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.
CLASSIC WOODEN CLINKER RUNABOUT
In recent times more and more of these restored Seacraft classic clinker runabouts have been topping up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald).
This one is 16’ in length and was built in 1955. The engine is a Ford 100E, petrol and is allocated 1955 so possibly the original engine.
Her hull has been Dynal on the outside and Endure on the interior so should be dry boat.
Trailer appears modern and at $8750 ono its an affordable entry into the classic wooden boating community.
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 CABIN JET BOAT – TARANUI
If you typed the words jet boat into the WW search box, pretty sure the answer would be ’Nothing Found’, until today.
I stumbled across this wee beauty 4 sale in Nelson – what a treasure.
Some details – TARANUI is 19’ in length and was built in 1967 by Mr Macpherson of Mapua. She spent the most of her life in a shed at Duncan Bay, Tennyson Inlet. Powered by a Crusader Marine 327 Chevy, connected to a Hamilton Jet unit which was purchased from Wilkins & Field in the mid to late 60’s. The gate steering has been modified to make her more agile.
She won ‘Best Jet Boat’ at the 2016 Classic Boat Show at Lake Rotoiti and from the photos looks like she could win again.
STUNNING SUNSET AT KBC LAST NIGHT
CLASSIC LAUNCH WAIKARO GETS A HEART TRANSPLANT
Spotted the 33’ Roy Parris designed and built (1978) classic launch – WAIKARO at the Slipway Milford earlier in the week , poked my head / camera into the cabin and got a surprise – it looked a little like a tip 🙂 Normally she is immaculately presented (last photo), closer inspection revealed a large hole midships and the absence of her Ford 2715 diesel engine.
Turns out she is getting a heart transplant – out with the Ford and in with a new Yanmar. Will be interesting to see the performance comparison – the Ford was 6cly. 120hp and gave her a top speed of 14 knots, The Yanmar is 4cyl. 110hp and turbo. Yanmar is higher reving and probably 1/2 the weight. Her semi displacement hull helps with the speed.
Being keen fishermen her owners like to fish where the big ones are eg Great Barrier Island , so reliability would have also been key factor in the decision to re-power.
Looking forward to feed back on the performance of the new Yanmar.
You can see / read more on WAIKARO here https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/08/11/waikaro-exceptional-classic-wooden-boat/
UPDATE – Engine installation and new fuel tanks
Also nice to see at the Slipway Milford the progress being made on LEXIA the 26’ 1904 Chas Bailey Jnr built yacht. See early update on the work here https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/09/27/122-yr-old-classic-woody-gets-a-well-deserved-makeover/
12-11-2026 UPDATE
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 – AVALON – RESTORATION UPDATE #6
Today we have an an update from Tobias Forsyth on his rebuild of the 24’ Sam Ford built (1954) classic wooden launch – AVALON. Getting very close to hitting the water. Have to admire the workmanship , very talented man is Tobias.
I’ll hand over to Tobias to walk us thru the work – Update 6, great progress and we have a launch date for late November.
“Photos are fairly self explanatory, new cabin top has been clashed with kauri and then corners glassed, an internal laminex epoxied and vacuum bagged down to have a nice easy maintainance deck head. Cabin top then fully painted and installed. Final coats of varnish done plus non skid on decks before glass install. Made some good progress of wiring and systems with a quick test run of the engine to make sure all is working as it should.
Test fit the new squabs and carpets along with a few other cosmetic touches. All going to plan the launch date should be ok. Just the final coat on the hull and then driveline install and finish off the engine bay and systems left to go now.”
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW
IS THIS THE PERFECT WOODEN BOAT
I regularly rave on about the virtues of the USA based video blog – OFF CENTER HARBOR, it is subscription based but if you need an example of value for money check out this video on the building of the plank-on-frame wooden launch – MAGGIE-ANN.
Todays video is a snapshot of the projects, accumulating with launch day. OCH ran a 44 part series on master boat builder Peter Buxton’s A>Z build.
This video is just one of over 500 in the library that subscribers have access to. OCH is the worlds leading reference tool for advice, direction and enlightenment for everything wooden boating.
Don’t believe me – check OCH out here https://www.offcenterharbor.com/about/
And it is only USD$49 for 12 months unlimited access.
BETTER STILL – HERE IS A FREE 2 WEEK TRIAL – LINK BELOW https://www.offcenterharbor.com/join-now-free-trial/?level=1&discount_code=homefreetrial
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – RAINDANCE – Saved, Restored and Ready For The Next 100 Years
One of the better kept secrets in the classic boating community is that approx. 6 weeks ago the classic wooden launch RAINDACE while entering the Wairua Creek (Milford Marina) had a mishap, best described as a stroke of bad luck, or as a race car enthusiast friend commented “just like black ice on the road”.
Having passed the two marked navigation hazards and entering the actual creek , a rogue wave picked RAINDANCE up and deposited her on the rock bank under the cliffs (northern side).
When the wave died – the stern came down with a wallop and later discovered – damaged most things bolted / fastened on. Primary issue was the rubber shoe was bent up and stopping the prop turning + rudder and shaft weren’t functioning. End result no power and no steering.
The two things that stopped her sinking was (1) the rocks are boulders, so round versus sharp (2) The quick response of the lads at The Slipway Milford and the marina maintenance crew who arrived within 10 minutes to tow her off.
I’m only interested in the end result, the past is the past , but she was out for 6 weeks and all the talents / services of The Slipway Milford were utilised – advice, boatbuilding, engineering & painting + Moon Engines rebuilt the gearbox. A few sad photos below.
Also ook the opportunity to refresh a lot of other ares, still working on the interior.
Thanks to a supportive insurance company – IAG – RAINDANCE lives on to celebrate her 100th birthday in 18 months.
Been a stressful 6 weeks, apologise for any slow replies to WW, to be honest there were days I lacked the motivation to write about someone elses boat, so we got there 🙂
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – AVALON RESTORATION UPDATE # 3
Todays photo gallery of AVALON the 24’ 1954 Sam Ford built woody was sent in by John Dawson and is a follow up to our last update in November 2025 – WW link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/11/17/classic-wooden-launch-avalon-restoration-update-2/
Owner Tobias Forsyth has been making good progress and I love his approach to semi finishing areas while the overall project continues – I’m sure it helps with the motivation.
AVALON is a member of a very small classic wooden boating club – one family owner since new.
Lots of background on AVALON in this 2021 WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/29/resurrection-of-avalon/
Photo below from pre launch day.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MALUA – NEEDS A NEW OWNER
During the week WW was contacted by Jeff Giddens concerning the classic wooden launch – MALUA. Jeff tells her story below –
“We have sort of acquired the above named vessel “Malua”. At this stage make and builder unknown.Story goes……there was a brand new 65 Volvo marine diesel engine fitted in the boat some 25 years ago, it did very few hours, then was put into a slipway cradle and has been on the slipway ever since (approx. 17 years).
Someone may know some history on this vessel. We would love to see this old girl be restored, hull is 98% sound, but unfortunately the decks and cabin sides need work. Be nice to know there is someone out there that wants her. Not free but her price will reflect the buyers commitment to restoring her.”
What we know – approx. 26’-28′ in length and very beamy for her length. Constructed from single skin, most likely kauri planking. 25+ years ago, she was on a swing mooring in Ivy Bay, Paremata, Pāuatahanui Inlet, then she went to Tauranga, then came back to Ivy Bay, Paremata, and has been on the slipway cradle ever since.
From the photos we see that her cradle sits above the water at high tide so this should have helped reduce the ‘drying out’ effect over the years.
If you have room and the passion for a classic wooden launch like MALUA in your life – initially contact Jeff at j.giddens@xtra.co.nz
And it saddens me to add that if we can’t find a new owner, she will face an appointment with a back-hoe…… 😢
