Category Archives: Launches

Mystery Boats & Location – Win a ww t-shirt

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Mystery Boats & Location – Win a ww t-shirt

Today’s post could be interesting, the first woody that can ID any of the boats & the location will win a ww t-shirt. Rules are simple – first correct answer in the ww Comments section wins. If by 6.00pm no one has answered correctly, we will count backwards e.g. first woody with one of the two answers wins, if no one gets that, then the best (in my eyes) answer wins.
Only one other condition – the prize has to be either a size XL or 2XL shirt, that is all I have left until the next print run – p.s. they are smallish sizing.

Would have to question the effectiveness of those bilge stabilizers – a little like a pimple on a pumpkin 🙂

AND WHILE I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION – A SPECIAL REQUEST FOR HELP
Hi All
I am the project manager for Windhaven the Col Wilde ketch undergoing refit at Yachting Developments. Trying to find some original photos so we can look at restoring to as near as possible to her former glory. promise to be on the harbour this summer.
Any information would be greatly appreciated. pls send to garyatsea@gmail.com
Thx
Capt Gary

Alan H comment – a wee tip – if you keep spelling Wild with an E, you won’t get much help from  HDK 😉
Below are a couple of photos that I assume you have already seen?
Can any woodys help Gary out with more info / photos?

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 29-07-2016 – Photo below ex Mike Drummond from the John Salthouse collection showing Windhaven being ‘removed’ from Colin Wild’s Stanley Point yard. The view is looking north over the Bayswater Peninsular.

Col wild yard

 

 

Clinker Cabin Boat

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Clinker Cabin Boat

Keiran McCarten sent me the above photos of his 1938, 18′, kauri clinker cabin boat. It is in my eyes rather special, primarily because she is almost perfect in terms of proportion, not can easy thing to get right in an 18′ boat with a cabin.

If you were looking for a nice day boat or a lake boat, at $10k ono, including a galv. trailer its a great buy. If the sellers claim that its a Jack Logan built boat is genuine its even more of a steal (the boat has a Jack Logan builders plate).

She is currently powered by a 16hp Shubarra diesel. Her owner has the original Norman Marine motor & running gear so an enthusiast could easily refit this & return her to ‘as-original’ condition.

A bonus today – check out the July/August edition of the USA on-line magazine ‘Classic Yacht’ – link below.
The article on ‘Nero’ the spirit of tradition ‘super’ motor yacht built in China – at 300′ she is very impressive (pages 54>65).
The sobering article on Boating Accidents & Death (pages 30>31) shows some interesting stats – while boating accident related deaths has remained almost static between 1997 & 2014 – there has been a marked decrease in accidents & injuries.

http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/ClassicYacht/classic-yacht-july-august-2016/2016070701/

 

Kauri Speed Boat Barn Find

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Kauri Speed Boat Barn Find

Gavin Bedggood has asked for help from ww to identify his recent barn find. The speed boat is 16′ 2″ & would have had the motor in the middle and the people at the back.  She way have been powered by a Dodge flat head 6 engine and then a flat head Ford V8 after that.
The distinctive V stern should be a give away to it’s history as it’s a little out of the normal. The bottom of the hull is double skinned with canvas between the layers and the sides are seam batten construction with very thin 7mm planks.  It looks to have been built by a talented amateur as their are few little signs that it was not professionally built.  It was blue at one stage then orange.
The previous owner had it stored inside for 27 years in the Waikato just out of Morrinsville. What Gavin acquired is just the ‘remains’ of the hull with none of the original fittings. Gavin plans to restore it with as many 1930’s period parts as he can, but power it with a late 1960’s 3.5 litre Rover V8.

Do any of the woodys recognize the boat & possibly be able to name her or any dates. Gavin feels it could have been built 10 years either side of 1930 based of the style.

More pictures & speculation can be found at this thread on the WoodenBoat magazine forum
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?209069-Very-old-New-Zealand-built-Speedboat-Speedster-restoration

Strathallan

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STRATHALLAN
Strathallan was the name given to this Miller & Tunnage, kauri carvel built, double ender, ex pilot boat by the Timaru Harbour Board. She measures 46’6”” LOA & draws 6’5”. The traditional Scottish boat builder, Doug Robb built Strathallan in 1955 at his Timaru yard.

As you would expect from an ex work-boat the engine room is impressive & dominated by the 190hp, 8L3B Gardner. With a displacement of approx. 20 tons and being driven by the classic Gardner with a 3.1 transmission gives her a cruising speed of 8.5 knots at 810 rpm and max speed of approx. 10 knots at 990 rpm. Her size, design & power unit make her a powerful strong seaworthy vessel.

After being decommissioned as a work-boat in the 1990s she was converted to a cruising vessel. The main saloon, galley & engine room have full headroom & her walk-around decks are perfect for fishing. One of the hangovers from her commercial days is the exterior head with the door facing the stern; I can personally vouch for the view J

Strathallan is currently for sale & would be an ideal vessel for the boat owner who wants a classic, traditional boat that is a part of New Zealand’s maritime history. The asking price I understand is <$80k & at that price would be a good buy & still have the potential for a new owner to add their own touch to the boat in terms of decor.

Photo below was taken at Mahurangi Regatta (2012?) by Chris Miller – slightly different paint ‘job’ back then.

Strathallan

 

Princess

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PRINCESS

Back in early January 2016, I ran a story on ww, ex Paul Drake, on a launch by the name of Princess that had recently arrived at Lake Taupo. At the time there was discussion around whether the owners claim on her name plate as being a 1927 Col Wild launch was in fact genuine.

I was sent the above photos by Keith Grizzly / Raymond Davidson (sorry if I have the name/s wrong) taken during her extensive restoration over the 1998-2002 period. Apart from finding out she was used as a commercial fishing boat out of the Mahurangi, her builder was unknown to Keith and there was no name plate on her. Keith also commented that there was no evidence of any fire damage, so that may counter Harold Kidd’s comment that she may have started life as the 1927 36 footer Paloma which was pretty much burnt out in a fire in 1929 and completely rebuilt. But in HDK’s defence he also said that Paloma was hard chime.

So woodys use the link below to view the previous story & maybe with the addition of the above photos we can ID the launch.

Princess

Around The Yards – Neptune

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NEPTUNE WINTER HAUL-OUT

Over winter, Neptune the 1956, 30′ motor sailer built by Fred Lidgard on Kawau Island, has been hauled out at the Whangateau boat yard for some TLC & some major work to realign her drive shaft. After buying Neptune, owner Greg was my marina neighbour at Bayswater last summer & on numerous occasions relayed that over a certain rpm Neptune was not the the most relaxing classic to be aboard 😉 Now it would be an understatement to say Greg is a perfectionist so at the earliest opportunity he slipped her & set to correcting the problem.  I’m sure Greg will added to this post the exact details of the work – hint hint Greg 🙂
Neptune slid down the ramp 2 weeks ago & is looking magnificent, see photo below on her mooring. Neptune has always been gifted with wonderful, caring owners & its awesome to see that Greg has taken her to a new high. Check out the ww link (blue) below to see more of this woody.

Neptune

(todays post photos ex owner)

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Ngahi

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NGAHI

I first spotted Ngahi over the Easter 2015 period (photo above) in Waikalabubu Bay, Motutapu Island. Then recently Ken Ricketts snapped 2 photos (below) of her at Milford Marina on one of his ‘walk-abouts’. Given the Ngahi MCC name board on her stern, one of the Milford woodys should be able to provide us with more details.

Mystery Launch 13-07-2016

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Mystery Launch 13-07-2016

Today’s post is a going to test the talents of you woodys. Baden Pascoe sent me the above photos of a launch that is ‘parked’ outside Horopito Motors (central North Island). Baden commented that he was told by a Barbara Cole that it last floated at Whakatane, given its condition – that would have been a while ago 🙂

Barbara thinks the vessel may have been called ‘Gay Lee’.

So woodys what are the collective thoughts on her.

Update from Andrew Pollard –  I have a poor quality photo of this boat, i found it online sometime ago. See below.
I have it under the name Gay Lee also.

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Why Is Classic Sailing Stuck In The Doldrums?

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Why Is Classic Sailing Stuck In The Doldrums?

Now here is an idea – may be the Classic Yacht Association should change its name to something like the Classic Boat Club – why? well given that over 50% of its boat owner members are launch owners & in physical numbers the classic launches out number classic yachts, maybe the ‘yacht’ name is not reflective of the movement.

If you want further proof, in the latest addition of the CYA newsletter, Sheerlines (see below), the new (to be elected tonight) CYA chairman + a ex yacht captain + the out-going launch captain – all have their latest classic boating projects featured & guess what? – they are all motor boats. Sure 2 out of the 3 people also own a yacht, but the trend for the last few years has been launch ownership. The out-going CYA chairman owns a motor boat & has his classic yacht on the market.
Even a blind-man could see there is a huge shift to classic launch ownership & the more relaxed, social activities associated around launches. Today the ‘sport’ of racing a classic yacht has less & less appeal, the yachts look magnificent but there is no queue of people to own / sail them. Just look at the asking / sold prices for classic yachts these days – that alone tells the story.

Aside from the name, the real issue facing the CYA is membership retention – has been for the last few years. No shortage of people joining up but an un-healthy number continue to drop off at the other end. Despite record numbers joining in the last 3 years (would be in excess of 100 individuals) the total membership number almost remains static.

There will be a change of guard at tonights CYA AGM – lets hope they are open to welcoming new thinking in terms of the classic boating movement & what it offerers up to retain members. The days of the CYA being a yacht club with its primary mission providing yacht racing for classic yacht owners, is over – that role needs to be handed over to the numerous classic yacht ‘trusts’ that these days directly or indirectly control 68%+ of the active classic yachting race fleets.

If your a CYA member, make the effort to come to the AGM tonight – 7.00pm @ the RNZYC, Westhaven.

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Valsan

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VALSAN

Today’s photos, from the Tudor Collins collection, are of the 1938, 45′ Lidgard built bridgedecker Valsan. Harold Kidd commented previously on ww that Valsan was built for Alex Harvey Jr as a 38 footer with twin 90hp Grays. She was lengthened (as were so many of these big bridgedeckers) to 45ft by the time she went into NAPS as Z10 in 1942-3, possibly during the time she was being repaired after going up on the Castor Bay reef in February 1940. Peter Annan bought her when she was de-mobbed in 1944 and renamed her Lady Edith. Annan had been the long-term owner of the big Logan cutter Thelma. In 1948 Annan sold her to Arnold Baldwin who changed her name back to Valsan.

Lots of photos of Valsan on ww, just enter Valsan in the ww Search box to view.