MOVARIE Movarie the 1938, W & G Lowe built bridge decker has just popped up on tme, she is a very well built woody with an amazing pedigree.
One of the better woodys around – Russel Ward, once owned her – RW has a good eye and nose for great boats – BUT, she will sit on tme for a long time, because the seller hasn’t posted any photos and the only details are as below.
MANUKURA In recent years I have been spending time in Thames, catching up with family – when I need to ‘escape’, I drive down to the Thames marina and have a mooch around. Depending on the tide it either looks like a normal marina or as if someone has pulled the plug out and most of the boats are sitting high and dry in their mud berths (see below photo). The launch Manukura had always been hauled out and looking like a Beehive restoration was around the corner – the top photo is from a February 2020. Ken Ricketts has pulled together the below insight into Manukura’s past and current situation (edited a lot by AH)
Manukura is approx. 50′ long and was built in late 1950 > early 1960’s by Shipbuilders and is one of 3 more or less sister ships, which include Corinthia and Romany II. which were a development on the 1946 built Mahara. Manukura is presently owned by Allen Watson. He bought her fairly recently, in a very sorry state, on the hard at Thames off a lady owner, who had only had her for a short time. She bought her off a gentleman called Paul, who had taken her to the Thames area 3 & ½ years earlier, & who had bought her off the elderly gentleman as referred to below.
Allen is a well experienced boat builder / painter, and has commented he is intending to restore her to her original former glory. As visible in some photos above, Allen has commenced work on her on the outside – focusing on re-calking, painting and repairing hull timber work at Thames marina. The interior is in a completely stripped out and the intention is totally rebuild it, with some changes to the interior layout, without alteration to the exterior. The stainless steel work at the flying bridge will shortly be removed 🙂
Allen commented that interior was ruined as a result of her almost sinking on a return trip to Auckland from Great Barrier Island about 14>15 years ago when the then elderly owner of the day, was encountering big seas and did not notice that a forward hatch had opened and she was taking in large quantities of water, through this hatch, which reached a point, where one engine sucked in water and stopped. She was also getting very low in the water. They towed her back to Gt. Barrier, pumped out and brought her back to Auckland but everything inside including all wiring, furniture, etc., along with the engines, had to go. Sadly she was not insured and was eventually sold by the elderly gentleman (as-is-where-is), who had kept her for 10 years in a shed In West Auckland. The new owner (Paul) took her to the Thames marina where he kept her for 3 & ½ years. Then the ownership chain, mentioned above took place.
Current owner Allen moved the boat on 26-2-21, to Whangamata for a week or 2 on the hardstand for a little exterior finishing and then be put in the water. Allen intends to live aboard, on a swing mooring while rebuilding the interior.
Manukura had a pair of 120hp 6 cyl. Ford diesels fitted during her 13 & ½ years on the hard, which replaced 2 previous Fords.
The b/w photo below ex Harold Kidd show the launch c.2012
c.2012
Update – current photo by Allen Watson via Ken Ricketts
PAIHIA – Bay of Islands The above photos graced a tourist postcard, unfortunately no reference to a date. But the collection of moored launches will hopefully spark someones memory.
The presence of the Kelly Tarlton ‘floating’ shipwreck museum – Tui will help.
Omokaroa / Omokoroa Saved Back in August 2018 we reported on the fate of the launch Omokoroa that appeared abandoned, washed ashore in the Whitford River, near the Whitford Boating and Cruising Club. At the time we uncovered a lot about her past , supported by some great photos – read this WW story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/08/07/amokoroa/
Early this week I was contacted by Lyndon Chambers with the news that the launch had been saved, I’ll let Lyndon tell the story:
“I contacted the harbourmaster late Feb about the salvage of Omokaroa from Wade’s island, found the owner through a small book of notes from on board then after a lot of spadework and the help of 8 airbeds under the scow-like flat-ish hull, 2 plow anchors and a winch combined with a 3.6m king tide she floated out over the mangroves, just requiring some work around the rudder and some time to ‘take up’. It’s now happily on a mooring and part of the Shelly Park Cruising Club where it’s being restored to a comfortable family cruiser.Shes an ailing old hull that’s been sured up with galv nails at some point but I will get it tidied up, Its running a 60hp Ford 2401e on a 2:1 Paragon box, just had to do repair the sump, sort some wiring and a general service of the cooling system”.
NOTE: It some stage the name has been changed / altered from Omokoroa to Omokaroa ?? Or have we two different boats?? There was some chat about this in the Aug 2018 story.
LADY PAMELA – A Big Woody for not a lot of money When I mooching around the marina scooping out the launch – Pirate, I noticed a small 4sale sign of the rather king-sized woody – Lady Pamela. Now I know its outside of the ‘classic’ category but its wood – triple skin kauri. Lady Pamela is 60’ in length with a beam of 17’+. Power comes from twin Ford 150hp diesels, giving her a top speed of 11 knots. With a fuel capacity of 5000L (tbc) she is a serious long range cruiser.
Set up with eight berths LP would either be a perfect large family boat, a live-aboard base or maybe a group of serious fisher-persons could buy her as a syndicated floating man (oops can’t say that) bach.
You will see from the photos that the last owner of LP liked the colour mint green – now just close your eyes and imagine all that painted off-white, the boat would increase in value overnight. The owners want her sold, so all offers will be considered. If you are on the lookout for a boat like Lady Pamela – call David Cooke 027 478 1877 for a chat 😉
27-11-2021 UPDATED WITH MORE PHOTOS (below – click photos to enlarge)
What Happened To Privateer (SandPiper) The 1927 kauri launch Privateer first popped up on WW back in August 2015, when Paul Drake spotted her as a new arrival on Lake Taupo (link & photo below). At the time Zach Matich ID’ed her as Sand Piper and commented that she had been on trademe and based in Wellington at the time.
Fast forward to Jan 2021 and Ian McDonald saw her on trademe, ‘berthed’ at Tokaanu, Lake Taupo – offered up ‘for removal as an abandoned vessel’ by the Taupo Harbourmaster. As you will see from the above photos she was looking very sad, but a comment on WW in Feb 2021 advised that she had been acquired and hopefully would be restored.
The above and below photos are a good graphic example of how quickly old woodys go down hill when the TLC stops. Hopefully the new owner will update us on their plans for the launch 2015 WW Storyhttps://waitematawoodys.com/2015/08/22/privateer/
ROYAL FALCON RE-LAUNCHED We have followed the restoration / refit of Collette & Steve Pople’s 1934 Cox & Fimer built woody – Royal Falcon on WW and been blown away with the quality of the workmanship happening in the Leader Boatbuilders shed.
Today thanks to Mark McLaughlin taking his launch Mapuna for a run on Sunday we get to she Royal Falcon afloat again. Boat shed photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/05/31/royal-falcon-restoration-2021-update/ We understand all that is required is the final interior finishing, which we will update you on shortly.
LADY JANET / POCO LENTO NEEDS A NEW HOME – All Offers Considered
A quick heads up, Poco Lento (Lady Janet) has appeared on WW several times and is currently for sale, the vendors are retiring from boating and moving into a retirement village, so woodys as they say in the real estate game – make an offer, you may be surprised at the prize…………. See more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/08/07/poco-lento-lady-janet/ Contact via waitematawoodys@gmail.com
While catching up on the where abouts of the launch – Kitty Vane, I learned that Chris Geddes, a previous owner of Kitty Vane, swapped KV for the launch – Gytha. Chris advised that Gytha was built by Doug Robb in Timaru in the mid 1960′, he believes the launch date was 1967. Doug Robb was also the builder of Strathallan which features on WW’s and a number of the Timaru fishing fleet. Gytha is 45′ long and powered by twin Ford diesels.
Last year, when Gytha was hauled out at Orams, Harry Jorgenson saw her parked in the yard and was able to identify where she had come from by looks alone.
Home these days for Gytha is the Te Atatu Boating Club in West Auckland. Any woodys able to tell us more about Gytha?
Todays video comes to us from Cecilia Viktoria Rosell and showcases a selection of woodys from the Canadian Classic Yacht Association Fleet berthed in Ladysmith, British Columbia.
As they appear, we have Loueda > Sannox > Euphemia > Falcon > Bianca.
Cecilia commented that the youngest member wasn’t the 7 month old kitten on Bianca as one might think, but rather the 8 week old baby onboard Loueda.
HAVE YOU RSVP’ed FOR THE WOODYS CLEVEDON OVERNIGHT BBQ CRUISE
Back in 2015 we posted a photo of the 1956 Kitty Vane on the hard at Te Atatu Boating Club, West Auckland – she was looking very down in the dumps, then in Jan 2020 we were told she had been sold and returned to the North in late 2018. Designed and built by Ces Watson, Kitty Vane spent many years big game fishing out of Tutukaka, under the ownership of the Going family.
Then in April 2020 we did a story asking if anyone knew where KV was and hit the jackpot, lots of information and photos came in – see here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/04/20/kitty-vane-where-are-you/ We even have copies of her line drawings, sent in by Peter Watson, son of Ces Watson.
Fast forward to June 2020 and WW is contacted by her new owners – Michelle and Blair Kennard – I have reproduced Michelle’s email below
“In 2018 my partner and I found Kitty Vain on Trademe, my partner an avid fisherman and has had the life-long dream to own and restore a boat. When we saw Kitty Vane for sale we started reading about the history and fell in love, we couldn’t believe the state she was in and knew she needed rescuing.
We had her bought up on a truck and she now lives on our section under a purpose built shed in Kerikeri. We are slowly chipping away at restoring her to her former and original glory, it will be a father and son project who are both carpenters with a love for beautiful craftsmanship.
We are hoping in the next couple of years she will have two new engines and will become our family boat along with the dream of being a ‘historical experience’ fishing charter.
If you know of any boat history books with Kitty in could you please let me know”
Fast forward again to Jan 2021 and we are contacted by ‘Nelliefish’ (sorry that’s all I have from their email address), who sent in the rather grand photo above of Kitty Vane – do not know when or where, so only really inspiration for the Kennard’s unless me can date the photo and location.
Update: Location may be Hobsonville and 2005 – but not confirmed.
1965 SEACRAFT SPEEDOMETER Woody Barrie Abel needs to replace the speedometer on his 1965 Seacraft – its is a 4″ diameter chrome pitot type gauge. Barrie commented that the modern ones look out of place and what started off as a delicate procedure to assess and repair, has gone from bad to worse, and its time to abandon the current one….. If anyone knows of someone who would consider selling one, or something similar. Email WW at waitematawoodys@gmail.com In the mine time I’ll chase Barrie for a photo of the gauge. Photo below of boat.
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