Category Archives: Engines

San Cristobal (Pagan)

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San Critobal

SAN CRISTOBAL (Pagan)
photos from Peter Croft, Alan Good & trademe

Over the last few summers I have seen the San Cristobal anchored up around the gulf, she appears to be a live aboard at Matiatia on Waiheke Island & is regularly seen on the weekends in Man 0 War Bay. I understand that she is a 1943 60ft converted Scottish drift trawler & have heard that $100k was spent on reconditioning the 8 cyl. Gardner………
San Cristobal is currently for sale on trademe & the following details are ex there – she was built by the British Admiralty in Lowestoft in 1943. Built to take saboteurs and supplies to Norway. The German High Command had instructed the German submarines not to torpedo fishing boats. Bronze fastenings below the water line as not to set off the magnetic mines. After the War she sailed to NZ and was purchased by Sanfords. Name changed from Pagan to San Cristobal. Commercial fishing around NZ. Designed off the Scottish Drifter developed for the herring fleet in the North Sea. Built of larch on oak and measures – length 20m, width 5m with a 2m approx. draft.

She is a perfect example of the the magic powers of paint, from memory she was classic work boat green & looked like she had just escaped from the fishing fleet, then bang she is sporting a salmon / terra-cotta & cream colour scheme & looks a different vessel. It would have been a big call looking into the paint tin but it works a treat (in my eyes).

Any of the woodys able to supply more info on her past, must be a few woodys that have worked on or alongside her.

Update 19-12-2016 ex Ken Ricketts
She was sold by the insurance company 2 weeks ago to a Andre Botha, after she had come to grief in the Warkworth River sometime earlier this year.

He put her in the water last Friday afternoon & lifted her out again about 3 hours later, about 6 30pm, with massive quantities of water on the wrong side of the hull, which was all falling out of her, at high speed after lifting.

As shown in the photos below she is has a substantial recaulking exercise underway at the moment & the new owner hopes to have her back in the water in about a week, & will initially keep her at Gulf Harbour for a few days & will then move her to town to a mooring site in the central city area, as yet unconfirmed.

The owner told Ken he has bought her with a view to restoring her & ultimately he is considering living aboard in due course. The purchase of San Cristobal is his first ever venture in to the world of boating. He also mentioned she is built of oak & she still as the 8L3 Gardner diesel engine, which he says, has only done around 2500 hours.

 

Palm Beach Boat Show 2016

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PALM BEACH BOAT SHOW 2016
photos & comments from James Dreyer

Today’s ww post is a trip report from James Dreyer (Laughing Lady) James has kept the focus on wooden or partially wooden craft, with a little American excess and muscle thrown in for good measure. Enjoy, its a great read & interesting to see whats happening in the USA. Remember click on any photo to enlarge

The latest offering from Hacker craft.  A modern take on the classic triple cockpit runabout. I did get the feeling that the boat is a little let down by stainless off the shelf hardware.  If your forking out over $300K for a speedboat, you wouldn’t expect the same handrails as a Searay.

Vicem yachts of Turkey builds all mahogany, cold molded up to 140’  Beautiful craftsmanship with a long history.

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Hinckley Yachts is famous for their jet driven Picnic boat, but this is their latest model, a 36’ open.  Built in glass but with some really lovely styling cues from downeast.

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This little Grand Craft spent most of her time doing cocktail cruises of the Intracoastal waterway between Palm Beach (Holiday spot of the wealthy and retired, including DL Gardiner who owned Laughing Lady) and West Palm (home of the normal folk.)

Trumpy yachts Flying Lady.  Lovely solid lines on her wheelhouse.

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My favorite boat of the show, a modern commuter and tribute to Aphrodite.  Vendetta was built for Billy Joel out of a high tech blend of carbon and kevlar and runs twin 1300 MANs with Arneson drives in tunnels.  She will do 50 knots and doesn’t have a stateroom, just a lovely big salon area with kitchen and seating for many.  Totally impractical but oh so cool.  I was very lucky be invited onboard and shown around once the guy heard I had a commuter yacht.  He even knew laughing lady from his original design research.  She’s for sale at $1.3 million if anyone is looking to tour the East coast in style.

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Honey Fitz, the 1931 Defoe built ex-presidential yacht named after John F. Fitzgerald and once chariot for Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, Johnson and Nixon.

A 1960s era Bertram offshore race boat.  Sporting close to 800hp and Ray Hunts game changing deep vee hull design, she’s a thing of beauty.  Almost like a vintage Nascar.

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Maybe I am biased, but the whole express cruiser (open) sport fish really does it for me.  Totally impractical in anything but fine weather, but oh so cool.  Registered to Montauk at the tip of Long Island – Laughing Ladys first home port and serious Bluefin Tuna grounds.

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Jarrett Bay build some of the finest cold molded SFs on the market, this being about as small as they come.

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Seven Marine are the newest outboard on the American Market and are just ludicrous.  627hp (!!!) each, from a Chevrolet 6.2L supercharged V8.  At 500kg each, you want to have a pretty robust transom to hang three of these off!

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76’ Sportfish provides a pretty big aft cockpit.  Again cold molded.

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Rybovich is the name most synonymous with classic sport fish designs and this modern express model has a lot of classic styling cues from original Rybo’s like Release and Bolero

A few for the yachties 🙂

Wild Horses – the 70 odd foot W-class Spirit of Tradition sloop designed by Donald Tofias.

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I’m not sure if this is Herreshoffs Bounty or Ticonderoga, but she has incredible and unmistakable lines.  Pretty cool little yard tugboat on the left too.  This helped us park the large yacht I work on.

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Everything is big in America – to give you an idea of the scale, this has 3 x 350hp Outboards and is 41’ and note the tow rig.

Some nice wheels on display:

Sometimes you really have to wonder 😦

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And a funny to finish – Some people don’t hide it.  Apparently he owns a chain of Laundromats.

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Lionel Jefcoat – Boatbuilder & Wood Craftsman

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The Flirt

Flirt

Lionel Jefcoat – Boatbuilder & Wood Craftsman

details ex Nelson Mail, Radio NZ & Gary Drummond

Lionel Jefcoat works out of a ‘shed’ in Havelock, where he built the historic replica steam launch Flirt – an incarnation of an 1894 British-built mail launch of the same name which plied Canadian waters. Flint is a regular attendee at the antique and classic boat show at Nelson’s Lake Rotoiti.

The project emerged from Flint’s owner Rob Hamlett’s ambition to own a classic steam launch. He went to Canada to find a steamboat, found Flirt and shipped it to New Zealand then found it was beyond restoration. The steam engine however, was in good-enough order and was installed in the new Flirt.

The 26′ launch, according to Lionel, has been modified slightly by Wellington naval architect Bruce Askew. Its teak decks and deckhouse, kauri stem and pressure-treated kahikatea carvel planked and caulked hull pay homage to a traditional design and construction, and a faded trade of wooden boat building.

Lionel’s own boat is the 30′ wooden sloop Saffron, built to his own design, taking three years to construct. It was launched in late 2010.

Lionel’s love of boats was formed in the “back blocks” of a Southland farm, he never wanted to be anything other than a boat builder. The Jefcoate family moved to Governor’s Bay near Lyttelton when Lionel was 17 and he began a boat building apprenticeship with Miller Brothers soon after.

His boat building career extended to the cruising yachts he built to take his own family sailing, and the boat shed he worked in from for others. “I once had a big shed in Governor’s Bay but sold it when there was no more boat building being done.” His 12-metre cutter Encore, which is now in Wellington, was to have been the ultimate “retirement” cruiser, but by the time he finished building Encore he was 60, had no money, no house so Lionel moved to the 100+ year old villa & workshop in Havelock that today is home to this wooden craftsman.

Below is a link to a photo gallery of images from Radio NZ ‘Nine to Noon’ that showcase Lionel – in his early days, family life & some of many craft he built. Enjoy

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/galleries/lionel-jefcoat

14-05-2016 Input from Ian Miller

A while back Rosalind discovered Lionel on her family tree (albeit way out at the end of a remote branch) and as a result of that we called on him earlier this year when we were in the Marlborough Sounds. He was not particularly interested in discovering another relative (sentiments similar to my own) but when he learned of our interest in old wooden boats his whole demeanour changed and we spent a most enjoyable three hours with him.

The workmanship in his sea chests and turned bowls was out of this world and the experience of looking at his stuff and talking to him about it, as well as his boats, was something I will never forget.

His book “57 Boats Later” is a fascinating chronicle of his life as a wooden boat builder  and he was persuaded to sell me his second to last copy, although I understand a third reprint is on its way. (I must get a copy. AH)

Lionel Jefcoate RIP

Sadly, I have to advise that Lionel passed away on 17th July 2018. His funeral is scheduled for – Springlands Chapel, Cloudy Bay Funeral Home, 1:30pm – Saturday 28th July.

I was sent the photos below & copy by Russell Ward ex Rob Hamlett.

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Mystery Picton Boat

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MYSTERY PICTON BOAT

Its only a mystery because the broker selling it obviously doesn’t want to sell the vessel. Why else would you not include the vessel’s name & designer / builder details?

I can tell you this bridgedecker is made of wood, 42′ long, built in 1929, is powered by a 75hp 5LW Gardner diesel & sleeps 6.
Her current home is Picton & at $49k ono its appears a reasonable buy – unless of course it was built in India 🙂

Just re-read the listing & hows this – they list the design of the tender (Seabird)………………

Update – so it looks like it is Rio Rito / Resolution, the photo below of Resolution was sent to me by Don Macleod, taken in Mercury Cove in summer of 2011.

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Lake Rotoiti Dinghy Day – Big Boys Toys Part 2

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Seagull -104

 

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Lake Rotoiti Dinghy Day – aka Big Boys Toys Part 2

The Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Association are a very active group & run some very cool events for the members. One of the best activities is the annual Dinghy Day which is a mix of serious – Seagull Outboard race & pure fun e.g. the ‘put you motor on something odd class’. There was even an entrant using the  fuel tanks off an old 1950’s airplane as their vessel & grandmothers couch from the 1960’s made an appearance.
Above are a few of the photos from the day, enjoy, they all did 🙂

http://www.woodenboatparade.co.nz/

MATUKU – Matiatia Motorboat + Villiers Engine

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Matuku
photo ex David Glen

Over the Xmas / NY period David snapped this nice little low wooded motorboat tucked /  wrapped up in the NW corner of Matiatia at Waiheke Island. She has  a nice sheer, anyone know her history? see below

Now If She Needs A Motor?

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Mike O’Dwyer sent in these photos of a wee 7hp Villiers air cooled, diesel, hand start, with integral fuel tank, engine. Mikes not sure  of it’s date of manufacture but investigations have found it would be around the early 1960’s. It has manuals but these are un-dated.
The engine belongs to Mike’s father (who qualified as an A Grade mechanic back in the day), he fully reconditioned it in 1980 and it’s only clocked up about half an hour since.
Anyone able to date the engine & provide anymore info on them?

She would suit a small open launch……..  If anyone is interested they can contact Mike via ww and he will put them onto his father to discuss further.

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25-01-2016 Update from Alan Good

The boat is named Matuku, this may not be its original name was she was renamed by her owner some years ago when she was moved to Te Matuku Bay, Waiheke Island.
Alan has advised that she is a Bailey & Lowe, c.1887, approx 30′ long, with a schooner bow. At some stage she has been re-powered with a Daedong diesel.
Amazingly she is still owned by same family, a descendant of the ‘Lowe’ in Bailey & Lowe.

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16-02-2016 New photo ex Alan Good

Matuku

The cleats may indicate that she may have been a yacht originally.

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An Evill Boat

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An Evill Boat

I posted a few weeks ago about a 14′ clinker motorboat, built in 1914 by Miller & Tunnage that was heading north, in fact to Waiheke Island, Auckland.
You can read all about the history behind the boat here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/23/classic-clinker-motorboat/

Today post documents its journey to Waiheke Island.

It all started when Tim Evill called me & told me he had bought the clinker off trademe & he was having the boat & her trailer trucked up to Auckland. A few days later Tim & I have borrowed my wife’s ute, she’s a landscape gardener 😉  & Tim & I are driving around Penrose looking for a freight depot. We hook her up & head off to Bayswater to launch her, the plan being to put her on a berth at the marina for a week to take up (been out of the water for 2>3 yrs). You know what they say about plans – ‘if it can go wrong, it will’ – we backed her down the ramp & straight away the water starts p_ssing in – big time, a bucket & a big manual bilge pump could not keep up. So before she sank we started the single banger motor & did a few circles in her & popped back on the trailer.

Time for a team talk, I suggest to Tim if she was mine I would be taking her up to Pam & George at the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard & letting her sit in the back tidal estuary for a few weeks. So Tim heads back to Waiheke & the boats parked on my front lawn.

Next we borrow the ute again & head off on a road trip to Whangateau. We safely deposited her into Pam & George’s experienced hands, then I had a mission dragging Tim away from the shed & Laughing Lady (the boat not Pam). Over the next few weeks Pam sent us photos & trip reports (laps of the bay).
Tim collected her this week on a totally foul day & caught the car ferry to Waiheke Island. Home is now Sandy Bay so keep an eye out her.

Now I’m sick of calling her ‘the boat’, ‘she’ etc – so how about we suggest a few names for her – with Tim’s surname (Evill) it could be amusing – the best one wins a ww t-shirt.
And b4 you say anything Jason P, I have yours on board Raindance & will give it to you at Patio Bay. Just finalizing the logo & will be printing more – details soon.

Bayswater Launching

Love the CYA bucket
Still smiling

Back In Devonport

Dropping Off At Whangateau

Got to love those front towballs
Old Salts

On Holiday at WTB

Collection Day

At Home At Last

Post an application of the magic Houghton bronze polish

 

Matira

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Sea-trial

MATIRA – re-powered

The 1956, 46′ Collings & Bell launch Matira has featured on ww previously & extensive details on her can be viewed here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/03/matira/

Matira is a very pretty boat, again one of those designs that look good from any angle & look fast even when anchored. She was for sale on trademe for a long time & I was aware of several people who ‘looked’ at her but were put off by a few things that just were not right. Primary concern was the engines which if I recall correctly were mismatched in hp.
I’m very pleased to advise that she has a new owner, Guy Warman, & work has began on bringing Matira back to the condition that a vessel of her size & provenance desires.
In the last month she has been hauled out at Okahu Bay & the team from Moon Engines have removed the old Ford D series engines & installed twin 110hp Yanmar’s.
On her recent sea-trial Matira comfortably cruised at 9.5 knots with a top speed of 13 knots. I’m told that the reduction in noise & space was worth the expense alone 🙂

Guy is interested in any more history that can be uncovered on Matira’s past so if any woodys can help out , please do.

Matira has joined the CYA launch fleet so we look forward to seeing her attending a few events. She will be in good company with Rod Marler’s Arohanui, due to slide out of Greg Lees Sandspit boat shed this weekend after an extensive renovation.

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

Blue Duck

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BLUE DUCK

photos & details ex Peter Murtons. edited by Alan Houghton

This old 1895 fantail oil launch was built by the Knewstubb Brothers in Port Chalmers as a tender for one of the many gold dredges they built for the Shotover and other Rivers. She has been a motor boat with 3-4 different motors having been in her going by the amount of exhaust holes that were found in her. The original bronze stern tube was still in her but had been cut off flush with the hull inside and out then plugged. She may have had another plank on the topside when first built as there is no deck fastenings in the original stern and the top has unfinished adze marks still very visible on it. When Peter striped her down, all the ribs were finished at the green plank line (under side of deck as she is now) all the ribs were rebated to take the shear clamp and the transom had a rebate for the deck.  Sometime in the 1950-60s she was converted to a keeler, with another 300mm + a lump of railway iron added to her keel and another plank added to the topsides and cabins were added (refer photo above). This was all held on with galv. nails skewed down into the shear clamp and transom and bits of copper sheet wrapped around the stem.

In the early 1980s she sank in the Frankton arm of Lake Wakatipu. She was then taken to Cromwell for 15 years then to Alexandra for 10 years as a garden ornament.

She is 16ft Kauri hull, the ribs and sawn frames in the counter are Broad leaf and Kowhai all the yellow topsides and cabins were put on 1950-60s when she was converted to sail. At some stage two planks were replaced and she was then glassed over with polyester. This caused her to sink as the garboard plank on the starboard side buckled and cracked due to uneven moisture levels on the garboard planks.

Peter has re ribbed her with oak, new oak sawn frames, both garbed planks are new and 1st and 2nd planks port side were replaced due to a very rough repair job done on her some time a go. A new Kauri stern was also fitted. The new decks are Kauri. While cleaning out the old strong post notch in stem Peter found an English penny dated 1895, this is not original as it was well worn, if one was put in her at all when she was built, it would have been a new sixpence or shilling. She is all copper fastened and all the old iron keel bolts have been replaced with copper. The new decks have a sub layer of 6mm ply to strengthen her for trailering her. All the fastenings were removed so they could clean out between the planks then a flexible sealer was applied between the laps prior to re-riveting the planks back together, this allows the planks to move shrink and expand without leaking every time we want to use her.

Blue Duck is now powered by a Hasbrouck twin steam engine, fed via a black staff water tube boiler Peter built for her. She can swing her 17×30 prop easily.

More info & photos can be found at http://www.murtons.co.nz