WW has been contacted by the owner of the launch – Mahere, seen above. They are very light on information and history, so today we are asking for help in regard to design / builder / when built / past owners etc.
Mahere is powered by a 120hp Ford Trader diesel, see photo – very impressive exhaust ‘plumbing’.
Current home is Whakatakataka Bay, Auckland – otherwise known as the OBC basin 🙂
Yesterdays Quiz Winner – The lucky winner of a WW cap was Dave Stanaway – lots of entries in the draw but few got three tickets in the draw i.e. three correct answers – being Frangipani / Zane Grey / Off to Tahiti via Rarotonga
The skippers that had RSVP’ed have been contacted but FYI – the weekends Woody Cruise to Clevedon has been postponed – slightly evil forecast – new date tba
Update 05-07-2022 1st coat of the shinny stuff goes on
Classic Woody Yard Mooching
Dropped into The Slipway Milford the other day, very pleased to see the 1937, 38’ Sam Ford built launch – Menai, getting some serious TLC after languishing at the CYA’s Heritage Landing for many years, dockside chat was it was a permanent fixture.
As with most things in life, boat ownership goes in cycles and with new owners she is get the attention she deserves. Always nice to see painting prep well executed i.e. back to bare wood – that kauri looks as good as the day Sam Ford fastened it.
I understand a new engine has been installed so the TCL is serious – we like that 🙂
While there the 1945 K-Class – Jenanne was getting a Jason Prew Paint Job, the photo is coat one of two top coats, already very slick.
Now a tip on how to get marine engineers to come down to your boat – keep your engine room as ship-shape as the 1965 Owen Woolley built launch – Adonis – the man from the Moon didn’t even have to put his overalls on 🙂
A couple of weeks ago Leane Barry was strolling the river front at Warkworth town when she came upon the collection of woodys above. The Jane Gifford looking as smart as ever and I assume on her home berth. The interesting addition to the docks was the two steam launches – possibly an upcoming event? Not that you would know, those boys keep things very tight 🙂
04-05-2022 Input from John Olsen – Kotare was built by Paul Eaton while he was living near Whenuapai, to a set of plans by Selway Fisher, now available from them as “Golden Bay”. Paul has semi-retired to the Wanaka area, and felt that Kotare was too much boat for one person to handle so has passed her on to the Auckland Steam Boat Association, where Daniel Hicks is taking care of her. . She is I think 26 feet overall, although the plans are available for 23 or 26 feet. Strip planked and glassed. She was built over much the same time period as Dancer with much discussion between myself and Paul over progress and ideas for details. The extra length in Dancer makes it just possible to sleep on board, which is nice. (Neither Dancer nor Kotare is necessarily actually completely finished even now.) Paul is probably right about one person not being able to handle her. Dancer takes two and at times like docking an extra would be nice. Especially when I fell in up the Waihou a couple of weeks back, leaving my wife aboard ready to drift off down river…. Kapanui is an older boat, I am not sure what the origins of the hull were but Alan Brimblecome had her for a long time and may have been the one to put the steam plant in her.
CYA BOAT OWNERS MEETING TONIGHT @ 7pm @ RNZYS – post all the Covid cancellations it will be interesting to hear what the stick and rag brigade are planning for next season. As for the launches – ‘same > same’ – bet it is just change the dates for the next year……….. 🙂
Following on from Easters Woody Cruise up the Waihou River to Paeroa, today we get a sneak peak at the venue for the weekends activities – the Historical Maritime Park & Museum. The Museum is located just above the banks of the river on State Highway 2, just before the township of Paeroa, you can’t miss it. Map at the bottom of todays story.
The Museum building and the surrounding Park grounds hosts an amazing collection of memorabilia from both the area and New Zealand’s nautical past, do stop, you will not be disappointed.
This Saturday, 23rd, at 10am there is a once in a ‘long time’ auction of marine stuff, serious stuff, stuff that deserves to be on display at the entrance to a marina, or as an outdoor sculpture. Check out the photos below of two of the items – lots more – view here. https://auction.abauctions.co.nz/auctions/4-5OS4EN/engineering-woodworking-farm-auction
The address is 111 Riverland Road, Riverhead, West Auckland or bid on-line
In the early days of WW the 1930, 38′ Lane Motorboat Co. launch – Falcon was all over the WW site. Her then owner James Mobberley (Moon Engines) hardly ever let the engine cool down.
Always a fast boat, James transplanted a 180hp Hino engine into her and she was probably the fastest in the classic fleet e.g. >18 knots.
When you have small children a fast narrowish classic woody is not that practical, so sadly James and family moved on to a big white plastic boat – but he will be back, that I’m confident about.
Falcon passed thru several owners and was starting to show her age on a swing mooring in Whangarei Basin.
Then a good thing happened – one of Moon Engines talented engineers bought Falcon and relocated her back to Auckland. The next year was spent giving Falcon a makeover in terms of her running gear, systems and home comforts – the above photos give us a peek into how things should be done on a boat – still a little bit of tidying up, but a perfect opportunity to view the installation work.
Remember to click on the photos to enlarge 😉
WOODYS PAEROA RIVER RAID
One shows us how its done and another how it comes undone 😉
The woody day boat Popeye last made an appearance on WW back in August 2018, at the time we uncovered a lot of history on her – see WW link to read and view https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/08/28/popeye/
A few months ago her owner, Adrian Howitt contacted WW advising that she was most likely for sale and that he was testing the water on tme.
Popeye was built in c.1941 and started life on the Hokianga Harbour as a fishing boat. She has twice been given a birthday – back in c.1998 by Greg Lees Boatbuilders in Sandspit and in 2015 by Colin Brown Boatbuilder.
The photos above are more recent from when Adrian gave her a ‘general spruce up’ (his words) A newish (2012) Yanmar 1GM provides the forward motion.
Nautical Car Boot Sale – This Sunday – 3rd – Sandspit Yacht Club
Seeing you have an extra hour to play with on Sunday (end of day-light-saving) why not point the car north and do a road trip to the famous SYC car boot sale – lots to see and buy + there is a live band and great coffee & food.
Sale starts at 8.30am > 10.30
Lots of other activities to do in the area, so get off the couch and head north.
WOODYS CRUISE TO CLEVEDON POSTPONED – NEW DATE TBA
100 Year Old Classic Clinker Back in late 2015 I rail-roaded a good friend into buying a beautiful classic clinker day boat – he lives on Waiheke Island and it was a perfect match for him. WW link to the 2015 story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/11/21/an-evill-boat/ Well as always seems to happen, life gets in the way of hobbies and the old girl just isn’t being used – so the decisions been made to pass her on to her next caretaker.
As her owner is a far better wordsmith than I am, I have reproduced the trademe listing story below:
“I am reluctantly selling my beautiful 108 year old boat. This clinker built tender/lifeboat is purported to have been built in 1914 likely by one of the Miller Bros (precursor to Miller & Tunnage est 1922) It is claimed to be one of two launched on the back of the tug “Dunedin” on Jan 6th 1914 ( see photo) 14′ length. 6′ beam. The craftsmen in Port Chalmers, where some of the finest boat-builders in NZ and their clinker built craft are amongst the most sought after collectibles around.
Powered by a single cylinder 7HP Yanmar Diesel, installed by Miller & Tunnage in 1961. It propels the craft at 6 knots and is extremely economical. Running for hours straight on a cup of diesel. The engine was last serviced in 2019 and has not run since, so it will need some TLC but should be simple to get going again as it’s fool proof. (I have a 1970 BMW D7 marine engine, semi complete with many new parts, i was going to replace the Yanmar with, that I would consider selling separately.)
It was used as a salmon boat in Port Chalmers for 30 years and then spent ten years on Lake Taupo until I bought her 7 years ago.
I used her a fair amount until 2019. The last owner told me he spent $40,000 restoring her and I can believe it. She has teak decks and posts. Huge bronze hinges and a magnificent bronze bilge pump and prop. Brass whistle and controller and anti- aircraft gun cartridge cases as rod holders! The woodwork is good for her age and the bespoke trailer is really solid. She’s a joy on the water and capable of handling any seas in safety. Extremely stable with 4 on board. Like most of its kind she lets in a little water on first entering the sea but takes up rapidly within 24-48 hrs. This is a superb piece of New Zealand seafaring history. I am looking at offers over $7,500 but it is more important to me that she goes to a good home so if you love classic boats and want to own a piece of our boat building heritage then get in touch.”
The launch Meteor / Comet II was built by Collings and Bell and is reputed to by at the time the fastest commerical launch in New Zealand, with a top speed of 36 knots, carrying 12 passengers. She plied her trade as a tourism launch on Lake Wakatipu, Oueenston, but also has been based out of the Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Picton and the Marlborough Sounds.
Just popped up on tme as a work-in-progress and sadly a long way off her original configuration.
33’ in length, these days she is powered by a Ford 180hp diesel engine – would be interested to hear what powered her in the zoom zoom days.
Classic Launch Kokoru Damaged In Pine Harbour Marina fire yesterday – refer the NZ Herald for details, its still a little to raw to go into details – more later. But I’m sure you’ll all be thinking of the owners.
When designed and built by Owen Woolley in 1968 the launch – Acheron started life at 38’ and the build took place in Woolley’s shed on the water’s edge of the Tamaki River, Pakuranga. She was constructed of single skin heart kauri with hardwood ribs. The design was a very popular concept for Woolley and he built several other boats later through a number of years that were more or less sisterships to Acheron.
Post launching Acheron spent 4> 5 years on a pile mooring in the Tamaki River, on the Panmure side of the river, near Ken Rickett’s parents house. Ken supplied the intel for todays story and the photos come to us from her current Wellington owner – Tim Prescott.
Harold Kidd has advised that Acheron was owned in 1973 by E & J Lane of Kohimarana, Auckland so given this date they may well have been the original owners.
Acheron’s past between approx. 1974 and 1991 is mostly unknown, until in 1991 she was relocated to Wellington by a Des Deacon, who had purchased her. Fast forward to 2005 when she was purchased by Tim Prescott. At this stage Acheron measured 44’ in length , with a 12’6” beam and draw 3’6’, the additional 6’ had been added to her stern giving her a bigger cockpit. In a December 2019 WW story on the launch Proteus, Neil Lineham commented he purchased Acheron in 1984 and had the extension done, by John Gladden, and with the additional 6’ she had a new top speed of 19 knots. Linehan owned the boat between 1984 and 1987.
Acheron is powered by two TS3 model 3DB-215 Commer diesels, which have been in her since new. They drive thru two 22″ diameter x 21″ pitch 4 blade propellers. The current photos of the engine bay confirm that they have recently been taken out of the boat & had a major overhaul by a TS 3 expert.
Are we able to fill in more of the blanks in her past in the 1972 > 1991 period? Not sure Mr Woolley would approve of the radar arch ………………. but tastes change with time 🙂
Update ex Paul Holdsworth – Owen Woolley built Acheron for Eric Lane an executive at NZI Insurance, my farther an engineer worked on Acheron’s Commer diesels that had a distinctive rumble to them. Owen built a smaller launch for Eric before he commissioned Acheron which was very similar to Allen Williams Banshee design. Before having these Woolley designs built Eric owned the Colin Wild Talua with mooring in Okahu Bay which was immaculately kept and regularly haul out onto the handstand at Okahu.
Update ex Ken Ricketts – post a lot of ringing around and emails Ken believes below is an accurate record of the boats owners – Built by Owen Woolley 1968, owned by E & J Lane 1973, bought off a Mr Furness (probably off the Lanes) & sold to Neil Lineham in 1984. Sold by Lineham c.1987. We have a 4 year gap, then Des Deacon bought her in 1991 and trucked her from Auckland to Wellington.
In 2005 Tim Prescott, the current owner purchased her, possibly from the estate of Deacon.
As mentioned above Lineham had John Gladden extend the stern by 6’, this work was done by John Gladden. Lineham was an engineer and has a substantial knowledge of the Commer TS 3 engines, he went to much trouble upgrading the horsepower of Acheron’s engines and making them quieter than is usual, for these engines.
Her radar arch was fitted in Wellington by or for Des Deacon. It was Tim Prescott, who has had the latest refurbishment of her engines done, by Mark Erskine a very talented TS3 engine expert, who Ken believes worked on the engines in – Invader and possibly Royal Falcon. Her top speed is now around 13>14 knots.
19-03-2022 Update ex Alan Sexton – Acheron was described above as being single skin kauri, I doubt this, per the article (refer Sea Spray below) all this series were built with multiskin diagonal planking. One change on boats after Acheron, eg Proteus and Accolade was the addition of the topsides knuckle.
Annual CYA Round Rangitoto Race & Cake Day BBQ
I made a late call to mooch down to Issy Bay to catch the tail end of the annual CYA round Rangitoto Race and Cake Day BBQ. Well thanks to the loyal launch group the day wasn’t a waste of time, as what seems to be the norm these days – not one classic yacht bothered to attend 🙂 Pacific cleaned up the prizes – first in the race (i.e. closest finisher to their handicap time) and first for the best looking cake – well done Nathan, Darren and crew. I’m sure the other results will be on the CYA website. Got to love the judging panel – 3 very well behaved kids – I suspect their focus was on getting first dibs on the cakes 🙂 Special thanks to Jason Prew from the Slipway Milford for organizing the BBQ and prizes ex Manson Anchors and Lawson Dry Hills wines.
The 1947 Lidgard built 36′ launch – Awarua has been hauled out at the Slipway Milford for several months. Her new owner righting some deferred maintenance, enhancing her internal layout to suit ’todays’ expectation re amenities, giving the engine a birthday and getting a JPPJ (Jason Prew paint job).
Awarua slipped back into the water on Saturday morning looking very regal, still a few internal jobs to be ticked off, as there always is. Her owner is a committed woody, this is the 2nd woody in the fleet 🙂
Awarua has appeared on WW numerous times – links below
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