Category Archives: For Sale

Takaro

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TAKARO

update photos from Zach Matich
Takaro was built approx 1952 & has had the same owner for the last 29 years.
35 ft kauri planked displacement launch, with a 11’3” beam which makes her a wide bottomed girl 🙂
She has recently been fitted with a reconditioned 120hp D-series Ford motor with Lees Marine conversion. Top speed is 10 knots, with a comfortable cruise speed of 8 knots, which = 7L per hour.
Home port is Pahi on the Kaipara Harbour & she is for sale on trademe.
Anyone able to expand on the builder, designer?

Harold Kidd Update

My first thought was that she’s very like the Colin Wild-designed 34 ft sedans that John Salthouse and then Salthouse Bros carried on building after Wild died. I went to the TradeMe entry which says “TAKARO = PLAYMATE” so Ken’s memory is correct on this occasion.
MY PLAYMATE was indeed designed by Colin Wild and built by O’Rorke Bros in 1949/50 for M.V. Wilson of Awatea Rd Parnell who owned her until at least 1964. Her original engine was a 90hp Chrysler. It looks like her present owner of 29 years didn’t like her name so used the Maori equivalent.
There were a couple of plain PLAYMATES owned by Roy Swales, a 22 footer he built himself in 1931 and the bridge decker built for him by Sam Ford in 1936 which caused confusion with MY PLAYMATE whose “MY” was eventually dropped in the Squadron and APYMBA records.

PS One of the brothers,J.J. O’Rorke, was a shipwright and boatbuilder living at Westmere. He built my former E Class keeler LOLOMA in 1909 and a number of big workboats over the years including MAROKOPA for Marokopa and RATAHI for Tauranga.

A Modern Classic

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A Modern Classic

If someone in Auckland does not nab this soon, I beat you it will be heading off to the lakes.

You rarely see the angles & proportions looking right on a sub 30′ boat. At 25′ this one is dam near spot on, but you would expect that given it was modelled on a William Garden dory design. A great picnic boat, she has explored harbours, lakes and rivers. With a double v berth forward , over-nighters are also on the agenda.

Built in 2005 from ply (I known, I’ll go & wash my mouth out) & glassed over (make that a double wash) she has a 2005 21h.p. Nanni diesel motor, done 400hrs from new & wait for it, she even has a bow thruster……….

On trademe for $30k, would be hard to find a better boat of that money.

Seagull

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SEAGULL

Now this boat has some provenance, built in 1953 at the Devonport Navy dockyard, was originally on the starboard side of the HMNZ Monowai Survey ship.

29.8’ in length & powered by a 53hp diesel, new in 2004, now with     1850 hrs on the clock.

Seagull is a solid, reliable, economic, ex Navy survey launch converted to pleasure use & is perfect for cruising around the Hauraki Gulf.

Recent work over the winter of 2013 includes, full hull repaint, including anti foul, new cockpit, lockers, new toilet, new stern platform with stainless steel ladder. Full engine service, oil and filters, belts etc including new batteries.

Garmin GPS chart plotter/fish finder. New VHS radio. New 2 burner gas stove. Good sized electric fridge. Solar panels for battery backup.

Owned by a fellow DYC member, Seagull is currently for sale on trademe as her owner has a desire to return to the dark side (sail)…… Hopefully he will see the light & buy a motorsailer.

Lady Ethel

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LADY ETHEL

Built in 1963 by Brin Wilson.Designed by Billy Rodgers and is what the owner calls a classic ‘Sounds’ launch.
At 34ft and built of triple diagonal kauri planked.
Powered by a 72 hp Mercedes 4 cylinder diesel engine, she will cruise at a comfortable 7-8 knots.
Currently residing in Motueka and for sale on trademe.

Anyone know how she ended up in the South Island & what of her life in between?

06-11-2015 Chris McMullen Input edited by Alan H

Morrie Palmer of Devonport built the hull and Mr Neil Wilson finished her off. Not Brin Wilson.
Mr Neil Wilson (I believe an ex Joiner) was the owner and manager of the Auckland University Maintenance Department. He wanted no Butt blocks in his new boat and scarfed the planks himself while we built the boat.   She may have been 34 Feet but was not triple diagonal planked. (That was later corrected.)
I started my apprenticeship with Morrie 16th of January 1961 and transferred to M C Carter Ltd  30th of August 1963. I worked for Morrie two years seven months.
When I started he was working in his backyard at Point Chevalier. He was finishing Basl Kelly’s raised deck Stewart 34 Pania. I recall a huge launch hull on his section painted with red lead. I am not sure but it may have become the “Lady Argyle”. I never worked on her.
Soon after, Morrie moved to #15 Clarence St Devonport. (see the Cara Mia site for more https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/01/17/caramia/ )  Cal Crooks joined us. Morrie and Cal had both worked for Colling’s and Bell and were very competent workers. I was only the apprentice boy. It was high productivity and had to be as boatbuilding was a competitive cut throat business. At Devonport at least five major builds took place Cara Mia, Lady Ethel, Venture, Oranoa and the Stewart 34 Phoenician. All that, along with repair and insurance work all done, by three people (average) in just over two and a half years. Sure they were hull only or hull, decks and super structure. Mostly the owners finished the job. “Oranoa” was the exception and largely complete and later launched from Devonport wharf
Morrie had very little machinery. It was measure and cut once boatbuilding, nothing fancy just get the job out.  His call at the end of lunch break was. “This won’t Grace the Harbour”  Lets get on with it.
Morrie owned and cruised with his Family the twenty Six Foot Mullet Boat “Omatere” previously owned by Basil Kelly. It may have been a trade in on the Pania.
Morrie was very keen on Mullet boats and encouraged me to build one. She was the last planked Mullet Boat. The 22 Foot “Tamatea”. I built her while I worked for him. I bet he later regretted his action. I was building the boat after hours in my parents back yard and it must have affected my work.

Valmarie

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VALMARIE

details & photos ex Ken Ricketts, Martin Bertold & trademe

Built by Francis Wells of Wakatahuru in the South Island, for himself & was built of double diagonal planking in kahikatea, started in July 1951 & launched in 1960.
Whilst originally built by Wells as a work boat for himself, as you can now see, she is a beautiful, very comfortable, heavy displacement pleasure craft that could go almost anywhere.

Wells owned her until 1981 & after he died in August of that year she was sold by his estate to Murray Harris of Nelson circ. August 1981. She passed to Eric Jacobson between 1985 & 1987, who renamed her Evangeline & brought her to Auckland. In May 1993 she was sold to Brent Haslet & Carol Rush of Auckland who sold her in 2003 to Craig Burrow of Taupaki, West Auckland.

She is presently owned by David Brown of Auckland who advised that the large chrome throttle controls came off the previously destroyed Fairmile Mana.

She is driven by a matched handed pair of Gardner 8L3 eight cylinder in line diesel engines. The motors were originally from the island trader Rana which Brown traveled to Rarotonga to remove, at the end of her life & then bring them to NZ for installation in Valmarie. She had a cruising speed when new of 9.5 knots & top speed of 11 knots.

She has been returned to her original name, somewhere along the way & is currently for sale on trademe.

Lolene

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LOLENE

A classic displacement sedan launch, designed and built by Billy Rogers & launched in 1963. She was named after one of his daughters, as were a lot of Billy’s boats.

Kauri carvel construction, powered by 6 cylinder 120hp Ford diesel.

34’Length, 10’ 9” beam & 3’ 3” draft. 5’ 10” headroom, she sleeps 5 in single berths.

Currently for sale on trademe.

Harold Kidd Update

As I understand it, Billy Rogers built LOLENE for himself around 1963. Certainly she was first registered in his name with APYMBA at his then Wiilliamson Ave., Grey Lynn address. Billy had owned the 28ft keel yacht LOLOMA as a young man and was deeply fond of her. As a result some of his boats and children had the letters LO and LOMA in their names eg LADY LOMA in 1949.
Close sister ships were IOWANA (I1966) built for Dr. Kreichbaum and still in the hands of the Shorty Sefton/Pollard family and LADY FLORENCE (1966) built for Hedley Kendall. Andrew Pollard is a mine of information on these lovely sedans.
Subsequent owners of LOLENE have included K.D. Orell, Takapuna (1973), John Cossar 1989-95), Gary Hogg (1995) and Ken and Rhonda Blakie (2001).

Southern Seas (South Seas)

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SOUTHERN SEAS (South Seas)

photos & details ex Ken Ricketts
The present owner was told SS was a ‘Shipbuilders kit set’ (was there such a thing?) & possibly built at the Wade River c.1964. She is a 34 footer built of 3 skins of Kauri on opposite diagonals & is powered by a Lees converted 6 cyl. Ford diesel, with an underwater exhaust, & by the size of the propeller, possibly has a 1 to 1 gearbox.

When purchased 14 years ago she was called South Seas but the owner has extended the name to Southern Seas.

She is presently kept at Gulf Harbour & was previously moored at Westpark Marina.

She was out of the water for several years for a fairly extensive refit & including substantially rebuilding the cabin top, which had been in bad shape.

SS is for sale at around $85k & the owners can be contacted on 027 696 2700

A little too modern for my taste but a nice little ship that appears to be well presented.AH

 

Ineawa

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INEAWA

A Jimmy McLaren 34’4′ kauri carvel planked displacement launch built in the late 1920’s at Onehunga. Powered by a 105hp AEC diesel. Calls Tauranga home these days & currently for sale on trademe.

Anyone able to supply more info / photos?

2104 photo ex Dave Jones ex Baden Pascoe

Ngawini

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NGAWINI

The listing on trademe says this 27’9″ kauri launch was built in 1924 by Lanes.Powered by a new 40h.p. Isuzu diesel.
She has the potential to be a a very nice classic – I love the out riggers 🙂

Keen to know more about her, at her asking prize of $20k, it appears to be a lot of boat.

05-01-2016 Updated photos of Ngawini moored at Tryphena ex Rod Marler