Category Archives: Launches

Woodys Cruise To Riverhead Hotel

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Blue Fin

Blue Fin
Blue Fin, Lucille 1993 Logan 33, Silens
Lucille, Silens, Endeavour
Raindance
Endeavour – 1953 A. Couldrey
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Silens – 1912 Harvey & Lang

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Volantis – 1965 & Raindance – 1928 Lane MB Co.

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Lady Margaret – 1927 Colin Wild

Woodys Cruise To Riverhead Hotel

Talk around the dock was that a few woodys were itching to give their classic woody an airing prior to this weekends CYA Xmas Party at Patio Bay, Waikehe Island. So a few of us decided to mooch up the harbour to the Riverhead Hotel for lunch & a fizzy beverage. Conditions were perfect & we had a great time, sometimes fewer numbers are good – you get to talk to everyone & the expended wharf, hosted most of us. 

Nice to see new CYA member John Mildenhall make the trip on Blue Fin. The 1935, C. Bailey Jun. designed & built by C. Bailey & Sons launch Nana, was at the meeting spot at Lucas Creek but didn’t do the creek trip, I passed them heading back & for once didn’t have the camera out – very smart classic. There is a great story about her rescue & rebuild – read here https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/02/01/nana-resuced-restored/

Publician Stephen Pepperell’s 1965 launch – Volantis, was berthed at the wharf & her refit is coming along nicely, the plan was to have her finished for Patio Bay weekend but completion is a little way off, but she will be a stunner when finished. View more on her history here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/04/20/volantis-joins-our-classic-launch-fleet/

On the return trip I snapped a few photos of some classics moored on-route – see below 

 

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Te Hauraki – 1920 William Clare

Lilian -1920 Collings & Bell
Lillian
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Safari – c.1940 Trevor McGuire

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Maude – W. Fife

Mystery Project Launch

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Mystery Project Launch

The above boat has just popped up on trademe, all the listing tells us is that she is 28’ long & made of wood. There is a dismantled Perkins diesel that comes with the boat.

The starting bid is set at $2800 & there is no reserve, so could be a great no-cost project for someone, the location is Levin so maybe of interest to a Lake Rotoiti woody 🙂

Anyone recognize the boat?

(Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up)

Devonport Yacht Club Very Classic Friendly

Woody Chris Leech sent in the photos below from last weekend at the DYC – (from L>R) Moana, Seafarer, Lady Mary, Castaway – all waiting to splash after some TLC over winter.

Classics @ DYC

Sea Craft Run-About

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Sea Craft Run-About 

Nelson boat builder / restorer Peter Murton contacted me to say that he had just been given the above 1947 Sea Craft.  She measures 17’ x 4’, with a 7’4” beam, current power is from a small twin cylinder diesel. She is twin skinned cedar with ribs and copper riveted out side horizontal diagonal inside. 

Prior to Peter acquiring her,  she was based on Rotorua.

Peter plans to restore her but is looking for some more photos of this model Sea Craft, mainly the cabins and interior layout. Peter has completed numerous ‘smaller’ craft restoration, a lot of which have featured on WW, enter Peter Murton in the WW search box to view them 🙂

So woodys – anyone able to help Peter out?

Input from Paul Drake – The photo below shows this boat (or a sister) at Taupo – between 1953 and 1963 (our pram dinghy, shown outside our boatshed, was built in 1953, and the boatsheds were removed in 1963).

Other vessels shown are WATER NYMPH and WAIHAHA, now at Rotoiti, LADY PAT, now at Mana Marina, Wellington, MOANA, now at Auckland, and ARCADIA, still at Taupo.

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Judges Bay Haul Out + Name the Boats & Win

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Judges Bay Haul Out + Name the Boats & Win

The above photo shows the shoreline at Judges Bay, Auckland. c1930’s.
The photographer is unknown, but the photo is ex the New Zealand Herald via the Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries.

Nathan Herbert has commented that the photo was taken between December 1934 and 1938, as a boat in the photo was launched in December, and modified from that style in 1938.

The woody that can correctly name the most boats, starting from the bottom of the photo, wins a 2018 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat calendar. Lets try doing the entry thing via the WW Comments section, the email entry seems to confuse a few of you 🙂
Promo closes 6.00pm 22-11-2017.

If you don’t win the calendar, copies are available for $15, a steal – click this link for details on ordering.

Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Association 2018 Calendars

 

Orari

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Orari @ Thames

ORARI

Today’s photo of Orari (in the middle) was sent in by Nathan Herbert, taken at Thames earlier this year.

What do we know about her?

Harold Kidd Input – This first of the three Fisher ORARIs was designed and built by R.P. Fisher and J. Robinson at Whangarei over two years and launched in March 1937. No bridgedeck then.

UPDATE: Photos below ex Paperpast via Nathan Herbert – read the caption

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I took the photos below of Seafarer on Sunday afternoon as she was sitting on the slip at Devonport Yacht Club, awaiting re-launching after her annual winter haul-out.

Owner Richard Darke is one of those classic owners that we all aspire to – as well as being a perfectionist, he has the skills to undertake almost everything on the boat & builds most of the bits himself. See/ read more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/11/25/seafarer-2/

Hiding under the covers is a stunning Uroxsys job on the coamings. Speaking of stunning Uxroxsys jobs, I also had a look over Trinidad in the weekend , she was relaunched last week after a spell in the Greg Lees Boat Builders, Sandspit shed – looking even smarter after a ‘few’ more coats Uroxsys were applied. Interesting to note that its now the norm to add some of the tinted primer to the middle coats, helps the UV protection* & gives a richer depth to the finish. New cockpit clears as well. Barbara & David Cooke are getting her ship-shape for the upcoming NZ circumnavigation. I’m crewing on the Bay of Islands > down the West Coast > Picton leg.

INPUT FROM THE UROXSYS (Awlwood) GURU – DAVID W

“Can I just clarify that the Awlwood topcoat is chocked full of UV absorbers – each coat blocks 90% of UV so over 8 coats you are left with practically nothing getting through. Trouble is that visible light degrades timber as well – and the only way of reducing this is by adding colour hence the improved performance from coloured primers. Cheers, David.”

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W1 & W1 Junior Meet Up

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W1 c.1942

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W1 & W1 Junior Meet Up

The restoration of the Hubert Scott-Paine designed ex RNZAF, WWII, craft W1 has been well documented on WW, as has been the building of a junior version by master model maker John Bullivant, enter W1 in the WW search box to read > view their stories.

Earlier this year Ken Ricketts played match-maker & intro’ed Francis Uren, the owner  of W1 & John B. The venue was Bayswater Marina where Francis keeps W1. Details & photos ex Ken.

The story started 49 years ago, when John B, had by chance an opportunity to have a look aboard W1. John & a mate, were out & about on the Tamaki River, exploring & they came across W1 & the boys decided to have a good look inside her. John B was fascinated with what he saw & W1 made such a lasting impression that 44 years later, when he started to build a model of W1, he could recall every detail. The build took 5 years, but as can see in the photos, the attention to detail & build quality is amazing.

When Francis Uren, saw W1 Junior for the first time he was blown away,  the intricate detail in build, propulsion & equipment, which is even complete, with the sound of 2 diesel engines being started, when John fired her up, & with water flowing out the exhaust pipes each side, when the engines, (2 special marine tiny electric motors, see photo below), are running.

The meet up resulted in two very happy woodys, who both had huge mutual respect for the each others work.

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Olive Rose

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OLIVE ROSE

Ian McDonald gave me a nudge yesterday about the 50′ Olive Rose being 4sale on trademe, my initial reaction was that I was sure I had covered her story previously but a quick WW search, said no.

She has just popped up on tme & if you believe the story – must be sold in the next 2 weeks. Reviewing the above photos & the bidding to date, she would have to be the cheapest waterfront accommodation packages in Auckland. Her owner has spent a lot to money on her, $30k alone on the 6LX Gardner 127hp engine.

Built in 1910 she must have had a good life as a commercial boat but her current configuration is all about cruising / live-a-board. She is built like the proverbially brick out-house & she should be able to do laps of NZ.

Check out the listing for more details.

Anyone able to comment on her previous life?

04-07-2018 Harold Kidd Input – Snorky (Norman John) Inglis &  Rose Smyth were married in 1916. So, the long story is that Snorky named his first passenger launch OLIVENE (1915) after his highly successful racing 14 foot sailing dinghy of 1911, which in turn had been named after his younger sister Olive Jean Inglis (b1892). OLIVE JEAN (1919) was the second boat and named after his sister too. Number three was named OLIVE ROSE (1925), I guess because he now had three OLIVE boats that formed a little fleet, so he put his wife’s name in as well as his sister’s (to keep the peace?).

 

 

 

Swanson Sedan Launch

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Swanson Sedan Launch

This rather cute 26.24’ sedan launch was designed / built? by Swanson in 1969. She has a 9’10” beam & draws 3’3”, so a rather fat bottomed old girl. Her trademe listing says she has an inboard diesel engine but that’s about all in terms of specs. It does tell us that she comes with a fenders, boat hook & clock 🙂

Picton is her home, any Southern woodys able to shed some light on her?

 

White Star – Part 2

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White Star Part 2

(photos from Glenn Martin, words ex Glenn & Ken Ricketts – edited by Alan Houghton)

White Star was originally built by Ken Turner, who built quite a number of boats in Coromandel. Her first owner was Neville Evans of Amodeo Bay & has been moored there on & off for quite a bit of her life & is presently moored there, alongside her sister ship the Dagma, which was built by Ken Turner’s father, Charlie Turner.

Present owner is Paul Baker, who has had her for about 8 years & bought her off Paul Desmond of Tauranga, & had kept her there, as did the precious owner Nigel Pippey. Paul D only had her for a few months, as he bought her, in order to acquire her marina berth.

She was frequently used as a mark boat for many yacht races at Tauranga, as Paul P was a very active member of the local yacht club.

Paul B was living at Waiheke when he bought her & she was initially moored there, but he has now moved to Coromandel..

Her engine was fitted by Strongmans of Coromandel. She is powered by the Gray Marine marinised version, of the GM Detroit 6-71 & at 190 hp., this is the spec of these engines back in the 50s 60s, when they were fitted to many HDMLs, & other pleasure boats in that era, like Linda, Wirihnana & Ruamano etc.

Her name was the result of her log being sawn & milled from the “White Star” mine property, in Coromandel, of that time. Glen, also commented that as a kid he saw White Star moored in Torehina Bay next to their bach at Waitete Bay – 20mins north of Coromandel town.  Glenn is pretty sure White Star was built using a single kauri log milled from the farm of the owner in Colville.

(the launching day & early day photos of White Star are from the original owners & the more recent of her at anchor at Coromandel Harbour, in 2016, are ex Glenn)

Click link to read Part 1 of this story    https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/11/10/1968-bridge-decker/#comment-37747

 

18-03-2024 UPDATE ex Mark Sorrenson – white Star has just relocated to Hobsonville Marina

Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Association 2018 Calendars

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Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Association 2018 Calendars

Readers of WW will know that Chris Miller & myself each year make the trip to Lake Rotoiti (North Island) to attend the Classic & Wooden Boat Parade, every Waitangi weekend. It is one of those events that you just have to attend at some stage. The link below will give you a peep at what the weekend is like.

While we are there Chris & I bang off a lot of photos, some of which the LRC&WB Association use to produce their annual calendar. The 2018 edition is hot off the press (printed by the  great team at Quality Print in Taupo).

The calendar (A3 size, sample below) makes a great Xmas present for any woody – hell buy it for yourself, that way, you get something you want 😉

The price is the same as last year:  $15 for 1 or $40 for 3.  Courier is $6.50 (rural delivery is extra).

To order:

  1. email Rachel Jamieson on zea.rachel@gmail.com  with the your name, address & how many you want.
  2. Transfer the payment (remember to include postage) to this bank account 12 3155 0140546 00   AND please use your name and calendar as reference.

And in case any of you were wondering – neither Chris, myself or WW make a cent from these calendars – it is all about the boats & the people that do all the work to maintain them & host the very cool event. So woodys, even if you only order one calendar, it makes a big difference to the Lake Rotoiti woodys 🙂

Link below to the 2017 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade  – enjoy  https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/02/06/lake-rotoiti-classic-wooden-boat-parade-2017-160-photos/

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