Category Archives: For Sale

Koura

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KOURA
The launch Koura was on trademe earlier this year – she measures 24’and was built by Ford (Sam Ford?) at Ellerslie in the 1930’s. 
Powered by a recently refurbished  30 hp Yanmar 3 cylinder diesel engine. 
From the above photos she appears to a well presented woody.
 
Do we know anymore about her past & whether she sold and if so where is she now?

Owen Woolley 45’ Launch – Aries

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Owen Woolley 45’ Launch – Aries
This Owen Woolley is currently on trademe but given the lack of photos of the exterior, you would have to wonder how serious the broker is in selling her 🙂
What we know is that she was built in 1957, is 45’ in length, with a beam of 14’ and draws 3’3”. The propulsion comes from twin Ford 120hp diesels, pushing her along at 8>10 knots.
Her 14’ beam makes her a very roomy old girl, so with some TLC you could have a very liveable woody to enjoy. But as always – best to get a survey. Broker comments she would make an excellent live aboard, which she would.
So woodys who can put  name to her? Thanks to Mark McLaughlin we now know she is called Aries
Input from Harold Kidd – ARIES was built by Owen Woolley in 1957 for E.C. Carter and was originally fitted with twin Commer diesels of 105hp. By 1959 she was owned by W.A. (Max) Burnett of Arney Road, and by 1964 had twin 100hp 6 cylinder Chrysler Crowns of 1943 vintage.

REPORT EX STEVE BURRETT THAT CORRECTS SOME OF THE ‘BOATS CLAIMS AT THIS WW LINK https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/10/22/aries-4/

Ngaru

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NGARU
Ngaru’s trademe listing (thanks Ian McDonald) states that she is an old Sounds launch that made her way across Cook Strait to Wellington 20 years ago.
She has had the same owner for most of that time, but changed hands 18 months ago. During this period her current owner has undertaken a lot of system upgrades and caught up on her maintenance. Changing circumstances are the reason for the sale.
Ngaru is 27’ in length and powered by a Nissan LD20 diesel, that’s sees her cruising at 6 knots.
With some TLC Ngaru would make a perfect boat to enjoy Wellington Harbour and beyond.
Does any of the Southern woodys know more about her past?

Merryweather

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MERRYWEATHER
 

I was recently contacted by Lionel Sands of ‘Sea Craft’ fame – as most of you will know, Lionel’s late father, Sandy Sands, started Sea Craft Ltd in 1946 building clinker boats. Today they build the Haines Hunter range of fibreglass boats and are still based in Ellerslie. 

Lionel was contacted by one of his dealers in Gore in regard to an old Sea Craft boat that they had come across. Lionel commented that looking at the photos supplied the boat appears to be in very good original condition including the Ford 10 motor that is also original. Lionel contacted WW to see if there was any interest in the boat.
 
The story goes like this – the Gore dealer, Brad Inder from Inder Marine, was asked to price a re-power on a larger glass boat and the customer is wanting to sell some of his old cars and boats. The vessel that the dealer thought might spark some interest almost the classic wooden boat movement was a 1955 Seacraft powered by a Ford Prefect motor, pictured above.
 
So Woodys my question today is – any interest in this iconic woody? and what do we think she is worth? A nice winter project for one of the lake boys 😉
 
BOB SALTHOUSE RIP
Sadly today I have to advise that boat designer / builder Bob Salthouse passed away peacefully yesterday morning. While he had not been in good health for a long time and his passing was not unexpected, the event marks another milestone in the Salthouse boatbuilding dynasty. I read several years ago that Bob had designed over 750 boats – I would doubt if anyone in NZ has come even close to that, ever, and even more impressive – most are still afloat.
A sad day for the expended families given the recent death of brother John.
 

Nana

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NANA

Nana was designed by C. Bailey Jun. &  built by C. Bailey & Sons for Mr F Alison of Matiatia, Waiheke Island in1934 & launched in late November / December.
She is 35′ with a 8′ beam and a 3’ draft and built in kauri > carvel. When launched she had a 100hp Redwing engine and she was good for 17 knots. Currently fitted with a 135hp Otosan Ford, 6 cylinder diesel, she cruises at 12 knots with 15 knots max.
Back in 2014 Nana came very close to a one way trip to the land fill after being hit on her mooring, but she was saved & re-built / restored by ship wright John Wright. You can view her post the collision at the WW link below
    
 
I am an admirer of Nana, having spotted her out and about over the last few years. She is a great looking woody.
 
Nana recently popped up on trademe and the listing states that her owner has moved onto other things and is selling Nana as is.  She is still a work in progress but to finish her properly you would only need to throw $10>20,000 at a boat builder like Geoff Bagnall and you would have a very cool woody. 
Photo below as launched.

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Input from Murray Willis – Nana spent many years on a mooring in front of the Great Barrier Lodge here in Whangaparapara .She belonged to Bert Jordan a Whangaparapara local. There is a famous local story about her when she was used to tow a brand new donated tractor around to Mungiti Bay for John Da Silva for the bad boys camp there…..The tractor was loaded onto a floating pontoon constructed by Tony Litherland from the old Whaling station, constructed from four WW2 submarine net Buoys..
Against everybody’s warnings but with much verbal encouragement from George Mason they set off with the bright red tractor perched on this floating whalf.it lasted about 100 metres untill the whole jing bang lot capsized with a roar from the locals.
Not to be put off ,Nana and Bert just cruised on around to Mungit and beached the whole lot by the camp where the tractor remains to this day.

Ranginui – A Peek Down Below

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RANGINUI – A Peek Down Below
Ranginui was built in 1947 and measures approx. 43’and is powered by a 120hp Ford Diesel engine. She has appeared twice before on WW (links to those stories below) but now thanks to her trade listing we get to see down below.
Details as to her actual builder have been debated before on WW. Her trademe listing states Percy Vos but I have checked that name out in Baden Pascoe’s excellent book ‘Launching Dreams – Percy Vos – The Boats & His Boys’ and there is no mention of her on the Vos listing of boats built. In one of the WW stories Harold Kidd commented that he had been told she may have been built by Chas. Bailey & Sons Ltd.
Ranginui has had the same owner for the last 24 years and despite her slightly worn appearance she has had a lot of mechanical and system look done to her. She is for sale with a Coromandel (Wyuna Bay) mooring included, so if you stripped this out of the price , she may have the bones of a good restoration project.
You can see that in the b/w photo below (ex Tudor Collins) Ranginui was a serious looking in her day 🙂
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Double End Clinker Launch

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Double End Clinker Launch
 
The above 21’ ex crayfishing clinker launch recently popped up on trademe (thanks Ian McDonald). Her age is little deceptive, she was in fact built in 1980 and is for sale by boat builder Robert Priest, who built the current cabin and installed the 18hp Yanmar diesel, thats pushes her along at a comfortable 6 knots. Robert has owned her for 35 years. 
Her listing states that she is very well built and currently berth at Mana Marina, Wellington. Comes with what’s described as a beach trailer. 
 
She looks a very salty craft and would be perfect to someone with a bach looking for safe, reliable transport and a spot of fishing. Anyone able to put a name to the vessel and who might have built her?
 
Looking For Info On Kiw Boat Builder – Rex Wright

Kaipara based woody – Greg Schultz is trying to track down info on a kiwi boatbuilder. He doesn’t have much to go by except the name Rex Wright and that he worked in Auckland post WW1, before moving to Cairns where he was reasonably well know around the yards.

Rex was born in 1888 and died in 1990. Can anyone help Greg with info on Rex’s past e.g. where he worked, the vessels he built etc?

Lady M

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LADY M

Lady M was designed and built by Roy Parris and launched in 1964. Looking at her trademe listing, she will not be on the market for long, this is a very well presented and maintained woody. Parris launches are great boats, as an aside woody boat builder Geoff Bagnall chose one for his ‘final’ boat, that says a lot about them.

She measure approx. 27’ in length and is powered by a 72hp Ford diesel, which should give her a good turn of speed.

Lady M’s previous owner, was a marine engineer and he reworked all the mechanicals and re-wired all electrical cabling. The current owner purchased Lady M in 2010 and has had very well respected craftsman work on her ever since – Geoff Bagnall being one of them. So woodys if you are looking for a turn-key classic to go boating in – get you’re A – into -G, Lady M will not hang around .

 

 

Celeste

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CELESTE
This very salty looking launch just popped up on trademe (thnx Ian McDonald). All we know is that Celeste was built in 1965 and is 18’ in length.
Powered by a 20hp 3 cyl. Shibaura diesel engine, she gets along nicely at 6 knots and only sips one litre of fuel per hour.
Home port is Motueka, Nelson, South Island –  but I can just see her joining the fleet of woodys on Lake Rotoiti in the North Island.
Can anyone tell us more about her?

Miss Betty > Kalua

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Miss Betty > Kalua

Today’s wooden started life back in 1952, named Miss Betty and built by Lidgard as a purpose built work boat for Rope Shipping to tow timber barges on the Kaipara Harbour.

She was sold c.1970 to a doctor who renamed her Kalua and had her converted into a pleasure launch. She was then sold approx 17 years later to Jock McKenzie from Clevedon who had her for 10 years until the current owners father (Mike) brought her. Mike went everywhere in her. She was a great sea boat and approx. 12 years ago Mike gave her a birthday which was a major makeover by boat builder Peter Reynolds.
Kalua is 2 skin kauri, measures 42’, 11’ beam and a 4’ draft. Power comes from a Ford 180hp turbo, that sees her cruising at 8-9 knots.

As a result of her trade listing (thanks Ian McDonald) the seller, Todd (son of Mike) was contacted by Steve Parker those uncle Gordon Brown (still alive at 103) was the second owner. He purchased her from their uncle Dick Rope & brought her over from the Kaipara. He owned her for 21 years. Steve was an apprentice mechanic & helped install the 120 hp Ford. Kalua featured on TV in an ad for Farmers Trading Co. His daughter Lynette featured in the ad. Gordon sold the boat to the doctor, Gordon changed the name to Kalua, not the doctor.

FYI re the name Miss Betty – Betty was Dick Rope’s wife.

Another visual case study in the evolution of an old woody as styles and usage changed over the year.

Input from Harold Kidd – For what it’s worth, the APYMBA records show her builder as “Rope/Warmington”, date of build 1950 (perhaps a Lidgard design?). Owner in 1964 was G.W. Brown of 35 London St Ponsonby with a Fordson then W. Curtis, 28 Cornwall Park Ave in 1966 and then back to G.W. Brown by 1973. Query, is this the KAHLUA that was pinched from Shoal Bay by a bank robber in 1982?