MILADY photos ex Ian Mason & B Worthington. details ex Harold Kidd & Geoff Rogers
Milady was designed and built by Billy Rogers and was the last boat out of his Curran Street shed before it was taken under the Public Works Act for the Curran Street Harbour Bridge approach road. This has been confirmed to Harold & myself by Geoff Rogers who had recently left school to join his father and was on the job when MILADY was being built.
She was commissioned by one of the directors of Dorman & Long who were the head contractors for the Harbour Bridge construction. He was an Englishman who didn’t want Billy to use his typical sweet sheerline but insisted on a straight sheer which was what he was accustomed to with the type of power boats used in English sheltered waters like the Norfolk Broads. The owner had two cabinet makers come and do the interior fit-out for him while she was under construction. Milady got her name from the confectionery company (Waller & Hartley’s Milady Toffee Co.) in Blackpool, England that her first owner’s family owned. She was originally powered by a 6 cyl Chrysler Crown petrol engine.
Unconfirmed data (ex Ken Ricketts)- The original engine was later replaced by a Ford diesel c.1957 by her then owner, Charlie Hardman, who sold her about 1959 to Bill Luxton, who had a beach house at Whangamata. She was owned by a G S Bright somewhere along the way & in 1973 by Trevor Titchener. In her early days she also had an owner by the name of J M Kenny who had her call sign registered as ZM2412.
She is presently in Whangarei undergoing extensive repairs after finding some rocks at Kerikeri about 5 years ago & has been undergoing repairs & refit for the past 4 years by local semi retired boat builder, Ian Mason. Ian hopes to have her back in the water for this coming summer (2015/16). She presently has a fairly new naturally aspirated 130hp Ford diesel, which had replaced a 90hp naturally aspirated Ford diesel before that. The previous owners were 2 gentlemen from Auckland, who had, had her for about a year, but Ian Mason can’t recall their names.
While the exact details of who designed & built today’s launch Swanee are unclear, she is rather unique in that she has remained in that same family for over 50 years. Built from kauri she is 33′ long with 8’9″ beam & 2’8″ draft, currently powered by a 60hp Ford diesel.
You can see from the photos that she is very well appointed with everything one needs for comfortable cruising – electric flush toilet, freezer/frig, electric capstan & all the safety gear.
Over their period of ownership the Weber have ensured Swanee remained in great condition with a major 2 year out-of-water refit in 1970 that saw her re-ribbed with pohutukawa (you could back then 🙂 ) & new topsides. In 2004/5 her topsides were glassed & 2 pot painted & she was rewired.
Owner Ralph understands, from his mother, that she was built c.1920 in Auckland for Sanfords. Then later sold to the McLeod family of Helensville. Then she went to Dargaville and then owned by Matich Bros and later by Dr Maurice Matich. The Weber family, Ken & June, bought Swanee in 1961 and now ownership is with their son Ralph Weber of Matakohe. Currently moored at Pahi.
Ralph commented that Harold Kidd had previously mentioned that she may possibly have been the – ‘Sister Lola’ & built by Bailey & Lowe, if so she ‘raced’ with the Ponsonby Cruising Club.
Ralph sent ww photos of Swanee over a year ago & contacted me recently to say that unfortunately life has moved on & the family have had to make the difficult decision to sell Swanee after 50+ years of ownership, so today’s post has a degree of sadness but could offer a lot of happiness to someone looking to buy a classic launch. For a 33′ launch, Swanee is a lot of boat, you can see in the photos that there is no shortage of living area & she comfortably sleeps 5. After 50 years you end up nothing what works best & where on a boat 😉
Boat aesthetics is a very personal thing & with some people practicality is #1, but if I was buying her I would be off to see a good sympathetic wooden boat builder like Geoff Bagnall & returning her cabin windows to a style a little more in keeping with a 1920’s classic. People forget that these old girls are wood & the cost of a wee bit of restoration like this would not be great. After all there is little else that needs doing to her.
She sports rather a racy (flat aft) bottom so with a bigger motor I would imagine she would perform very well.
So woodys – can we find a buyer for Swanee or know something that is looking for a classic wooden launch? Being based currently at Pahi she does present some interesting scenarios e.g. you could keep her there for a few seasons & have a floating family bach. A group of guys could get together & buy a good fishing / man bach on the Kaipara. Or simple put her on a truck & return her to the Waitemata.
Now I do not normally like to talk money in ww posts but the overall 2nd hand boating market is just so soft that when I think something is great value, I will – well woodys someone could own Swanee for less than $30K. , that is real value, you could not build a garage for that.
If you or anyone you know could be interested – contact Ralph, initially via email on weber.bros@xtra.co.nz
Also interested in any info /photos on her past.
Harold Kidd Input
SWANEE was certainly built as SISTER LOLA pre-October 1920, possibly by Harvey or DIck Lang. I don’t know where the Bailey & Lowe reference came in, although Bailey & Tyer did build a 33 footer (unusual dimension) just pre WW1. Lang too had built a 33 footer in 1916 and just could have used those moulds. I can’t find a direct report of her owner as SISTER LOLA but am pretty sure she’s the boat reported in the Auckland Star of 28th August 1920. If so, her hull was built professionally and she was finished off by her first owners Pavitt brothers and Verran at Bayswater. There again the Verrans were Northcote people and Bailey & Tyer were at Hall’s Beach, Northcote Point. She was sold to Arthur Sandford of Vine St., Ponsonby in late 1922, early 1923. He changed her name to SWANEE probably after the Al Jolson song “Swanee”. Sandford was, for a time, a professional Vaudeville artist and no doubt sang that song on stage. She had a 6 cylinder Studebaker car engine in 1925. Sandford sold her to Alfred McLeod some time between 1934 and 1939. McLeod joined the Squadron with her in 1939. She then had a 30hp Hercules engine which he replaced with a 100hp Meadows ohv 6 in 1947/8 (probably a war-surplus engine). The rest of her history on the Kaipara is well-known. There’s a big dose of conjecture in the above. I’ll check with the Verran family.
Update 30-08-2015
B/W photo added above ex Ian Miller whose wife Rosalind’s late father, Doug Hazard, crewed on Swanee in the 1930’s
Update 06-03-2023 – photo below ex Kauri museum, Matakohe via Diane Wilkinson fb
(The) COLLEEN photo & details from Janine Leighton
The above photos were sent to me by Janine Leighton, the granddaughter of Charles Aspden who built (or co-built) the launch (The) Colleen in the 1930’s. Charles was living at Northcote Point then. Notes on the back of the photos record that the vessel was apparently sold in c.1939 to Charles Shelley (sp?), an Auckland furrier.
Janine & ww would like to know what happened to her post this & does she still exist?
06-03-2021 Harold Kidd Input – Designed and built by Arnold (Bill) Couldrey for Charles Aspden.
The photos of Maria were sent in by her new owner Nick Voerman, Nick until recently owned Rosemary M. In Nicks words his last project ‘needs lots of love’, I think that an understatement but Nick has a track record of bring these old ladies back to their finery so fingers crossed. Nick has built a model of Maria which I’m sure will be his inspiration for the restoration project. Below are examples of 2 other models Nick has done, one on the 1915 Lanes – Rosemary M & one on the 1923 Bailey & Lowe – Rotomahana
Nick believes Maria (nick named tuk tuk) may have spent time at Kawau Island & possibly moored off Devonport, can anyone add to what Nick / ww knows about her? She is 21′ long & powered by an air-cooled 2 cylinder Lister engine (that will get Baden Pascoe fizzing)
1915 Lanes – Rosemary M
1923 Bailey & Lowe – Rotomahana
11-03-2016 photos ex Nick Voerman
Hows this for a transformation – all finished & re-launched & looking very smart 🙂
Today’s post on Lady Nell is a request from her current owner, Trevor McKay, for some clarity on the information he has been supplied about her & also an attempt to uncover more of her past.
The photo of her alongside the wharf is as Trevor bought her in February 2009 off Steve Hansen of Kauwau fame (he owns the big steel ex navy job in the back ground). Steve bought her from an insurance company after she was damaged off Snells Beach when a storm broke a large yacht loose and smashed into her. He repaired her and then Trevor bought her in an exchange/cash for the Bailey & Lowe launch ‘Countess’ about 5 years ago.
Steve told Trevor that Greg Lees (boatbuilder at Sandspit) had given him a bit of back ground e.g. built 1960ish, design and built by Jack Brooke (but Robert Brooke has later commented – ‘not one of Dads’), she lived a while in the Tamaki Channel, she was bought by the Snells Beach owner, Barry Cranston, from the Jones brothers of Auckland, who kept her at Pine Harbour. Cranston owned her for 3 or 4 years.
Rumour has it that Lady Nell was named after a ‘Madam’ from a house of ill repute 😉 in Ponsonby. Not sure if she was built for the lady or just named after her, this rumour supports the view that due to her roominess she had been know as quite a “Party” boat.
She’s powered by a pair of the small four cylinder Fords, 63 hp, when Trevor bought her she had mechanical gear boxes but he changed to hydraulic a couple of years ago.
She cruises at about 7.5 knots but is very economical.
TE HONU photos & info ex Bruce Dickie & Ken Ricketts. edited by Alan H
Te Honu was built by Brin Wilson in 1963 & is 34′ x 10′ 6″. Her first owners were a family by the name of ‘Tuttle’ or ‘Turtle’ according to one of her current owners, Bruce Dickie, Bob believes they were in the cartage business in the Takapuna area, She would have been one of the last boats Brin Wilson built in Porana Rd Glenfield.
She is presently owned by father & son team of boat builder Bruce & his son Logan, they bought her in February 2015 off a Mark Wilson, who had apparently owned her for approximately the last 15 years & had kept her at Pine Harbour. Home is now Gulf Harbour & she has been hauled out in the Brin Wilson shed for the last few months for a ‘makeover at the hands of Bruce & Logan, assisted by a number of members of their family.
She is stall largely original except for the flying bridge which Bruce is working at improving the aesthetics of during the refurb 🙂 She is still powered by the original 100 HP 6 cyl. Lees converted Ford diesel.
We look forward to seeing her back in the the water later in the year.
Harold Kidd Input
According to APYMBA records, TE HONU was built by Brin Wilson in 1961 for K S Turtill & Sons with a 6 cylinder Ford. She was 34’x32’x10’2″x3’6″. Later owners included well-known Accountant Jack Anderson of Blomfield Spa, Takapuna (1973).
The full ownership was recorded as K.S., M.I., P.H. and I.S. Turtill. Ken Turtill (1914-2000) was an Army Captain in WW2 and a POW. He lived at 132 and later 258 Hurstmere Rd Takapuna around the time TE HONU was built by Brin. He was a student liaison officer at the time. Good bloke.
MERITA photo ex Pam Cundy at Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard
All I know about today’s launch are 3 things – her name , the photo was taken at Great Barrier Island in 2013 & she is a fine looking vessel. So folks what do we know about Merita?
Photos below ex Brian Worthington & Ken Ricketts
09-11-2015 Input from Murray Morrissey.edited by Alan H
Merita was named after a bay in the Far North.
Merita was built by Murray’s Father in law – James (Jim) Dymock of Takapuna. She was built in his brothers building yard ( Bill Dymock) behind the Waitemata Power Board in Taharoto Rd.
Murray is not sure of the hull design but the cabin top was designed by Brin Wilson. She was launched in 1965 in the Milford Creek where she spend her early years. In those days she sat in a mud berth in front of the Milford Cruising Club. She was powered by an A.E.C. – war surplus tank engine – a beautiful sounding engine that pushed her along at 12-13 knots.
She was sold in 1971 to a Mr. Robertson who lived in Red Bluff Rise in Cambells Bay. From there Murray lost track of her.
Murray can clearly remember standing near the cliff face at Kennedy Park, Castor Bay, watching her heading northwards on the day she changed hands – with a heavy heart. She was a beautiful boat.
Merita was back in the Milford Creek in the late 1980`s or there abouts – crying out for some TLC. Murray then saw her at Gulf Harbour in pristine condition a few years ago & was very happy to see someone was looking after her.
Today’s launch is Privateer a recent arrival at Lake Taupo. Can anyone comment on where she came from and what her history is? Paul mentioned that she seems quite heavily ribbed. Not an Auckland boat perhaps?
The photo is taken (Aug 12) at the marina at Motuoapa (at the southern end of the lake) & the reason its so empty is it has been closed and emptied of boats, in preparation for its re development.
Soon the weathered wooden jetties and the wetland/island in the middle will be gone. The new marina will lack any character whatsoever and be all plastic, as is the custom these days. A little sad if you like weathered wooden jetties! Anyway, its great that the last boat out will be a woody.
STAR DRIFT (Lovely Lady) photo ex Pam Cundy at Whangateau Traditional Boats
Now today’s post is looking very sad, but still afloat. The photos show Star Drift (if that is her real name) moored in Tryphena Harbour at Gt Barrier Island. The flying bridge (I hear you John 2Dogs) almost passes the test, so I suspect at some stage she has spent time in the hands of a good boat builder.
What do we know about her & given I do not know the date of the photo, is she still there & floating?
Harold Kidd Input
The boat was launched as Lovely Lady & was built by R.T. Hartley at Whangarei in 1951 to a design by Dick Hartley. She was 33’x11’x3’9″ and had a Scripps V8 originally. She was built for game fishing and is featured in the December 1951 SEA SPRAY mag.
Update 04-08-2019 Photos below sent to me by Tony Simpson, who spotted her on a trailer at Tryphena, Great Barrier Island.
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