Category Archives: Designers & Builders

OLIVE (Tokatea > Enna De > Waitika)

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TheOlive(Tokatea)&ErnestinWhite

OLIVE (Tokatea > Enna De > Waitika)
photo & details ex Baden Pascoe

Today’s post is of the very stunning small seiner, Olive, built for Morgan Hayward by Ernie Harvey. Morgan owned or was a partner in one of the Thames “Fish Sheds” as they called them in the old days. (Shortland Fish Co Ltd). Olive was later purchased by Sanfords.
Baden thinks in the above photo, Ernie is the man under the boat with braces on.

I’m not sure if she was christened Tokatea when launched or if that was a later name change. Tokatea is the name of the mountain ridge between Coromandel town and Kennedy Bay. In the 1870’s Tokatea was the site of extensive gold-mining activity.

Baden does not know her launching date & is keen to learn more about Olive & what became of her.

Input from Harold Kidd

Lovely image of OLIVE. According to Chris Rabey, who knew her well, and please amplify these comments, Ray, Ernie Harvey built OLIVE in 1934 at Thames (I would have thought a shade earlier, perhaps). Anyway she was registered as suitable for wartime purposes as OLIVE in 1940 No. TS21 owned by L.M. Hayward of Thames with a 44hp Kelvin and dimensions of 43’x11’x4′.
She became TOKATEA much later when bought by the Government as a Fisheries Patrol vessel. Later again (about 1965) Bert Subritzky bought her and renamed her ENNA DE after his wife, the former Enna De Vera Davenport. I think it was then that Chris was on her.
I identified her, with Chris’ help, derelict at Lake Dunstan in 2008 and later at Oamaru in 2011, renamed WAITIKA.

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Below is a photo of Ernie Harvey on his 80th birthday.

Ernest-80th birthday

Photo of Olive/Tokatea at Thames c.1950’s ex Geoff Brebner

Tokatea

05-03-2016  Input from Baden Pascoe

Fore foot is exactly same profile as boat in photo. Just remember she has been built up, note the change in angle of tumble home, a sure sign of an extra plank.

23-05-2016 Photo below of Tokatea at Whangarei 1952 ex Geoff Brebner

Tokatea Whangarei 1952

Tainui On The Move

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TAINUI ON THE MOVE
photos ex Pam Cundy

One of the ww woodys, John Sloane, recently purchased the 1967, 38′ kauri plank carvel launch Tainui from the Great Barrier Island. We do not know a lot about her but she did start life as an Auckland Harbour Board work boat.

John has retained the service of the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard to under take a two year restoration of Tainui. Pam & George had previously travelled to the island to inspect her & yesterday (10-02-2016) the real work began with Pam & George towing Tainui back to Whangateau with the help of Dave Jackson & his wee ship Karros. Pam reports it was a very pleasant trip & Tanui’s now tucked up at T Point and will go up the creek to the boat yard later today.

Tainui is a great looking launch & I’m sure John picked her up for a good price. She is also a very lucky boat because she is now in the care of one of the best classic friendly yards in NZ.
We will follow the work at WTBY with great interest.

Still keen to learn more about Tainui’s past – anyone able to help?

More details on Tainui here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/12/28/tainui-3/

15-06-2018 Update – photo below ex Whangateau boat year fb  showing Tainui’s rebuilt Gardner being delivered ex Dave Shaw’s workshop. Looking stunning 🙂 well done John. 

Visit the yard fb page to see / follow the restoration

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Update 10-09-2019 – Tainui seen here off Cape Brett, in the 1958>1966 period. Her owner John Sloane commented to me that she was probably ‘working’ in her role as an Oyster Inspector boat.

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Ballerina Restoration

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Haul out at Omaha

Haul-out

 

Rot behind port sliding window
Port side repairs underway
Re launch Omaha
New fore-hatch
Finished port cabin side
New duck-board
Colin Brown
Finished cabin sides /deck

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BALLERINA REFURBISHMENT

photos & details ex James Groenhart

I spied Ballerina at Mahurangi during the 2016 Regatta weekend & she was looking superb. James told me she had recently spent 5 weeks in the care of Colin Brown & Dave Walker at Jones Road, Omaha (same site as Anita Bay & Little Tasman). While she was structurally in great condition there were some areas that needed attention.

Colin & Dave completed the following work to a superb standard, & interpreted what James wanted perfectly, as well as being completely sympathetic to the character of the boat.

  • A new hardwood worm shoe was made & fitted.
  • Mahogany cabin sides & coamings were taken back & minor rot repairs carried out, particularly around the sliding side windows & timber fixed window beading.
  • Butterfly skylight hatch was restored & glass re set to stop leaks.
  • A new timber forehatch was made & fitted.
  • Duckboard deck was replaced.
  • Cabin top grab rails removed, restored & re fastened.
  • Repainted hull (using Altex ‘Classic White’), cabin sides & deck.

Great to see work like this recorded so thoroughly.

Click photos to enlarge.

Another Record Viewing Day Yesterday !!!!!!

Majestic

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MAJESTIC

Details & photos ex ‘Nelson Mail’ via John Burland (edited by Alan H)

The 14.5m Majestic started life back in 1937 as a commercial trawler & cray boat in Nelson. Built at the famed Wells family boatyard at Whakatahuri at the head of Pelorus Sound by her ex owner Lionel Wells and his late brother Gordon. She was built to their father Claude’s design, using Marlborough Sounds kahikatea (white pine) for the double-skinned planking, and heart rimu for the deck beams and stringers.
The brothers fished out of Port Nelson for many years, trawling for snapper, gurnard and flounder. Wells eventually bought his brother out and took the Majestic cray fishing from Milford Sound for 15 years.
He sold her in 1978 and Majestic continued its fishing career from Greymouth before finally being brought back to Nelson.

Two & half years ago Majestic was facing the chainsaw but was saved by the Motueka owner of Cotton Heavy Haulage in Richmond, Lynn Cotton who gradually restored her at the Richmond boat yard. The fish hold has gone and the accommodation has grown to allow for eight people. The few rotten planks were replaced and rimu and macrocarpa were specially milled to fit out the interior.
Most notably, the old superstructure was removed and replaced with a new one, each to their own but I would have chosen something closer to the original.
In the six years the boat had been idle the 190hp Gardner diesel had seized, but that was soon remedied and on the trip across Tasman Bay to its new mooring at Port Motueka it produced an average 8.2 knots.

Below are photos from her re-launch. One shows 95 year old ex owner/builder Lionel on the left with Lynn Cotton.

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Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

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Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

The above video records the renovation of the classic 1965 Lane Motor Boat Co. built launch Arohanui. The refit work was undertaken in 2015 at the Sandspit yard of Lees Boatbuilders for owners Fiona Driver & Rod Marler. Greg Lees & his team have established themselves as the go to yard for the application of Awlwood MA (Uroxsys) the flexible polyurethane marine clear coat finish. But I have to say that the yards craftsmanship & attention to detail prior to the final applications was second to none. Lees is a very classic friendly yard & whether the vessel is sail or motorboat, large or small its in good hands.

The short film was produced by Gareth Cooke (SubZero) who also filmed the restoration of Trinidad at Lees, refer below videos.

 

1966 Holiday’s on the Waitemata

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1966 Holiday’s on the Waitemata
photo ex the Gordon Miller family archive, sent in by Adrienne Miller

I have been sitting on this photo for a few weeks – aside from being a very cool photo, its a hoot because it shows two very well known boating people in the photo. The pic was taken in the Christmas 1966 period & shows two Mason Clippers. One person is easy to ID – in the background we have Tony Mason and his family on their Clipper.

The question of the day is – who is the ‘lad’ in the foreground snoozing on the stern of the Clipper ‘Diana’?

ps I’m in hiding – I might get a clip on the ear for posting this 🙂

TURAKINA – Sailing Sunday

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TURAKINA – Sailing Sunday
photos & detail ex Danvers Devereaux via Shane Anderson

Turakina is a very lucky boat, designed by Arnold ‘Bill’ Couldrey,  she started life being built in 1949 by Danvers uncle (Leo H Clarke) under his family home in Mt Eden. She is double skin kauri – 30′ / 8′ / 5′, the timber was actually a wedding gift.
Turakina is a sister ship to Tuirangi (C35). Bill Couldrey was a protege of Arch Logan. These 2 vessels look like clones of Tawera and Gypsy.

Leo sold her approx. 20 years ago, then 5 years ago Danvers found her for sale on trademe, in a very poor state, Danvers alerted his step-father Les & his pal Phil Rice to the sale & they jumped at the chance of getting her back. That was the 1st piece of luck, the 2nd was that her new owners chose Peter Brookes to do a complete 2 & 1/2 year restoration on her, the full monty –  from the keel up and cabin off.

The relaunch of Turakina featured on ww (link here)  https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/10/12/turankina/
Todays post shows some of the early build & sailing photos + her recent restoration. Enjoy 🙂

 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy

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Chris McMullen
Alan Houghton,Baden Pascoe, Chris McMullen, Rod Marler

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy

Last night (Dec 5th 2015) at the 2015 CYA Patio Bay weekend BBQ / Xmas party CYA member Chris McMullen was presented with the CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy for services to classic boating. The trophy has only been presented once before (Haydon Afford).

Now Chris is a regular on ww & has sent most of his life in & around wooden boats. As a founding partner in McMullen & Wing boatbuilders there would not be a medium that Chris has not applied his skills to – wood, steel, alloy & the f word (fiberglass), the great thing is that thru-out his career he has remained true to his passion for wood. Even today Chris  is at the forefront of trying to raise awareness & educate classic wooden boat owners on the issue of electrochemical damage to wood.

There is no other living, New Zealand wooden boat enthusiast more deserving of this award & I was proud to stand alongside Chis when he received the award.

photos ex Fiona Driver 

A Woody Quizz

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A Woody Quizz

Ok woodys who can ID the above photo – looking for location, boat names & approx. date, a little hint – think Jim Young 😉

And of the subject of Jim Young, the man himself will be at The Ponsonby Cruising Club, Logan Lounge, this Friday night November 13th. to meet and chat with people from 6.30 on. Jim will then give a short talk at 8pm.
Jim’s book ‘Jim Young – designer, boatbuilder, sailor’ is a cracker, starting off with his early sailing and boatbuilding career as an apprentice to Roy Lidgard, working on minesweepers during the Second World War and then the challenges and dramas of starting out in business on his own at the age of about 25, building wooden boats in a small shed in Little Shoal Bay in Birkenhead. Signed copies of the book will be available for sale on the night. The perfect xmas present to yourself 🙂

I understand the PCC kitchen will have meals available and of course the bar will be open.

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Seagull outboard racing on the Manukau Harbour. This Sat. 14th

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This Will Be A Lot Of Fun
This Saturday (14th) if you not attending the CYA event at Fairway Bay (Gulf Harbour) I have got details on what should be a very cool event for anyone with a little salt in their veins –  Seagull outboard racing on the Manukau Harbour.  The event will be based at the new Onehunga reclamation area  & is open to anyone with a Seagull motor. One of the organizers Adrian Pawson has offered that if any of the classic guys would like to join in with their clinkers they would be very much welcomed. They could even provide a few motors for those who like the idea of becoming a real seagull seadog. If interested, leave a note in the ww comments section & Adrian will be in touch.
Racing will be very close in so spectators can get a good view of the racing.

DETAILS
An update on the Manukau Event here:
 Launching:
Before 10am it will be possible to drop boats off and launch at the Manukau Cruising club ramp, which is quite close (100m) to the sandy beach. With your boat delivered around the break water and safely pulled up on the sandy beach, the car and trailer can them be moved to a permanent car park further down the road.

After 10am, the Cruising club ramp and car park is going to become very busy. So launching from the all tide ramp will be less chaotic.  Cars and trailers can also be left on Coronation Rd (next to the ramp) throughout the day.  Downside of this ramp is that it’s a bit of a delivery trip to the sandy beach (800m by sea). So for those new to seagulling I would recommend the easy option of turning up earlier and launching at the old boat ramp near the cruising club.
Essential Items:
Life Jacket
Tow rope (6m)
Oars or a paddle
Mobile phone in water tight bag

Costs:
$10 cash entry fee per boat. This can be paid on the sandy beach prior to racing. Entry fee goes towards prizes and the BBQ.

Racing:
3 divisions starting 5 minutes apart
•             2.5hp and slower 4.5 boats (
•             Faster 4.5hp and 20’ers
•             Open class (5R and Sport engines)
Prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd in each division + a few spot prizes.

Approximate sequence of events:
9:00 – 10:30 – Launching at Manukau CC ramp, or Mengere all tide ramp.
11:00 – Boats motored around to the larger sandy beach on reclamation area.
11:30 – Registration & division flags issued
12:00 to 2pm  – Racing – within the vicinity of the beach.
2:30 – BBQ & Prizes on the beach
There is a little bit happening on the day as it’s opening day for this new public space, although on the plus side, there will be plenty of surf club Rib’s to rescue you when you break down or sink 🙂 See map below of activities.

And yes I know the above photo is not a Seagull motor – its of Adrian trialing his new foiling hull. Yes that’s not a typo, some very heavy hitters at the cutting edge of foiling have been having a ‘play’. These  Seagull guys are a little crazy. Click the link below to view photos from the Waikato River Seagull race.

The tale of the 2015 Waikato Seagull Race

The 2014 Great Annual Waikato Seagull Regatta – Part2

16-11-2015 A few photos from the weekend – ‘borrowed from ‘Waitakere West Ranges’ faceook page