Category Archives: Launches

What Happened to Galatea

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What Happened to Galatea
Galatea, the 1926, 36’ tram-top woody last appeared on WW back in March 2017 – Photo below + link to that storyhttps://waitematawoodys.com/2017/03/11/galatea/


Over the weekend one of my spotters, sent in the photos above of Galatea hauled out at Te Atatu Boating Club – the answer to ‘what happened to Galatea’ – is – not much happened to her. Fingers crossed she gets a break and is returned to her 2017 condition.
In the 2017 WW story we did not uncover much about the vessel – can anyone enlighten us more?


Explanation – if you wondered why you received two email today – the first one, the ‘Woodys Classic Events’ calendar was just a posting to allow me to get the calendar into the WW system, so I can link to it. Make a note of the dates in your diary, I’ll be sending out invites closer to the actual dates. If you haven’t been receiving notifications about Woody events – drop me an email with – your name, boat name + mob # (some comms we do via txt – send to waitematawoodys@gmailcom.

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

WOODYS CLASSIC BOATING CALENDAR

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WOODYS CLASSIC BOATING CALENDAR

2021

May 23rd – Moon Engines – Diesel Maintenance Workshop DONE

June 20th – Riverhead Tavern Lunch Cruise DONE

August 14th > 15th – Clevedon River Dockside BBQ (overnight) DONE

October 23rd > 25th – Woodys Long Weekend Cruise to Kawau Island (Labour Weekend) – Saturday morning Dinghy Cruise up Matakana River to Markets. Sunday evening dinner / gathering at Kawau Boating Club. POSTPONED – NEW DATE TBA

November 28th – Sunday – Riverhead  Tavern Lunch cruise

2022

February 26th – Stillwater Dockside Afternoon Picnic


The above gatherings are put on to encourage classic boat owners to use and enjoy their boats more, and meet like minded people. 
We point out that the get togethers are not Classic Yacht Association (CYA) organised events. They have a cruising focus and the locations point to participation by launches but we welcome all classic vessels.Invitation to the events is via email and the waitematawoodys.com website. If you would to be sent invites, simply send an email with your name, boat name & mobile # to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Closer to the actual dates, we send more details to attendees.

PIRATE – A Peek Down Below

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Photo below ex Greg Philpott, of Pirate next to the Deeming’s boat shed at Tapu Point across the water from Opua. 

PIRATE – A Peek Down Below

Unless you are a Warkworth river rat, mooching around the upper reaches of the Mahurangi Harbour you wouldn’t have seen much of the stunning 1939 46’ launch – Pirate. Launched in 1939 at Matauwhi Bay in Russell, Bay of Islands, designed and built by Leon Warne. She has spent a large chunk of the last 18 years berthed alongside the old Cement Works. She always makes an appearance over the Mahurangi Regatta weekend and is one of those boats that just look right from any angle.

Pirate is constructed in full length kauri carvel plank and has twin Ford 6 cylinder 100HP diesel engines.

Pirate has an interesting provenance having been built for a German wool buyer (Otto Sommer), commissioned by the NZ Navy in World War II and used in degaussing operations, and subsequently in 1944, became Auckland’s second Police launch, replacing Tirimoana. Later she was a well known big-game fishing boat in the North, hosting among others Lord Mountbatten, who signed the Log Book. 


She is a fine example of a classic launch restored and cared for by passionate owners (18 yrs), these owners have just made the hard decision that it is time to pass Pirate onto her next custodian – so woodys, this is a unique opportunity to own a classic wooden boat of the caliber of Pirate.
Expressions of interest should be directed to waitematawoodys@gmail.com BUT – do not hang back, boats of Pirates size, presentation and provenance find new owners very quickly

 RSVP TODAY – Boat name & appox. # attending waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Nereides – Gets A Facelift

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NEREIDES – Gets A Facelift


In fact a tad more than a facelift- its a total refit 🙂


A couple of weeks ago I was moodching around the Tauranga / Mount Maunganui area and took Doug Owens up on his longstanding offer to view Nereides in her ’shed’. The timing was perfect as I also meet son Mohi, who is project managing the refit. Click photos to enlarge.


Nereides has always been a rather special woody – as are most boats built by Colin Wild. She slipped out of the CW shed in 1937 and her specs where 55’x15’x6’5″ and powered by a 200hp John Deere. The photos above are a combination of the ones I took on the day and others shared by Doug and Mohi, as you can see its a mammoth undertaking but is very close to re-launch. 
WW will kept you in the loop on this project.

Pre – Refit

UPDATE 12-04-2022 Getting very close to splash day 🙂

RSVP – BOAT NAME & # ATTENDING TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Marinus – In the 1950>60 Period

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MARINUS – In the 1950>60 Period
Back in December 2020 we featured a great insight into the launch Marinus and how she was ‘rescued’ from Great Barrier Island and became the mule for an avant-garde refit.

At the time Harold Kidd commented that Marinus was owned for many years by Keith Lackey of Wellington. She was built by Barr-Brown, Owen and Stewart and launched in 1947. Her first engines were twin 6 cyl Gray petrol. According to Lloyds she was designed by A.M. Deeming.

Now thanks to Mark Erskine, who came across the above photos on the www, we get to sre her in the 1950’s > 1960’s period. Mark commented that bearing in mind her launching after W.W II, “for commercial work in Cook Strait” it’s hard to know if these photos show Marinus as she was built / launched, because her design looks to to be more a large, spacious pleasure craft, rather than a commercial / work boat of some description.


View the previous WW story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/12/12/marinus-where-is-she/

RSVP TODAY – Boat name & approc # attending waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLEONE

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CLEONE
Back in 2015 Cleone made an appearance on WW and Harold Kidd provided the following on her – Arnold (Bill) Couldrey designed CLEONE for Bert Follas in 1948 and had her built by Jim Young a little later, probably launched in 1950. She originally had a petrol engine, later replaced with a Ford diesel. Follas owned her until about 1963 when M. Alison of Waitangi Rd, Onehunga bought her. John Grainger owned her from 1975 to 1987. I have a bunch of pics during his ownership. John Stubbs bought her in 1989. His story was that CLEONE was the first boat Jim Young built when he came out of his apprenticeship because she was the size of his shed.

On a recent visit to Hobsonville Marina )West Park) I spotted Cleone hauled out for some TLC . The varnished coamings have gone but she is still a very smart woody. In the last few years Cleone has joined the woody fleet on several of our Riverhead Tavern lunch cruises – hopefully she will be there again next Sunday – 20th. That was a poor way to get a plug in for the event 🙂

30-10-2022 UPDATE – recently contacted by Andrew Plume with the following note – “A friend has just told me about your web site and thought it would be fun to let you know that after John Stubbs passed away last year, I was fortunate enough to receive a beautiful scale model of Cleone which John built and I painstakingly transported back to my home in Australia. The passage was highly successful, and Cleone now sits in all her glory as a centrepiece in my home office.John & Jean Stubbs loved Cleone and would be very happy she continues to give so much to so many – on and off the water.”

RSVP – Boat name & approx. # of people to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Aurora

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AURORA
Today’s woody – Aurora resides on a mooring in the Tamaki River. I took the photo early last month (May 2021).

Can anyone enlighten us on her? If my life depended on it, I would suggest she was a Lidgard, those saloon windows are very Lidgard in shape.

Input ex Harold Kidd – AURORA was built in 1947 by the Lane Motor Boat Co for Sydney B Philpott with a 65hp Perkins. In 1953 C. Yockney bought her. In 1958 AJC & A Taylor and CH Stewart bought her and owned her until at least 1973.

UPDATE – 1963 Photo below , whilst owned by the Taylor family, photo ex Allen/Coggan/Andrews family collection via Ken Ricketts

Around The Yards – Centaurus

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Around The Yards – Centaurus
Angus Roger’s 42’ 1967 1968 Bailey & Sons built launch – Centaurus has been tucked away over winter in a shed up the Tamaki River getting a serious serving of TLC to her hull. I understand that there was an accumulation of old anti-fouling removed, back to bare wood, and the process started again. Looks very impressive and back in the water later this week, Just in time for the Woody Riverhead Tavern lunch cruise on the 20th June. 

Since buying Centaurus in late 2019, Angus has undertaken numerous upgrades and enhancements to the vessel, that sees her in the best condition of her life. I will have to reserve him a ringside wharf berth at the Tavern wharf 😉 

Maka Maile – A Peek Down Below

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MAKA MILE – A Peek Down Below
In a previous WW story we uncovered that the 40’ Maka Maile was built in 1937 by Sam Ford, but rumoured to be not designed by him.Maka Maile is rather unique in that she has only had 3 owners in her 84 year life. During this period she was laid up for approx. 25 of those years.

Her current owner bought her as a shell only and under took a 10 year refit that included re-powering her with twin 120hp Nissan 4 cyl diesels. The engines give Maka Maile an impressive turn of speed – 20 knots max, but she cruises very nicely at 10 knots.

These days she sports a very spacious interior that closely reflects her build year but incorporates modern fittings to make life aboard more comfortable. A surprise feature is the main saloons sliding roof. 
Previous WW stories below

https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/19/mako-maile/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/07/24/maka-maile-waitematawoodys-hits-3000000-views/
Pictured below anchored in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island

Read more on Maka Maile’s history here (ex Ken Ricketts)

maka-maile-story-seaspray-magazine-article-april-19921Download
https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/17/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/

Madison Rose – A Peek Down Below

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MADISON ROSE – A Peek Down Below
The launch Madison Rose made a brief appearance on WW back in Feb 2019, now thanks to tme and Ian McDonald we get to have a peek down below.Her design / builder is unknown, with a possible build date in the early 1900’s.

It is rumoured that in a past life she was a Marlborough Sounds Mail delivery boat. Madison Rose is approx. 33’ in length and powered by a 80hp Ford diesel that gets her along at 8 knots.Home port is Nelson.


If I didn’t know better I would say that Jason Prew had a hand in those davits 🙂 Nothing a small tungsten tipped chainsaw couldn’t fix.

Previous WW story at link belowhttps://waitematawoodys.com/2019/02/01/madison-rose/

RSVP – Boat name and approx. # attending to waitematawoodys@gmail.com