indicated that the boats were very similar in speed.  A more formal test was required. Regatta Day 1936 (probably) was the day. PIRI PONO had her bottom waxed, new spark plugs fitted, all surplus gear removed, and half her fuel pumped out.  The day dawned fine and calm, to PIRI PONO’s disadvantage. LUYVON and PIRI PONO lined up for the 20 lap race. LUYVON had the edge because she cornered faster – PIRI PONO would catch her on the straights.  Robert Laidlaw ordered his crew (son Lincoln) to the aft cockpit to get the bow up a bit. Stan Gillies was still ahead. Back came Lincoln, returning aft with the anchor. This was enough. PIRI PONO won and Robert retained his title as fastest man on the lake.

PIRI PONO was commandeered by the Air Force during WW2 and was the Commodore’s launch at Hobsonville. They replaced the Niagara with a Chrysler (Crown?) and built a cabin over the forward cockpits. Having won the war, the Air Force returned PIRI PONO to Taupo.  She was re-engined with twin Gray’s which are in her to this day. There are conflicting stories as to how this came about. One source has it that she was returned by the Air Force without an engine. Another has it that Laidlaw was disappointed with the speed produced by the Chrysler. Yet another has it that the Air Force wrote off the Chrysler while trying to reverse PIRI PONO off her transporter and into the lake (overheating due to lack of cooling water).

Laidlaw was an enthusiast. He was the founder of Farmers Trading Company. He was a very active Christian, and his name lives on in Laidlaw College, formerly the Bible College of New Zealand, which trains people for Christian ministry. He also has a rock named after him, informally at least. During an early evening spin in PIRI PONO, with 23 POB (so it is said), PIRI PONO struck, at speed, the large flat rock in Mine Bay between the islets and the shore at the eastern end of the bay. The damage must have been enormous and she quickly sank in a few metres of water. Passengers, some of them not-so-young ladies in fur coats, were rescued by nearby launches.  Jack Taylor’s PONUI and VICTORY salvaged PIRI PONO the next day and she was repaired in time for the following summer. 

Meanwhile, TUI led an uneventful life, and lived afloat in a Taupo Boat Harbour boatshed. LUYVON lived in a boatshed nearby, but was kept dry (and light) by being lifted clear of the water on a cradle once in the shed. LUYVON also survives, still owned by the Gillies family, and has been awaiting restoration for some 30 years now. 

The book by Ian Hunter, ‘Robert Laidlaw – Man for our Time’ makes a very interesting read.

UPDATE 01-11-2017 Photo below showing TAMATI in the Lake Taupo Boat Harbour, with the fishing lodge (ex TONGARIRO) in the background, and the Collings and Bell PIRI PONO in the fore ground.   

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Pirate – Sailing Sunday

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Pirate being built at Little Barrier Is.

Under construction c.1903 at Little Barrier Island

Launch day March 1903
Pirate Port Fitzroy GBI

Port Fitzroy GBI – May 1903

Pirate in cave

Big cave – NE Coast – April 1904

 

Ilex & Pirate Port Fitzroy

Ilex & Pirate at anchor – Port Fitzroy GBI – May 1903

Pirate Ashore

June 27 1907

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Pirate wrecked & final resting place

Final resting place

PIRATE – Sailing Sunday

Pirate was built by Robert H. Shakespear in a shed alongside his house on Little Barrier Island c1903.

Shakespear was a talented boat builder & worked for the Logan Bros and was involved in Ilex (seen in the above photos) and built Frances at Logans’ yard as a close twin to Victory.

He also had the Logan built clinker keeler Pandora to service his little farm on Little Barrier where he was custodian for a while.

Sadly, Little Barrier was not a friendly home to Pirate & she was ‘wrecked’ twice, the first time during a hard SW gale in June 1907, she was repaired but the second in July 1908 was fatal & she was winched ashore & put to rest under the tress on the Island.

(Photo credits & details – J Russell via the Hocken Collection, University of Otago, Nathan Herbert & Harold Kidd)

The 1895 C&W Bailey Yacht IDA For Sale

Ida resides in Australia these days & her owners have advised that they are interested to hear from anyone that would consider purchasing her (& hopefully repatriating her home).

Harold Kidd has commented on WW that IDA was built by C. & W. Bailey for the Jagger brothers and Frater and launched on 21 December 1895. She was a contemporary and competitor to the other 5 rater of that season, the Logan Bros’ MOANA. You can also view/read an excellent article on Ida by Harold in the November issue of Boating NZ (pages 148>151), on sale now.

Interested parties can contact Catherine Shirley  cathshirley@gmail.com

You can read more about Ida here.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/05/15/ida-sailing-sunday-more/

UPDATE: Photos below ex Harold Kidd of IDA hauled out at Noakes yard in Sydney last week.

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INONIE (Enone, Aenone) > India

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INONIE (ENONE, AENONE) > INDIA

I have had a request for information on the wee ship Inonie, seen above. Firstly, some background, Inonie was built by Robert H. Shakespear in Auckland in the early 1900’s. He built her in his stable loft, after hours, mostly by candle light. The carving on the bow was done by his wife, Elsie.

When complete the Shakespear’s used Enone to get to & from Little Barrier Island, & also to transport produce and farming goods between Little Barrier, Tiri & Auckland.

At some stage her name was changed to India.

These days she is owned by Rick Osborne who lives in Renwick, near Blenheim, in the Marlborough region, & possibly has been re-powered with a steam engine. I’m sure Russell Ward will be able to confirm this & even maybe supply a photo.

She was also owned at some stage of her life (perhaps a long time?) by Grant Tylden who was Robert Shakespear’s nephew (on his wifes side).

So woodys – can we flush out more info on Enone’s past?, particularly mid > old life.

(Photo credits & details – J Russell via the Hocken Collection, University of Otago and Nathan Herbert)

Now Robert Shakespear had a great eye & pair of hands – the clinker below, Maire, he built at Little Barrier Island.

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Input from Russell Ward

I first came across (I’m sure it wasn’t Enone. Ionone? Maybe Inone?) when Neil Cox -an electrician at Ngunguru had not long bought her from Jim Francis (Lady Margaret). He also got what was reputed to be her original engine -or at least an early one- a single cylinder Zealandia. Hoyland and Gillett made a lot of them from their works at the bottom of Stanley Street -just opposite the pub. They ceased production around WW1 and Gillett took up selling cars while Chas Hoyland went to live and make boats at Clarks Beach on the Kaipara. He was quite a racer at their regattas around WW1 and is worth an article in himself HAROLD!

But I digress.

Neil was obsessed with making her into a steamer -he probably got infected like many others by my 17′ steamer Gypsy. He made up a 4″ x 3″ O B Bolton design single cylinder engine from patterns sold by Winters in NSW. He also had made a fine coal fired, vertical fire tube boiler to Stuart design updated to pass NZ Marine Dept specs. Same as I have in Romany -I paid him a portion of the design and certification fees for the rights to use the design.

I didn’t think that Neil got a lot of joy out of her and I don’t recall him using her much. Captain Percy Ginders would confirm. A lot of his problems were that he had a grate or thick steep plate in the firebox that was perforated by well spaced 3/4″ holes. It was insufficient to let enough air through to get a good fire going, but Neil was selling up and off.

I bought the Zealandia from him about the time I launched Romany and Neil -departing for Oz- sold off Ionone to an antique dealer at Sanson (I think) late ’90s.

I didn’t see much of her until she appeared at one of the early Lake Rotoiti (St Arnauds) events. She was called India by then but again, she didn’t see to be steaming.

Rick Osborne bought her a few years back and at last she has a worthy enthusiastic owner. He has done her the honours and has also ditched the Bolton engine for a twin cylinder engine that will be much easier to live with.

Input from Harold Kidd

Neil Cox was a good auto-electrician and a member of the Vintage Car Club with Jim Francis, vintagesteamer and yrs truly. I visited him in 1990 when he moved up to Ngunguru to discuss the rewinding of a magneto. Even then such people were becoming thin on the ground. I was very taken by this craft (and more by the Zealandia than the steam plant, with which things were not going well).

Her name was spelt INONIE. When I knew him, Bob Shakespear had a garage at Gills Road Albany where he had a collection of interesting cars including a Stutz Straight 8. He sold INONIE to Jim Francis about 1960 when she had an Australian Simplex engine. In fact, her first engine was a 3hp Kapai, not a Zealandia, and she was first launched in March 1910.

The inter-related Hobbs/Shakespear famiilies had used her at Whangaparaoa to take produce out to their Logan keel yacht FRANCES to take to Auckland markets.

Shakespear worked for the Logan Bros and was involved in ILEX and built FRANCES at Logans’ yard as a close twin to VICTORY. He also built the clinker keeler PANDORA to service his little farm on Little Barrier where he was custodian for a while….big story.

Further Input From Russell Ward – photo below of India at Lake Rotoiti (Sth Is.) 2011. Also photo of the wee Zealandia engine that Jim Francis said was in her when new.

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We Love Long Weekends

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We Love Long Weekends

In the photo above (ex Baden Pascoe) we see members of the Auckland Power Boat Association enjoying the 1st picnic of the season at Takapuna. Hopefully a lot of you will be out & about this weekend enjoying the spring weather & giving the boat a treat.

MY GIRL UPDATE

One person who will not be afloat will be Jason Prew, life for Jas at the moment is centered on the rebuild of his classic launch My Girl. Search the name in the WW search box to see details.

Jason has a great blog recording the work being done – link below. Check out the scale of this project!

http://www.my-girl.co.nz/mygirl/Restoration/Restoration.html

Big WW story tomorrow – lots of photos (a tease below) & if you or anyone you know is looking for a classic wooden launch that requires nothing done to her – you have to read Mondays story 😉

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Jack

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JACK

The clinker Jack belongs to woody Dean Wright, they got Jack from Picton back in 2008, a 8’6″ kauri clinker. From what Dean has learnt she was probably built by the Jack Morgan yard in the 1960’s. If anyone recognises Jack and has any more history, he would love to hear it.

 The story of Jack as told by Dean

He’s always been a leaker despite long spells in the briny to take up. You’ll see from the photos 3-4″ of water sloshing about and the bailer afloat, we decided that 2016 was going to be his birthday and he was going to get tight.

We stripped him back to bare, cleaned out the lands then took him to boat builder Bob Van Pierce (owner of the mullety Cora) for his opinion.  He thought she was recoverable but she’d need three and a bit new planks and a general refasten. And while we were at he’d fix the bulge in one side of her hull and bring her back into her original shape. Bob did all the smart stuff and I got on the end of the dolly. Thanks Bob, you did a fantastic job.

The first photos show the general condition of the planks we replaced, splits and bits missing.

A few replacement planks & Bob scarfed one in. Spotted gum for the ribs. The steam box was cranked up, ribs loaded in & then bent in. A few broke but where were spares. Ribs were nailed from below and riveted.

Then primer, Prekote and topcoat prior to new purple heart thwarts being fitted. Bob also added rubbing strakes.

Then Jack came back home to your the shed and was ready for bottom paint & signwriting by artist Lester Hall. Thanks also Lester for the beautiful oars complete with welcome swallows. These have been decorating my wall for the last 5-6 years, they got a hell of a fright being immersed in salt water.

Then the bronze rowlocks were fitted & new floorboards in + nylon rub rail secured with copper wire. 

First outing was planting trees with Project Island Song. Over a day, we got half a litre in the bottom, pretty happy with that.

The old dinks – Ken is not happy, he’s been relegated to barge duties.

 

And While On The Topic Of Wooden Boats

The NZ Traditional Boat Building School has just released details on its latest courses, see below. The presenter / instructors are legends in the wooden boating community. In the past the courses have been oversubscribed, so get in early or miss out.

To register – email tanya@nztbs.org.nz       or call 027 – 45 33 55

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Petrel

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PETREL
The posts last week on the Philip Lange built vessel Faith have resulted in Sharon Lange (Sharon, married Philip & Bev’s son, Ian Lange) sending in the above photos of ‘Petrel’, the last boat built by Philip. Petrel was build under Philip and Bev’s Mill Bay house in Mangonui and launched in 1991.

Petrel was build for Philips son Stev and is used as a commercial longline boat out of Mangonui to present day.

The photos, from the top, are tagged:
1: The Petrel on the cradle front lawn of Philips house
2: close up
3: Getting ready to go down the drive to Mill bay for launching
4: Philip lange on the Petrel during launching , Stev Lange on the ramp , Bev at the front and Ian lange ready to help and Phils grand daughter watching the action
5: Philip Lange and the Petrel
6: Bev Lange & the Petrel
7: the Petrel
8: speaks for its self

The New Zealand Clinker
In support of last weekends Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition, the Tino Rawa Trust have produced a 36 page booklet titled ‘ The New Zealand Clinker, its a great collection of stories on & around clinker boats. I enjoyed the read & learnt a lot.
You can grab a copy for $20 from BoatBooks in Westhaven or try your luck with answering the question below, all correct entries, emailed to waitematawoodys@gmail.com before 6pm 10-10-2017, go into the draw for a copy.

Q: Where does the word ‘clinker’ originate from?

Clinker Cover

Clinker Spread

Input from Russell Ward

A glossary in the pre WW2 book Motor Cruising by Irvine and others confirms that “Clinker (clincher, clencher) is a method of building in which each side plank overlaps the one below.”
Now, shipmates, we gotta drill a bit deeper into this one, maybe. Clenching or clench nailing is the merry art of holding an iron or hammer just right and picking up the sharp end of your nail as she emerges through the other side and turning it over and back into the wood (provided the wood is soft enough). Quick and easy and, if done neatly looks a lot better than it sounds. I sent a picture via Wifi to AH just now -qv. Iona had a lot of old epaired timbers clinched and it looked good.
The Yanks of course call “clinker” by the more descriptive term “lapstrake”. So Robin Seaward in ‘Boatbuilding’ 2ed says “Lapstrake -sometimes called clinker planking.”
However, I find this appealing “Late 17th century (denoting a person or thing that clinks): from clink + -er. clinker”. Do you reckon that the wisened old man crouched over the wee boat in the corner of the shed was clinking away at his craft?
(Personally I like the old-fashioned slang use for a bum note played on a musical instrument -a clinker! Or in my favourite town Galway, a clinker is a wee lass worthy of a very close inspection. Or modern slang says a clinker is a dingle berry. Nothing to do with our boats though.) Better watch where you use the term.
Take yer pick, fellow anorak wearers…..

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Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition 2017 – The NZ Clinker Boat – 50+ Photos

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Tony Stevenson

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Robert Brooke

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Baden Pascoe

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Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition 2017 – The NZ Clinker Boat

Over the weekend the Tino Rawa Trust hosted the 10th Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition at Karanga Plaza on Auckland waterfront Wynyard Quarter. If you missed the event, you really did miss something special. The feature this year was the New Zealand Clinker Boat.

I went to the opening commemorative (Tony Stevenson, likes flash words) morning tea on Friday, if you were looking for a wooden boat builder or a fountain of knowledge on wooden boats, you would have been stunned at the guest list, it was the who’s who of NZ classic wooden boat movement. If you weren’t there you must have done something really bad in a past life to not be invited 😉

Above is a selection of the boats on display, taken on Friday when the crowds were light. Enjoy 🙂

Talking to Tony Stevenson, Jason Prew & Baden Pascoe last night & this years event was hands down the most successful in terms of attendee numbers, Saturday being huge. Well done guys. 

 

FAITH – Flash Back Friday

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FAITH – Flash Back Friday

Last week I posted some ‘recent-ish’ photos of the Philip Lange built launch – Faith, now owned by Neal & Nicki Harding in the Marlborough Sounds. Yesterday I was contacted by Sharon Lange with the above photos from the launching & older days up north.

Sharon confirmed that Faith was built by Philip Lange in 1967 and launched in 1968 at Whangaparoa at Matakatia Bay. Philip installed a Kelvin motor in the Faith.

Philip worked the Faith as a commercial fishing boat out of Whangaparoa for a little while then left Whangaparoa, driving the Faith up with one of his young sons – Graham Lange , north to Mangonui , Doubtless Bay. From there he continued to fish for cray fish and longline on the Faith. Philip and his wife Bev and six sons moved to Mangonui where he continued to build other boats.

The Faith was sold to Philips brother Douglas then to Murray Hamilton (both deceased). Then sold to Vick Spaights, after that Sharon does not know any further history apart from the Hardings owning her now .

There are 4 of Philips boats moored permanently in Mill Bay Mangonui, they are: – 1. The Michele, 2. Kaipara, 3. Tui, 4. Petrel. The Petrel was the last boat built in 1991.

# The top photo was taken at the launching of the Faith with 4 of Philips young sons and one neighbor’s boy at Matakatia Bay on the Whangaparoa Peninsula.

# The middle photo was taken in Mangonui Harbour by the wharf heading toward Mill Bay mooring.

# The bottom photo shows Faith heading towards the Mangonui wharf.

SLAINTE Relaunched

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Slainte

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SLAINTE Relaunched

Back in early August I posted photos / details on the restoration / rebuild of the 1947 27’ Chris Craft Super Delux – Slainte at Craig Maine at Lake Rotoiti (link below).

Yesterday Alan Craig sent me photos from last Friday’s relaunch on the lake. Alan’s a man of few words e.g. “ It floats, all went well” J

Slainte is a stunning addition to the Lake Rotoiti woody fleet – well done Alan & the brave owner that commissioned the project.

Slainte

 

Chris Craft in Canada

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Chris Craft in Canada

I have been sent the above photos from Kiwi woody Alan Sexton, who is working in Canada. Alan keeps an eye open for any interesting boats & commented that it seems wooden Chris Craft are the flavour of the month in Vancouver.

The two b/w photos are from a book on the Chris Craft factory, that Alan found in the marine section in the Vancouver Central.