Category Archives: Launches

Stone Pony

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STONE PONY

Over the xmas / ny period I dropped the anchor in Matiatia Bay, Waiheke Island for a few hours & spotted the Stone Pony getting some TLC. Its an usual name so there must be a good story there. I was impressed to see the young lady painting at anchor between ferry washes 🙂 I did point this out to the wife & suggest she could get a few tips from her, fyi its hard to duck a backhand on a launch the size of Raindance 🙂

Anyone know anymore about the boat & owner?

Update – I have been told that one of the two tools below would be redundant during the construction of this boat – the other would get a lot of use 😉

Update – A personal tale on ferro built vessels from Michael O’Dwyer

There are are a few subjects that I refuse to argue about(religion,politics,who should be in the All Blacks) because the opinions go round and round and depending on the ignorance or superior subject knowledge of the various protagonists combining that with different levels of blood pressure and room temperature the outcome can be rather quixotic.Plus no one really wins the argument anyway.
Ferro cement boats is a subject I would add to that list. Forums on the subject are filled with a plethora of opinions on the pros and cons of this now dated construction method.
I personally would not buy a ferro boat because my passion is wood but if my family circumstances had been different I would have kept the Hartley Tahitian (Quis Contra*) my father (Michael) meticulously built over a period of 37 years in our backyard.The boat was sold last year to one of the Auckland Harbour Pilots who plans to live aboard and eventually sail back to England.
If looked after and maintained this boat will last a very long time.It will always be original, no new planks,fastenings,caulking and putty there.In my adult years I helped fit the boat out to the point that no ferro can be viewed inside.People ask what it is constructed from because the hull finish is the result of my then 70 year old dad’s six month long fairing programme.
My sentimental opinion maybe somewhat biased but under some of these stoney boats lies a real gem.

Duetto built by Vince Hooker (not Bill) here in Napier is a prime example.

p.s. the cast iron heater in the saloon was the type used in the old railway workman’s cottages.The doors,roll top desk,saloon table leg and most of the trim is heart Rimu.The saloon table top was made from an old Tawa bookcase.There are 54 wire splices in the rigging, all worm,parceled and served.Just about everything you see in the above photos bar the heater,clock,oil lamp and seabird dinghy was constructed in dads garage.It’s a credit to him.

  • “quis contra” is Latin meaning “who is against us? It comes from Dius pro quis contra which means “If God is for us,who is against us?”

 

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Chandos

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Chandos

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CHANDOS

I photographed the above launch in West Bay, Rakino Island in early January. She is a rather big girl & I would be surprized if the flight deck was an addition, looks like its been there since new. If not then it’s a good ‘fit’.
Anyone able to enlighten us more on Chandos?

Shelly Beach NY Day Regatta

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New Years Day Regatta Jan 1 1914

Remember Shelly Beach ?
photo by W.A. Price ex Historic NZ Photos ex A Turnbull Library

Shelly Beach, Ponsonby/Herne Bay, was a casualty of the Auckland Harbour bridge/motorway development. Back in 1914 it was the site of the New Years Day Regatta.
Any clever woodys able to ID the motor launch & any yachts?

Whironui

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WHIRONUI BY SHIPBUILDERS AT GULF HARBOUR HAVING TLC 28.12.15 - 3

WHIRONUI
details & photos ex Ken Ricketts. (edited by Alan H)

Whironui  is 34′ LOA & was home built & Ken suspects  in the earlier 1960’s, the reason for this being she has a Paragon mechanical gearbox, on a Lees Ford diesel & these boxes were phased out in the earlier 1960s. In terms of designer, Ken feels probably she is a Shipbuilders kit-set as one of a good number of similar hull type, designed boats were sold in this form by Shipbuilders between 30′ & 34′ from c.1960 to 1965. They all had individually styled coamings with 3 glued skins on opposite diagonals, kauri hulls.

Whironui is powered by a 90hp 6 cyl. Lees marinised Ford diesel, with a Paragon mechanical gear box & 2 to 1 reduction gear, most likely still the original set-up.

She is presently owned by Murray Brighouse who along with his son Tony, do a great job of caring for her, & using her as often as possible. They bought her off the late Sonny Cross in 2002, who they believe had owned her from about 1976, during which time she was moored for the entire period, they believe, in the Wade River, which is where she was moored, when the Brighouses bought her. She now resides at Gulf Harbour.

Anyone know anymore about her past & the home build element?

As a comparison – below is a photo of ‘Southern Seas’ which is rumoured to be a Shipbuilders kit boat.

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Photo from c.1979 ex Ken Rickets

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Callie

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CALLIE
photo & details ex Bob Wichman* via Bruce Pullan

Callie was built c.1916 by Bailey & Lowe for the Brown Bros. She was 39′ x 9’3″ x 4’6″ & when launched had a 35hp Twigg 4 cyl diesel engine.
In 1918 she was sold to C.W. White of Onehunga. In 1925 she was re-powered with a 140hp Steams petrol engine. Sold again in 1939 to I.G. Vickery of Onehunga. In 1940 a Gardner 24hp (seems small?) engine was fitted, this was replaced in 1948 with a 48hp Ralston diesel.

In the early 1900’s she was used as a passenger ferry to Cornwallis & Huia on the Manukau. Post c1940 she was commercial fishing for skipper Fred Vickery.

Unfortunately she was wrecked on 11-05-1968 on a sandbank at Southhead, Manukau Harbour.

In the photo above given the presence of Fred Vickery, I assume its Callie on a day off from her fishing boat duties & not when she was a passenger vessel. A note with the photo records the following people:
# ‘Gary’ standing with foot on the rail
# Beverley Wishart, red dress, black cardigan
# Fred Vickery (owner/skipper) outside wheelhouse
# Rod Vickery in water

*note: Bob Wichman’s family had an association with Callie & the Awhitu (Inverness)

MATUKU – Matiatia Motorboat + Villiers Engine

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Matuku
photo ex David Glen

Over the Xmas / NY period David snapped this nice little low wooded motorboat tucked /  wrapped up in the NW corner of Matiatia at Waiheke Island. She has  a nice sheer, anyone know her history? see below

Now If She Needs A Motor?

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Mike O’Dwyer sent in these photos of a wee 7hp Villiers air cooled, diesel, hand start, with integral fuel tank, engine. Mikes not sure  of it’s date of manufacture but investigations have found it would be around the early 1960’s. It has manuals but these are un-dated.
The engine belongs to Mike’s father (who qualified as an A Grade mechanic back in the day), he fully reconditioned it in 1980 and it’s only clocked up about half an hour since.
Anyone able to date the engine & provide anymore info on them?

She would suit a small open launch……..  If anyone is interested they can contact Mike via ww and he will put them onto his father to discuss further.

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25-01-2016 Update from Alan Good

The boat is named Matuku, this may not be its original name was she was renamed by her owner some years ago when she was moved to Te Matuku Bay, Waiheke Island.
Alan has advised that she is a Bailey & Lowe, c.1887, approx 30′ long, with a schooner bow. At some stage she has been re-powered with a Daedong diesel.
Amazingly she is still owned by same family, a descendant of the ‘Lowe’ in Bailey & Lowe.

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16-02-2016 New photo ex Alan Good

Matuku

The cleats may indicate that she may have been a yacht originally.

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Florence May

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FLORENCE MAY

Florence May was designed by Dick Laing & launched in 1965. She is strip planked kauri & measures 28′ LOA . Powdered by a 80hp Ford diesel. Currently listed 4sale on trademe.

Can anyone expand on her past & possibly confirm the above details? Its says ‘Ngunguru’ on the stern so maybe the northern woodys can help.

Update from Rodney Webb (owner)

I have owned Florence May for 34 years.She was built near Auckland for Harry Muir and was named after his wife.She spent several years in Ngunguru then went to a retired sea captain in the bay of islands.She was then purchased by Tom Thompson who bought her back to Tutukaka.I approached him and purchased her 34 years ago.The builder was Phil Lange who lives in mill bay Manganui.He is 85 and still in good health.I still have her in Ngunguru.I guess you could say i reluctantly have her for sale and would probably refuse any offer 🙂

Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

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Arohanui Restoration – Watch it ‘live’

The above video records the renovation of the classic 1965 Lane Motor Boat Co. built launch Arohanui. The refit work was undertaken in 2015 at the Sandspit yard of Lees Boatbuilders for owners Fiona Driver & Rod Marler. Greg Lees & his team have established themselves as the go to yard for the application of Awlwood MA (Uroxsys) the flexible polyurethane marine clear coat finish. But I have to say that the yards craftsmanship & attention to detail prior to the final applications was second to none. Lees is a very classic friendly yard & whether the vessel is sail or motorboat, large or small its in good hands.

The short film was produced by Gareth Cooke (SubZero) who also filmed the restoration of Trinidad at Lees, refer below videos.

 

Silver Sea

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SILVER SEA
details ex John Ellis & Ken Ricketts, photos KR.
(edited by AH)

Silver Sea is according to her present owner, John Ellis, a  36′ Alan Williams launch built in 1960. Powered by a 120 hp Lees marinised Ford diesel, driven by a vee drive, integrated into the gearbox & 2 to 1 reduction gear. Home has been Gulf Harbour for a number of years as John bought her off a Frank Steed 4 years ago, who also kept her at GH.

Given that she sports a chart of the Whangarei cruising area mounted in her cabin, it is highly probably that at some stage she spent time in the Northern region.
Its rumoured that she featured in a 1963 issue of Sea Spray magazine –  if anyone can find the article & scan, please email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com 🙂

During Jan 2016, Silver Sea was in Brin Wilson’s Gulf Harbour shed having some routine TLC, including tightening up the caulking & re-puttying, painting etc. Now ready for re-launching.

Silver Sea pre relaunch

Harold Kidd Input

I always thought that she was designed and built by E Buckland in the North around 1946. She was in Whangarei for many years owned by Buckland, then Richard Ahlers then came to Auckland when bought by Frank Stead in November 2001, but perhaps that 36 footer SILVER SEA(S) was another boat of the same name?

21-01-2016 Food For Thought

Chatting with Harold K on how she could possibly have been mistaken for an Allen Williams launch & Harold suggested that its likely that someone has seen the BANSHEE article in Sea Spray magazine (March 1963, see below) & jumped to the conclusion that SILVER SEA was a Williams.
Williams took several whole back page ads in SEA SPRAY later in 1963 showing BANSHEE so it was a well-known image at the time.
Anyone else able to expand on this supposition? May Ian Mason ?

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10-07-2016 Hauled Out At Milford Cruising Club

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Sorceress – Sailing Sunday

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SORCERESS – Sailing Sunday
Photos ex Lynn Berquist & Steve Horsley. Details Hugh Gladwell

Many of you will be aware of the death of Peter Bailey on 30 December 2015. Peter was a founder of the Mahurangi Cruising Club and revived the racing of yachts as part of the Mahurangi Regatta.
His family have asked the MCC to assist with the sale of his yacht Sorceress which has been on the hard at the old Cement Works in Warkworth for the last few years. Sorceress is a 46 ft Laurent Giles design which Peter had built in Tauranga in the 1970’s. It would be hard to imagine a more imposing or statuesque vessel. Her sister ship Dyarchy is a legendary English yacht and was described at length in Eric Hiscocks book Cruising Under Sail.
Sorceress is triple skinned and was hauled out to have her topsides taken back to bare wood and glassed. This work has been done but the glass needs to be filled and faired then painted.
She may from the above photos look a handful to sail but Peter often cruised in her singlehanded.
Peter and his boat were an absolute item and the MCC will greatly miss his maniacal laugh, the roaring bow wave and the bowsprit pointing to the sky.
The club would love her to remain part of the Mahurangi scene and the family seek expressions of interest.

To view or for further details call Hugh Gladwell 021 606 409

MAHURANGI CRUISING CLUB YEARBOOK – 2015

The latest edition of this annual publication is now out & about. The 2016 issue (88 pages) is stunning – its a great visual insight into the regatta weekend & a cracker of a read, in the past the stories have been a bit ‘hairy’ but this year they are very cool. (excuse my crappy iphone photos)
I would suggest to grab a copy asap as this one will sell out, which it will at only $15
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Where from you ask? Any of the below.

1. Boat Books – 22 Westhaven Drive, Freemans Bay – 09 358 5691 or online   http://www.boatbooks.co.nz/
2. From the MCC – c/o of P.O.Box 555, Warkworth.
3. On the day at the regatta – but you may miss out 😦

ps nice to see the motorboats featured again 😉

CLASSIC WOODY WEEKEND
Remember : Circle Jan 29 > Feb 5th on the calendar is a great classic boating weekend – 2 regattas (Mahurangi & Auckland) + loads of wooden boating activities – both on-the-water & ashore – details below:
anniversary weekend 2016 poster