Category Archives: Launches

Karakia

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KARAKIA

Karakia was designed by Roy Parris in 1968 but I suspect somewhere along the line she has been ‘altered’ a tad 😉

She measures 24’ and is pushed along by a 34hp Sole diesel engine that gives a 6.5>7 knot cruise speed.
Currently home is Lake Taupo, note the trailer pictured is not for sale, thanks Ian McDonald for the tm listing heads up. BOAT SOLD
Harold Kidd Input – KARAKIA was registered with APYMBA for the 1966-7 season to J.S.C. McLanachan of Meadowbank.

Wooden Boat Festival – 30 Wooden Boat Photos 

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Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival – 30 Wooden Boat Photos 
 
Todays photo essay of over 30 photos was captured by NZ Traditional Boatbuilding School trustee, Kere Kemp. Kere has just returned from the 2019 Festival and in Kere’s words “the festival was 3 great days of wooden boat jewellery everywhere you looked”.
 
I’ll let the pictures tell the story – remember you can enlarge a photo by click on it 😉
Enjoy
ps – nice to see the WW cap made an appearance 🙂
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RSVP– you and your boats name + approx. numbers to sueedwards@xtra.co.nz

A-Class Racing on the Waitemata

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A-Class Racing on the Waitemata

Today’s feature photo is from a photo essay that Mike McGehan sent in. If my eyes and memory are correct Left > Right

A15 Prize, A17 Ngatoa, A14 Ngataringa, A18 Tawera, A27 Arohia

Anyone able to put an approx. date on the photo?

Mondays WW story will be a goody – 30+ photos from the camera of Kere Kemp who has just returned from the 2019 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. Great photos from a gent with a good key for woody talent 🙂 A tease below

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RSVP – you and your boats name + approx. numbers to sueedwards@xtra.co.nz

 

 

Woody Classics Weekend #2 – Waterfront Picnic Cruise

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Woody Classics Weekend # 2

WOODY CLASSICS WEEKEND #2 – WATERFRONT PICNIC CRUISE

Good morning woodys, following on from last months impressive event that saw 15 classic launches cruise to the Riverhead Hotel – We can confirm details of the 2nd event –  a cruise on Sunday 20th October up the Weti River to the Stillwater Motor Camp. The venue is situated in a stunning waterfront location on the upper reaches of the Weti River.
Depending on our cruising speed – approx. 1 1/2 > 2 hours from the Harbour Bridge. Scroll down to view photos I took when last there.
GREAT NEWS – we have access to the private deep water jetty, which makes the trip more pleasant.
And your’e best mate – Fideo is welcome, but on a lead please.
 
We will send out more details closer to the event, but for now – do two things:
 
1. Put a circle around Sunday 20th Oct in the diary and note the important times on the poster above. 
 
2. Send a quick RSVP email to Sue Edmonds at the address below – just need your name, vessel name and approx. and if you know it, the number of people aboard.
 
Remember – participation in the Woody Classics Weekend events is open to anyone and everyone, you don’t even have to own a boat – only one condition – you have a passion for wooden boats.
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McLeod – 36’ Bridgedecker 

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McLeod – 36’ Bridgedecker 

Todays wood is only a mystery due to a paranoid broker i.e. not want to show the boats name 😦  (Has been ID’ed as McLeod)
What we do know is she is single skin kauri carvel planked, built c.1965 and powered by a Ford 127hp D Series Ford diesel.
Her specs are 36’ x 11’1” x 2’11”. At a guess she is currently berthed in Auckland.
Thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up.
 
Can anyone tell us more about the vessel – builder, her name and anything on her past.
 
22-08-2025 INPUT ex ANNE JEFFERY –  My late husband and I owned McCloud for approx a year. Sold 2000 or 2001. She was built by Strongman Boat Builders in Coromandel (Strongman Road Coromandel) Her name was originally Loxsoma when we bought her but we changed it to McCloud. Great Boat. Photos below.
She was kauri plank and we purchased her from a friend. Maurie Palmer, boatbuilder.  
 

Where and when did we go wrong

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WHERE AND WHEN DID WE GO WRONG
I just love the photos above, back then even smaller boats and boats with outboards still looked like real boats. I’d like to think that if something like these boats were around today they would be popular.
The caption on the top photo reads ’The Latest Development of Outboard Motor-Boating.  A 20ft. V-bottom cabin boat built at Tauranga for use with a large-size outboard motor’
The SeaCraft runabout photo is via Peter Murton and again shows us that even small craft can look very salty.
Next week/weekend at the Auckland Viaduct Boat Show you will see some terrible examples of companies NOT using the skills of a designer or marine architect  – but there will be some cool examples e.g. Dickey Boats from Napier seem to get it right every year 🙂
HIGHEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVER VIEWING waitematawoodys YESTERDAY

Interesting day yesterday, WW struggles with the UK market, despite lots of promotional activity we just can not seem to crack it. Yesterday was the biggest number of individual people ever on one day visiting the WW site, with UK visitors 2nd in numbers to NZ for the 1st time ever. Checking out the stats the WW story titled ‘Electro-Chemical Damage Update’ by Chris McMullen was the single biggest viewed page.

I can only assume that somewhere in the UK, maybe a wooden boat building school or a tech university etc told all their pupils to check out Chris’s findings – what ever the reason its great to see the WW site and Chris’s research findings getting exposure around the world 🙂

Antares

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'Antares'- Garden Cove 1955 (Sold Sept. 1962)

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ANTARES
Last week I was in discussions with John Parker regarding several wooden boats from his past, in the chat he mentioned he had an old photo album that included several photos of his grandfathers (Cyril Parker) 34’ launch Antares, 1950’s built by Supreme Craft.
The photos above were taken in the 1950’s and show John’s parents (Wallace and Jacqueline) during their ‘courting’ days. John’s grandparents were Cyril and Kath Parker.
John commented that Cyril had given up his famous white peaked cap to Wallace while he had the helm, he must have approved of the young couple as in another photo we see Jacqueline on the helm.
Below are two WW links that have great photo galleries of Antares  from the 1980’s and 2005.
The photo below is of Cyril when he was honorary radio operator for Auckland Sea Scouts.
Cyril Parker Sea Scouts 1963

Marnine

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MARNINE

Must be the week for the big girls, yesterday we had a feature on the 56’ Turongo coming onto the market and today we see the 1961 Lane built – Marnine.
Marnine measures 50’ and has a 15’ beam and weighs 25 tonnes so very similar in size to Turongo.
Marnine has made numerous appearances on WW – links below. The first one contain a great insight into her past from Terry Porter, son of her original owner Fred Porter.
Today we see her hauled out in Auckland for some TLC.

 

MULLET BOAT MAST SOS
The boys at The Slipway Milford have a 22’ mullety hauled out which given her existing masts is in 3 pieces and looks like a shark has had a chew, there is an urgent need for a suitable replacement.
Not fussy if its wood or alloy – anyone got one up in the rafters? Contact Jason Prew jason@slipway.co.nz

TURONGO

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TURONGO

Turongo has had a very low profile on the classic boating scene, as she spends most summers in the Bay of Islands.
Turongo is the biggest of the 5 Colin Wild inspired, John Salthouse built motor-yachts. The term ‘launch’ just doesn’t fit a vessel of her elegance and bearing, she is the Bentley of the wooden boating world.
Her vital specs are – built 1966, one year after Trinidad, 56’ in length with a 14’6” beam, she draws 5′ but unlike Trinidad and the earlier launched Lady Crossley, she was the recipient of at the time, some radical design which sees her only drawing 18”at the stern, this along with her twin CAT 3208 diesels results in Turongo being able to do up to 18 knots under power.
Turongo is a very lucky boat, she has been in the same family for the last 25+ years and been very well maintained thru-out this period. She was originally built for JR Butcher and after launching sat on a mooring for a period of time waiting for her two 200hp Cummins V8’s to arrive from the States both of which had been extracted from a tractor unit. They were installed and fitted out by John Butcher and his son Tony,  both gents were in the engineering business. Even back then with the smaller motors, she had an impressive turn of speed..
In recent times she has received the Uroxsys ‘varnish’ finish.
Well woodys, the headline kind of gave the game away – Turongo is for sale and it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own one of the best classic motor-yachts in NZ. Her owner has made the decision to hand the keys to the next custodian – so who will it be?
Whoever it is had better act quickly, her owner is very realistic in terms of price and after making the difficult decision to let her go, wants a sale. Take my word for it, Turongo will not be on the market for long. SOLD
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Maree Anne

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MAREE ANNE 
Anne Maree was built in 1950, kauri planked, 26’ in length and powered by a 3 cylinder Lister18hp Lister diesel engine.
Home port is Dargaville, Northland.
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up on this woody.
That folks is all me know – anyone able to expand on her provenience ?