Category Archives: Launches

Kahu

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KAHU

I took the above photos of Kahu moored in Maitiatia, Waiheke Island over the 2015/2016 Xmas cruise period. I put my hand up & say I know nothing about her. She does look a very sea worthy vessel, possibly having ex commercial origins. Can anyone enlighten us on her pedigree & past? I’m assuming she is a woody ?

p.s. hopefully one day a kayak manufacturer will take to market a plain royal blue or taupe coloured kayak. I have seen some horror examples e.g. a bright pink one lashed proudly atop a wonderfully restored classic launch………………………. 😦

COMING UP
I will have some great stories to share over the next few days – have a boat re-launch on Saturday & have just been sent a wonderful story & photos by Janet Watkins (nee Pickmere, the daughter of AH Pickmere) of the families 1923 summer cruise aboard their launch the 32′ KiaKoa, a 1906 Bailey & Lowe double ender. They were accompanied on the cruise by Alberta, the 1913 flushdecker built by H.N. Burgess.

24-02-2018 – Spotted Kahu anchored at Motiuhe Island today.

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Nancibel

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NANCIBEL - 223 -1940s- MANSION HOUSE BAY - T. COLLINS COLLECTION EX MUSEUM - I.D PH-2013-7-TC-B517-08

NANCIBEL - 223 -1940s- MANSION HOUSE BAY - T. COLLINS COLLECTION EX MUSEUM - I.D. PH-2013-7-TC-B683-01

NANCIBEL - 223 - 1940s- MANSION HOUSE BAY - T. COLLINS COLLECTION EX MUSEUM - I.D PH-2013-7-TC-B808-02

NANCIBEL - 223 - 1940s- MANSION HOUSE BAY - T. COLLINS COLLECTION EX MUSEUM - I.D. PH-2013-7-TC-B808-07

NANCIBEL

The above photos of Nancibel are from the Auckland Museum, Tudor Collins collection, emailed to me by Ken Rickett’s. They show Nancibel leaving Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island c.1940’s. Back then she was in use as a passenger ferry to & from Kawau Island. Harold Kidd advised that Nancibel was built by Bailey & Lowe in 1920 for Dodd & Gibbons of Thames. L. Rolfe of Matakana owned her 1935 and sold her to F. Herring. Gubbs Motors owned her 1941 to 1951 at least, painted red and green. Geoff Brebner also commented on ww that in the later 1950’s, (pre harbour bridge opening), Nancibel was on passenger run from Auckland city to Upper Harbour.

Ken Rickett’s is on record in a previous ww story saying that she was powered with a 4 cyl 4-53 GM Detroit & painted bottle green.

The photos show a group of very well attired people enjoying a fun day out. If we fast forward to 1972 Nancibel had a new life as a dive charter boat working out of Tauranga. Unfortunately on a charter trip to Mayor Island with 30 passengers (skin divers) aboard Nancibel hit a submerged rock & very quickly sank in 45′ of water, everyone aboard was saved. A second boat was dispatched by the insurance assessors to dive on the wreck to survey & photograph it, sadly one of the divers, Henry Laison, died of the bends after surfacing from a deep dive. You can view below an article & photos that appeared in Dive Magazine Vol 11 No3, of 1972. Details & the article were sent in by Don Macleod.

Given that Tauranga divers went out and salvaged the Gardner engine from the Nancibel the week after she sank, I’m assuming she remained in Davey Jones Locker – can any woodys confirm this ?

Nancibel _ DIVE Magazine

Harold Kidd Input

She was issued with number 223 in February 1940 and would have carried it throughout the war for reporting to the defence boom at Auckland. During this period she was run as the Kawau-Sandspit ferry by Gubbs Motors.
I think it’s Sir Cyril Newall too. I understand he was sent to the colonies to get him out of any sort of RAF command after the Battle of Britain.
I remember when my father attended an Anzac Day Parade of old diggers at Taumarunui in 1942 where Newall spoke. I asked him what the GG said. “Just ‘haw haw haw haw haw'” Dad replied, imitating the upper class accent and lack of content. Mind you we were expecting the Japs at any moment and weren’t expecting any help from that quarter.

Lidgard 42′ – Tuarangi >Silver Fin

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LIDGARD LAUNCH – Tuarangi > Silver Fin

We are told (trademe) the above boat was launched in approximately 1950. Her specs are 42’ x 12’1” beam with a 2’11”draft. She is powered by twin 110hp Hino’s. She is well set up for recreational diving with a compressor in the cockpit bilge for dive bottle refilling & customized multi dive bottle storage in the cockpit. As with most broker listings they have omitted to include the vessel’s name…… so I omit to include theirs 🙂

Any one able to put a name to the launch & provide more details on her?

Lots of details in the comments section + some history at the link below. A little sad that she has ended up looking like the above 😦

Tuarangi

 

Pilot

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PILOT

PILOT

Now while the vessel in todays story is a woody, the location is certainly not the Waitemata 🙂
The motorboat in the above photo is another from the Auckland Museum, Tudor Collins collection & was emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

Are any of the woodys able to ID the location, date etc & possibly ID the vessel? Coconut palms in the background, islanders* helping with the loading – could be Suva, Nukualofa, Avatiu, Apia.

* not sure that islanders is a PC word, maybe I should have used ‘PI’ (Pacific Islander)

Yesterdays Survey
ww ran a survey yesterday around what classic wooden boat activities would appeal to you. Many thanks to everyone that completed the survey- BUT it’s not too late to do the survey, only takes a minute, so go on, just do it. Its anonymous  😉
Scroll down to find it.
Many thanks. Alan

The Building of Ngarunui

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Ngarunui & Fierycross 1962

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The Building of Ngarunui

I was recently contacted by Frank Young, son of Jim Young, who designed & built Ngarunui in 1954 > 1955 for a Mr. Burrell, a strawberry farmer in Birkdale.
Ian had read the Ngarunui story on ww & wanted to record the facts not guesswork surrounding the vessels early days. The below is based on personal experience and knowledge as Jim Young’s son.
“Ngarunui was originally designed for regular trans-tasman trips with a high economical cruising speed, heavy weather capability, long range, and reliability. Power was to be an 8 cylinder Gardner diesel and she was designed around that with regular crossings to Sydney intended. The smaller auxiliary was not part of the original design or construction as can be seen in the photographs at the time. It was apparently added later with the change in main engine plans.
Construction started in 1955 at the J H Young Boats Ltd Little Shoal Bay boat shed using kauri planking and ribs, and pohutukawa knees.  When the hull had been completed and closed in she was launched without machinery or interior work done. On launching she immediately listed 45 degrees due to no ballast or internal engineering. That caused some trepidation among those attending the launching party. Interior work continued with the boat in a cradle next to the slipway but there were increasing problems with payments. The strawberry crop that year was apparently very poor and the money ran out. The partially finished vessel was then sold by Mr. Burrell to a company he had taken a stake in and the building contract revised. Northern Hygienic Fishing Supplies was to use her as a fishing “Mother ship” towing a number of 16 foot dories from which gill netting or long-lining could be done. Design details were changed and work commenced on installing large ice boxes in the hull and two 16 foot flat bottom punts were built as part of the fishing dory plan, with more to follow. One of those dories became the “Nancy Barbara” owned by the Hayman family at Great Barrier Island for many years. Then the money dried up again and Northern Hygienic Fishing Supplies was liquidated. With no money coming in, Jim Young in serious financial straits as a result, and an uncertain future outcome for Ngarunui in a part finished condition she was left in the cradle by the slipway at the Little Shoal Bay boat shed where the interior work had been continuing. Holes were drilled in her bottom to allow the tide to flow into the hull so it could not potentially be removed or stolen while legal and financial issues took their tedious course. She languished there untouched for about a year.  She was the subject of an arson attempt during that period but perhaps due to the wet interior the fire did not take hold. 

Eventually the Auckland Official Assignee (coincidentally Jim Young’s father)  who was responsible for the liquidation of Northern Hygienic Fishing Supplies sold Ngarunui in as is/where is condition to Messrs Spicer and Pollard. Henderson and Pollard was a well known Auckland timber merchant company and Ngarunui was then completed using their resources. The originally intended Gardner diesel was never installed. At a price then of around  3600 pounds it was far more than the price of the rest of the boat (or even the price of a house) so the much cheaper, and lower power, option of a (single) 175hp GM diesel went in.

Ngarunui finally became a well appointed Auckland launch in 1957 or early 1958 after a somewhat difficult early life. Messrs Spicer and Pollard put Ngarunui to great use and they were active supporters of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Ngarunui became well known for her role in various high profile activities of the RNZYS, and acted as flagship for many events with the Governor General or other notables aboard.”

2016 photos of Ngarunui can be viewed here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/03/mystery-boat-03-06-2015/

Lidgard Run-About

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Lidgard Run-About

The photos of the above Lidgard run-about were emailed to me by John Pryor, a friend of whose is hoping to uncover some details on the boat. She measures 14’3″, with a 5′ beam. All her new owner knows is that she came up to Mt Albert from the Coromandel in the condition you see her in above & the trailer was built back from army surplus and the coil springs are apparently from an Indian motorcycle.
She’s in need of quite a restore but given her Lidgard pedigree is worth saving. The bonus is she’s small enough to be tucked in the garage & worked on i.e. no expensive yard fees

So woodys what do we know about these small Lidgard run-abouts – the year(1940’s?) model, possible owners, copies of the plans etc. Anything would help / encourage her owner to commence the project 🙂

25-08-2016 Input from Roger Guthrie

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You posted a picture of an old boat on a trailer the other day. It was in severe need of restoration. Above is a very similar one we had at Silver Bay Waiheke. It was about 1951. It had a steering wheel and seat at the front. We had the popular 4H.P. Seagull outboard and had to steer from the back. There was a steering wheel but dad never connected it.

We called it the speedboat but there was no speed about it. It did however serve us well for family picnics to Man’o’War Bay and Ponui Island. Neither I or my brother Graham can remember the make. We had the usual collection of clinker dinghy’s which we rowed and two of them had centre board provision and sails. The largest one was 12ft. long and good for going to Connells Bay for the milk and supplies but this to us was the start of something new. This boat was varnished marine ply.

Shown in the boat photo – Ivan Guthrie (my father), myself and sister Prue. The boat was very near to the beach hence dad sitting on deck ready to pull up the motor. Them was the days………and they were wonderful days too.

Mirella – bugger!

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JEWACK Sunk

Mirella – bugger!

Now I do not like to make fun of someone else’s misfortune but the above & below photos ex the Auckland Museum, Tudor Collins collection & emailed to me by Ken Ricketts was taken a long time ago – so woodys today we will have a little competition –  I’ll give a waitematawoodys tote bag (see below) to the woody that comes up with the best caption 🙂

The photo file gave the location as Gart Island, but that draws a blank with me – can anyone help here, the vessel is listed as being ‘Jewack‘. Since ID’ed as Mirella .

Entries close 12pm 19-08-2016. You can enter as many times as you like, the judge will be Nathan Herbert – why? because he already has a ww tote bag 😉

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Input from Harold Kidd  – the vessel is MIRELLA (photo ex Paperspast ex NZ Herald 27 May 1932)

VALUABLE AUCKLAND FISHING LAUNCH SUNK AFTER STRIKING A SUBMERGED ROCK. Owned by Mr. J. Wilson, of Auckland, this 32ft. launch Mirella sank afte% striking a rock off Goat Island, near Cape Rodney, on Tuesday evening. The three members of the crew made their escape in the dinghy. Little hope of salvaging the craft is entertained.

Mirella sinking off Goat Island

 

Rongotai

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RONGOTAI

Back in early March 2016 we ran a mystery launch quiz on ww, the vessel was Rongotai & the photo was sent to me by Robin Elliott. The photo was from a batch ex the Whangarei Cruising Club collection, & far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were  taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
Harold Kidd told us that she was built for Leslie Walter Waldron (1896-1963).

Over the weekend I was searching for another photo & bingo I found the above one that Robin had also sent me – she is a rather impressive vessel.
Do we know any more about her & what became of her?

Photo below taken last night by Shane Anderson of his classic launch Waimiga in NW Bay Rotoroa Island at sunset, summer is on the way 🙂

Waimiga Aug2016

 

Vacuna

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VACUNA – a woody project?
Vacuna is a 36′ Owen Woolley launch, designed and built in 1958. Unfortunately she has had a wee oops, to quote the insurers she was flooded to the top of her twin Perkins diesel engines, not sure how that happened but we are told the engines were immediately flushed & inhibited.
At the moment Vucuna is hauled out at Half Moon Bay & available for inspection. Bidding starts at $5,000 & closes 23 August.

Now if it stays low, someone will get a nice woody that appears to not need too much to bring her back.
Do we know anything about her past ?

Input from Paul Drake
My understanding is that she was built for a Mr Bull (Jack?)by Owen Woolley. She was built of totara, since she was destined for Taupo, and her owner was wary of rot which, in some quarters, is associated with fresh water boats. She was at Taupo for many years under the same name. Mr Bull had previously owned KATOA, well covered in WW. This information is as I have always understood it, and was recently confirmed by the original owner’s son, who I chanced to meet down at the boat harbour here in Taupo.  It is interesting to note the beamy, hard chine VACUNA compared with the narrow gutted, round bilge KATOA. No doubt the Bull family had had enough of rolling around. A VACUNA story was related to my brother Michael only two days ago. VACUNA was on a temporary mooring off the beach at Kinloch. She came free in a sou’westerly and was about to wash up on the beach. The call went out to the local holiday population and dozens of them entered the water in an effort to save her, much like a beached whale. One of them, a strong swimmer, took a line back to the mooring buoy, and VACUNA was hauled off the beach.
Below is a pic of VACUNA, it shows her on her mooring in the Taupo boat harbour in the early 1960’s. The other launch is EL ALAMEIN, now RANUI, already featured on woodys.
The boatsheds in the background are long gone, sadly. SIR FRANCIS occupied the shed seen here over the stern of EL ALAMEIN. The door is open and our car parked on the road outside. The photo I took, of course, from SIR FRANCIS.

L>R Ranui > Vacuna
photo below ex Ken Ricketts

VACUNA - KR

Wanderer

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Wanderer

WANDERER

Some times classic wooden boat owners get a little precious with their boats i.e. no fishing (too messy & smelly) but the photos above of the the launch Wanderer clearly show that to the original owners they were just a means to the real challenge – catching big game fish.
We have seen lots of photos of 40’+ launches hauling in large catches but Wanderer II would have to take the prize for small boat, biggest fish 😉

I understand that Wanderer these days resides on A Pier at Milford Marina, needing some TLC but still a float. Any of the woodys able to enlighten us on her life post the above photos from the Auckland Museum’s Tudor Collins collection?

These days I would be happy to catch what they have hanging off the stern as berley 🙂

Photos below of Wanderer 2015 at Milford Marina ex Ken Ricketts

Input from Russell Ward

How lovely to see her as she was originally. Yep. A real honey. The modern alterations are a bit of a miss-match of angles but have been like that a long time.  Capt John Watson owned her when my old man had Ngakiwa early -mid ’60s and we cruised together in the gulf. Had the cabin sides that she presently has. She had a petrol engine that was unreliable and I remember Len Heard (Kenya) lent John a headsail in case the engine really died. He put a Perkins in about the same time my father had Tracey Nelson put one in Ngakiwa. John sold her and bought Nohomoana (38′ Sam Ford) to keep up with the Wards when they got Naiad.
I met up with Wanderer at Lake Rotoiti a year or two back -she was a bit scruffy and heard that she came back up here.
Hope she gets that TLC s

22–05-2021 Input from Rick Rowarth – My grandfather, an Auckland surgeon Mr Frank Macky owned Wanderer for a number of years I think from the early 50’s to early 60’s and my introduction to the Hauraki Gulf was on the wanderer. What a wonderful introduction I got in my formative years. Frank just got too old to go off boating around the early to mid 60’s, and sadly had to sell her. He loved nothing more than to go down the harbour, often on his own and would usually end up at Woody Gully on Rakino or Days Bay at the bottom end of Waiheke where he had a smokehouse at his sisters house. He never came home empty handed, and back then if he caught a gurnard he would take it home for the cat. Back then Wanderer was powered by a 4 cylinder Universal petrol engine that was far from reliable, and the petrol tanks were filled by taking off the fuel tank caps “in the forward cabin”, and filling them up. How we never blew up I will never know, but we survived. The story about the missing porthole was down to a collision with (I think) a ferry, and the repairs were done I think by Percy Voss at Westhaven.