Category Archives: Launches

Lidgard 1/2 Models – Help Needed

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1/2 model #1
1/2 Model #2

LIDGARD 1/2 MODELS – Help Needed
Saturdays story on the 48’ Lidgard launch – Ngaro, link below, promoted Donna Lewis to contact WW re three 1/2 models that she purchased from a garage sale on Kawau Island, when she and husband Norm were living at Schoolhouse Bay. At the time she was told all three were Lidgard vessels. The painted one is obviously Ngaro, the writing on the back, supporting this.

 Donna and Norm live in Australian the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and took the models with them, hopefully one day they will find their way home to NZ.

NGARO WW STORY https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/06/25/ngaro-a-sneak-peek-before-she-sells/

The challenge is that Donna doesn’t know which launches the other two models ‘belong’ too, so woodys – big ask today. Maybe an ex Lidgard worker can suggest suitable candidates. Or maybe one of the more talented WW readers recognizes something in the 1/2 model that is specific to a particular Lidgard design. 

I suppose I should put a reward to the woody that provides the most credible suggestion. So a WW cap is on offer. For once, let’s do entries / suggestions via the WW comments section. I think the answers will be via a collaborative approach. 

12-03-2022 UPDATE The models have arrived back in NZ from Australia, thank you – Donna Lewis, obviously the painted one at the bottom is Ngaro, there was comment on WW that the other two would be

TOP > TAILSMAN 

MIDDLE > MELODY

Are we able to confirm the likelihood of this provenance and if so can anyone supply contact details of the current owners ?

NGARO – A Sneak Peek Before She Sells (SOLD)

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NGARO – A Sneak Peek Before She Sells

You would have to look long and hard to find a classic woody in as original condition and as highly presented as the 1953, 48’ Lidgard built launch Ngaro. Scroll down to the b/w press clippings below, showing her as launched. One well respected woody once said “Its one of the few boats that, in my opinion looks better with painted coamings than the original varnish”.

The Lidgard clan really aced it when they designed and built Ngaro – I do not think I have seen a more perfect bridgedecker and that flying bridge, which has been there since day one, scores a 10/10.

She is a very well built ship being triple skin kauri – 2 – 6’x1/2” diagonal planks and 1 – 6’x1” longitudinal plank, with 3” bronze rivets.Power comes from twin 1985, 120hp Ford diesels, both rebuilt in the last 3 years, including gearboxes. Professional bare wood anti-foul in 2020 and full repaint in late 2014 – she presents as new. The mix of painted surfaces and varnished trim is perfect. As always – click on photos to enlarge.

And guess what – Ngaro is for sale, but not for long…..
Enquiries to waitematawoodys@gmail.com


If Ngaro is not you – click the link below to view a selection  from the oodles of classic woodys currently for sale 🙂

Esperanza II

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Esperanza II
The above photo of the Chris Craft, pictured above in the Bay of Islands, come to us via Len Redwood’s fb.There is a great story at the link below as to how the boat came to be in NZ.
https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/04/08/esperanza-ii/

Make you check out  WW tomorrow, we have a feature on New Zealand’s best Lidgard woody and she is looking for a new custodian 😉

RSVP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com – numbers are limited

Can We ID This Launch – Venture

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Can We ID This Launch – Venture
I spotted the above launch while mooching around Hobsonville marina, no name on display.Chances are she has been on WW b4 but after a while unless they have some distinctive feature, they all merge in my brain 🙂

Dean Wright ‘reminded’ me its Venture – see more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/08/26/venture-2/

UPDATE Photo below of Venture alongside the Salthouse wharf at Greenhiite – April 2017 ex Ken Ricketts

If I Slipped And Banged My Head – Maybe This Would Be My Next Boat

Or more likely if Ardern has her way ………….Quartet is a ‘Greenline Hybrid’ – but just what the set up is I do not know. But it is a lot of boat for its size (the berth is 10.5m) and seems to include most things – wide walk around decks, large covered cockpit, drop down stern / duck-board, inbuilt solar panels etc. And I’m sure I’ll cop some flak – but its visually not that offensive, at least to me 🙂

Details here https://itboat.com/en/companies/478-greenline But received alot of negative feedback about the vessel.

A Classic For The Lake Woodys

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A Classic For The Lake Woodys
This cute clinker launch popped up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) and at 18’6” it would be perfect as a family lake boat – even the kids couldn’t get into too much trouble in SS Magoo.She was built c.1950 by Swanson, and current home port is Waikawa marina in the Marlborough Sounds.Powered by a 2.2L BMC Diesel engine , she will comfortably cruise at 5>6 knots, perfect for trolling (I think).

I suspect with a make-shift wooden cradle she would slip into a shipping container, for a relatively low cost re-location.

Woodys Riverhead Tavern – Winter Cruise 

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Te Hauraki
Dancer
Ngarimu
My Girl

Woodys Riverhead Tavern – Winter Cruise 
Yesterday was one of those days where the weather forecasters got it wrong -big time. Took the dog for an early morning waterfront walk between the showers and the ferries on the harbour were sounding their fog horns – fast forward 2 hours and the suns out, water glassy flat and we are going boating. Quick side trip to collect our quests – Margo & Jamie (MV Lady Crossley) from Westhaven and we are off.

A great turn out for mid-winter, saw 60+ woodys gathering at the historic waterside Riverhead Tavern for lunch – special thanks to those that came by car and helped with berthing the boats at the wharf. As always – click on photos to enlarge 😉

Nice to meet some new faces and if there was an award for most travelled attendee, woody Bruce Rowe on board – Ngarimu would be the winner. Bruce and his ‘decky’ mate – travelled from Thames to attend.  The boys left Thames on Friday, stayed at bottom end of Waiheke, then off Stanly Point / Bayswater on Saturday night and  will be heading home today. Talking to Bruce,  Saturday night sounded heaven – tucked up in their warm bunks, rain on the cabin top, listening to the Auckland Blues rugby game, then the NZ v India cricket test – not a lot of sleep was had 🙂

We were also graced with the company of John and Diana Olsen on their steam boat – Dancer, The Olsen’s towed Dancer from Cambridge and launched her at the old Salthouse yard to make the trip up the creek.

Check out the Woodys Classic Weekends Event Calendar at the link below, for upcoming outings – our next one is an overnight BBQ cruise up the Clevedon River on the weekend of 14 > 15th August – a heads up – numbers will be restricted due to berthing / anchoring limits -so RSVP early.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/06/15/woodys-classic-boating-calendar/


The poster below greeted us at the door to the tavern – has a nice ring to it………….  maybe someone is sending me a message 🙂

Raindance Gets A Birthday

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Raindance Gets A Birthday
Firstly a double apology 

1. If you are one of the several WW followers that have an issue with me posting photos of my launch – switch off and read a book, in fact do everyone a favour and push delete to WW updates

2. Today is all about the boat – after several weeks of being hauled out at The Slipway Milford, I relaunched today – I have used the term b4 but I’m as happy as a dog with two dicks 🙂
I will not bore you with all the work but Jason and Cam at the Slipway have corrected a telephone book size list of issues, faults and potential future oops – the ‘Readers Digest’ version of the work I’m very happy about is :-

• the paint job, stunning

• the steering, rebuilt including new rudder tube / stock / arm

• the mast – rewired / vanished  + visual enhancements

• refurbished stern – removed upright support posts + rot

• refastened duckboard

• addressed several niggling water leaks

Still a few cosmetic jobs on my list but she is looking 90% perfect.
If you are joining us on Sunday for the Woodys Riverhead Tavern lunch cruise, you can have.a gander dock side 🙂

(Photos ex Jason Prew & yours truly)

Kaikoura – A Flashback

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Feb 2021 Islington Bay
As launched
Graham Gibson at helm
1988- Owner Stewart Bridgford,- center

KAIKOURI – A Flashback

The 40’ Kaikoura was built in 1951 by P Vos. It is believed she was built for the owner of Kaikoura Island at the mouth of Fitzroy Harbour, Great Barrier Island, as transport between the island and Auckland.

She has always been a zoom zoomer – when launched she had twin165 engines that gave her a top speed of 25 knots. These days she is a regular compeditor (& winner) at CYA race events.
The flybridge was added in 1988, by then owner Stewart Bridgford,

20-06-2021 – Input on Kaikours’s  twin Perkins 510, 8.36 liter, V8 4-stoke diesels from Mark Erskine
The 510 (cubic inch) V8 was the first V8 model manufactured by Perkins, UK in 1965 and were rated at 170 HP at 2,800 rpm and were used predominantly in trucks and a few bus models.

The 510 was followed by the more reliable, longer stroke 540 cubic inch V8 Perkins at 8.84 liters and 170 HP at 2,600 rpm.

Other than their considerable size and weight for a modest power output, the 510 (and 540) proved reliable enough in commercial vehicle operation, so would make good, reliable marine engines when run at constant lower revs and moderate loads.

“Kaikoura’s” previous Kermath inline 6-cylinder engines were side-valve (or “flat-head”) design and all side-valve engines have a lower crank center line to top of engine measurements than overhead valve and overhead cam inline design engines.

The lower engine height above crank shaft center line helps boat builders retain flat cabin floors in larger boat designs.

Most V8 design engines (including overhead valve) also have lower crankshaft center line to top of engine measurements because the cylinders and cylinder heads are inclined in “V” shape out either side of the crank shaft center line.

So although the 510 (and 540) Perkins V8 diesel engines are considerably larger and considerably heavier than the previous Kermath inline 6-cylinder engines for similar power output, the top of the Perkins V8 engine wouldn’t have been much higher than the top of the inline 6-cylinder Kermath side-valve, which means “Kaikoura” would have likely retained her same flat cabin flooring over the Perkins engines – a nice feature in all boats.

REMEMBER RIVERHEAD TAVERN LUNCH CRUISE ON SUNDAY – TIMES BELOW. Join in by car if you are boatless.

Snoozer

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SNOOZER
The 1947, 33’, Sam Ford built bridge-decker – Snoozer has just popped up on tme (thank you Ian McDonald),. We do not know much about her other that she is kauri carvel planked and powered by a 85hp Isuzu diesel that has her cruising at 8 knots. Whangarei is her home town. Might be wrong, but I would suspect a name change at some time.


Can anyone enlighten us on Snoozer’s past life ?

06-05-2025. UPDATE– for sale again , current owner credits her designer/ builder as Sam Ford 1947. And says previously named JUANITA – Would be nice to confirm.

Input from Bruce Pullan – bellow  is a picture of Awa Manu, it looks like Snoozer.


Yesterdays Quiz Winner To Name The Launch Alongside The Wharf  – was K. Sutherland, who was the first to correctly ID the boat as Lady Helen – WW cap on its way 🙂

The proof – ex Tudor Collins photo

Northland1949 Boating Holiday

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Northland 1949  Boating Holiday

Something different today a 4 minute black and white movie featuring mainly Russell in the Bay of Islands and some of the A Class fleets underway and racing. A cool flashback to that era. Their are two movies on the link – the boating one starts at 6 minutes, fast forward – Enjoy 🙂   (movie ex Archives NZ Weekly Review #390 – 1949)

WIN A WW CAP
I’ll give a WW cap to the first woody than can correctly ID the launch alongside the Russell Wharf. Entries via email only to the address below and to make it fair NO entries before 8.30am. waitematawoodys@gmail.com

https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/17/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/