Category Archives: Launches

Hirere & Poaka

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Hirere

HIRERE & POAKA

I have had the above photos that are both taggged ‘Hirere’ in my ‘upcoming ww stories’ file for a long time, hoping that at some stage I would uncover more (some) details on the name & determine if they are the same launch & if not which one is Hirere. To date nothing – so I put her out there today to she if we can answer my mystery.

Input from John Blundell

“The photos today came to you from a group I sent to Harold Kidd a couple of years back. The top photo is Poaka which was built about 1959 for my father Stan Blundell by Snow Waters. She was featured by Sea Spray magazine not long after as a”quart in a pint pot”.He sold her to Athol Mellars a couple of years later and his son John later took her to Gt Barrier where he lives.
The other photo is the 29foot Vindex built also for my father about 1963 by Jim Young in his shed at Birkenhead wharf.Dad wanted to keep the engine out of the main cabin so it was installed further aft and fitted with a vee drive.
Re the dinghy it was one of Phil Bartons 8footers and was the best of the bunch that were around at that time. The wooden one in the photo was used as a mould to produce fibreglass versions not long after.That is another story.”

Ngapuhi – Help Wanted

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Ngapuhi – Help Wanted

Today’s post features a launch that is most likely named Ngapuhi. In fact Harold Kidd is 95% sure of that & we are pretty confident she was owned by S.B. (Hoki) Williams the manager of Shipbuilders post WW2.

But the big questions are – who built her?, when? and what happened to her at Shipbuilders?. One thing for sure, she is a fine looking ship. So woodys can anyone help out on her provenance?

UPDATE 18-08-2022 photo below of Ngapuhi in Schoolhouse Bay, Kwau Island xmas 1949 ex Ken Rickets.

18′ Clinker Day Boat Restoration Project

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18′ Clinker Day Boat Restoration Project
Today’s story is a pictorial of the restoration at the Peter & Angela Murton – Murton’s Timbercrafts yard in Richmond, Nelson of an 18′ clinker day boat. It’s claimed to be a Colin Wild design/build but could equally be a Seacraft.
Peter has done a wonderful job of sympathetically rebuilding the boat, equal with her vintage. Right down to the Via 7hp two stroke engine.

Hats off to her Christchurch owner, funding a restoration of this scale on a 18′ craft is a big call & needs deep pockets.
No-doubt we will see her at next years Lake Rotoiti (Sth Island) wood boat festival.
You can view more of Peters work here http://www.murtons.co.nz/

White Cloud Movie – Leaving The Shed + Launch Day

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White Cloud Movie – Leaving The Shed + Launch Day

Today’s post is based around a movie of the launch White Cloud, being shoe-horned out of the Supreme Craft shed at 1a Summer St., Ponsonby & making its way to Fodenway Motors, Penrose for engine fit out. And then the final leg to launching at Panmure in June 1965. The movie was filmed by her original owner, Len Buckby & shared with ww by his daughter Pam Mare via Ken Ricketts.

You can see & read more about White Cloud here

The Building & Launching of White Cloud + A Peep Inside 1A Summer Street

Clinker Day Boat Project

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CLINKER DAY BOAT PROJECT

We do not know the original design & build date for the above 4.2m clinker day-boat style launch but it has had nearly all her timbers replaced during rebuild which included new deck, coaming, transom, keel, oak ribs, stringers, bulkhead, topsides of planking, and beltings. So woodys almost a new boat. There are some interesting woodwork skills on show 🙂
In the interests of reduced maintenance she has been fiberglassed, hopefully to eliminate shrinking and leaking of seams. The trailer looks all good but just needs WOF / Rego.

There is a 10hp Bukh diesel in place that needs the installation finished off and some seating fitted. With trademe bidding starting at its $5k its got lake boat project written all over it.

 

 

Wee Darling

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WEE DARLING
Wee Darling is a 26′ kauri planked 1961 classic launch. Powered by a 35hp diesel ehgine. She underwent a ‘total’ refurbishment 2 yeras ago. Home port is Motueka, Nelson. That woodys is all we know about her other than the normal trademe info. Thanks to Ian McDonald for the trademe heads up.

Anyone able to supply more info on her & her past?

Natasha

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NATASHA

Nathan Herbert sent in the above photos of the launch Natasha, moored in Whakatakataka Bay. Nathan passes Natasha every time he heads out in Lucinda & in his eye, the waterline just doesn’t look right. Hopefully the ‘low-rider’ look is due to a giant of an engine + the weight of all the added extra’s & not due to her being thirsty i.e. water ingress.

Other than the fact that she is un-loved & not used, what do we know about her?

UPDATE 04-03-2022 Will based on the above photos, it looked like it was always going to be a sad ending – and it was. She sunk on her mooring and was offered for sale by the insurance assessors.

08-03-2022 More photos ex Angus Rogers

Moerangi

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MOERANGI

As mentioned I spent the long weekend at Whitianga & on Sunday afternoon went for a mooch around the marina. Only saw two woodys that interested me enough to get the camera out of the case – one being Moerangi. It’s always a challenge taking photos from the marina, but hopefully the above show enough of her to be able to identify her & uncover some of her history.

The photo below is solely for Baden Pascoes benefit – a wee bit of publicity for his extended families business 🙂

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WOODY SOS – LOST BOAT – Found :-(

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WOODY SOS – LOST BOAT

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HELP URGENTLY NEEDED TO HELP LOCATE THE KAYLA ROSE
I was contacted last night by John Sankey who owns the beautiful 16′ classic 1962 Seacraft kauri clinker run-about – Kayla Rose (photo above). If you have been to the Mahurangi  Regatta or a CYA Riverhead Pub cruise you will recognize her. John & his partner Tracey have had a wee incident & urgently need help from the waitematawoody network. I’ll let John tell the story. You can see more photos of KR here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/05/19/kayla-rose/

“We were towing Kayla Rose (from the mother ship – Calypso- photo below) from Awahoa Bay (south of Ngunguru) on our way to Tutukaka on Friday 2nd June and were caught in very very rough seas. Kayla Rose broke loose at approx 9.30am a mile off Taiharuru Point. We were unable to safely try to retrieve her. She still had 15ft of rope plus 15ft of chain hanging off the front of her when she broke away. We are asking for sightings of debris or any information that may help us work out what happened to her. There was also possible  sighting of a “cute yellow fishing runabout” on a trailer going from Parua Bay towards Whangarei on Saturday 3rd June at around 3pm….. which is obviously concerning for us.
Thanks fellow Woodies. Tracey and John from Calypso. Bon Voyage.

I’m not sure of John’s mobile coverage so post any replies / feedback via the ww comments section.
Given her very distinctive yellow colour, I would like to think we can help find her or uncover where she went ashore.

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07-07-2017 – A Sad Conclusion To Kayla Rose

It saddens me to report that Kayla Rose has been sighted / found by some fishermen this morning (07-07-2017) broken up on the rocks north of Taiharuru Headland. A sad day for John, a few tears I’m sure.
John asked me to thank all the Woodies for reading the post on WW. She was a great little piece of NZ boating history. John certainly had a lot of fun aboard you. She was a head turner & always looked 110%. I understand that John has a grand daughter named Kayla Rose, so the memory will live on.
I asked John whether anything had been salvaged but it was too rough to get in against rocks for the fishermen. They did take the photos below. Maybe one day soon someone will be fishing in the area & be able to retrieve a memento for John.

RIP Kayla Rose.

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12-06-2017 Update

I have been contacted by Jean-Louis Ecochard in regard to the wreck – see below

“We saw the wreck and went on shore yesterday (10-06-2017) and took these sad photos of the Kayla Rose. 

It’s only today using Google that we came upon the blog story.

If you could kindly send to John Sankey as a memory – though I feel like this is like showing him the body parts of his daughter 😦

The wreck site is not accessible by land and rather difficult by sea. If John wanted, could take the kayak there and try to recover the transom signage in the photo.

I saw the captain wheel under a rock and the instrument panel but they are attached with cables so would need tools to recover.

Hope the images help. So sorry for his loss”

 

Speaking with John (owner) he told me that the insurance company are sending a helicopter to uplift all the remains as part of the Resource Management Act and we will get name board hopefully then.

Yes, please post Jean-Louis’ kind words and pics on WW. I am glad for her history and sad demise to be on your fine site as a memory of her. Jean-Louis

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The Building & Launching of White Cloud + A Peep Inside 1A Summer Street

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The Building & Launching of White Cloud + A Peep Inside 1A Summer Street

1A Summer St, Ponsonby was an unlikely location for boatbuilding, particularly for large launches. The building was built on to the rear of a retail shop, on the corner of Ponsonby Rd & Summer St., Auckland. Summer St was & still is an incredibly narrow side street, dating back to the late 1800’s.
To date on ww we have never seen good photos of the interior of the yard/shed, now thanks to the generosity of Pam Mare, we have access to the above photos. Pam is  part of the Buckby family, that had White Cloud built at the yard by Ben Hipkins, to a McGeady design. Ben bought the Supreme Craft, off Mac Mcgeady. Other craftsman at the yard were boat builder Garry Wheeler & Tracey Nelson, a marine & refrigeration engineer, who did the vast majority of the engine & machinery installations, in the Supreme Craft vessels, — along with looking after all the Ponui Island mechanical work, from  all the farm tractors, power generators, to George Chamberlain’s Lane built, tram topper, Falcon.

Such was the shortage of space at the building, that every boat that emerged, meant ,the picket fence of the house opposite in Summer St, to have to be removed & later replaced, to facilitate the exit from the building on to the transporter.

White Cloud left the shed in June 1965, to go to Fodenway Motors, Penrose, for engine installation & finishing. The photos below show her leaving the shed & later, on route to launching. Sorry for the poor photo quality, stills photos taken from old ‘home’ movie footage,  recorded by Len Buckby or his wife & made available to us by his daughter Pam Mare.
Special thanks to Ken Ricketts for pulling the individual pieces together.

WHITE CLOUD -- LAUNCHING DAY -1965 - 6