Category Archives: Engines

Slainte

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SLAINTE – 1947 Chris Craft Restoration

I mentioned last Monday that while chatting to Alan Craig about the new restoration project for his yard – Craig Marine at Lake Rotoiti he just casually mentioned t “Speaking of projects, should probably show you the Chris Craft we just finished” – & then sends me a selection of photos of a simply stunning classic woody.

Slainte is a a 1947 27′ super delux enclosed Chris Craft. It was imported into NZ by the owner as a project that was walked away from in the states. The outside was 90% done but the inside was a shell. No motor, shaft or strut etc. A 5.7L v8 Crusader was imported too and Alan lifted the cockpit sole to suit.
Pretty much every single piece has been pulled apart fixed/painted/varnished and put back again. Some ‘ before’ photos below.
The idea has been to keep it looking original but turn key functionality!

WoW, what an additional to the Lake Rotoiti classic wooden boat fleet, can not wait to see her in person at next years Classic & Wooden Boat Parade weekend.

Knoxie

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KNOXIE
The above photo of Knoxie shows her when Fullers in the Bay of Islands owned her. Ray Morey who commented that she got her name from her engine at the time, a 4 cylinder ‘Knox’, sent the photo to me. I understand they also made trucks in the 1920’s.
Harold Kidd has given Ray her history but along the way he has lost it, so hopefully Harold will repeat it for us 🙂

Input from Harold Kidd

KNOXIE was built by Brown & Dalton in Mt Eden in late 1911 and sold to R.J. Acheson, Stipendiary Magistrate at Russell, in June 1912. She was shipped north on a scow. Fullers bought her from Acheson and converted her to a workboat. That work was probably done by Leon Warne who is sometimes credited as her builder, Her engine was a Knox twin cylinder two stroke of nominal 15hp., hence her name. Fullers had installed an Ailsa Craig by 1933.
Knox built cars and trucks at Springfield Massachusetts until about 1924.

Lake Rotoiti Barn Find Restoration

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Lake Rotoiti Barn Find Restoration

Alan Craig the Lake Rotoiti boat builder (Craig Marine) dropped me a note the other day to say that he was restoring the about boat. She would have to win the WW barn find prize 🙂 Her story goes like this – has be in a shed on a farm in Rotoma for the last ten odd years. Built in 1928, 24′ in length, appears to be to a USA Hacker Craft design or most likely copied, she is in fact not to dissimilar to Malolo.
It has been owned by Peter Davies and was his Fathers boat from near new. Details Alan has been told about her history: Built in Picton by Vic & Clarrie Olson? (Scandinavian or Swiss?). Built for a Mr Stocker then brought by Mr Davies in 1930, it was sold a while later and brought back again by Mr Davies once the wool price lifted and in 1950 an old, but still new, 1938 Osco marine flathead V8 went in it and is still there now. Alan thinks it was sold once again then found by Peter and brought back to Rotoma.

There is a Hacker Craft step pad fitted to her (the only reference to Hacker Craft) but this could easily have been a later addition. The plans are to rebuild the engine and try get a bit more than the supposed 90hp out of it. Apparently they didn’t get much speed out of it but looks like pretty small prop set up.

This will be a great project to follow – Alan is keen confirm / learn more about her past so if any woodys can help, please comment.

Now Alan’s not a man to run things up the flag pole, chatting on-line he says ” speaking of projects, should probably show you the Chris Craft we just finished” – totally blew we away – amazing project. I’ll run a story on her soon.

Update ex Alan Craig – Alan found the below under the fore-deck – D Jennings?

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PRESTO – Is She Or Isn’t She?

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PRESTO – Is She Or Isn’t She?

If you believe the trademe listing, this is a very old lady – it says Presto was born 1898. Built by Charles Bailey, 42’ in length, 3 skin kauri. Originally powered by a steam engine but now powered by a 1950 100hp, 471 Detroit diesel.

Our resident Bailey guru HDK should be able to confirm or destroy this woodys birth details. Builder aside – what more do we know about her?. Current home is Taurangi. Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads-up 🙂

28-07-2017 Comments ex Russell Ward
Port Doctor’s Boat. General workboat around the place when I was a kid at school. Had a boxy wheelbase with control position atop. Always scuttling round Hobson Wharf. Eventually retired.
She lay at Barry Brickell’s Diving Creek property in Coromandel for many years and was sold to a man who did the honours and but put the rakish upper works on her. Painted her green which is what I always remembered her as. Her old wheelhouse may still be at Driving Creek.

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Comments below ex Ray Morey
1st an aft view of PRESTO under steam, that cut from the pic of Lady Vie and pan-am flying boat at mechanics bay
2nd is part of the blue boats dated 1973 from left is RANGI-SPRAY-unknown and just showing on the right is PRESTO after rebuild. This when Subritzky owned her.

Photo below from Dave Stanaway from when he knew her in the 1960’s when Bryce Subritzky was her master.

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Input from Harold Kidd – below is a clipping from the Auckland Star, 30 March 1898 – covering the launching.

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Read lots more on the Comments Section

Rumbotl

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RUMBOTL – Spirit of Tradition – Motor-sailer

Rumbotl is a 42′ motor-sailer, launched in 2002 (hence the SoT tag) but with a very long gestation period (15+ years). She was built/finished off at Warkworth, by & for John Middleton. Her present owner Don Bruce bought her in 2007 off John M. Photos & details ex owner, emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

She is built of 1″ strip planked kauri, fibreglassed over, the kauri was retrieved from the BNZ building in Queen St Auckland, during its transformation many years ago.
She is powered by a 1980’s 100 hp, 6 cyl., Ford diesel. She has a lead fin keel.
She is fine example of old/new coming together – certainly deserving of a better name than rum bottle, if she was mine I’d be renaming her 😉

10-06-2018 Hauled out at Gulf Harbour (photo ex Ken Ricketts)

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Michelangleo

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MICHELANGLEO

Michelangleo is a 15’, twin cockpit classic lake boat, built in 1950 & fully restored approx. 10 years ago. Current home is the South Island, Nelson Lakes area.

Powered by a fully rebuilt 272 wide block Ford V8. She is direct drive (so no gearbox or reverse). Sitting top of the V8 is a 350 2 barrel Holley carb + electronic ignition, heat exchanger and a stainless fuel tank.

I love the stern photo, a pretty backside & the noise from those exhausts would be music to my eyes – ok I’m a petrol head 😉

She is for sale on trademe if anyone is looking for a zoom zoomer 🙂

 

Cleona Mae

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CLEONA MAE

Cleona Mae as built by Brin Wilson in 1962 & is powered by a 6 cyl Ford diesel. In the above (hauled out) photos we see her in Feb/March 2017 at the Sandspit hard stand, where she was getting some TLC. Home of Cleona Mae these days is Scott’s Landing, Mahurangi. Below, her previous owner, Nigel Drake of Tauranga has documented some of her past. Thanks to Ken Ricketts for sending this to me. Special thanks to Nigel for sharing the story. (photos ex Nigel Drake, Ken Ricketts & Brian Worthington). On her launch day she had a wee opps, refer photos below.

“Cleona Mae, was built by Brin Wilson in 1962. Launching looks as though it was in November, as that is the date which is on the original photos of her, having fallen off the trailer on that day.

She was built for Bert Follas, a well known builder in Takapuna. She is named after his daughters, Cleo and Shona, and his first wife Mae. The story as told to me by one of his grandsons, was that Bert knew Brin Wilson quite well, and when talking with Brin one day, during a bit of a slow period for Brin, they agreed that Brin would build Bert a 34 footer. Bert apparently told his wife of the agreement that night!

Previous to Cleona Mae, Bert owned the smaller Cleona, which I understand, is still in Milford marina.

Cleona Mae lived on a mooring in Westhaven, and Bert used to row out from the dinghy storage area, though he did have some trouble climbing over the transom, as he was on crutches from age of about 50. He used to take business associates from Takapuna out to the Barrier. Large bronze bollards are on each side of the transom as he was involved with the Coastguard and used to tow boats home when required.

In 1983 Bert sold the boat to his solicitor, Ian Armstrong. Ian appears to have owned her for only 1 year, as she was purchased by Bill McNutt of Tauranga in 1984. I have a feeling the flying bridge was added in 1983.

I purchased Cleona Mae in 1999. I added the mast in 2003. It had been a flag pole, one of many, on top of the Wellington Harbour Board building. They were removing them and selling them off at the time. I did many trips up the coast from Tauranga to the Mercury Islands, Great barrier and into Auckland.

She is a great little boat.

I sold her to Aubrey Montague, her current owner, in Nov 2012 having purchased the 40 foot Woolley “Freelance” in 2011.

I did the delivery trip to Gulf Harbour with Aubrey.”

18′ Clinker Day Boat Restoration Project

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18′ Clinker Day Boat Restoration Project
Today’s story is a pictorial of the restoration at the Peter & Angela Murton – Murton’s Timbercrafts yard in Richmond, Nelson of an 18′ clinker day boat. It’s claimed to be a Colin Wild design/build but could equally be a Seacraft.
Peter has done a wonderful job of sympathetically rebuilding the boat, equal with her vintage. Right down to the Via 7hp two stroke engine.

Hats off to her Christchurch owner, funding a restoration of this scale on a 18′ craft is a big call & needs deep pockets.
No-doubt we will see her at next years Lake Rotoiti (Sth Island) wood boat festival.
You can view more of Peters work here http://www.murtons.co.nz/

Clinker Day Boat Project

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CLINKER DAY BOAT PROJECT

We do not know the original design & build date for the above 4.2m clinker day-boat style launch but it has had nearly all her timbers replaced during rebuild which included new deck, coaming, transom, keel, oak ribs, stringers, bulkhead, topsides of planking, and beltings. So woodys almost a new boat. There are some interesting woodwork skills on show 🙂
In the interests of reduced maintenance she has been fiberglassed, hopefully to eliminate shrinking and leaking of seams. The trailer looks all good but just needs WOF / Rego.

There is a 10hp Bukh diesel in place that needs the installation finished off and some seating fitted. With trademe bidding starting at its $5k its got lake boat project written all over it.

 

 

Avanti – 23′ Woody Run-about

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AVANTI
Avanti is an early 1960’s wooden hull boat, built in the Marlborough Sounds at Curious Cove by the Manning family. It was modeled on a Chris Craft boat the builder had seen in a book.
In the 1970’s the top was added by boat builder Bill Orchard in Picton,

She is fitted with an Iveco (fiat) 8014m marine engine 72hp @ 2900rpm or 86hp @ 3200rpm. The boat does about 11 knots with the current prop.

Given its location, a lot of people will have rubbed up against her, so can we find out some more about her?