Category Archives: Launches

Lucinda Nearly Ready To Splash

Posted on by
8

FullSizeRender-2

Lucinda Nearly Ready To Splash

ww has been following Nathan Herbert’s restoration of the 1930 L. Coulthard bridgedeck launch ‘Lucinda’ since early in 2014 when Nathan asked me who owned the what looked like abandoned 28′ launch moored off the Devonport Yacht Club (photo below). Post purchase, Nathan is on record as saying that he was hauling her out at Milford Cruising Club for a quick clean up & a lick of paint – well 2 years later, splash date is fast approaching & all the shiney bits are going on.
I dropped down to MCC over the weekend & the old girl is looking very smart.
When she slides back into the creek I’ll do a full post. Today’s one is more to keep the pressure on the boy to finish the job & start enjoying her.

Q: Whens the duck board going on Nathan ?, you will regret not putting one on 😉 and what is the car spot light doing on the cabin top ………….. 😦  I’m some one of the woodys must have a more suitable light gathering dust in their shed ?????

You can read / view more on Lucinda here

Lucinda Hauls Out

Screen Shot 2016-07-10 at 5.53.41 PM

31-07-2016 Update

Was driving home via Milford & took a wee detour to check on the progress – just in time to see the mast being stepped – looking very smart (excuse the photos the light was disappearing fast)

And the curtains are up 😉

FullSizeRender-1

FullSizeRender

ANDROMEDA – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
8

ANDROMEDA 4

ANDROMEDA 5

ANDROMEDA – Sailing Sunday

Todays’s post is a tad different – it not often (these days) that we see a yacht being converted to a motor boat. Ken Rickett’s emailed in these photos of the Townson 26′ Serene -Andromedia that he spotted while on a visit to Colin Brown’s yard in Omaha. She was built in 1960 of 2 skins of kauri on opposite diagonals & is now owned by Dave Walker, of Warkworth, who recently bought her off Dave Jackson. She had been keep out in the weather, in DJ’s garden, in a semi derelict state, for about 3 years, with her coamings completely past their use by date.  Reports are that she was in a very sad state in general, but with a sound hull.

Dave Walker decided to remove all her interior & coamings & start again & convert her to a displacement launch, to be powered by a smallish diesel. You will see in the photos he has already fitted a deadwood with shaft log.

The work is being undertaken in a shed at Omaha, as per the photos. Dave anticipates having her in the water within approx. 18 months.

Ken was told she had been moored on a pile mooring at Westhaven originally, for many years, & was virtually unused, with someone just going aboard to pump her out, every now & again.

So woodys can we shed some light on Serena’s yachting past

Work-in-progress photos – April 2018 ex Ken Rickett’s

ANDROMEDA 2...

ANDROMEDA

Dolcina

Posted on by
7

Mystery Launch 10-07-2016 b

Dolcina ( no longer a Mystery Launch)
photo ex Carol Stewart

Carol Stewart passed the above photos onto Ken Ricketts. Ken has commented that with the advantage of being able to enlarge the photo supplied to him, he is “fairly confident” the name on her side reads Dorcina. I’ve also enlarged it & would not be be betting the house on it reading Dorcina, its just too fuzzy to read.

So woodys anyone able to put a name to this launch ? The canoe stern must help in the ID process.

Update from Hylton Edmonds

“Close, but no cigar!! She’s Dolcina (original name?) and  resides in the Bay of Islands on a mooring to the outside of the Opua Marina.
She is normally very spick and span, the 2014 photos below were taken late season, show a regularly used boat, which when underway looks really great too.
Don’t know any more other than the fact you always get a friendly wave from the ‘crew’.
A very similar looking launch (may even be the same one?) when I was a boy, used to moor over by the railway embankment/bridge in Whakatakataka Bay (Orakei).
That particular  boat,  reputedly built (as a vague recollection) by an AHB employee to the same (but scaled down)  design of the  58’ foot (Bailey and Lowe 1912) Pilot Launch Waitemata.
When I see anybody aboard  Dolcina,  its usually in the Tug out pushing barges, so a bit hard to give chase and catch her (!), but if and when I do, I will see what I can find out.”

March 2014 060

March 2014 061

25-07-2016 Input from Ted Sharpe

“I owned DAUCINA for 21+ year’s in Thames Coromandel, when i purchased her, her name was Daucina not Dolcina,we believe she was built in Wellington Island Bay in the 1950’s we bought her off Rob Wilson Who worked and lived at Kawau Island, The owner before Rob was the harbour master in Wellington and retired to Kawau Island with DAUCINA , i did quite a bit of work on her as she had been stripped out inside to carry building material from Sandspit to North Cove Kawau, i raised both cabin’s. i sold her to Allan Martin and William Owen so they could use her to update the book ..William Owen’s Hauraki Gulf 2nd edition…there is a picture of them coming out of Happy Jack Coromandel , ( page 176 ) hope this is helpful information , p.s. we had many great holiday’s with family and friend’s cruising the Hauraki Gulf .”

18-05-2022 UPDATE – new photos ex Baden Pascoe

Ex Naval Motor Launch

Posted on by
3

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 11.39.04 PM

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 11.39.18 PM

Ex Naval Motor Launch

Today’s post features an ex Navy survey launch, its name is hard to read but appears to be Penguin. She was built in 1944, is approx. 34’6″ long & powered by a 6 cyl. 100hp Ford D-series diesel. As they say in the modelling game – she was rather nice bones, quite a looker & I expect with a bigger engine there would be rather more zoom zoom than the current max of 10knts 😉
As you would expect from a Navy build, its built like the proverbial brick s_ithouse i.e. Australian hardwood.

Any woodys served on her & or can enlighten us on her past?. Home these days is the Marborough Sounds, photos ex trademe.

03-09-2016 Input from Russell ward

Below is the provenance of Penguin, scanned from Bob McDougall’s fine reference NZ Naval Vessels.

The pic of her on Lachlan with the flurry of activity (and look at the size of those davits! In contrast with the wiry matelots) dates from 1950 and is a well known RNZN picture.

The radial davits were replaced by Whelan type that swing out at the turn of an Admiralty Patt over engineered bronze caused switch. Luxury!

In passing, look at that cut out in the skeg. She’d turn on a dime in confined waters with a kick ahead as did Sam Ford’s bridge deckers that were similarly done. Many boats of the time were like that.
Penguin i001

Penguin i002

Mystery Flush Decker

Posted on by
11

Mystery Flush Decker 1

Mystery Flush Decker 2

Mystery Flush-Decker

The flush decker in the above photos appears to be flying a ‘Patrol’ flag so could be in some official capacity e.g. race control or maybe there is someone important arriving in the flying boat ?
Very happy to see what I think is a Auckland Motor Yacht Club burgee flying from the mast.

The photo is another from a collection of photographs by the marine photographer Tudor Collins.

So woodys – any cues ?

Waione

Posted on by
10

WAIONE (LAUNCH) AT OMAHA- 28.6.16

WAIONE

During a recent visit to boat builder Colin Brown’s Omaha yard, Ken Ricketts was shown the launch Waione that currently shares shed space with Little Tasman.

Waione is approx. 32′ long & these days is cared for by Steve Taylor, the son-in-law of the  elderly owner Dorothy McCabe. Steve told KR, he thinks she may have been built by Baileys but is not sure, so input from other woodys would be much appreciated, to confirm or correct this.

Waione was bought by Dorothy & her late husband Jack in the mid 1990s, Jack passed away in 2001. Currently Waione is being refurbished for Dorothy by Steve. She has an 80hp 4 Cyl Ford diesel, the same engine when the McCabes bought her.

Dorothy  has advised that Waione was originally owned by  the Alf Court family & Dorothy has seen a  photo of Waione from that era, shown to her, by one of her own family, who is married to a member of the Court family.  Dorothy has also been told that the boat may have been intended to be taken to the Pacific Islands, which never happened.

When the McCabe’s bought her, she was at Gulf Harbour & they initially moored her after they purchased her, at Herald Island, but they later moved to the Warkworth area & took her to Mahurangi, where she is now moored, when in the water, however she has been undergoing her present refit for some time. In a past life she may have been moored at Milford Marina.

While its hard to get a good view of the boat from the above photo, KR commented that it appears  the present coamings are not original, although aesthetically acceptable & appropriate.
Interested to hear from any woodys that may know more about Waione’s past.

Harold Kidd Input

A former owner to c1985, Dean Silich, thought WAIONE was built by Joe Wheeler at Bayswater c1970 which is more likely than Baileys, frankly. Joe Wheeler died in 1972.

19-07-2016 photo below ex Steve Taylor (dated April 1996)

Waione1996 Steve Taylor

 

 

Rotomahana 4-Sale

Posted on by
7

ROTOMAHANA 3

ROTOMAHANA 1

ROTOMAHANA 4-SALE

While searching for details on a launch the other day I went to cross reference some Bailey & Lowe boats & discovered that the 1923 Bailey & Lowe launch Rotomahana had not appeared on ww.

Today’s post is a gallery of photos from my files & owner John Prior emailed in by Ken Ricketts. Enjoy 🙂

Harold Kidd Input

As identified by Chris Leech the b/w images with her flying the DYC commodores burgee were taken when she was owned by Humphrey Duder, then Commodore of Devonport Yacht Club. The 401 number was her WW2 reporting number. She was never impressed into service for patrol work. Bailey & Lowe launched her in December 1923 for A. McDonald (NOT A.B. Donald) as EDWINA. Duder changed her name to ROTOMAHANA when he bought her in 1936. Very like a shortened ROMANCE II in styling.
06-07-2016 The photo below show Rotomahana after the recent (2016) repaint.

Rotomahana 2016 b

Rotomahana 2016 a

 

Lady Ngaio

Posted on by
7

Lady Ngaio 4

Lady Ngaio 1

LADY NGAIO
photos & details ex Brenda Chappell

Today’s story features the 1928 Collings & Bell launch Lady Ngaio.  Brenda & her late husband, Dan, have owned the 28′ Lady Ngaio for the last 24 years. Prior to this she  was kept at anchor in Jacks Bay in the Bay of Islands & owned by Pete Drummond who was the local Jacks Bay plumber. Pete had the late Wayne Roberts, the Chappell’s neighbour and boat builder from the West Coast, totally strip the boat down at which time he extended the cabin and built new berths and a small new galley. This work was carried out at Te Uenga in Parekura Bay in a boat shed two properties along from the Chappell’s.
Dan Chappell had became very interested in Ngaio’s refit and when Pete Drummond decided to sell Ngaio not long after its relaunch, he asked Dan if he would be interested.  Amazingly the engine still went well after its long sojourn in Jacks Bay, but a few years later it became apparent a new one was required.
In c.2000 Chris Moon at Moon Engines supplied a new engine, a Ford diesel 85hp and the work was done at Opua, possibly at the Deemings yard.
For the last 24 years the boat’s home has been in Parekura Bay in the Bay of Islands.

Sadly with Dan’s passing last year, Brenda feels it is time that Lady Ngaio was passed onto another classic launch enthusiast who can care for her as much as Dan did.

So woodys if you or someone you know is looking to buy a very smart classic launch, add Lady Ngaio to your shopping list. In the first instance contact Brenda at haumoana@xtra.co.nz

Also interested in any details on LN’s life before 1990.

Seabird

Posted on by
1

SEABIRD 28.6.16 - 1

SEABIRD
photos & details ex ken Ricketts

Seabird is owned by Omaha boat builder Colin Brown who very recently bought her off Dave Gould, an ex New Plymouth long-liner who told  Colin he had owned her for a good many years & had bought her off another New Plymouth fisherman.

Seabird is 19′ long with a 7′ beam & powered by a crank handle start, 1 cyl Yanmar, salt water cooled diesel, – so no batteries or cooling systems to worry about.

Colin does not know a lot about her early history, except that she was built in 1940, in New Plymouth & used for longlining, most of her life.

Colin reports she has a little bit of rot in one plank, as a result of having been sitting for quite a period.

Any woodys able to fill in the gaps on her past.

Roamer

Posted on by
4

Roamer 2016a

Roamer 2016b

ROAMER
photos & details ex Davie Norris

I was contacted by Bromley, Christchurch boat builder Davie Norris about his families 40′  launch ‘Roamer’ in the hope that we could uncover more about her past. The boat previously belonged to Davie’s uncles Noel and Ken Norris and before that by his grandfather Bert Norris. They have been told that she was possible built in Cass Bay, Lyttelton &  launched in 1911.

A summary of her known past ownership is :-
• owned in 1914 by George Andrews & moored in Moncks Bay, Christchurch.
• owned by Mr Friedman in 1928
• owned c.1961 by Cliff Steinhouse.
During Steinhouse’s ownership there was an explosion onboard while the launch was being slipped in the estuary at Moncks Bay, as a result she burnt out & sunk. Davie is friends with Cliff Steinhouse’s son, Mike, who as a young boy watched the event from the shore.

So woodys can we help Davie out?

The photos below were prior to the addition last season of a new cabin top (as per the above photos)

SONY DSC

Update from Davie Norris
The fire on board was around 55 years ago as Mike Steinhouse is now 60 ish and he can recall watching her burst into flames as she was motoring to the slipway in Redcliffs. She drifted onto a sand bank before the fire was put out. The cabin top suffered badly and was rebuilt then.
When my grandad purchased her some years later she was sunk on her mooring in Lyttelton. He re-powered the boat and moved the engine forward into the bunk room to give more space in the main saloon.
My uncles cut off the cabin top about 30 years ago and rebuilt it.
We cut that off last year and replaced it as it was rotten, you will see in the 2 photos below we raised it 150mm.

 02-07-20176 Harold Kidd Input – photo below of Roamer in 1935, ex PapersPast ex Press (Christchurch) 14th Jan 1935)

Roamer 1935