Category Archives: Launches

Ena Mae

Posted on by
19

Unknown flush-decker

ENA MAE

We are overdue for a genuine mystery boat story – so woodys can anyone ID the above flush-decker? The photo is from a collection of photographs by the marine photographer Tudor Collins. Location? Bay of Islands / Whangaroa ?

The crew must have had a lot of faith in their engine to anchor that close in – fishing ? or something else going on?

There is an awful lot of string holding that mast up, must have snared a few birds 🙂

Make sure you check out the comments section today – some good updates on previous stories.

07-08-2016 – another photo added below  from the Auckland Museum’s Tudor Collins collection, this one emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

REWA 1940 - CAPE BRETT

04-10-2016 HAROLD KIDD UPDATE

Mystery solved. The launch is ENA MAE owned by Cyril Sharp c1949. That’s not a huge amount of help because I have no record of her and it’s probably a re-name. Any clues out there? The Bay people must know something about her?

05-10-2016 Harold Kidd Input

Lew Redwood of Whangarei, who has a quite amazing collection of postcards and images from Northland, sent me the pic of ENA MAE below. It seems to be in the same Tudor Collins series. Lew is working on the provenance of ENA MAE now.

ena-mae

Boating in the Late 1950’s & Early 1960’s

Posted on by
1
2006
1959

Boating in the Late 1950’s & Early 1960’s
story & photo ex Brian Mace

When gathering info on the recent ww story on Sobrine, Brian Mace passed onto Ken Ricketts the story below he once wrote titled ‘Memories of boating in the late fifties & early sixties’, with Brian permission we have reproduced the story on ww. Its a great story of life aboard the launch Sobrine owned by Brian’s father Gordon Mace. I have included a 1959 photo below of Sobrine. ww readers can view / read more on Sobrine here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/05/31/sobrine/

Enjoy the story, it will be very familiar to a lot of ww readers. The launch in the photo above was once owned by Brian but he can not recall its name – anyone able to help out? Also above is a 1959 photo of Brian aged 13 years  kitted out for diving, which would have been a big thing for a 13 Year old back then 🙂 Sorry for the lay out/big gaps between pages – these are original typed notes.

BRIAN MACE1

BRIAN MACE'2

BRIAN MACE3

SOBRINE c1959

Dawn

Posted on by
6
20160227_081835

Dawn 2016

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

DAWN
photos & details ex Steve Archer & Darren Arthur

I was contacted by Steve Archer who owns the launch ‘Dawn’, Steve believes Dawn may possibly be the L C Coultard design/built launch ‘Doraine’.
According to Steve, Dawn (Doraine) was built by Coultard in Onehunga for a flounder fisherman on the Kaipara in 1936. She is 28ft long and was owned for 24yrs by the Arthur family who kept her moored in the Tamaki River. Darren Arthur sent Steve a collection of photos from Dawns past, he was 11 years old when on the foredeck in one of the photos.
Steve has owned Dawn for 6 years after trucking her down from the Hokianga. During the 6 years she has been kept at Bucklands Beach Marina, then on a pole mooring at Panmure, on a berth at Pine Harbour and currently on a swing mooring at Wyuna Bay Coromandel.

So woodys – is Dawn actually Doraine?  And woodys I can help the discussion – last night Rosemary Robinson emailed my a photo of her grandfather L C Coultard’s drawings of Doraine below, also I have included a photo of Doraine. (Harold Kidd once commented on ww in regard to the number of launches named Dawn – “TOO MANY DAWNS” 🙂

29-06-2016 Update ex Rosemary Robinson

“The plans say 24’ V bottom Cruiser drawn by LC Coulthard 23/5/58 – so NOT the plans of the Doraine despite the cardboard roll they were stored in, being labelled “Plans for the pleasure craft Doraine”.  The other drawings are of random boats and are very indistinct.  Sorry about that!
I’m not sure the Dawn is actually the Doraine because she seems to have been kept in the family until at least 1943 and my mother distinctly remembers her being in Taupo but cannot remember who she was sold to.  It would be amazing to think she still exist and looks that good after 80 years.”

Doraine (a)

Doraine plans

ps the Auckland Motor Yacht Club burgee looks even better flying 😉

AMYC on RD

Minx

Posted on by
5
Minx - Wattle Bay 1913

Wattle Bay 1913

Wattle Bay
Te Tora 1916
Orua Bay 1923, Awhita Peninsula, Waiuku

 

MINX
photos & details ex Rosemary Robinson

Today’s story is on the L.C. Coulthard built launch Minx, the photos were sent to me by his granddaughter, Rosemary Robinson.
The locations of these photos all appear to be on the Manukau Harbour, I wonder if she ever left the mud & made it over to the sparkling waters of the Waitemata?

I know nothing about Minx so woodys can we help record her history on ww?

Harold Kidd Update – Les Coulthard built MINX for himself in 1913. She was 22ft loa. She was on the Waitemata in 1945 and on the Kaipara as recently as 1999 when Mark Thomas told me she had been sold from Helensville to Dargaville. A very pretty launch, reminiscent of Arch Logan’s work on, say, COQUETTE.

 

Lincoln Wood Dinghy Restoration (Rebuild)
Harold Kidd sent me the two photos below of a very nice little (8’6”) sailing dinghy built by Lincoln Wood which George Emtage at the Whangateau boat yard is rebuilding for him & Pauline.
The yard is a hive of activity at the moment with some of our finest classics lined up in the creek getting some TLC.

WBY

Phyllis M

Posted on by
28

Phyllis M @ Smoke House Bay Gt Barrier

PHYLLIS M

The photo above of Phyllis M was taken recently in Smoke House Bay, Great Barrier Island. She would have to be a finalist in the Husqvarna Chainsaw Boat of the Year Awards 🙂
I know that some ww readers will beat me up for focusing on the construction added to her rear but bloody hell here we have a pretty motorboat that is obviously well loved, just look at the hatches & mast – that has been altered to suit an individuals personal requirements with no consideration to her historical design or aesthetics. I accept each & everyone of us can do what we want but you have to ask yourself, does the owner own her because its a cheap way to go boating or are they a classic wooden boat fan. The way she is cared for & presented leads me to think they do love her, so I have my fingers crossed that one day Phyllis M well have a top-chop 🙂

What do the woodys know about her past?

ps had a great response to yesterdays story about the Auckland Motor Yacht Club burgees (below), have a pile of applications for my assistant Flora McKenzie to review, so if you think your classic is deserving of flying one, send me an e-mail. waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Flag

Strathmore > Rahemo

Posted on by
5

strathmore rahemo

strathmore rahemo

STRATHMORE (Rahemo)
details ex Harold Kidd
Strathmore featured on ww back in August 2014 when she was for sale, the other day Nathan Herbert pointed me towards a collection of photographs from the marine photographer Tudor Collins . The two photos above of the 1936 Dick Lang built Strathmore are in my eyes stunning, she certainly was a very smart launch when launched. Lang built her at  St. Mary’s Bay, Auckland for R.W. Butcher of Hamilton. She was 42’x10’9″x3’6″ and powered with twin 90hp Chryslers. In 1938 she was bought by the Todd family of Wellington and motored down via Tauranga and the east coast in December 1938. The Todds renamed her Rahemo. She was in NAPS out of Wellington in WW2 as Z76.

For more details & photos from her past & ‘today’ click these links

Rahemo #1 Post

Rahemo #2 Post

Look What The Postie Delivered Yesterday

Flag

For a long tome I have been a little envious of the classic launch owners that had a NZPBA/AMYC burgee. These club pennants were flown by owners of the oil launches that were becoming popular in the 1910-20s. The club was called the NZ Power Boat Association & founded in 1905. The name changed to the Auckland Motor Yacht Club in 1939 and then morphed into the RNZYS in the 1960s. The jewel in the crown of the AMYC was its sponsorship of the Kawau Island Yacht Club and the facilities at Smelting House Bay. There is a sign on the workshop wall at Greg Lees Boat shed at Sandspit (below), that supports the Kawau link.
The AMYC burgee was identical to the NZPBA’s.

The sender of my AMYC burgee was Rick McCay (Luana). Rick has uncovered a cache of these burgee’s which are available to classic aficionado’s owning a vessel of appropriate age. $59 + $5pp. Applications for purchase including vessel details, initially via email to me at waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Note: Unlike the Classic Yacht Association which allows its burgee to be flown from anything & by anyone – the supply of these pennants will be tightly controlled & policed 🙂

Screen Shot 2016-06-22 at 9.12.23 AM

KUPE

Posted on by
Reply

Kupe 2a

New Kupe 4a

KUPE
photos & details ex Rod Prosser

Kupe started life in 1962′, built by the Auckland Harbour Board in their workshop as a vessel for cartography & routine sounding. Was used extensively around / in the construction of the Westhaven Marina area.
She underwent a complete restoration in 2007, by Wooden Boat Workshop cabinet maker Simon Ventura. Rumour has it around $80>90,000 was spent on her restoration, so as expected she is in very smart condition.
Her 30hp Lister Petter LPW3 diesel engine (2007) has no problems pushing the 18′ hull along.

Currently owned by the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust but now surplus to their needs, so they keen to find a new owner for Kupe, she would make a perfect lake boat or a yacht club support vessel for mark-laying, race escort, towing etc. The asking price of around $12,000 is very realistic & reflects the trusts desire to find Kupe a good home.

Read more about her here http://www.classicyachtcharitabletrust.org.nz/trust_boats.htm?boat_id=12

Anyone interested in learning more in regards to possible purchase can make contact via this ww post.

waitematawoodys.com hits Two MILLION Views + a Great Prize

Posted on by
38

ww mystery

waitematawoodys.com hits 2 MILLION Views + a Great Prize 2 be Won

Yesterday saw the waitematawoodys site hit 2 million views, something quite amazing for such a niche topic. As  stated in the site masthead, waitematawoodies was founded upon a desire to tell the stories & a need to archive the history of our classic wooden boats, the craftsman who built them & the characters that owned & crewed on them. A lot of people thought we would run out of content to write about in a few months, well that has not happened & given the size of my email in-box won’t  🙂

One of the things that differentiates waitematawoodys from traditional media is the ability for readers to interact with the site & with each other. So far there have been over 1,500 stories & 10,000 comments posted on the site, if you are one of the many that comments – thank you for your contribution, if you have not commented, maybe its time you did. Everyone has at least one good story to tell 😉

While at the start it was not the intention to create a reference library on classic wooden boats, we have ended up with one & its pretty awesome – I have Harold Kidd to thank for giving me a wee ‘fire-side chat’ about striving to get accurate data on the site. These days you can search by vessel name, designer, builder, year, length, category – launch/yacht/work boat, boats for sale & a lot more. Again if you have not tried the Search Box on waitematawoodys – give it a ago.

Cheers Alan Houghton

WIN – Now I’d like to offer up a very cool prize to mark the 2 million milestone. Regular ww readers will be aware that Robert Brooke recently published his book ‘Beautiful Boats’. Robert has been collecting classic yacht designs for over 50 years, amongst his collection is work from our most talented & recognized designers – Arch Logan, Chas Bailey, Charlie & Alex Collings, Colin Wild, Bert Woolacott, Bob Stewart, Des Townson, Alan Wright & Robert’s father – John Brooke. From his collection Robert has chosen 50 & redrawn each design, tracing off the original drawings to present them in a similar format. To add to the wow factor, Robert used the drawing equipment & ships curves that were once used by either Arch Logan, Charlie & Alex Collings or his father. The 105 page, A4 size book allocates 2 pages to each vessel with specs & photo/s on the left & the drawings – hull lines, profile, half breadths, sections, diagonals & sail plan on the right hand page. We have given away 4 copies of the book on waitematawoodys over the last few weeks, in addition Robert donated a framed 380mm x 300mm rendered print of one of the featured boats. Sample below
SO WOODYS – TODAY’S PRIZE IS YOUR VERY OWN FRAMED PRINT OF THE BOAT OF YOUR CHOICE FROM THE BOOK – BEAUTIFUL BOATS.

LJ

How to enter & a few t&c’s
1. The first woody that can supply the name, designer, builder, year & photo location of the large yacht on the right in the photo above wins the print.
2. Entries must be in the ww comments section & have all 5 answers correct. You can enter as many times as you like.
3. The judges (thats me) decision is final & no correspondence will be entered into.
4. The winner must collect the prize from Auckland.
5. HDK you are excluded – you have already got one 🙂
THE BOOK
If you would like a copy of the book – visit Boat Books at 22 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven, Auckland & grab a copy for yourself, cost is $60. For out of towners or those who refer the web – copies are available on line at https://www.boatbooks.co.nz/
ps I have also held back posting this on ww until 7.00am to give all woodys (not just the night owls) a chance to win 🙂

Cover
Rainbow

Cherokee – 4sale

Posted on by
13

Screen Shot 2016-06-04 at 3.58.02 PM

Screen Shot 2016-06-04 at 3.58.16 PM

Cherokee  4sale
photos ex trademe
Today’s boat is a nice example of Roy Parris’s work. It’s what I would call a transitional classic. She measures 31′ 6″ & was built in kauri & launched in 1965. Powered by 120hp Ford diesel she has a good turn of speed for an old girl – cruises at 8 knots with a max of 14 knots. From the photos she looks to be very well cared for.
Home port is Blenheim, Marlborough so she is fitted with a diesel heater so a very comfortable cruiser. I understand she is for sale at $39k so in my eyes is a very good buy. The broker obviously doesn’t want to sell it, he has done the usual trick & tried to hide  the name of the boat. Must be sad to be that insecure in your job 🙂
Anyone know her name & anymore details about her past?

12-05-2019 Update ex Robin Smith (current owner)

Robin was the slip master at Bay of Island Boat club and owned and restored the 100 year old log tow launch Huia prior to moving south Marlbourough (boat moored at Moetapu Bay – Mahau Sound), and purchasing Cherokee 3 years ago.
In the photo below of Cherokee, getting a beach for a scrub (seems they can still do it without the greenies catching them). Robin was given the ‘old’ mast and stays by the previous owner and the deck head of the cabin still has the wiring and strong base for the mast. Also the mast stay dead eyes are still on the deck. Robin commented that the mast just doesn’t look right on the boat with the flybridge now so it is fitted to his house with a red duster flying. He also has the original dorade ventilators that the previous owner changed to the plastic ones 😦
Fingers crossed that maybe one day the chainsaw will come out and Cherokee will return to a sedan top.
Robin also commented that there seems to be some evidence of another set of engine mounting holes in the engine bearers. 
004 (2)
11-07-2020 Input from Kelly Ellis – Photo below of the Roy Parris 1957 Cherokee owned by Robin and Lesley Smith spotted in the outer Pelorous. Rob brought her down the East Coast from Northland
Cherokee 2020

Mystery Launch on Waiheke Island

Posted on by
1

photo

Mystery Launch on Waiheke Island
photo ex Mark Edmonds

On a recent cruise to Waiheke Island, Mark & Sue Edmonds (MV Monterey) spotted the above launch high & (sort of) dry at Surfdale. One of the island woodys must be able to enlighten us on details ?

Make sure to check back into ww this afternoon, I have a 2nd post today – this ones involves a classic woody owner & the new on the water Nazis – the Dept of Conservation. If you own a boat, you need to read this story 😉