SOU’EAST
photos ex trademe
Sou’East was built by Lanes in 1947, solid kauri carvel planked. She measure 39’3” & is powered by twin 90 hp Ford diesels on V drives. Underneath all the additions there is a very smart classic , see photo below.
Currently for sale.
She has younger sister – Nor’West that was built in 1951, also by Lanes. View here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/27/nor-west/
Ken Ricketts took the above photo of Sou’East in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island, Christmas 1949
Careened early 1900’s
IDA – Sailing Sunday
photos ex Gregor McQuaters
In February Gregor sent me the above photos, with the promise that family members had more & he would track them down, so todays a little bit of name & shame – where are the photos Gregor? 🙂
In the back of my mind Harold Kidd posted a comment on ww a while ago about Ida but I have had no joy tracking it dowm. I can tell you she was built by Bailey’s in 1895, measures 65′ LOA & 45′ LWL. Home is Sydney, Australia & has been for a very long time. HDK – can you help out (again) 😉
23-07-2016 Input from Robin Elliott
Here’s a bunch of owners for Ida. Jim Platt was part of a syndicate that registered her in 1962.
W. Hicks 1919/21+? L.(& O.) Jenkinson 1922/32 A.A. Angell 1932/39+? A. Angell 1946?/49+? E.S. Green & Others 1950+? J. M. Pinkerton & L.H. Mirams 1951?/53+? J.M. Pinkerton 1952/60+? R. Price, J. Platt, O.C. de Bruin 1962+? J. Tenbroeke 1969+? G. Broeke, T. Guthrie & C. Taylor (RNZAF Hamilton) 1970+? E. Tansell (Pt Chevalier) 1976+? (Still Registered Owner NZYF 1980) R.B. Cornell (Pakuranga) 1982+? (Still shows as owner in 1984 NZYF).
In 1968 she was reported as being owned by several members of RNZAF Hobsonville and in 1969 was reported as being on moorings near the Hobsonville slipway.
Cornell of Pakuranga appears to be her last registered NZ owner. By 1992 her sail number (11) has been re-issued to Francis
23-07-2016 Input from Harold Kidd
IDA was built by C. & W. Bailey for the Jagger brothers and Frater and launched on 21 December 1895. She was a contemporary and competitor to the other 5 rater of that season, the Logan Bros’ MOANA which had the measure of her from the start. However, when C.P. Murdoch of Devonport bought her in 1900 her performance improved radically. The hauled-out pic above is during his ownership and she’s seem on the beach in front of Garden Terrace Devonport where Murdoch lived. His house, with a turret, still stands. Murdoch was Commodore of the Squadron at this time.
Harold Nathan bought her in 1907, N A Nathan in 1908, J. & W. Smaill in 1911, W. Hicks 1919 and then L & O Jenkinson in 1920. Robin has provided the rest.
She was badly knocked around in the gale of March 1918 on the Devonport foreshore where she had been laid up by the Smaills with her keel removed for several years since the start of the War.
In the 1940s she was seen as very old-fashioned and survived both wars because of the incredible rise in yachting as a sport post-war and the shortage of good yachts to satisfy the demand.
Details of Classic Boat Construction – 25th Anniversary Edition
Larry Pardey is/has just relaunched a 25th edition of his world famous book. The link below takes you to Larry & Lin’s very cool website where you can see a great collection of photos of the construction of his ex yacht ‘Taleisin’. I understand that more photos will be added next week, so make sure you check back in 😉 http://www.landlpardey.com/details
Looking for a bargain buy woody project?
The Woollacott (Marco Polo) ketch ‘Rakino’, was recently salvaged by the Wellington Harbour Ranger after its mooring
failed and it sank against the Evans Bay Marina breakwater on the night of
22/23 April 2016.
Rakino is a sister ship to Ebb Tide & Maia II both owned by Jeff Cook. See the Woollacott Association website re the Marco Polo design & the exploits of Tony Armit. http://www.woollacott.org.nz/
Since salvaging on the 24th April, the Volvo Penta engine (about 700 hours)
has been professionally flushed and the starter motor and alternator removed
and flushed. The single skin timber hull appears to have relatively minor
damage consisting of one hole and other apparently cosmetic damage.
Most loose interior items and the sails have been removed (and stored) to
enable better access for viewing and drying.
The Greater Wellington Regional Council wishes to dispose of the yacht by way of a closed tender process and
invites firm expressions of interest.
The tender conditions are below. Note the close of date id May 30th so if you are interested , place a tender, historically some real bargains can be had in these circumstances.
Looking For A Wooden Boat Project?
The photos of the above skiff were sent to me by Baden Pascoe. Baden reports that it is a genuine Orkney Island fishing skiff bought back from the Orkney Islands by Baden’s friend Lyle Woods of Whitianga. The skiff was built in Lerwick c.1960/70’s as a training sailing rowing boat for a group similar to Sea Scouts. Her overall length is approx. 16’. The design is closely related to the St Alyes or Fair Isles fishing skiff now used by the NZ Coastal Rowing Association. The boat if restored would make an excellent two person raiding boat. Baden has know doubts she would sail well with a balanced lug rig & Baden told me that the NZ Coastal Rowing group would welcome this lovely boat to our fleet.
Her owner, Lyle, is looking to move the project on to a new owner & is asking a very fair price of $1,000. The not a lot of money for a boat this size & design. In fact on face value its a steal 😉
Baden commented that the NZ Coastal Rowing group would be able to assist with technical details on setting her up for rowing and sailing.
Interested parties can contact Lyle Woods at lylemandcal@xtra.co.nz
IRENE
photos & details ex Dave Murphy via Zach Matich
OK woodys, today’s launch is the Lane built kauri hulled ‘Irene’ – 31′ long with a beam of 9’6″ & 2’10” draft. Other than that ww does not know a lot about her past. She is currently powered by a 120hp, 6 cylinder D series Ford which was rebuilt 2012, with approx. $6,500 spent on her & has only done 100 hrs since then. You will see from the photos that she has all the things that make life easy on these old girls – auto anchor, gas fridge etc. If this is starting to sound like an advertisement, that is because Irene is for sale & at around $20k in my eyes is very good value + she has not been too mucked around with. Throw $5>10k at a good wood friendly boat builder & you would have a very smart classic. Not that there appears to be anything wrong with her now, as the architects say ‘the bones are there’.
Her owner Dave Murphy can be contacted on 09 439 8609
.
Can we uncover more about her past ? home at the moment is the Kaipara Harbour.
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.
STEAMBOAT GYPSY
photos & details ex trademe
Its not often that I do a blatant 4-sale listing on ww but Gypsy is just so adorable that she gets pride of place today on ww.
Gypsy is a 18’4″ beautifully built replica 18 foot steam launch from the 1880’s that has been recently completely restored & is now for sale.
The cold molded 3-skin kauri hull is in perfect condition. It was built by Dave Jackson, now of Warkworth, in 1987.
The machinery is an English Stuart Turner 2 cylinder compound engine built in the 1960s. The boiler was built by Dyer of Penrose in 1987. It burns coal or wood, but prefers coal.
A restored trailer is included that has a new WOF, new tyres, axel & wheel bearings.
A special feature is the copper ‘Windermere Kettle’. This steam kettle heats water in about 10 mins for a hot cup of tea while underway.
Call the owner on 09 4343649 for more information or to view.
The Gypsy Story from previous (1st) owner Russell Ward
Here is her story.
Gypsy was built in late 1987. In those days I had a 12’ clinker dinghy with a 4hp Stuart and longed to make a steamboat. I had bought a Stuart no 6 compound steam engine from the late Les Fitt -a prolific steam modeller. The late Graeme Wilkinson designed a coal burning boiler to suit and it was built in Penrose. Happy daze! All I needed was a suitable hull and that is hard because it has to be burdensome to carry all that weighty machinery. Also it needs to be able to swing a huge prop because a steam engine develops a lot of torque at low speed. Gypsy’s prop was 17 x 23. Most old boats didn’t meet the specs and anyway, I was going to have enough on my hands running the machinery without trying to maintain a rotten old leaky hull. A new hull was the only way.
I had several long talks with Dave Jackson in his gorgeous boatshed at Sulphur Beach –inland of the then harbour bridge Toll Plaza. Harold will enlighten us about the history of that boatyard. Dave advocated a cold moulded hull so it would be strong and easier to keep clean. A set of lines was the problem. Way back then, there was a dearth of hull lines for steamboats. Nowadays every joe and his dog thinks he can draw one up.
At that time, Pete McCurdy produced a magazine Traditional Small Craft in the ‘80s and it was eagerly read by the small boat people of the day. We are still waiting for the long promised last issue for which I am sure I penned something. In one of the issues was a set of lines and offsets of a dinghy that was kept at Adams Island -one of the Auckland Islands- for any shipwrecked sailors to row to NZ in. Happily she was not needed and was brought to Hobson Wharf for the then fledgling maritime museum. I thought that any boat designed to live in those savage waters probably had what it takes. I discussed the lines with Dave and Gypsy was the result. She lacks the hollow garboards of the original for ease of construction and economy.
I completed the engineering at home and fitted the necessary auxiliary pumps to the engine using original Stuart castings. The choice of the name was a little complicated and a story in itself. There were several sailing Gypsys around but no SL Gypsy. It was a nice dusky sooty sort of name for a steamer.
The Trad Small Craft Society were holding a sail-in at Okahu Bay and i proposed to take Gypsy along to show the gang and also to dip her in the water to pencil in the waterline. All things gang oft aglay as they say and I couldn’t stop myself steaming her up because it was such a bitchy cold day. As I dipped her in the tide, she floated off and I steamed away merrily trying to get used to my new toy. We steamed her around for three hours and I thought she went damn fine. The first picture shows the event: I am the one with a broad smile but no anorak (whatever they are). I never changed a thing from the first launching and she just went well every time as long as the coal was good and the boiler tubes kept clean.
I sold her when we moved house in ’91. She is a cutey. The box up fwd was put on by the subsequent owner and is a little clumsy to my eye. I don’t think I’ll have her back: Marie would probably strangle me and the price is way too steep.
04-10-2018 Update ex Russell Ward
AQUALEDA
Aqualeda was launched in 1948 & built using Canadian oregon timber. She measures 33′ & is powered by a 75hp 4 cylinder Ford diesel. Looking at her I’m not sure if she was originally a sedan & later converted to a bridge-decker or started life as a bridge-decker, I suspect a later conversion. Home is Nelson so hopefully one of the southern woodys can tell us more about Aqualeda.
08-12-2022 Input ex ‘Larry’ – below is a photo that Larry took on 07-12-22 of Aqualeda on the Kaiapoi river: For overseas readers, Kaiapoi is a riverside town, just 20km north of Christchurch in the South Island
LION
details ex trademe
MV Lion was commissioned in (1908) 1912 for use on Lake Wakaptipu, serving the family and owners of Walter Peak, Fernhill and Mt Nicholas Stations.
Constructed from kauri planking to a canoe stern design she was designed to handle the choppy and unpredictable conditions of Lake Wakatipu. Her spec are – Length: 38′,
Beam: 9′, Draft: 3′ & she is powered by a Yanmar 51hp.
Has previously operated as a charter vessel on Wakatipu.
Anyone able to supply details on the designer / builder etc?
Harold Kidd Input
LION was built by James M’Pherson in Dunedin in late 1912, NOT 1908, for Hugh McKenzie of Lake Wakatipu and fitted with a 21hp 3 cylinder Clifton engine.The 1908 is a constant myth, despite my efforts to persuade various owners to get it right. Hey, the guy who owns a boat is entitled to create or perpetuate his myths. It’s always the way.
FLORENCE
The above launch is a recent arrival at Bayswater marina & while she has a CYA sticker on a cabin window the vessel is unknown to me. There are several classics named ‘Florence’ but this one is a bit of a mystery – her double end design suggests she may have started life a tad south of the Waitemata harbour. Anyone able to shed some light on her ?
ps also has a 4sale sign on her
Input from Owner -Dean Muollo (edited by AH)
Hi Alan, I see there has been a bit of interest in my boat today.
She is a Miller and Tunnage (hull obviously), top has been built and designed by myself, went back in the water on Dec 15 2015.
Below are a few photos of her, previous to my ownership.
Hopefully these might spark up peoples memories, keen to find out any more about her history.
I’m new to the CYA. She is very reluctantly for sale 🙂
Input from David Balderston
Below is a photo the FLORENCE at her usual berth at the Port Chalmers pilot jetty, under the bow of the OTOROA. Taken late 1983.
Instamatic camera unfortunately. She was owned by Norm Menzies and attended all ship arrivals at Port Chalmers. About 1990, he sold her to a young chap who carried on for a time. Then it was decided that a lines boat was not needed so he was left in the lurch, the last I saw of her was moored over near Company Bay.
11-03-2016 Here’s another (below), it shows her tucked in at the pilot jetty, under the bow of OTOROA, I think February 1992, when the QE2 came, That was, I am pretty sure, the last time we used her as a linesboat. The QE2 had a special tie up system based on what was normal at Southampton which required two linesboats, we used our own TOILER and Florence chartered in. The rest in the picture, NEW ERA dredge, KAPU, OTOROA and KOPUTAI. The bloke in red is Pilot Malthus.
RAUTANGI
photos & details ex Don Barry
The top photo of Rautangi running at full chat shows Don’s uncle Tim on the cabin top, to quote Don “mad as a cut snake – pipe in his mouth holding fast against the wind… OHS would have a field day” Chances are she would have been petrol powered……. She is flying a PATROL burgee, anyone able to suggest the origin of the burgee?
I’ll sure HDK will enjoy this photo, matches his attitude to helming launches 🙂
The 2nd photo is again of uncle Tim, who was a regular on Rautangi. With him is here is Don’s uncle Doug.
Rautangi was built by Collings & Bell& launched on the 18th May for Mr. L. Stericker. She measures 37′ x 9’6″ x 2’8″ & is currently midway thru a major refit happening at Katikati in the Bay of Plenty but due to changing personal circumstances is listed for sale on trademe.
More photos showing her past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/02/23/rautangi/
Below is a copy the boats official song.
![Rautangi - front page [#2] 2](https://waitematawoodys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/rautangi-front-page-2-2.jpg)
![Rautangi - inner page [#2]](https://waitematawoodys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/rautangi-inner-page-2.jpg)
Harold Kidd Input
Love it!
Les Stericker was a well-known petrol-head with his racing hydroplanes all called HUM BUG. I think there were 5 of them, the last a “Blimp” type built by Collings & Bell in November 1929, 12ft 6in with a 32hp Elto 4 cylinder outboard, the top go-fast gear of the time. He was a precision engineer in Newmarket. No doubt the 6 cylinder side valve petrol Thornycroft RD6 engine (photo below) in RAUTANGI was well breathed upon.
As for the “Patrol” flag, Lees and RAUTANGI did a lot of NZPBA and RNZYS mark boat etc work.
The RD 6 Thornycroft engine when launched
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