Category Archives: Launches

Far North Woody Road Trip

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Valerie

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Leilani
Diomedea
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Aranui

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Breezin

Far North Woody Road Trip

First part of the xmas holiday was a road trip to Kerikeri > Te Ngaere Bay > Whangaroa > Mangonui > Karikari Peninsula.
I had never been to Te Ngaere Bay before, its one of those off the main highway, not sign posted places. Simply stunning spot, I’ll bore you with a few photos below. Popped over to Whangaroa & snapped a few of the classics at the marina – most have been on ww before but they deserve to be seen again 🙂
The ‘headlights’ on Leilani are an unusual feature…….. , even snapped a couple of yachts.

TE NGAERE

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KARIKARI PENINSULA

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Needs no caption 🙂

Rosemary

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ROSEMARY

Rosemary was built in St.Mary’s Bay by Leon Warne in December 1920 for himself and his brother George and was taken north for game-fishing out of Russell. The Warne brothers then set up boat building, repairs as well as game boat chartering at Russell. Rosemary originally had a Scripps 4 cylinder but was later fitted with a Redwing. Originally launched as a dashing flush decker

She was a very successful in promoting the deep sea angling sport in the Bay of Islands, both from Russell and Whangaroa.

Today’s photos are ex the Auckland Museum, Tudor Collins collection, email to me by Ken Ricketts. Vessel details ex Harold Kidd

Mystery Launch At Whangaroa

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Mystery Launch At Whangaroa

Three days ago I was sitting in the exact spot where this 1938 photo was taken. I however didn’t have a rod in my hand, more like a pint of beer 😉
Can anyone ID the large launch to the right of the wharf?

Another great photo from the past ex the Auckland Museum Tudor Collins collection , emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

Lara

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LARA
Lara was built in 1977 by Alan Williams & measures 28’6″.  She is a Banshee displacement design , kauri carvel construction. Zoom zoom comes from a 72hp Ford with a Lees Marine Paragon 2/1 transmission, this sees her cruising at 7-8 knots on 4 litres per hour.

Any woodies able to tell us more about her?

Waipawa

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WAIPAWA

The photos above show the Percy Vos built boat, Waipawa, back in September getting ready to leave Napier after a week sheltering from a storm.

The skipper’s name is Pete & he was heading north to Whangarei after spending a winter in the Fiords and Stewart Island.

Photo sent in by Michael O’Dwyer. What do we know about her?

Almost A Woody

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Almost A Woody

Today’s story features a Mason Clipper24 that has very good provenance – she was Tony’s own boat and he called it M. Y. Clipper. The later years of production Tony Mason used a fiberglass mould for the hull but all the internals are beautiful timber.
It has been fully restored to a very high quality by a David Smith in Auckland and Dennis Catchpole, who sent me the photos,  purchased the boat three years ago. Dennis commented that he always remembered the Clippers as a young man as being the Rolls Royce of power boats when they were built, and the family did have, for many years a Pelin, which were also beautiful  boats, and of course Pelin, worked for Tony at one point.

This boat has an interesting history as it was used to take Prince Charles across Lake Taupo fishing in 1980 (photo above of both of Tony with the Prince)
The Catchpole family love the boat and have had a great deal of pleasure from it. They keep her in the marina at Kinloch, and  it is powered by a GMC V8 and can do a very impressive 55k at full speed. Most of the time she cruises around at 35k.

The link below will take you to other ww stories on Mason Clippers. Enjoy
https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Mason+Clipper+24&submit=Search

Valhalla A Peek Down Below

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VALHALLA A PEEK DOWN BELOW

Valhalla featured on ww back in April of this year but we had no interior photos, Ken Ricketts has just emailed me the above. You can read more about her & her past, including photos at this link. Enjoy 😉

Valhalla

23-12-2016 Update – photo below (ex Ken Ricketts) suggests that she was named Valhalla 1 when launched but the plate looks newer than the 1960’s so the jury is still out.

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Lady Alice

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Looking For A Xmas Treat?

The above little beauty, Lady Alice,  just popped up on trademe, perfect for the lakes or as a Mahurangi boat.
Now this one is a tad special, she is a Percy Vos boat so almost royalty on the classic wooden boating scene.
Her details are – 12’6″ kauri clinker, built 1950 & powered by a 8hp Kohler petrol inboard – with electric start, perfect for the old woodys with a bad back 😉
Her current owner has owned her for 33 years which is a rarity with a boat this size. I don’t know much about trailers but she sits on a ‘Hosking’ trailer which supposedly makes launching very easy.

This ww story is not a commercial listing – I just saw the boat & thought someone needs to buy her (asking $8k)

And seeing its Xmas , I’ll give a copy of Baden Pascoe’s book ‘Launching Dreams – Percy Vos – The Boats & His Boys’ to the woody that can tell me where Percy Vos served his boat building apprenticeship ? Answers via mail to waitematawoodys@gmail.com , prize draw 9.00pm 21-12-2016.  (copies available from badenhp@xtra.co.nz  )

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Ngaio

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NGAIO
This one (there are a few with that name out there) was spotted off Northcote last weekend by Nathan Herbert, he commented that her bow sheer has hints of the ex Winstone owned, Lidgard built –  Tuarangi > Silver Tip. Details on her at the links below

Todays look   https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/24/lidgard-42/

As launched look     https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/13/wairangi-2/.

Any of the woodys able to supply more details on Ngaio ?

28-05-2021 Comment from Tony Holcroft (owner) – My lovely old girl is “yet another Ngaio”.  I would love any /all the info I can get on her as she is out of the water getting some much needed work to restore her and is now up in the Kaipara and myself and family are looking forward to many, many years of fun and great memories to be had with her! I desperately want to find out her story and life befor so if there are any leads you can give me on her past it will be very much appreciated

Laughing Lady Getting Dressed

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Laughing Lady Getting Dressed Photos

Todays ww post is a wee peek into the final stages of Laughing Lady’s restoration at the Whangateau boat yard. Photos ex James Dreyer’s ‘Seven Oceans Boatworks’ facebook page – click here to see more on the project https://www.facebook.com/sevenoceansboatworks/?pnref=lhc

In the last few days James has used the services of a good old fashioned master craftsman with experience in the hot rod movement to apply some of the finishing touches to LL.
Given the level of presentation that LL will have when launched one would have to wonder where her home will be – certainly not a swing mooring in the Tamaki River, probably a boat shed or maybe even one of the dry docks?

ww awaits details on the splash date, must be fast approaching 😉

30-12-2016 The original plans have just surfaced. Read more in comments section.

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04-05-2017 – Owner James Dreyer hard at work at the Whangateau Boat shed.

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