ROSEMARY
The name Rosemary must be one of the most commonly used names for a wooden motorboat. Today’s Rosemary has just popped up on trademe , but the interior decorating style rings a bell with me, seen her before but can’t recall where & when.
According to the listing she was built in 1927 by Bailey & Lowe, measures 29.52’ & is powered by a 48hp diesel engine – that folks is all we know. Can someone remind me why this Rosemary is familiar ?
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up.
COLIN B
Last weekends NZ Clinker exhibition at the Viaduct has ‘flushed’ a few clinker tales out of the bottom draw.
Yesterday I was contacted by Rob Walker whose old friend, Colin Belcher, sent him the above photos of the 18’ clinker named Colin B.
Colin believes that the boat was built for his father, Jack Belcher, c.1950/51 by a small boatbuilder (size of boat not height 🙂 ) in Ponsonby, possibly named McGeady. When launched it was powered by a Morris marine engine.
It was moored in Hobson Bay, nearest to the dinghy lockers in Ngapipi Road.
At Christmas time it was moored at Waiake Bay, to be close to their camping spot at Long Bay.
Colin commented that she was a seaworthy boat, & may have been involved in a tragedy when a man was drowned returning to Waikeke during a storm. Apparently the boat was purchased from his estate by the Takapuna Boating Club as a rescue craft.
So woodys – can we help Colin out & supply some more details on what became of Colin B. Back then she was a pretty looking clinker so hopefully a TBC member will recall her.
MARGARET ANNE – For Sale
WW has followed the progress of the 1953, Billy Rogers built classic launch Margaret Anne for several years & as we all know; some boats get lucky & land the perfect owner – Margaret Anne is one of those. When Helena Willes bought her back in 2014 she committed to undertaking a bow to stern restoration that included taking a chainsaw to the fly bridgeJ Over the following few years Helena transformed Margaret Anne into the magnificent classic you view above. Given all the time & dollars in the restoration, I was surprised to get a call from Helena advising she was selling Margaret Anne to up roots & head off blue water cruising (yacht).
So woodys another classic is available for sale – in turn-key condition i.e. step aboard & go cruising this summer. I have summarized below all the work done to her. A snap shot – 11m long, 1.2m draft, powered by a Ford Lees 80hp diesel, steading sail, sleeps 5, cruises 8>9 knots.
Helena has asked that interested parties contact the broker she has appointed to handle the sale – Steve Rhea at Vinings 09 376 6737
New since 2014: All new fresh water system including deck wash foot switch fitted and new hose. All wire stays and through bolts are new. New sheets, blocks and lines. Deck light fitted. Stanchions repaired and painted. Bow rails repaired, epoxy sealed and 10 coats of varnish. Hull painted. Entire electrical system is new with state of the art control panels and connections. 2 new deep cycle house batteries (2016), 2 x 150w solar panels, regulator and controller fitted. 800w inverter. Fly-bridge removed, old canvas stripped and brought back to bare wood. Entire roof fibre-glassed and 2 pot epoxy sealed, painted white and then added KiwiGrip for nonskid. New mahogany hand rails fitted, epoxy sealed and varnished 10 coats. Cabin sides stripped and varnished, window beadings removed (rotten) and replaced with Sikaflex.
Full interior re-paint. All floorboards sanded, filled and oiled. New custom made inner sprung mattress, forward hatch refurbished and epoxy sealed, new hatch light, new toilet & 20L holding tank (all seacocks replaced), new shower head/hose, new taps. New fridge installed. New squabs and covers in saloon and galley. Full exterior canvas cover system, blackout curtains in saloon. Bilges cleaned, red leaded. Rudder post serviced, re-packed. New hydraulic steering ram installed (a spare steering pump and wheel are part of the sale). New steering station panel and instruments: tachometer, depth/fish finder, monitor (solar etc.) Gas locker fitted with two 10kg bottles, solenoid/gas detector and isolation valves. Engine regularly serviced by Moon Engines, new heat exchanger, gear box serviced, new hoses, new lift pump, new exhaust to manifold fitting, new exhaust pipe. Oregon boom fitted for shade and dinghy lifting mechanism. Flagpole renewed. Two new stainless rod holders. New vinyl in galley. All seacocks replaced with plastic. 90L plastic fuel tank system with isolation valves fitted. New fuel line to primary filters. New 50m anchor warp spliced onto chain. The boat has been hauled and antifouled yearly with kiwi prop applied.
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 😉
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
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.
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 🙂
Input from Peter Marshall
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/
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.
Update 28-05-2021 ex Dean Wright – photo below of Pathfinder , berthed at Tutukaka.
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.
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
15-10-2017 Harold Kidd Input – Lyn Buchanan of John Chambers & Co put a 4 cylinder Gardner in his Packard about 1931. Photo below.
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.
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