BAILEY & LOWE
photo ex Angus Rogers ex Northcote Tavern
The only photo that I had of the Bailey & Lowe yard at Sulphur Beach, Northcote, was one I took with the iPhone from a library book & it was very average.
The above is hanging on the wall in the Northcote Tavern & was snapped (via iPhone) by Angus Rogers.
What Angus was doing there is a mystery, must have taken a wrong turn & missed the Remuera motorway turn off 🙂
Anyone able to ID the vessels hauled out?
The Des Townson Story & The 2015 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition – Part 2 – Sailing Sunday
Today’s post features the yachts, both keel & trailer, that are on display at the Tino Rawa Trust hosted exhibition & gives you a peek at the collection of memorabilia & models also on display.
The show is open today from 10.00am > 4.00pm at the Viaduct – details in yesterdays post (scroll down). So if you are looking for something to do post chapel ;-), come on down.
I’ll let the photos tell the story. Enjoy
Remember click on only photo to enlarge 😉
Updated – dropped down to the exhibition late this afternoon, primarilly because Colin Pawson told me I had over looked the best Townson yacht on show – Caper. I did have one photo of her, but most of the time I do what I’m told 🙂 so back I went.
So glad I went back & introduced myself to the owner & had a wee tour – simply stunning, & yes would get my best in show. Check out the bilge photo, I suspect the pump does not see a lot of use, a duster would be all that is required 😉
I also had a peek on-board the launch Aristos, she too is a work of art.
The Des Townson Story & Aristos
Yesterday I was privileged to attend the opening of the 2015 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition, now if you have been living under a stone & are not aware of this annual event hosted by Tony Stevenson & the Tino Rawa Trust, the concept is simple but a winner. Each year one of our wooden boat designers is profiled & a collection of their craft is assembled & displayed. In recent years profiled designers have been – Jack Brooke & Colin Wild, in 2015 the event celebrates the life & work of Des Townson MNZM. In the nicest way, Des Townson was a freak, every boat from a 2.4m pram dinghy to a 12m cruiser/racer he designed was a work of art. A Townson will always be the prettiest yacht in the bay, their classic styling & purity of form was a winner on launch day & remains so to this day, over 3,500 Townson yachts have been built – that alone is impressive.
Today on ww I have featured Des’s one & only motorboat, Aristos, the 11.4m displacement launch built by Noel May. Tomorrow I will open the flood gates & post photos from the opening function & the fleet of stunning yachts on display at the Viaduct.
The event runs today & tomorrow, between 10am & 4.00pm at the Viaduct, alongside the draw bridge & in front of the old Team NZ base, entry is free & if you are passionate about beautiful boats you need to be there – the collection of craft on & off the water & Townson memorabilia is amazing.
As part of the celebration – the Tino Rawa Trust have produced a glossy journal profiling Des Townson’s life & designs – its available at the exhibition marquee for $20 & this wonderful publication complied by John Macfarlane, has to be, a must have in your collection. I have two copies to give away to woodys – I’ll make it simple, the first two woodys that correctly name the design of the Townson yacht that was the most popular i.e the most built (excluding the Electron model yachts)- I’ll give you a clue- it shared its name with a popular model of automobile, wins a copy. Because some of you struggle to work out how to use the ww comments section 🙂 I’ll split the prizes – one via email entry at waitematawoodys@gmail.com & one via entry in the comments section. You can only enter once 😉
Now Aristos – even with the addition of a flying bridge & her once varnished coamings hidden under battleship grey paint, she is a Townson & that means that no matter what angle you view her, she is simply beautiful. Why only one was built I do not know, maybe there is a story there?
So folks, make your way to the waterfront this weekend & take advantage to this once only exhibition that showcases one of our most successful & talented craftsman.
Now the owner of Aristos, Ray Haydon, is a very clever & talented man with his hands – a wee example of his skills can be seen on the bow of Aristos, Ray has designed & crafted an anchor turner (ensures the anchor is presented correctly when retrieving by winch) – it looks a little like a big bottle opener, but I can assure you it will be ‘fit for purpose’. Rather than paying for the imported Italian ones, someone needs to market Ray’s design 😉
MAEWA > ISLAY II
b/w photos & details ex Geoff Cooper
Recently Geoff spotted the launch Islay II on ww & contacted me to advise that approx. eight years ago while dinghy sailing around Bon Accord Harbour he identified the Isla II as the launch, Maewa, his father, Ted Cooper (E.R. Cooper), built in the years 1936, 37, 38. Geoff was invited aboard & the interior inspection positively confirmed the history of the launch. The then owner told Geoff that when he bought her he was told she was built by Billy Rogers in 1953. Somewhere along the way her cabin has been rebuilt and she has been extended as she is longer now.
Geoff’s father had the use of Billy Rogers shed at the bottom of Curren Street, Herne Bay on the beach to build her. The photos above, during construction, confirm to Geoff that Islay II is the Maewa.
Can any woodys input more on her past? She ‘resided’ in Milford Marina (creek) for a period in recent years. Her present owner has had her for approx 2 years.
On the original Islay II ww post Harold Kidd commented that he had Billy Rogers 1956?, alongside her name in his files, could this have been when the rebuilt cabin & water line extension was done? In my eye, as launched, she was a very smart launch 🙂
The photo below of Islay II was taken by Dean Wright in Te Uenga Bay (part of Parekura Bay), Northland.
TOMIF – Sailing Sunday
photos & details ex Don Kurylko & the WoodenBoat Forum
Now I have been a fan/follower of the USA WoodenBoat Magazine’s on-line forum for a long time, it was my go-to place for advice & guidance on most things to do with classic wooden boats. The secret was being able to ID who was handing out advice based on experience & who was sitting in a farm house 5,000 from the sea & had never owned a boat. There have been some amazing build projects & some real characters on-line. If you have not visited the forum I would encourage you to.
Everyone has their favourite stories (called threads) but one of best & longest running is the tale of Don Kurylko & the build of his 45′ cold moulded, topmast gaff cutter. Below you will find the link to the WBF thread on Tomfi – lofting started back in 1981 & she came out of her shed earlier this year, yep thats 34 years 🙂 Don says that works out at close to 16,000 hours or 8 years of full time labour.
The story of Don test lofting in the snow is just one of many amusing tales – I’ll let Don tale it :-
“One day, a couple of winters before I started building, I found myself going a bit stir crazy and needed something to perk up my spirits. We were living in a small log cabin out in the boonies, without electricity, and there wasn’t much in the way of entertainment to be had. So, I grabbed a set of plans I had bought from designer Tom Colvin and headed out to the small pasture behind our place. I made up some long battens and “lofted” out the accommodations plan full size to see how it would fit. The snow was perfect. It had been really cold and the surface was so hard and crusty that you could walk on it without fear of breaking through. Once I got all the lines laid out, I filled them in with ashes from the wood stove. In a few hours I had a virtual boat that I could walk around in. It was fun and the drawing lasted for several weeks before it snowed again and covered it up. I guess there are some advantages to Canadian winters after all”.
The above photo collection is just a selection from the 100’s on Don’s Tomfi thread – if its raining today, I’ve probably ruined (or made) your day.
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?123343-More-photos-of-Don-Kurylko-s-new-boat
SPECS:
LOA: 45’
LOD: 34’
DWL: 29’
BEAM: 10’
DRAFT 5’
DISP: 18,000 lbs
D/L: 333
BALLAST: lead – outside 5,600 lbs – inside 1000 to 2000 lbs, as required
B/D: 36% @ 6600 lbs; 42% @ 7600 lbs
SA working: 800 sq. ft. (SA/D: 18.5)
SA 3 lowers: 695 sq. ft. (SA/D: 16)
As Purchased
Re-fit Underway
TE HONU
photos & info ex Bruce Dickie & Ken Ricketts. edited by Alan H
Te Honu was built by Brin Wilson in 1963 & is 34′ x 10′ 6″. Her first owners were a family by the name of ‘Tuttle’ or ‘Turtle’ according to one of her current owners, Bruce Dickie, Bob believes they were in the cartage business in the Takapuna area, She would have been one of the last boats Brin Wilson built in Porana Rd Glenfield.
She is presently owned by father & son team of boat builder Bruce & his son Logan, they bought her in February 2015 off a Mark Wilson, who had apparently owned her for approximately the last 15 years & had kept her at Pine Harbour.
Home is now Gulf Harbour & she has been hauled out in the Brin Wilson shed for the last few months for a ‘makeover at the hands of Bruce & Logan, assisted by a number of members of their family.
She is stall largely original except for the flying bridge which Bruce is working at improving the aesthetics of during the refurb 🙂
She is still powered by the original 100 HP 6 cyl. Lees converted Ford diesel.
We look forward to seeing her back in the the water later in the year.
Harold Kidd Input
According to APYMBA records, TE HONU was built by Brin Wilson in 1961 for K S Turtill & Sons with a 6 cylinder Ford. She was 34’x32’x10’2″x3’6″. Later owners included well-known Accountant Jack Anderson of Blomfield Spa, Takapuna (1973).
The full ownership was recorded as K.S., M.I., P.H. and I.S. Turtill. Ken Turtill (1914-2000) was an Army Captain in WW2 and a POW. He lived at 132 and later 258 Hurstmere Rd Takapuna around the time TE HONU was built by Brin. He was a student liaison officer at the time. Good bloke.
20-04-2021 Looking Very Smart These Days
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A Woodys Trip Report from France
photos & story ex Russell Ward
Getting the other-half to go on holiday in France – thats easy, but how Russell manages to sneak in visits to wooden boat yards, beats me. I need some tips 🙂
I’ll let Russell tell the story. Remember to click on the photos above to enlarge 😉
I visited a fellow steam boater in Arcachon and the conversation on steamboats lulled a trifle and we went on to local work boats the Pinasse! Yep, when the French say Pinasse it is rather akin to the technical term for one’s diddle!
They are a breed of double ender peculiar to Arcachon on the coast out from Bordeaux. Arcachon is a rather larger harbour than Whangateau. Golden sands and sandbars abound. Oyster farms are everywhere and the origin of the Pinasse in the area dates from 1900 or so.
The local work boats abound and many have been retired to pleasure duties and some look real posh.
They have a broad beam, some have elongated bow and stem posts to give a Venetian look; bold sheer (as befits a work boat intended for fishing), self draining cockpit fwd, low deck house and aft cockpit.
The engines were marinised automotive engines and many early ones were made by local engineers.
The older traditional boats have a disappearing prop arrangement akin to the American Dispro boats (check out Wooden Boat). The Dispro has a cast tunnel that the prop shaft and prop pivot up into. The Pinasse has a slot about six inches wide from a third of the way fwd from the stern post. The prop shaft emerges at the fwd end of the slot and there is a bronze universal to allow the prop shaft to pivot up when a lever is raised in the aft cockpit or automatically if the skeg scrapes on a sandbar.
The hull form is interesting. They appear round bilge but in fact have a chine on the middle third of the hull.
One boatyard built most of the boats and above are several photos of the sheds. Makes my eyes go all misty and George and Pam’s will too. They have so much space in there but only a couple of major rebuilds in progress. One smallish burdensome sailing boat of about 16’ and one elderly Pinasse who has a new stem, chines, set of floors and most of the bottom having new planks.
Six generations of one family worked the yard and it was recently sold to a man and his sister who continue the work.
Lovely place!
There are a lot of references but few specific to our interests. Go trawling!
http://www.dubourdieu.fr/en/history.html
WAIKAWA AK41
photos & details from Joseph Shanks
The 57ft. Waikawa was built in 1948 at the Percy Vos yard in Westhaven & launched as a fishing boat (AK41). Today her home is Lyttelton, Christchurch & she is owned by James Shanks (Joseph’s father) who has had her for 7 years & almost completed the restoration to the pleasure boat you see above. Joseph has promised to send in photos of the restoration so hopefully today’s post will spur him on 😉
The photos below of her during construction, on her sea trials & as a fishing boat are from Baden Pascoe’s magnificent book ‘Launching Dreams, Percy Vos – The Boats & his Boys’. Copies available from badenhp@xtra.co.nz
BETTY (Achernar)
photo & details ex Betty Black (Stewart)
Today’s post is an example of what makes ww so special & motivates me to keep doing it. I received the email below last week.
“Dear Alan
My son in Sydney was browsing on the internet presumably looking up about his grandfather Bob Stewart, when he came across your blog about Achernar. I was most interested to read this as I had no idea what had become of the launch “Betty”. It was requisitioned by the Americans during the war. My grandfather died in 1943 and my father became the owner. He got it back after the war in an appalling condition. I remember him saying there was oil all through the bilge. We had a number of family holidays on it until the yacht Helen* was built. The photo was taken by me in 1947 (on a Box Brownie camera).
Kind regards
Betty Black (Stewart)”
To read / see more on Betty / Achernar click here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/10/14/achinar/
*Photos below of Helen (K1) during 2015 CYA Classic Yacht Regatta
Update 29-07-2019 Oct 1939 photo below
Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #21 – Xmas 1969/70 Cruise On Kiariki
Another Jack Brooke drawing, published on ww thanks to son Robert for making them available to ww followers. Jack produced a hand drawing on each cruise. Today’s post is the 21st featured – this one shows the Xmas 1969/670 cruise aboard Kiariki. Not sure of the actual length of the cruise as Jack has only plotted on the ‘chart’ to Kawau Island & back. But other entries indicate a longer cruise. The fishing must have been good, the size of the snapper illustrated normally indicates the catch. I’m not sure the message in the line “The curse of the Manaia got us again” – upset stomach (under cooked food) or something else, I’m sure Harold Kidd can answer this.
The crew celebrated New Year with the yacht Prize & enjoyed 11’ses aboard on New Years day.
Crew On board : John Brooke, Elsie Brooke, Howard Wallace, Monty Wallace, Neil Wing, Bob & Dave Thornley.
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