Another request from Brian Hewitt – this time regarding the 34’ launch – Joel, that in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s he was part owner of.
Joel was built by Shipbuilders and powered by a Ford 80hp diesel with marine conversion. The launch had full 2M headroom through the interior, a full sized household sized ‘head’, a galley which adequately catered for up to 12 and a table that sat them all.
Brian recalls that one of her few weak points was she was hard to manoeuvre in a brisk breeze so berthing took speed and courage but Joel gave the owners much enjoyment.
When sold the new owner built an open bridge and renamed her, but Brian can’t remember the new name.
He has a suspicion she went to Pine Harbour marina. When Brian & co. bought her, she came with a pile mooring at Westhaven, they later progressed to a marina.
Brian would love to know where she is now. Can anyone help out?
Update from Gordon Cooper – I owned JOEL since about 1995 to 2004. She was a beautiful launch, the owner prior to the one I bought her off had rebuilt her interior, raised the floor so the motor was just under and put a fly bridge on her. She was at Gulf Harbour when I bought her, I kept her at West Harbour.
The boat was a hunny to back into a berth. When I sold her, she went to Sand Spit where she had her hull re-fastened. I do not think she is there now.
In the 2nd photo below, you see her as I bought her.
Today’s woody is named Chinook and owned by Woodrow Bould (great name). Woodrow has been told that she may have been built by Parson/s? She is approx. 37’6” in length and carvel built from kauri.
Woodrow has owned Chinook for just over 5 years, having purchased her from a gent in Whangamata, who didn’t have a lot of detail about her history.
Onboard Woodrow found a bunch of old game fishing log books, an old advertisement for her sale back in the 1990’s, loads of interesting manuals etc, but nothing that gave him any solid information about the designer. When surveyed, the surveyor spoke of her being over-build, with twice as many ribs than she needs.
The forward motion comes from a Ford Dover 135hp diesel engine with a Lee’s marine conversion.
Woodrow is keen to learn more about the history of the boat e.g. who designed her, where she was built, any interesting owners she may have had, etc. He commented that they used to own a Pied Piper named – Jim Beam, and it seemed that every famous sailor in New Zealand had raced on her at some stage or another. So he has come from a situation where he knew everything to now owning a boat where he knows next to nothing.
Chinook is a pretty boat i.e. one that gets noticed, so I’m sure we can help him out.
Harold Kidd Input – Jack Parsons 1957 at Tauranga.
The 39’ launch Kestrel was built in Nelson in 1957 by Wally Steer. Original kauri carvel construction but later (1990’s) she received a skin of ply and was fibre-glassed 1990s 😦 Powered by a Ford 120hp diesel, that gets her along at 8 knots.
Mid last year she was 4sale on tme, in Nelson. Do we know anymore about Kestrel and her builder?
Input from Steve Thomas – Kestrel was originally named SUSAN MARGARET, built by Wally Steer around 1957 and first launched from Monaco, Nelson, not far from Wally’s home at Songer Street, Stoke, where the boat was built. I have a photos of her moored in Nelson Harbour, will dig it out and send a copy. She was powered by 2 flat-head V8 petrols we think. The March Construction family in Kaiapoi owned the boat for many years. In the 1980’s the March boys Father died and they trucked the boat from Picton and started a major rebuild at their Kaiapoi base. Myself and my Dad, Don Thomas, found her around 1995 and fell in love. The original 1’1/4 kauri carvel planking was skinned over with diagonal ply and glassed and the new topsides built but not fitted out. The March boys ran out steam on the home straight and let us take over. We then trucked the boat up to Glenhope, near Murchison, where a boat builder friend, Kevin Strong, completed the interior fit-out over a couple of years. We then moved the boat to Nelson, and finished the exterior repaint, electrical and engineering work. The Ford 2725E was a brand new engine. We relaunched the boat in Nelson around 2000 and she looked the same as she is now. Sadly, my father Don passed away in 2013. Nelson boaties Mike and Denise Ballard then purchased her around that time and lived on her for a few years. Kestrel has just been sold to an American couple who intend to keep her in Picton and cruise the Sounds. She’s a fantastic sea boat with heaps of flare in the bow. Will be a great ship for many years to come.
The launch Joyce was built by H N Burgess in 1912 (thank you HDK for that), the photo above was captioned “1920-1929 The launch Joyce left behind by the tide”, could have been a long wait for the two lads in the cockpit 🙂
Would love to know what became of her, no doubt she gained a tram-top and dog-house along the way.
(Photo ex Lew Redwood fb)
Harold Kidd Input – I think that this JOYCE went to Raglan in 1915, sold through the agency of Bailey & Lowe who had big connections in Raglan. An owner in Raglan shortly after and for many years was a Mr Tombs. Her original owners were Cornes and Davis. She had a 6hp Automatic engine for which Burgess was the agent.I wonder if this pic was taken in Raglan?
Back in October 2017 I was contacted by Nelson boat builder / restorer Peter Murton seeking info on a launch named Lady Carole (colour photos above) that he had in his shed for some TLC. At the time Nathan Herbert commented that at one stage Lady Carole was owned by his father’s uncle (Pat Smith) & was based at Whangaroa.
Fast forward 2-1/2 years and I’m contacted by Jean Martinovich whose father, Gordon Thompson, owned a boat called Lady Carole in the 1950’s/60’s.
Jean mentioned that she had a photo (b/w above) of the boat with her Dad at the helm and others on board in the Bay of Islands where they spent many days, weeks and years deep sea fishing. The boat was moored at Tutukaka.
Jean’s brother, Colin Thompson, has told her that their father purchased Lady Carole for 2,760 pounds from Ivan Watkins who at the time owned Whangarei Tractor Company. Colin believes the boat was built by Demmings.
In my eyes the boats are one. But the man with the best eye on WW – Nathan Herbert can confirm that for us 🙂
Jean was born in 1945 and remembers the wonderful times they spent as a family in the Bay of Islands on Lady Carole and during the summer months at Tinopai a small beach place on the Kaipara Harbour. Jean’s grandparents retired there as her poppa had a love of fishing and boating.
Gordon used to transport Lady Carole overland on a large transporter truck and trailer to the Kaipara Harbour for the summer. At that time the boat was kept on a jetty at a small place called Raupo on the Northern Wairoa River as the family home was in Ruawai where Gordon was a butcher.
At some stage Gordon sold the boat and Jean later learned the boat got jammed under the Waitangi Bridge where she was damaged. She was sold to Gordon Campbell (date unknown) but he redecorated her and then sold her on. Brother Colin caught his first marlin on Lady Carole when he was 14 years old, he will be 79 this year.
06-12-2022 UPDATE ex Di Maxwell – I can confirm that this boat was owned by my Dad, Pat Smith. My Grandfather, Albert Cyril (Chappie) Baldwin, owned it before Dad, and left it to Dad in his will to remain in the family. Sadly my brother sold it some time after my Dad died in 1984. I don’t know when my grandfather purchased it but I do remember family holidays on it when I was a child, from sometime in the 1960s. Pop (Chappie) moored it at Waipapa Landing, and I do recall during one flood that it was underwater, I think from the mooring ropes not sliding on the poles. It did have a Grey Marine Petrol motor at that stage. In 1972 or 73 when Pop died and left it to Dad, he took it to Whangaroa where it was moored. I remember one occasion when Dad was filling the boat at the end of the jetty in front of the Marlin Hotel, the fumes from the petrol wafted into the cabin and were ignited by the pilot light on the fridge. Dad’s legs were badly burned in that incident. The motor was replaced at some stage later with a diesel but it was never the same. I was under the impression that it was built by Lanes but I may well be wrong. Many many happy family memories involved with this boat, and if it were ever for sale, I would love to know.
Below Is A Link To Another WoodenBoat Magazine Video Chat
This week WB editor Matt Murphy chats to WB founder Jon Wilson – click to hear the back story to the magazine and business that introduced most of us to our addiction – Enjoy 🙂
Isa Lei first popped up on WW back in July 2013, link below. Since then she has ghosted for view, so today is shout out for an update on her status.
We know the she was built by Lidgard Bros. and launched in 1939. When launched she was named Taiparu. Lots more details in the 2013 link.
Recently the top photo of Isa Lei surfaced on Lew Redwoods fb – in the photo she is seen hauled out in a paddock near Coromandel (photo ex Ann Hood)
Nathan Herbert supplied the 2nd photo, taken in the 1960’s from the family launch – Pacific. She certainly was easier on the eye before the block of flats was added 😉
In the montage of images below again ex Ann Hood we see various the various ’stages’ of the evolution of Isa Lei.
Bit down today – I was booked to be climbing on a big bird to Sydney for their Wooden Boat Festival this weekend – thanks CV-19 😦
Input from Glenn Martin – I drive past every few months hoping Lotto comes so she can be rescued…..
Something For Stick & Rag Boys
The ‘Buchanan Collection’ at the Auckland Council Library is an amazing collection of approx. 750 black & white yachting photos – see pages 1>4 – I’m not sure if its new or old but the photos have just started popping up all over the web.
My Girl was moored opposite white on road (top right of photo), Walter had a shed there
Trevor Bowman steering with Walter on anchor – Waitangi
Days fishing – Gordon and Syd Brown
My Girl leaving Milford
Elva and Trevor Bowman
Milford Cruising Club Yard
MY GIRL’S OLD HOME – MILFORD CREEK IN THE LATE 1940’s> EARLY 1950’s
As I touched on the other day in relation to my own woody – RainDance, its very special when out of the blue you are contacted by someone with details and photos on your boat. It was woody Jason Prew’s turn recently to get the call regarding his 1925, Dick Lang built launch – My Girl.
As I’m sure you are aware WW has rather extensively followed the restoration > launch > cruising log of My Girl so all the exposure has rattled a few memories – this time from Greg Bowman whose grandfather, Walter Brunton used to own My Girl at end of the 1940’s to 1960.
Walter Brunton lived in Castor Bay, Auckland and moved to Russell, in the Bay of Islands in 1950, after Greg’s mother, Elva, married his Dad Trevor Bowman. Like all good relationships in those days – they meet on the water.
When Walter moved north he turned My Girl into a fishing boat (now I know where that smell is from – just kidding Jason). Walter sold fish to the open market and to feed guests in his guesthouse in Russell, named – Arcade Lodge.
Back in those days My Girl had a Gray marine engine, and most years she won the New Year launch race out of Russell.
Greg sent Jason the collection of b/w photos above of My Girl and the Milford Creek, where she was kept in the late 1940’s. The top photo gives you an idea of the amount of dredging required to accommodate the marina that exists today.
It’s a bit cheeky (excuse the pun) but the photo below shows the on-board sanitation methods on My Girl, before inbuilt heads. I know the bucket and chuck it was around but the old rope did the trick – off course helped by the lack of duckboards back then 🙂
WW link below to show the journey My Girl has been on in terms of apperance and the extent of Jason’s restoration. And a photo of her post re-launch heading into Milford Creek or as some of the MCC woodys call it – Wairau Cove 😉
The photo above of Storm Bird was sent in by George Janis, his father and a retired Scottish boatbuilder named Jock McCallum in 1950 built this 20’ launch. Storm Bird had a raised foredeck and a dodger. The family owned her for 24 years, and she was powered by a Morris Vedette 6/12 marine petrol engine, with a 2 to1 reduction.
George would like to uncover info on what became of the vessel and whether she is still in the Wellington area.
Do You Need A Bow Thruster?
If you have been considering installing a bow thruster or if you occasionally have a berthing oops – read the article below that Chris McMullen sent me – it originally appeared in the May 1944 edition of – Yachting World & Power Craft. It’s been in Chris’s files for years and he uncovered it during lock-down. Chris commented that he felt he should share it. Have a read it explains boat handling in plain English + the analogy of thinking the propeller is a wheel is good. If its too hard to read, drop me an email and I’ll send you it in a larger format. waitematawoodys@gmail.com
I was sent the above photos of the launch Apache by Bryce Strong. Apache has made numerous cameo appearances on WW but very little is known about her other than – being built in Te Papapa in 1939.
Bryce found the photos yesterday while sorting old photos, as you do when locked down. Bryce commented that the colour photo shows Apache with the dodger on and a steering wheel in the cockpit. The b/w photo shows her without the dodger, probably early in her life.
We believe that Apache these days resides in Thames – any woody able to expand on what we know about Apache?
02-09-2020 Input from Bryce Strong – Bryce uncovered the photos below of Apache during a CV-19 clean up
WOODENBOAT MAGAZINE VIDEO SERIES
Below is a very cool video where Matt Murphy the editor of WoodenBoat magazine has a conversation with Evelyn Ansel, Matt’s words :-). I won’t spoil the story but Evelyn is wooden boating blue blood, with both her father and late grandfather being at the forefront of the wooden boat movement in the USA. I first discovered Evelyn when she fronted a fb video on a project herself and a small team were working, the digitization of the Haffenreffer- Herreshoff collection at the MIT Museum of Cambridge, MA in 2016. Evelyn is currently on the curatorial team at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, RI.
Make a cup of tea / coffee, then sit back and enjoy this insightful and entertaining video. It was recorded yesterday so is very current. Now I know its not being PC but I have to say that Evelyn is rather cute 🙂
I spend a large chunk of my leisure time, pulling together the waitematawoodys stories that you all get to enjoy each day. One of the coolest parts is connecting people and boats, more often than not – it’s a grandchild looking for grandads old wooden classic or someone who used to crew on a boat and wants to contact with the long lost woodys they boated with. There have been some amazing link-ups, some taking years to surface, a common situation is someone sends in an old photo of a boat, it appears on WW, we generate some intel on the boat, then the story goes into hibernation for a while, sometimes years. Then someone does a google search on an old boats name and bang – up pops the WW story and we are away, they supply more details + photos and then that generates more – its called self populating. With over 5,500,000 views the WW site rates very well with google, also people tend to spend a lot of time on the site so that tells google the site is valued by people, so the boffins at google ‘assist’ the search functionality.
Anyway starting to get boring – yesterday was my day, my turn to be wowed by waitematawoodys. I received an email that stopped the clock. After 13 years of looking for more intel on my boat – Raindance, a gent named William Brown reached out to WW asking for assistance in tracking down a launch named Lady Gay that his father owned in the late 1960’s. Bill’s parents were Correen and James Brown and were lifetime boaties with a flotilla of craft over the years – James was also a former Commodore of the Onerahi Yacht Club and a member of the Whangarei Cruising Club.
One glance at Bill’s photos told me it was Raindance. Bill’s email is below
“It’s been fun during the lockdown to still have the consistency of your regular Waitemata Woodys posts. Thanks for that.
Back at the beginning of March, I won one of your Waitemata Woody T shirts on the Townson 28 quiz and I have been proudly wearing it around my neighbourhood during lockdown. I’ll send a picture in at some stage with perhaps a different story/email to today’s one.
Ok, so I was I digging into my old photos recently and uncovered a couple of pictures (sorry about the quality), of our family’s launch that we owned for about 5 or 6 years in the late 1960s. We knew her then as Lady Gay, but as a youngster I never knew much about her provenance. I am not actually sure my dad knew much of her design or year built either. We used her extensively in the Whangarei harbour for family holidays and fishing trips. The coloured picture has me on the stern, while anchored at Tamaterau and the black and white photo is outside the old quarry in the top of McLeods Bay. I did see her once on the hard at Orakei, so believe she was in Auckland in the 1980s at some stage. She was about 27′ long, narrow and rolled around a bit. Dad fitted stabilizing chocks to her, closed in the canvas in the cockpit and added a decent sized mast, so we could run a stabilizing sail on her. She had a big old Ruston diesel if I remember right, which was incredibly reliable and economical. Those big saloon windows were pretty recognizable, functional, but ugly!
I would be most interested to find out more of the history of this “Lady Gay” ( i realize there are other more famous Lady Gay’s around and not even sure if she was originally given this name or indeed kept it after our ownership. I wonder if she is still going strong today and if so where she is based? Some good family memories were had on her for sure!”
Post lock-down Bill will be visiting his mother (lives in Northland still) and hopefully will obtain more details and photos.
As a result of Bill’s email I have filled in some of the missing pieces of the jigsaw puzzle – but I would love to uncover details from her launch date (c.1928) to the early 1960’s. Hopefully the above photos and details on her owner might jog some memories.
Below I have reproduced what I had previously been able to piece together on the boats past – if I’ve got my wires crossed, please let me know:-)
Lady Gay > Lady Gai > Nona C > Raindance (as at June 2015)
When I purchased the boat in August 2007 she was named ‘Nona C’, after the then owners (Craig Colven, a Auckland Harbour Board pilot boat skipper) daughter. He told me the boat was previously called ‘Lady Gay’. I did not like the name Nona C so was in the process of reverting back to Lady Gay when I was advised of another launch called Lady Gay (owned by Graham Wilson of the Wilson & Horton publishing family), not wanting to confuse things & on the advice of several marine historians I decided to chose a new name & went with ‘RainDance’. Interestingly Graham Wilson was prepared to add II (2) to his launches name.
I was not aware that ‘Gay’ had been changed to the Irish spelling ‘Gai’ until when I was given a copy of the Dunsford Marine Surveyors Ltd pre-purchase survey commissioned in March 2003 by a Dr. Rex Ferris. Had I known about the Gai/Gay I would have retained the Lady Gai name. I obtained Rex Ferris’s address from the survey & did a Google search which resulted in an Auckland District Health Board employment link & I contacted Rex Ferris. Like myself he knew little about her past, there are still huge gaps e.g. the 1930’s > early 1980’s but below is some history I have gained.
I have also spoke in Jan 2010 to Blair Cole (boat builder) refer below.
Peter & Ann Gill, the motoring journalist, bought the boat in c.1987 & at the time had a waterfront property in the Upper Harbour (near Paremoremo wharf) with a mooring put down. He saw the boat advertised in ‘Boat Trader’, she was moored in the Tamaki Estuary & he purchased her for about $7,000. He can’t remember the name of the owner but was told the boat was built by Lane Motor Boats in 1928, there is however some discussion that she may have been built by ‘Collings & Bell’. She had a single cylinder Bukh diesel engine, which was started via a decompression lever & hand cranking. The owner told Peter that she had been based at Great Barrier Island as a ‘long-liner’ fishing boat for many years prior to him buying her. When she was moored off Peters house, she took on quite a bit of water, and it was necessary for him to go out as often as twice a week and operate the manual bilge pump. He hired a tradesman who specialized in old boats and he decided that it was the stern gland that was the problem. Peter her hauled out and they filled the stern gland with tallow. It was not a one hundred percent fix & she continued to take on water. Peter was never very comfortable with the boat & to use his words ‘we never went far in her’. She was not a pretty boat in those days with a cabin top that looked like it had been made from a ply-wood car case. (Photos below)
I have spoken to Peter several times & while he is very friendly & chatty about the boat he is very elusive about when & to whom he sold her. The reason for this is that either Peter or the next owner (?) let her sink on her mooring in the upper harbour & she remain submerged for several weeks. Given the swallow, sheltered tidal nature of the mooring this had no major negative effect on the boat.
The next chapter is amusing – the mast only of the boat was visible from the Salthouse Boat Builders yard at Greenhite & the tradesman there were running a sweep-stake as to how long she would remain submerged before the owner rescued her. During this period two of the Salthouse apprentices – Blair Cole & Kelly Archer (who both went on to become well respected boat builders in their own right) hatched a plan to buy the boat. They tracked down the owner & both approached him independently, Kelly advised it would cost $3,000 to re-float the boat. Blair then approached the owner & offered an as-is-where-is price of $2,000. The owner accepted Blair’s offer. The boat was hauled out at Salthouse’s yard, she later moved to Blair’s house where he undertook a major restoration (John Salthouse told me at a CYA function once that he had a ‘guiding’ hand in the process).
Between 1988>89 Blair spent in excess of 1800 hours on the restoration – the work involved replacing the ply wood box cabin top with a more sympathetic tram top & doghouse. The two bronze port holes were added to the front of the cabin, along with the bronze mushroom deck vents, new twin plastic fuel tanks, a reconditioned 58hp Ford engine, new shaft, new 2 blade prop, new hydraulic steering (since replaced), anchor winch (since replaced). Extensive new ribs & sister ribs where fitted & her seams were re-caulked. All windows where replaced & new bunks fitted. He also removed her alloy mast & built & fitted the current oregon pine mast. The duck-board was also added. The s/s rod holders on her stern (since removed) came off the old Salvation Army launch.
Blair & his wife cruised the Gulf extensively in the boat in the 1990’s. Blair is a little hazy on whom & when he sold the boat to but thinks it was to someone who lived in Kumeu & they only keep the boat for less than 2 years. They probably sold it Dr. Rex & Sharron Ferris.
In 2003 Rex Ferris purchased her post the Dunstan marine survey (photo below during survey) but it appears he did not address any of the ‘faults’ identified in the survey. Rex Ferris spoke to Blair Cole (Cole Marine Services) in June 2003 & Blair confirmed the restoration work he undertook. Blair also confirmed that she was named Lady Gai.
(Unknown ownership / date photos)
In 2005 the boat was for sale on the hard at Bayswater Marina, I looked at her but she would have been too much of a burden for me at the time. The boat was purchased by Craig Colven who undertook hull work (replaced some planking, caulking, ribs, floors & keel bolts, as identified in the 2003 survey) & installed a new 45hp 4-cylinder Daidong diesel motor & replacement of all major machinery, electrics and plumbing. Including a freezer, new 3-blade prop, shaft bearings, bilge pumps. Devonport craftsmen’s Robbie Robertson (deceased) & Charlie Webley undertook the work.
Craig, over a 2 year period commissioned this work but never completed her, his wife did not share his passion for the sea & I purchased her in August 2007 for what I considered a bargain given what Craig Colven had spent on her in time & money. (Photo below when I purchased her)
I then undertook over the next few years what is called a rolling restoration i.e. I used the boat each summer but hauled her out in winter & continued the project. I retained the services of then Milford based wooden boat builder Geoff Bagnall for the big stuff, there were several areas (stem, cockpit decks, doghouse windows) of rot that needed to be removed plus we made her more ‘comfortable’ in terms of helm seat, doghouse hatch layout etc. New auto anchor winch & bow launcher were installed along with forward hatch porthole to improve light in forward cabin. I rolled my sleeves up on the rest.
I’m thankful for the care bestowed on the boat over the years – everyone that has rubbed up to her has helped get her thru the last 92 years.
(Recent – AH ownership photos)
And one of the two Lady Gay’s 🙂
29-09-2020 UPDATE
Photos below ex Bill Brown from when his parents owned Lady Gay / Raindance in the late 1960’s > early 1970’s.
One is in Parua Bay at a little anchorage called Peach point,(dated 1971), where they regularly careened Lady Gay. The others are at Peach Cove, a beautiful little cove out towards Bream Head, and the last two are in the Nook, Parua Bay. And one stern on showing her then cockpit layout.
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