Category Archives: Launches

Ngarunui 1970s > 1980s

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Half Moon Bay Marina Jan 1978
Pre purchase travel lift haul out at Half Moon Bay – Jan 1978
Pre purchase inspection at Half Moon Bay – Jan 1978
Leigh – Aug 1978
A permeant roof being built over the cockpit – Oct 1978
Flying bridge being built at Half Moon Bay – Dec 1978
Flying bridge being built at Half Moon Bay – Dec 1978

Ngarunui 1970s > 1980s

Back in 2015 when Ngarunui  first appeared on WW Robin Elliott commented that to his mind she is the best looking boat in the Bay (Bay of Islands). Since then Ngarunui has mad numerous WW appearances – links below. The 2016 one gives a great insight into the building of Ngarunui and the 2022 give us a look down below.

Last week Mike Mulligan sent in the gallery of photos above from when his family owned her, they purchased her after selling the launch – Patina, approx. time line of ownership is late 1970’s > 1987.

During this period Mike’s father fitted the Yammer auxiliary engine and fly bridge.

Ngarunui  was designed and built by Jim Young in 1955 for J.A.K. Spicer and C.R. (Russ) Pollard. She is 48’x46’x11’8″x4’3″ and was originally powered with twin GM 165hp diesels of 1942 vintage (ex-USN) + an 11hp Coventry Cub. These days the engines are a 200hp Doosan and a Yanmer auxiliary. 

2015 https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/03/mystery-boat-03-06-2015/

2016  https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/22/the-building-of-ngarunui/

2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/07/22/mystery-launch-1967-whangarei-noumea-yacht-race-start/

2022 https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/03/16/ngarunui-a-peek-down-below-4sale/

A Woody Stranger Hauled Out – Valsan

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A Woody Stranger Hauled Out – Valsan

Down at the Milford Slipway Milford during the week and spotted a woodys that we do not see much of these days.

The 46’ 1948 Lidgard built launch – Valsan, in for some TLC, including a Jason Prew Paint Job. Valsan has been a regular woody on the site but in recent years with her owner, Ian Nicholson being based off shore we haven’t seen a lot of her. 

To my eyes the keel > shaft > prop > rudder set up is a tab unusual – interested in others thoughts.

Links below to WW past stories – the 1st (2013) has a lot of photos and intel.

More on Iona II next week 😉

WW 2013 https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/29/valsan-an-ageless-classic/

WW 2013b https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/25/valsan-3/

WW 2016 https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/07/12/valsan-4/

WW 2017 https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/04/24/valsan-5/

Mystery Thames Launch 30-09-2022

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MYSTERY THAMES LAUNCH – 30-09-22 – Georgella > Kakariki

Earlier in the week I was visiting Thames and popped into the Thames Sailing Club marina, as mentioned the other day, first time when the tides been in – certainly has a different feel when all the woodys are floating 🙂

I went for a wander around the docks and spied the above bridge-decker – no name and crying out for some serious TLC, you could land a helicopter on the duck board.

One feature stood out – no windows on the port-side aft cabin, intentional? Or just never got around to fitting them?

I get back to Auckland and I’m showing the Thames photos to a woody mate and they tell me it may have changed hands and be joining its new owner’s armada in Auckland …………..

Can we put a name and some history to the craft?

INPUT ex Mark McLaughlin – This is KAKARIKI (launched as GEORGELLA). She is one of the three remaining Norm Beetson designed “four sisters” which have all featured previously on WW.

Link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/02/26/4-norm-beetson-sisters/

Le Reine > Patina

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LA REINE > PATINA

Todays photos were sent in by Mike Mulligan and are of his families old launch Patina which his father sold to buy the launch Ngaranui (tomorrows story) in the 1970’s

The 39’ Patina was built  by Erine Lane at Picton in 1913, from double planked kauri. Lane built her for C.W. Philpotts of the Sounds Motor Launch Co. as a passenger vessel. Originally named La Reine (The Queen). 

As launched she was fitted with a 20hp Bolinder semi-diesel reversing engine. Late she went fishing out of New Plymouth with a Fairbanks- Morse and also spent time in Tauranga. Around this time she was converted to pleasure use.

In Sept 2019 she was for sale at Chaffers marina, Wellington.In Feb 2020 she was still for sale – photos below and here – https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/02/29/patina-2/

(thank to Harold Kidd for early details)

Classic Boating Fallacy

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Classic Boating Fallacy 

I have been meaning to write this story for a long time – one of my biggest frustrations with the classic wooden boating movement is that a lot of classic boat owners have this line on auto play when invited to a classic woody gathering –  “I’ll attend when I have finished doing up the boat” – FACT: 95% of us never finish ‘doing up the boat’ – its a rolling project. 

In the mean time woodys are missing out on catching up with other like minded human beings to – socialise, get advice, swap ideas and most importantly – using their boat.

A couple of weekends ago at Clevedon I was reminded of why we come together when one of the boat owners commented to me how much they appreciated that everyone opened up their boats and invited people on board for a chat. This allowed them to gathering ideas for their own project.

It’s not just dock-side blather – at Clevedon we had woody boat owners there that had the following industry experience – boat building, sail maker, rigger, canopy fabricator, marine insurance consultant and marine brokerage. You can’t access / buy that resource in one place anywhere.

Todays woody is the launch Ngarimu from Thames, been owned by Bruce Rowe for 10+ years and soon to be hauled out and taken home for some serious TLC. Bruce has made the long haul from Thames marina to attend several Woodys events – Riverhead, Clevedon and Paeroa. Each trip the experience helps him get closer to starting the big project. 

UPDATE – In Thames today – photo below very ‘fresh’, first time I’vee been there with the tide in 🙂

So woodys – ditch the Woody events are a beauty pageant attitude and just join in – you won’t regret it 🙂

Below I talk about why I started the WW weblog and the spirit behind it.

Whats the waitematawoodys website all about

Dedicated to the study and appreciation of classic wooden boats. WW was founded upon a desire to tell the stories and a need to the archive history of our classic wooden boats, the craftsman who built them & characters that owned and crewed on them. Visiting this blog is like a bunch of people in the boat club bar, there will be stuff discussed you know, stuff you know nothing about and stuff you want to know more about. That’s what waitematawoodys is about – gathering stories, photos, history, reminiscences.

Seaforth

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SEAFORTH

The launch Seaforth has made a couple of appearances on WW, links below to those stories – the 2015 one has lots of chat and photos.

Woody John Dawson sent in the above photos ex Gareth Dawson and commented that Seaforth had been recently hauled out at Stillwater Boating Club. Fingers crossed she receives the attention she deserves, having spent the last decade looking very sad, either hanging off a Orakei swing mooring or on the hard at Clevedon. Rumour has it she is also a member of the sub mariners club i.e. she sank once on her mooring 😦

Do we know what the plan is? SBC isn’t a yard that allows the ‘parking’ of old boats so she may have changes owners. The photo below is c.1986

Whakatakataka Bay (Orakei) 2015 https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/07/11/mystery-launch-11-07-2015/

Clevedon 2020  https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/08/13/mystery-clevedon-launch/

C.1986

09-04-2023 – Update ec Mikaela Thwaites (owner) – I am the new owner of Seaforth, I am 22 years old and have gotten into boating since my dad introduced me to the lifestyle. I saw her on Marketplace in early September looking a bit sad sitting on the hard in Clevedon. Something about her intrigued me and I knew I just had to have her. My father and I picked her up in Clevedon and took her to be worked on in Stillwater. We have put months of work into her and my dad re-did the caulking, antifouling and we re-did the painting too. We started from scratch. I chose a blue colour for her that really stands out. She has been stripped on the inside as I am planning on revamping the entire exterior and putting the same love into the inside too. She was put back into the water in March and is hardly taking in any water after all the work has been put into her. She absolutely comes to life in the water and she is admired by many.

Nerrida

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NERRIDA

The 30’ kauri launch – Nerrida was built in1969 by Shipbuilders. Forward motion is via reconditioned Ford 110hp 6 cyl. diesel Ford 110hp 6cyl diesel As per a lot Shipbuilders craft she has a semi workboat look to her.

While the interior fit out looks like they used the same people that do the Fullers ferries, there has been a lot of recent work done. From the number and size of all the chilly bins, the seller must be a serious fisher-person.
(Thanks to Ian McDonald for the tme heads up)

Challenger

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CHALLENGER 

Today’s story is another example of the effectiveness of WW – Grant Parker yesterday posted a comment on a WW story that appeared back in Oct 2014 – the 2014 story was on the c.1962 McGeady built launch – Challenger. 

I have reproduced Grant’s comments below, 

“The 38ft ” Challenger built by McGeady. was owned by my family in Tauranga in the late 1970’s > early 1980’s. After the Bradshaw family of Rotorua owned her  she was sold to the Finn family also  from Rotorua.

My father Bert Parker from Rotorua purchased the Challenger from Ray Finn. When he sold her she went to Havelock in the Marlborough Sounds where an older couple lived on her for a number of years.

The next owner was the owner of a trucking company in Nelson, he went bankrupt and she was sold again. The last I heard was she ended up North, maybe Bay of Islands, possibly the Opua area.

Our family had some great memories, the photos above of – Challenger, show her in her former glory with varnished coamings etc.

The photos show Challenger in :  downtown Tauranga, Whale Island off Whakatane and South East Bay Mayor Island.”

Grant maintained an interest in the whereabouts of Challenger and once tracked her down in Havelock, then the ship broker in Nelson supplied the copy of her 4sale listing.  

Purely from reference as to how our classics can morph over time and owners – I know which one I’d like to own 🙂

Link here to the 2014 WW story – lots of photos and chat there https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/10/25/challenger/

Update from a woody – photo below is captioned Onerahi Whangārei / February 2022. This is very sad……. 😦

Mystery Bayswater Launch

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MYSTERY BAYSWATER LAUNCH

Mooching around Bayswater Marina last week I spotted a new addition, she had slotted into the berth previously occupied by the unlucky Parma https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/08/04/classic-launch-parma-sinks-under-harbour-bridge/

No name but looks either recently done up or very well cared for. Owner must like the colour white 🙂

Can anyone put a name to the launch and ideally more details?

Thanks to input from a ‘Steve’ in the comments section – he reminded me it has been on WW before – link below – but we still do not have confirmation of name. https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/07/1953-jorgensenmystery-launch/

Input ex Murray Deeble – Was in the South Island and featured as the detectives launch in a NZ made TV series lay in Milford called Sea Princess for a while getting worse and worse.