Category Archives: Launches

We Love Long Weekends

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We Love Long Weekends

In the photo above (ex Baden Pascoe) we see members of the Auckland Power Boat Association enjoying the 1st picnic of the season at Takapuna. Hopefully a lot of you will be out & about this weekend enjoying the spring weather & giving the boat a treat.

MY GIRL UPDATE

One person who will not be afloat will be Jason Prew, life for Jas at the moment is centered on the rebuild of his classic launch My Girl. Search the name in the WW search box to see details.

Jason has a great blog recording the work being done – link below. Check out the scale of this project!

http://www.my-girl.co.nz/mygirl/Restoration/Restoration.html

Big WW story tomorrow – lots of photos (a tease below) & if you or anyone you know is looking for a classic wooden launch that requires nothing done to her – you have to read Mondays story 😉

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Help Wanted Finding Old Family Launch – LISA

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Help Wanted Finding Old Family Launch – LISA

Earlier this year I was contacted by Philip & Phillipa Goddard who were looking for details on the 28’ launch Lisa that in the mid 1960s, their family cruised around Waiheke Island in. They only owned her for a few year but they have many fond memories of her.

Philip is not 100% sure of the history below, but would like to think that maybe someone else can put some light on it.

They were told that she was built pre 1900 & initially launched in the Manukau Harbour but later moved to the Waitemata. At some stage a person called Ken Simpson owned her, Philip can remember him coming aboard at some stage & pointed out a rib that he had replaced.

Philip commented that she was a great sea boat that had a burst of speed if you opened up the throttle. One of his lasting memories is using the toilet directly next to the running uncovered petrol engine J

Philip’s father is now in his early 80s & would love to hear what became of Lisa.

30-06-2022 Input from Philip Goddard

My father (Bill Goddard) has just composed the following from what he remembers of Lisa.
We are still looking for her!

She cost five hundred pounds in 1963 and was on Salthouses slip at the upper harbour and I brought her down to little shoal Bay with the help of one of their employees.
She was pretty rough and had no engine cover and the toilet opposite was a galvanised funnel with a straight outlet to the side of the hull and needed the motion of the boat to work correctly.
Needless to say on a calm night in North Harbour Lisa could be seen occasionally rocking frantically.
On one occasion anchored in North Harbour a favourite anchorage of ours a chap rowed alongside and asked if she was the old Papete.
I recognised him as the owner of a substantial electrical business in Auckland his name now escapes me.(Ken Simpson ?)
I said as far as I knew she was named Lisa however he asked to come aboard and on lifting one of the side bunks he pointed to a rib which he said he had replaced many years ago.
He said she was originally on the Manakau and had a funnel in those days and was transported across to the Waitemata.
We had her for a few years near our home in Little shoal Bay where we pulled her up on the hard with a tractor in those days and many a time we witnessed a tractor getting bogged and then another tractor helping and on one occasion a third tractor to escape the rising tide.

MV CLEMATIS – An ideal floating bach

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MV CLEMATIS – An ideal floating bach

WW readers will be familiar with my views on how compared to the price of waterfront property these days, you can buy a classic wooden vessel for a fraction of the cost, that offers the same benefits + more.

Clematis at 45’ is one such vessel, launched in 1939 & built of kauri by Miller and Tonnage Ship Builders in Port Chalmers for J. Falconer & Sons of Timaru.

Her past has seen her serve with the New Zealand Maritime Department, initially in the NZ Navy during WWII & with the various other ad hoc parties until 1995. She was the only vessel still attached to the navy, serving from WWII until c.1995. She was seconded to the US Navy during WWII & during this period she was refitted on three occasions and even given a copper bottom by the Americans for her use in the Pacific Islands. She was later a training boat for the Maritime Department and Ministry of Fisheries.

She was eventually sold to Christchurch businessman, Bryan Mullaly, in 1995, who based her in Picton. Later use saw her working for a time in Lyttleton as a whale watch boat. Back then (c.1995) she was powered by an Isuzu truck / bus engine, converted to marine use, this replaced a Gardner diesel.

Mullaly sold her to her present owner, Pam Holt in 2003 & Pam brought her up to Coromandel & Gt. Barrier, where Clematis became her floating home. Her large saloon, galley, 2 cabins and spacious covered deck made her ideal for enjoying the spectacular scenery and sea life.

With lots of blue ocean miles under her belt, Clematis is a proven seaworthy boat. Having been in MSA survey (expired) for 18 passengers, 10 to Great Barrier Island.

Pam’s days afloat are over & she is looking for a new custodian for Clematis, whether as a floating bach or a fabulous event venue or for sightseeing cruises.

You will see in the photos that she has recently had a lot of TCL applied & is now offered for sale. Interested parties can contact Pam direct at pamclem@hotmail.com

B/W photos below from launch day.

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Input from Russell Ward

Below are two photos, the colour one is a shot of her on Otago Harbour set to Russell by Ian Mclean –she spent a lot of time in Dunedin –Sea Cadets boat.

The b/w photo shows Clematis on the right in working rig. To her starboard is Aorangi’s bow, Shenendoah and over astern a smattering of the pride of the Auckland fleet. Centre stage, wearing her original funnel in pride is Melodeon.

This pic would be in the ’50s or early ‘60s. A view of the viaduct before it became a eating and watering and posh boat hole 🙂

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Input from Peter Marshall

Actually, Brian Mullaly sold CLEMATIS to me around ’95 and I took her to Lyttelton. She was put into survey as a commercial boat in 2001 but was almost immediately involved in the destruction of the marina at Magazine Bay and was out for the 2001-2002 summer season.
Expertly and comprehensively repaired by Stark Bros., CLEMATIS then operated as Godley Head Dolphin Company watch out of Dampier Bay and around the Banks Peninsula until ’95 when I gave up the cause of making Lyttelton a reasonable environment for chartering and she was bought by a young woodworker from Auckland.
As an added note, she was lent to the Yanks during WW II, who took her up into the Pacific and clad her hull in copper to protect her from worm and used her as shallow water picket duty. The Navy League had her on Otago Harbour for around 30 years, and scads of harbour-dwellers knew the sound of her old Gardner.

Aries

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ARIES

Aries was built by Owen Woolley in 1957 for Max Burrett. Peter Walsh, who owned her for 2>3 years c.1982, watched Woolley building her. Her original engines were twin ex-USN 6 cylinder Chrysler Crowns of 1943 vintage. These were later replaced, with twin Commer diesels, when Ed Carter bought her c.1967.

The photos above were taken during Peter Walsh’s ownership c.1982. The photos were sent to me by Allan Keane who commented that Aries was in a sorry state when Peter Walsh purchased her, she had a leaky Commer 105hp engine and very bad bilges.

Peter did a substantial refit at his yard in Onehunga & repowered with twin 135hp Commers, which gave her an impressive 14-15 knots.

Peter sold her to a farmer up in the Bay of Islands and says he shed a tear when she sold – he really loved and admired her.

The photos are at Connells Bay wharf, McMullen and Wings marina, and at Peter Walsh’s yard Onehunga.

Thanks to Harold Kidd & Russell Ward for details on her past ownership & means of propulsion.

Any woodys able to supply more info on her past?

View 2015 photo of Aries in previous WW post   https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/08/25/aries/

MORE DETAILS AT THIS WW LINK https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/10/22/aries-4/

Eunice K

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EUNICE K
I was recently contacted by Karen Bennett concerning the launch – Eunice K, pictured above in 1980, that her father, Mike McDonald, owned on the 1980’s. Karen & her family lived in Thames & used to cruise around the Coromandel area.
Karen was prompted to contact WW by an old friend John Managh, John had also owned Eunice K, previous to Karen’s family buying her, this was in the  late 1970’s early 1980’s. The McDonalds went on to own the launch Taree, photo below during their ownership in 1987.
Do we know what happened to Eunice K & is she still on the water?

25-10-2017 Update

Received an email from Henk Van Wijk to say that he was pleasantly surprised to read the WW story on Eunice K & he was able to advise that approx.. 8 years ago he found her in a pretty sad state of disrepair and as the family were looking for a project, they purchased Eunice K & renamed her Pathfinder in 2009.

Hank had always been curious about her history & when he compared the photos posted on Woodys of her in the 1980 to what she looks like today, he commented that she obviously has had a few changes done to her.

Hank would love to learn more about her early years, they know that she was built by Collings and Bell in 1948 and was previously owned by Rod Barker and was based at Pine Harbour, Auckland.

Pathfinder has spent most of her time in the lower Hauraki Gulf, and in summer up in the Bay of Islands. Hank commented that she is loved and well used by his family. The photos below show her when they found her and what she looks like today.

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Update 28-05-2021 ex Dean Wright – photo below of Pathfinder , berthed at Tutukaka.

Link to Taree on ww here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/05/01/taree-a-peek-down-below/
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Airforce Patrol Craft + An Unusual Car

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AIRFORCE PATROL CRAFT - CLIPPER AUGUST 1939 RNZAF - T COLLINS COLLECTION EX MUSEUM - I.D. PH-2013-7-TC-B731-03

Airforce Patrol Craft

The above photo is dated 1939 & is from the Tudor Collins collection. Only really posted it to have a boat in today story.

15-10-2017 Harold Kidd Input
The launch in the pic is one of the Hubert Scott-Paine 40 footers imported at the beginning of 1940 for TEAL and taken over by the Air Force. W6? Below is a photo of W2.

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But for some serious boat porn, check out James Dreyer’s latest photos of ‘Laughing Lady’ on his Seven Oceans Boatworks Facebook page – click link

The really story is the XK150 Jag below, It was owned by Mr Gardner of Gardner Engines in the UK), Thats him standing alongside it. He re-engined it with a Gardner diesel back in the late1950’s. Rumour has it while the acceleration was not great once off the line she was a flyer 😉 Probably priceless if still around today. Boat & Jag photos ex Ken Ricketts

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15-10-2017 Harold Kidd Input – Lyn Buchanan of John Chambers & Co put a 4 cylinder Gardner in his Packard about 1931. Photo below.

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Irish Woodys

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IRISH WOODYS

Good friends & supporters of Yachting NZ via their winery ‘ Lawson Dry Hills’ – Tim & Pauline Evill have been on an extended promotional tour of Europe & Tim being a passionate woody has been sending me a selection of woodys spotted on tour.

The photos above are from Dublin & Galway, Ireland, Dublin being one of my favourite world cities & a must do if you are in the UK, so many people do Europe but never hop a plane across the sea to the Emerald Isles.

The first photo shows a very smart motorboat that was for sale on the Dublin canal. Amazed Tim didn’t buy it, he has a habit of collecting stuff 🙂
The next photos show some beautifully restored Galway hookers in Galway port. Still used for fishing.

Wairuru & Lady Jocelyn

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Wairuru ex Baden P

Wairuru at Waitakaruru

Lady Jocelyn + stern of Wairuru

WAIRURU & LADY JOCELYN

Last Sunday I posted a copy of a 1947 trip diary from aboard the vessel Wairuru on its passage to Apia, Samoa. We had no photos of the boat & reading the diary the author (unknown) had made her sound like a yacht / motorsailer, HDK very quickly corrected me on that J

Now thanks to Baden Pascoe & Geoff Brebner we have photos of Wairuru. Baden describes her as a small motor coaster, a friend of Baden’s, Keith Penny, was her skipper for a while. She was powered by a Kelvin K3. Wairuru was designed by Erine Bailey of Charles Bailey in 1937.

In Geoff’s photos, Wairuru is alongside at Waitakaruru, on the Firth of Thames. Geoff lives less than 1 kilometer from the spot. Geoff’s 2nd photo is of the Lady Jocelyn with Wairuru lying ahead of her at Hobson Wharf c.1946. Both ships were almost sister ships, Wairuru was 52’ & Lady Jocelyn being 60’.

Link to the diary mentioned above here https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/10/08/wairuru-auckland-to-suva-1947/

 

 

Rakira

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RAKIRA

Rakira is a carvel kauri launch / motorsailer, built in 1955 at Kawau Island. She measures 29.52’ & is powered with a 54hp Mazda Bongo diesel motor.

That’s about all her trademe listing tells us, if the Kawau build is correct, we must be able to uncover more about her provenance.

Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up.

The New Zealand Clinker Boat booklet winner – Is Mike O’Dwyer. Well done 🙂 A lot of you need to read the entry conditions i.e. via email. I’ll give way another copy on Friday,so look out for the quiz.

 

 

Wairuru – Auckland to Suva, 1947

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Waruru Cover

Wairuru – Auckland to Suva, 1947

I was recently contacted by Steph Mellors who advised she had a short diary written aboard the 1937, Charles Bailey & Sons built motorsailer Wairuru, during a passage from Auckland to Apia, Samoa in  June 1947.

On the cover (see above) is written in pencil Capt. Robt. Patterson, given the content of the diary, Steph does not think he wrote it. (I agree)

The NZ Maritime Index, records that Wairuru, owned by A G Bertram was sold in 1947 to O. F. Nelson & Co. Ltd., Apia, Western Samoa – who renamed her – Gaualofa. The records also sadly record that she was wrecked on 22 November 1953, on the South coast of Savai’i Island, near Sala’ihua.

Steph is unsure how she acquired the diary, thinks “probably rescued it from someone’s wastepaper basket in a fit of – it could be of interest to someone”.

Thankfully she saved it & now over 70 years later we get to share it. Enjoy the read, I did.

Any guesses as to who the author was?

Wairuru 1

Wairuru 2>3

Wairuru 4>5

Wairuru 6>7

Wairuru 8>9

Wairuru 10>11

Wairuru 12

I couldn’t do a WW post without a boat photo – my clinker dinghy Peg at Patio Bay. Which is a good excuse to remind you that today is the last day of the Classic Launch & Yacht – Clinker Boats Exhibition – details below – AND ITS FREE TO GET IN.

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Clinker Event Ad