Category Archives: Launches

Lake Taupo Wooden Boats

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Lake Taupo Wooden Boats

Right now Colin Pawson should have been in the USA & taking photos for me at a wooden boat festival, but a speed bump slowed him down a bit & instead he was mooching round the lake front moorings at Lake Taupo.

Most of the above have appeared on WW before but its always nice to get an update & who has been applying the TLC & who hasn’t 🙂

Input ex Paul Drake – below is a 1932 pic of the same two boats. It is regatta day at Taupo. ROMANCE has only recently arrived at the lake ex Napier and is still a flush decker. EAST WIND has already been on the lake for some years. Both boats came into Drake family ownership 46 years ago in 1972.

Now would be a good moment to seek opinions regarding EAST WIND’s origins. She was clearly built as an open boat with motor. She still has the original foredeck and coaming under the newer raised deck. Two clues – she has an external stern gland and has an X etched into her starboard forard sheer strake (see pic). No sign of lifting hooks though.

We would be really interested to discover when she was built and by whom. Her history prior to the mid 1920’s is a mystery. What do the Brains Trust think?

Also below is Paul’s favorite pic of EAST WIND, at Rotoiti, taken by me  (Alan H).

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1st Motor Boat on Lake Wanaka 

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1st Motor Boat on Lake Wanaka 

In the days before the guys at Boat Haulage were around, it was a real mission to launch the woodys, & some were more challenging. In the above photo we see the first motor launch for Lake Wanaka being transported there by horse & wagon team.

Photo ex University of Otago / Hocken collection via Lew Redwood’s FB page.

Its a long shot but any able to ID the launch?

Another of Lew’s photos, below, is dated 22 December 1956 (just 6 days b4 I was born) – any clues on the location?

Harold Kidd Input – The launch is TILIKUM, formerly on Lake Wakatipu. She was taken across from Frankton to Pembroke in September 1904 on a timber wagon driven by J Brensell. Her owner was Capt McDougall. TILIKUM was probably a rename after Capt Vos’s canoe TILIKUM which had just visited New Zealand and created a great deal of interest, so her provenance is obscure. Certainly she’s a typical early 20th Century canoe-sterned oil launch in the Logan Bros style.

There’s a suggestion that TILIKUM started life as a torpedo boat based in Dunedin. Haven’t had a chance to check that out but it seems plausible.

Update 27-06 The “torpedo boat” origin is rubbish. The Dunedin-based Thornycroft spar torpedo boat TAIAROA wa a hugely different animal which was decommissioned about the time TILIKUM appeared, but that’s the only common context except the “torpedo stern” and that it seems TILIKUM first owner, J.C. McBride of Queenstown, bought her in Dunedin. I reckon she was probably built by one of the top Dunedin/Port Chalmers constructors like Jas McPherson or Jas McLellan.

 

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Working Waterfront Boatbuilders Shed – 50 photos

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Working Waterfront Boatbuilders Shed – 50 photos

As I’ve send many times before, if your want a stunning day weather wise, schedule a Classic Yacht Association event – the hit rate must be 9/10.

Over 100 CYA members & friends made the trip north to Lees Boatbuilders at Sandspit – our host for the day, Greg Lees, turned on a brilliant woody event – we had everything – woody projects underway, the best collection of 1/2 models I seen outside of the RNZYS walls, a photo montage recording the history of the yard & the vessels built over the years.

 Center stage was Jenny & Angus Rogers – Mahanui, in the shed for a new deck, alongside her was a very original Chris Craft that was getting a restoration. 

The varnish guru Dale has already applied 23 coats, with 6 more to come. Compared to our old girls, these American woodys are very lightly built, amazing that so many have survived.

Outside we had Anna & Nic Davidson’s – Juanita, on one slip & Barbara & David Cooke’s woody flagship – Trinidad, alongside the wharf. In midstream was Yvonne, waiting her turn in the shed.

On the hard was a selection of small craft built by either Greg, his father Tim or other local craftsman. Not woodys but certainly classic were Greg’s two English built, aluminium Albatross runabouts – the very rare 4 seater is next on Greg’s to-do list. Included are a few photos of other woodys in or out of the water.

Greg gave an articulate talk on his families boatbuilding history & how they came to be situated on the Sandspit foreshore. At the end he announced the official launch of the 2018 Rudder Cup launch race to be run on Friday 14th December to Sail Rock & back. See flyer below, I encourage all woody owners to consider participating. At this stage we (I’m on the race committee, along with Jason Prew, Nathan Herbert, Baden Pascoe & Barbara & David Cooke) are calling for expressions of interest in racing – entry to the race is by invitation, as per the original race format in 1908.

 Big ups to Greg & family + staff for turning on the day, including BBQ. Special thanks also to the CYA committee members that pulled it all together. 

Lastly a little something below for the petrol heads – Greg had on display his Jesser BSA 500cc twin, hill climb racer. Built in 1962 by Les Jesser, she is a 2 time Australian  class champion. 

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CYA Rudder Cup 2018 flyer

Build Me Straight – A Wooden Boat Building Film

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Build Me Straight Film

I was sent this video clip (film) by Cameron Pollard of the planning, building & launching of a traditional wooden boat. It is great viewing, but be warned the music is bad 🙂

It is reproduced with the permission of the Scottish Screen Archive & the National Library of Scotland.

Enjoy- it is very good.

And on the same subject, boatbuilding, a wee reminder to CYA members of today’s visit to Lees Boat Builders on-the-water yard at Sandspit. Kicks off at 11.00am, free sausage sizzle. It’s a working boat yard, so wear sensible shoes. See you there.

 

 

Mystery Launch – Steadman 38

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Mystery Launch – Steadman 38

Today’s woody is a mystery because the broker chooses not to disclose the launches name on the trademe listing (thank you Ian McDonald for the heads up).

We can tell you she is a Steadman design, built in 1960, with 1 planked kauri hull & maitai decks. She measures 38’ in length but her listing says her beam is 4’5” (that has to be wrong) & a draft of 3’5”. Zoom zoom comes from a 6cly 120hp Ford diesel.

She is a big solid girl, sleeps 8 & apopears to be pretty while fitted out. What do we know about her past & a name would be nice.

The NAC electric teal cabin top is unusual…………

 

Karoro

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KARORO

Another photo bought to us via Lew Redwood’s FB postings – this time the Karoro, the Logan Bros built launch.

In the above photo we see her just after her launching on 21st February 1906.

If I have the facts right & she is the same bought – Harold Kidd has previously commented that Karoro went north to Whangarei in 1916 as a passenger launch owned by H H Jagger of Taurikura and had a name change to TUNA around 1932 when she was sold to the Thames (HDK – correct?)

Anyone able to comment on what became of her?

Harold Kidd Input – Like most launches she had a complex history, name changes etc. She was in Whangarei from 1916-1921, then to Gisborne 1921-1925, back to Whangarei, back to Gisborne 1928-1932 then Thames then to Auckland in 1934 to be sold by auction in a mortgagee sale on 13th July 1934 as TUNA, bought by J J Craig then sold to A.E. Hite. I think she might have been the fishing boat TUNA that reported a floating mine off Coromandel in late January 1941 owned by N. E Owens of Auckland, but there were many TUNAs.

 

It Might Be Wood – But It Sure Isn’t A Classic

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It Might Be Wood – But It Sure Isn’t A Classic

The above boat was bought to my attention on trademe by James Dreyer, its listing states it’s a mid 1930’s build, 41’ twin skin kauri hull, with a beam of 14’9” / draft 3’3” – but somewhere along the line its been turned into a floating apartment.

Interestingly the main engine has been removed and replaced with ballast, & she now has two 15hp 4 stroke outboards hanging off the back.

Her owner is very honest & states that she is only really a vessel to potter in the marina and potentially the harbour on a calm day, so woodys if you’re looking for a love shack in Wellington…..

My real reason for posting was to give Jason Prew some interior decorating hints for his My Girl 🙂

Beth

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BETH

The above photo ex Lew Redwood’s FB page shows the 40’ launch Beth arriving in Auckland (on the steamer Kartigi) from South Australia. The date was April 1930. She was owned by T. H. Webb, a former resident of Adelaide, who had moved to Auckland.

I seem to recall comments on the boat, elsewhere on WW but I can’t find it – so woodys remind me.

Harold Kidd Input & photo below ex paperspast

BETH was built by R.T. Searles in Australia (Adelaide?). She was a raised deck motor-sailer with dimensions 40’6″ x 38′ x 10’6″ x 5’6″ , 9.8 tons and fitted with a 28-30hp Ailsa Craig. T.H. Webb of Northcote owned her. He had her shipped to Auckland on the KARTIGI, arriving in March 1931.
For whatever reason he decided to return to Adelaide in September 1932 and decided to sail her back. It was not a nice trip.

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SOUTHERN ISLES – A Peak Down Below

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SOUTHERN ISLES – A Peak Down Below

Thanks to her trademe listing (ex Ian McDonald) we get to have a peek down below on the 36’ Southern Isles.

Built by Tom Wells at Wakatahuri, Forsyth Bay, Pelorus Sound & launched in 1953 she has a beam of 10’6” & draws 5’.

Her zoom zoom is via a 127hhp Gardner 6LX.

She was featured on WW before in Dec 2017 – link below, where you will find lots of history from John Wicks.

Southern Isles

Update ex Cameron Pollard – photos below show her in 1950, just prior to launching & in work – beaching the ship Matangi.

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20-08-2018 UPDATE – John Wicks just advised that he had recently run into the couple who owned her while she was in Clevedon. They told him they’ve just sold her to someone related (not sure exactly how) to the Wells family of Wakatahuri, and that she’s heading back down to where she was launched, which has to be a good thing.

Tasmanair

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TASMANAIR

The above photo is of the TEAL motorboat – Tasmanair on the Auckland Harbour & is dated January 1948. (photo ex Lew Redwood’s FB)

Do we know what became of the launch e.g. converted to pleasure craft ? renamed?

18-06-2018 Harold Kidd Input

TASMANAIR was built by Colin Wild for Tasman Empire Airways Ltd and launched on 24th July 1941. She was built to carry TEAL personnel at 20knots between Mechanics Bay and Hobsonville where overhaul work was done on TEAL’s Short flying boats. The Scott-Paine boats had been taken over by the RNZAF. TASMANAIR cost 2000 pounds, a small fortune in 1941.

She went to Lauthala Bay to service flying boats there, then to the Chathams to service the traffic there. Donaldson Bros of Owenga, Chatham Is, bought her and covered her in completely and then renamed her TASMANIA. She was 37’6″ x 9’4″ x 4′ and had a single 200hp Kermath. Don’t know what happened to her after the Donaldsons owned her.

photo below ex Ken Rickets

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