Category Archives: Launches

CAN WE PUT A NAME ON THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SAGA

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CAN WE PUT A NAME ON THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SAGA

Today’s woody has us scratching our heads — can anyone put a name to this classic?

We’re told she was built in 1946 by Bailey with a kauri hull, and measures 35’. Power comes from a 146hp Perkins T6354 diesel.

A recent appearance on tme — thanks Ian McDonald for spotting her — suggests she has benefited from a number of systems upgrades and maintenance work in recent times.

At under 15k, she could represent a very affordable ticket into the world of classic wooden boating.

If you recognise the boat or know anything about her history, drop a note in the WW comments section. Home is Opua, Northland.

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – her name is SAGA https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/11/06/saga-a-peek-down-below/

CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOATS OF THE HAURAKI GULF – ANZAC

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CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOATS OF THE HAURAKI GULF – ANZAC

Trolling thru the WW archives I found a file tagged Anzac that was created in 2019, inside was was the above photo of a launch named ANZAC, back in 2019 Harold Kidd had advised that she was 33’, built at Great Barrier Island and in those days powered by a 12-18hp Zealandia engine.

ANZAC was used for general cargo and passenger work in the Hauraki Gulf. Harold commented that she was probably built by G Osborne in Tryphena.

Todays photo originally came from the Auckland War Memorial Museum and was tagged – ‘ANZAC on the Puhoi River.

Do we know what became of ANZAC.  Harold once told me these launches were the equivalent of todays Toyota Ute. Everyone had one. I’ll get it wrong but I think I was told the annual production was something like 3>4,000 a year.

CLASSIC WOODEN DICK LANG LAUNCH – RUBY II

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CLASSIC WOODEN DICK LANG LAUNCH – RUBY II

This great photo and tale popped up recently on a post that Dennis Mansfield made on the NZ – Our Past Our Present fb page. Its a cracker read so I’ll hand thetiller over to Dennis today –

 “My grandfather, Edward Mansfield, who was born in Napier in 1878 , came to Auckland about 125 years ago. In due course he commissioned Dick Lang, one of St Mary’s Bay’s boat builders to construct the Ruby 2 for longlining. She was built of end to end kauri and I believe she was 34ft in length. Grandad paid £150 deposit, £150 at the halfway stage and £150 on completion.

She was converted to Danish seining eventually to make her more commercially viable but lost her visual appeal in the process. She was my dad’s first place of work when he was taken from school at the age of thirteen to become a full time fisherman. Grandad compensated Dad for limiting his formal education by presenting him with a brand new clinker built kauri sailing dinghy for his next birthday. Dad was certainly diligent. When they had unloaded the Ruby he would take the dinghy and row around to the Kauri Timber Company. The logs were held in a boom and would often break out if the sea got up. Dad got two bob a log to retrieve them. I thought it was quite a lot of money for those days but the size of the logs and the tide meant it could take an hour or two to effect a recovery. No wonder he was so damn strong.

In later years Dad was Master of an 86ft tugboat called the Odin. He would take a bit over seven hours to steam to the Blackjacks on the Eastern side of the Coromandel. The bulldozers would push the kauri logs down onto the beach and Dad would give his mate a leg up so he could run an auger through the log and chain it to the herringbone raft they were building out of the logs. In one raft they brought three quarters of a million feet of timber back to Auckland. It took them three and a half days to steam home.

During the war years dad would tow a scow up the Wairoa river to Clevedon. It was laden with McCallum’s red chip which was used as base metal for the airstrip at Ardmore, built primarily at the request of the US Air Force. The old man said the shrouds would twang like guitar strings as they got caught up in the the willows that overhung the riverbanks.”

WHEN AUCKLAND’S WATERFRONT WAS HOME TO WOODEN BOATBUILDERS

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WHEN AUCKLAND’S WATERFRONT WAS HOME TO WOODEN BOATBUILDERS

During the week the above photograph popped up on the Timespanner fb and originated from the Auckland Libraries Heritage collection.The photo was tagged – “St Marys Bay boatyards, 1940s, looking east from the end of jetty on St Mary’s Bay showing boats on slips and shipyards.” Photographer most likely – Reginald Clifton Firth.

David Wilson commented that the location was the Shipbuilders Yard and Charles Bailey’s yard was on the left.

Nathan Herbert commented that the launch LADY UNA was  probably shown having her coamings replaced to the style we know her today as MARGUERITE. WW 2019 story link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/09/18/the-story-of-marguerite/

INPUT 04-09-2026 ex Russell Ward – the vessel on the right is MAHARA (1946) 

WOODYS ON TOUR – UK BROADS CLASSICS

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WOODYS ON TOUR – UK BROADS CLASSICS

Classic wooden boat (& car) fan Murray Deeble is currently enjoying summer in the UK and sent in todays photo gallery from an excursion on the Norfolk Broads. 

In a couple of the photos we see St Benets Abbey, founded in the 9th century and later rebuilt in 1022. 

Love the photo of the plastic boat, no one rushing re-float it 🙂

Sales of fenders must be good at the local chandlery , shades of Canada. 

1929 CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SOUTHERN MAID SAVED

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1929 CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – SOUTHERN MAID SAVED

Lately too many WW stories have been about wooden craft that have an impending appointment with a back-hoe. Today is a feel good story – the 1929 classic 42′, Ernie Lane of Picton built wooden launch – SOUTHERN MAID has been saved.

Let’s back the truck up – back in June  2026 we ran an SOS story on SOUTHERN MAID, reaching out for someone to step up and save her. Link here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/06/13/sos-southern-maid-classic-1929-motor-launch-needs-saving/

On Saturday I received an email from Jeff Giddens – reproduced below

“As you often post, of boats that are heading for an appointment with the back-hoe, this one brings joy. 
The vessel “Southern Maid” which had fallen into hard times, had been placed up for sale, was once owned by the McAllister family in the Marlborough Sounds for a very long time years ago, has now been purchased for $1 back to the family to be restored to her former gory. Such a fantastic outcome”.

We look forward to following the project.

04-09-2026 INPUT ex JOHN WICKS – In the  photo below of her under way is actually right in the middle of Blenheim, on the Opawa River, the other photo is at a wharf just inside the Wairau River bar. Date is c.1950, maybe a year either side.

CLASSIC WOODYS GETTING READY FOR A SPRING SPLASH

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CLASSIC WOODYS GETTING READY FOR A SPRING SPLASH

Dropped into the working end of the Milford Creek / Marina yesterday and caught up on the woodys getting some late winter TLC

MY GIRL – the 1925 Dick Lang built (to a W H Hand design) was out at the Slipway Milford for an application of a new go fast bottom paint. All hush hush trial but I can tell you it wasn’t around in the 1920’s. Note to handicappers – alter MY GIRLS handicap 😉

See more of MG here – https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/11/12/my-girl-and-pacific-relaunched-60-wooden-boat-photos/

MENAI – keeping MY Girl company was the 38’ 1937 Sam Ford built MENAI – continuing her rolling restoration. See more of her here –  https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/09/11/menai-a-peek-down-below-2/

THETIS – cross the fence in the Milford Cruising Club yard was THETIS the 45’ 1955 launch built by the Lane Motor Boat Co. Out for a refresh. More here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/09/02/thetis-a-peek-down-below/

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH STERLING GIRL RISES IN PRICE

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH STERLING GIRL RISES IN PRICE 

It seems the southern woodys haven’t quite received the memo about the classic wooden boat market reset.

Back in 2018, while wandering the Picton waterfront, I had to be practically dragged away from the 1913 bridge-decker STERLING GIRL.

Back then, she ticked just about every box for me — 35 feet, Bailey & Lowe, ex-workboat, a wood fire and, best of all, a Ford Model T steering wheel/helm. (Yes, I know… I’m shallow.)

And in my eyes – absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.

At the time, STERLING GIRL was priced at 26k, which seemed pretty fair value. Fast-forward seven years and she’s apparently still looking for a new custodian — but the asking price has risen to 29k

Perhaps she has been re-powered or received some serious TLC along the way. Or perhaps there’s simply now a broker involved and a commission to accommodate…

The real challenge may simply be geography. For a northern-based woody enthusiast, getting STERLING GIRL relocated could add a significant chunk to the purchase price.

Seven years later, I still think she’s a stunner.

CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORSAILER – NAMELESS

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CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORSAILER – NAMELESS

Todays woody is a recent addition on tme, thanks Ian McDonald. The 47’ Sang designed motorsailer NAMELESS was built in 1953 in Miramar, Wellington. Powered by a 65hp Albion Albatross diesel engine (1947).

Her owners of 25 years say she needs a tidy and some maintenance, but at sub 100k NAMELESS is a lot of boat and she has the X factor ie a looker.
A great selection of photos from her build / launching.

113 YEAR-OLD CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH GETS SOME WELL DESERVED TLC

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113 YEAR-OLD CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH GETS SOME WELL DESERVED TLC – LEITNER

Back in September 2013, classic wooden launch – LEITNER made an appearance on WW and the story over the next couple of years generated a raft of intel on her past and photos.  We learnt that she was built in 1913 by Harvey & Lang.

Forward motion these days is via a Perkins 6-354 diesel engine.

When launched she was very smart flat top launch and over the years there have been several additions , all visible in 2913 WW story  https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/09/21/leitner/

Robin Elliott commented re her restyling in a very kindly way saying – ‘at some time she was converted to a sort of bridge-decker type’. As seen in the above photos I took this week at DOCK5 in Whangarei.

Nice to see she is getting the TLC she deserves.