Category Archives: Launches

Margaret Joy

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Margaret Joy MYSTERY LAUNCH 02-04-2016
photo ex Robin Elliott

Today’s photo is another that Robin has sent me from a collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as 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.
The distinctive placement of the porthole window on the cabin sides might help ID her, she also appears to have a good turn of speed.

The Woollacott website http://www.woollacott.org.nz/ lists both a Ghost & a Wolf, the images of Ghost appear to be a smaller vessel. No photos of Wolf.

So woodys who can ID this one? The boat was ID’ed by Nathan Herbert as Margaret Joy

Mondays ww post will be a  trip report from James Dreyer (Laughing Lady) on the Palm Beach International Boat Show, in James words “I have kept the focus on wooden or partially wooden craft, with a little American excess and muscle thrown in for good measure.” – Make sure you check it out.

Luana

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LUANA

Sometimes I get sent a photo/s & the jaw drops – yesterday was one of those days. The above photos show the 1920 MT Lane built Luana in the Bay of Islands at Easter. Luana is a very special member of our classic fleet & in my eyes is in the top 3. Now there’s an idea – a survey for the classic launch’s that have the wow factor, boats that when you cruise into a bay & see them, you cruise by to get a second look. Post your top 3 in the ww comments section.

For the record – my top 3 (no order) Lady Margaret (Dick Lang) , Luana & Tasman.

Luana has featured a lot on ww – great photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/22/luana/ but if you enter Luana in the ww search box you can view more.
Love the ships cat in the top photo, I think there is normally two on-board 🙂

Miss Vauxhall

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Miss Vauxhall

MISS VAUXHALL
photo ex Robin Elliott

Todays photo of the woody runabout, Miss Vauxhall, is from Robin’s collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as 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.

While the boy at the helm is deep in concentration he no doubt is having the time of his life. Can any woodys ID the design of the boat & even better whose the skipper ?

16-01-2017 Harold Kidd Input

I’ve just come across an article in Sea Spray  (below) on Dick Hartley in which he discusses, most lucidly, the evolution of his designs. There is the same pic of MISS VAUXHALL as well as her sections, pointing out that he could just as well built her in ply in 1947.

 

16-08-2020 UPDATE ex Peter Morgan – HDK was correct the boat is a Hartley. Peter M has commented that his father – Jack Morgan, of Paine Bros (North Auckland) Ltd, General Motors dealers in Whangarei, in 1947 asked Richard Hartley, then a young (b. 1920) boat builder in the town, to design and build Miss Vauxhall. She was powered with New Zealand’s only Mercury 25-hp Thunderbolt in-line 4-cyl. 40 cu.in. outboard. Paine Bros stocked and sold Sea Craft clinker dinghies and Mercury outboards. In the above top photo the young skipper is Roger Morgan, aged 11. In the photo below (very low res), supplied by Peter M, taken in the early 1950’s at Russell in front of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel. Jack Morgan is standing in Miss Vauxhall, while son Roger is holding the transom. Miss Vauxhall had a top speed of 27 mph (23.4 knots), measured by timing between the ends of the Paihia and Russell wharves and measuring the distance off a hydrographic chart of the area. Miss Vauxhall could pull water skiers up from a deep-water start on a single ski.

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Easter Weekend Cruise – Photo Gallery

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Tasman

Wairiki on-route to Coromandel
Wairiki on-route to Coromandel
Spirit of New Zealand
Silens with load of driftwood aboard
Rorqual looking very smart
Ngarunui
Allergy
Chris McMullen on patrol
Dinner on Raindance
Name escapes me
Marie J
Trinidad waking up
Harmony a very salty launch, nice pad
Idler
Man o War Bay Sunset
Man o War Bay Sunset
Kathryn Ann
Kathryn Ann
Lady Margaret (CW)
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Raindance at Man o War Bay (photo Andrew Miller)

Easter Weekend Cruise – Photo Gallery

Headed to the bottom end of Waiheke Island for the 4 day easter break. Nice to see so many classics out & about. There were a lot more than the above photos, these are just the ones we mooched past. Everyone was graced with almost perfect weather & the water temp is still in the comfortable range.
See captions for details.
ps I got to practice my fuel filter changing / system bleeding on the way back………….. fun in a busy seaway 🙂

Moerangi – 4sale

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Moerangi 1

MOERANGI
photos & story from NZ Life & Leisure magazine

Today we feature the Logan Bros ex work boat Moerangi. When launched in 1901 she was schooner rigged & also had one of the first oil engines in New Zealand.
Built for Archibald Weir Jnr. she started her working life towing the commercial fishing fleet in & out of Moeraki, as the fleet started installing engines her role became redundant & she became a passenger ferry with the Peninsular Ferry co. in Otago. Around 1920 she was converted back to a fishing boat & moved around several ports – Port Chalmers > Lyttlelton > Akaroa. Her past is a lille cloudy after 1920 until the early 1980’s when she was converted to a pleasure craft. Her owners Alice & Mick Sinclair would love to know more about the ‘missing’ years.
ww has a great relationship with the crew at NZ Life & Leisure magazine, the #1 selling magazine in its field & we thank them for sharing this story with ww readers. You can find out more about the magazine here    http://nzlifeandleisure.co.nz/

More details & photos on Moerangi’s past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/12/15/moerangi/

 

Moerangi 2

Moerangi 3

Moerangi 4

Moerangi 5

Moerangi 6

Moerangi 7

House Boat

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House Boat
photos by Jose Campos

Ok its not a classic but its very cool & given its a long weekend, a few of you will be away at the bach or better still afloat so I thought it would be a good time to post this floating home.
It is a modular design that lets you choose a cozy studio or a fully-furnished three-bedroom house, all of which float. Living in a cool, modern house would be pretty great, but imagine taking that house and placing it in the water so you can have your very own waterfront property with 360 degree views. The house boats come in a range of sizes from 10 to 18 meters (approx. 33 to 59 feet) with a set width of 6 meters (19.6 feet) Propulsion comes from two small outboard motors that give you the flexibility of moving it to a new place every day. It’s even built so that it can easily be stored in two standard containers and shipped to you anywhere in the world.
Simply charge the boat and your house is self-sufficient for at least seven days. It produces up to 80% of its own energy needs for the year. It was also designed with a reduced carbon footprint using materials and technologies that have little impact on the environment.The kitchen comes fully equipped for all your daily needs. The house is also outfitted with a heat pump and AC generator, and a barbecue on the upper deck.

Tomorrows ww post will feature another ‘house’ boat but this one was built in 1901 & has the impressive ‘Built by Logan Bros’ builders plate.

The Kiwi Version 🙂

photo ex Dean Wright of Bay of Island marine scientist, John Booth’s ‘Waka’ 😉

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Buzzard

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BUZZARD

Buzzard is 1989 22’6″ spirit of tradition launch with a Holmes displacement hull, ply glassed 😦
Powered by 21hp Volvo Penta diesel motor that pushes her along at 5>6 knots. A perfect speed for her home waters of Lake Taupo.

Any of the lake woodys able to tell us more about her?

Launch at Leigh

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Launch @ Leigh

Launch at Leigh
photo ex Leigh Historical Photos (Paul Wyatt)

All I know about the above photos is that its possibly from the 1940’s, Can we attempt to ID the launch?

Sorry the ww post was a little late going live today – was out on the town last night………………. If you like Bluff oysters the trendy thing around the waterfront eateries is Oyster Happy Hour, normally 4>7pm, a dozen for $20, great value & the taste is to die for. Given how many we had, that just might happen 🙂

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Mystery Launch 24-03-2016

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 24-03-2016
photo ex Robin Elliott

Another mystery launch from Robin’s collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as 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.

So woodys who can ID this one?

Reproduction of advertisement below ex Robin Elliott

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Sirius

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SIRIUS
info ex Les Sharman via Ken Ricketts

Sirius was built by Owen Woolley in 1956. She is 32′ long & is powered by a 4 cyl Ford diesel, which owner Les says is 90 hp.
Les bought Sirius in 1999 off a retired car dealer called Fraser Chapman. She was moored in Thames at that time.

Les spoke to Owen Woolley before he died, when he lived in the  Warkworth area &  Owen told him she was the first boat he built, after he completed his apprenticeship & she was built at Panmure. Sirius is berthed at Gulf Harbour

Any of the woodys able to supply more info on her earlier days?

Harold Kidd input

According to APYMBA records this SIRIUS was built by Owen Woolley in 1956 with dimensions 32’x29’8″x10’4″x2’9″ and had a 52hp Fordson diesel. Her owners in the period 1960-73 were G.D.B. & J.M. Chambers of Hinemoa St., Birkenhead. There seems to have been another SIRIUS in 1957 owned by D.H. McMillan of Lunn Ave., Mt Wellington, with a different registered number but it could be the same boat, I suppose.

Off Gt. Barrier 2003

SIRIUS OFF GREAT BARRIER 2003

17-04-2016 photos c.1990’s, ex past owner Fraser Chapman via Ken Ricketts