Category Archives: Launches

Royal Saxon

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ROYAL SAXON
photos ex Mark Javis

After the amazing response to yesterdays post on Arohanui, which set an all time ww record for the most views in a single hour (1,707) it was always going to be a challenge to back it up. So when I received out of the blue a selection of photos of one of my favourite boats – Royal Saxon, from Motueka resident Mark Javis the challenge was solved.
Mark lives near a little old-world estuary where boats were once built and scows traded at the remaining wharf. A small number of woodys are still berthed there, one being Royal Saxon.

Royal Saxon was built by Colin Wild for Whangarei surveyor Harold Frederick Saxon Charlesworth and launched in October 1930. She is 33ft loa, 9ft 6in beam and draws just under 4ft. Lots more details & photos + a few good yarns found on the ww link below.

Royal Saxon

She is a very pretty boat & was once owned by Rick McCay who owns Luana, Rick is a man with a very good eye for beautiful things 😉

waitematawoody t-shirts – remember to get your order in – limited print run, full details here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/11/22/waitematawoodys-t-shirts/

Old Logo ww shirt

Arohanui Relaunched -4sale

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‘Fiona the Owner’

AROHANUI RELAUNCHED – 4sale
photos ex David & Barbara Cooke and Greg Lees

UPDATE: 4SALE – All enquiries to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Yesterday was a one of those special days in the classic wooden boating scene, after what seems like the whole of winter, the 1966, 48′ Lane Motor Boat Co. built Arohanui slipped out of the Sandspit shed of Greg Lees Boat Builder. Her owners Fiona & Rod were very proud owners of the ‘new’ Arohanui.
We have come to expect only the best from Greg Lees & his team of craftspeople & they have not disappointed, again. The standard for workmanship & finish is world class. Speaking with Greg, he made special mention of Dale Colins the yard forman.  Not only does he cut to the chase when directing the work to be done and his expected result,  Dale is extremely talented on the end of a spray gun & the finish Dale gets is 2nd to none in the industry.  Just one of those multi-talented guys that make us DIY’ers look so bad 🙂
Brian Thompson did the new cabinet work matching the existing cabinetry, another true craftsman, but saying that, the whole crew at the yard are pretty special. The classic wooden boat scene is very lucky to have this yard on its back door.

Arohanui always has been a special boat & in the past been gifted with great owners, read more about her here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/03/9526/

Fiona & Rod have taken her up several levels & she will join the ever-increasing fleet of spectacularly restored big classics that now grace the Waitemata. I can see I have solved the problem of who I’m going to sell my supply of USA brass/bronze polish to 😉

I will post more on her soon. For now I’ll let the photos tell the story. Remember you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them 😉
waitematawoody t-shirts – remember to get your order in – limited print run, full details here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/11/22/waitematawoodys-t-shirts/

Old Logo ww shirt

An Evill Boat

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An Evill Boat

I posted a few weeks ago about a 14′ clinker motorboat, built in 1914 by Miller & Tunnage that was heading north, in fact to Waiheke Island, Auckland.
You can read all about the history behind the boat here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/23/classic-clinker-motorboat/

Today post documents its journey to Waiheke Island.

It all started when Tim Evill called me & told me he had bought the clinker off trademe & he was having the boat & her trailer trucked up to Auckland. A few days later Tim & I have borrowed my wife’s ute, she’s a landscape gardener 😉  & Tim & I are driving around Penrose looking for a freight depot. We hook her up & head off to Bayswater to launch her, the plan being to put her on a berth at the marina for a week to take up (been out of the water for 2>3 yrs). You know what they say about plans – ‘if it can go wrong, it will’ – we backed her down the ramp & straight away the water starts p_ssing in – big time, a bucket & a big manual bilge pump could not keep up. So before she sank we started the single banger motor & did a few circles in her & popped back on the trailer.

Time for a team talk, I suggest to Tim if she was mine I would be taking her up to Pam & George at the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard & letting her sit in the back tidal estuary for a few weeks. So Tim heads back to Waiheke & the boats parked on my front lawn.

Next we borrow the ute again & head off on a road trip to Whangateau. We safely deposited her into Pam & George’s experienced hands, then I had a mission dragging Tim away from the shed & Laughing Lady (the boat not Pam). Over the next few weeks Pam sent us photos & trip reports (laps of the bay).
Tim collected her this week on a totally foul day & caught the car ferry to Waiheke Island. Home is now Sandy Bay so keep an eye out her.

Now I’m sick of calling her ‘the boat’, ‘she’ etc – so how about we suggest a few names for her – with Tim’s surname (Evill) it could be amusing – the best one wins a ww t-shirt.
And b4 you say anything Jason P, I have yours on board Raindance & will give it to you at Patio Bay. Just finalizing the logo & will be printing more – details soon.

Bayswater Launching

Love the CYA bucket
Still smiling

Back In Devonport

Dropping Off At Whangateau

Got to love those front towballs
Old Salts

On Holiday at WTB

Collection Day

At Home At Last

Post an application of the magic Houghton bronze polish

 

Sarina

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SARINA (MYSTERY LAUNCH)
photo ex Pam Cundy

Realized today that we have not had a ‘mystery launch’ quiz in a while so here we go – she was berthed in the estuary behind the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard.

When looking for a suitable photo to post this one just jumped out as it also features a rather special boat, the steam ship Romany II. I was gifted the tiller one day by her Captain, Russell Ward, on a misty morning on Lake Rotoiti & I was hooked on steam.

So woodys – who can ID the launch?

L>R – Russell Ward, Murray Deeble , Alan Houghton

Update ex Pam Cundy
Strange coincidence Alan, Sarina is going back in the water at the top of the tide today, see photos below. She’s been out for 8 months having a refit – out with the BMC Commodor and a reconditioned Perkins in as the replacement.
The builder does remain a mystery.  Current owner, Kevin Lawton, took over his fathers boat after his passing. Sarina has been in the family for about 25 years.
Kevin seems to recall mention of Jack Telford building her at Milford around 1961-2. Can any one verify this ?

 

Matira

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Sea-trial

MATIRA – re-powered

The 1956, 46′ Collings & Bell launch Matira has featured on ww previously & extensive details on her can be viewed here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/03/matira/

Matira is a very pretty boat, again one of those designs that look good from any angle & look fast even when anchored. She was for sale on trademe for a long time & I was aware of several people who ‘looked’ at her but were put off by a few things that just were not right. Primary concern was the engines which if I recall correctly were mismatched in hp.
I’m very pleased to advise that she has a new owner, Guy Warman, & work has began on bringing Matira back to the condition that a vessel of her size & provenance desires.
In the last month she has been hauled out at Okahu Bay & the team from Moon Engines have removed the old Ford D series engines & installed twin 110hp Yanmar’s.
On her recent sea-trial Matira comfortably cruised at 9.5 knots with a top speed of 13 knots. I’m told that the reduction in noise & space was worth the expense alone 🙂

Guy is interested in any more history that can be uncovered on Matira’s past so if any woodys can help out , please do.

Matira has joined the CYA launch fleet so we look forward to seeing her attending a few events. She will be in good company with Rod Marler’s Arohanui, due to slide out of Greg Lees Sandspit boat shed this weekend after an extensive renovation.

Services Convalescent Hospital & Its Boats

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The Services Convalescent Hospital & Its Boats
photos ex Queen Elizabeth Hospital Community Trust – Kay Taylor Collection

Karen McGeady-Moren sent in a few photos of the hospital motor launch El Alamein (now renamed Ranui) & when I checked the web I discovered an amazing collection of boating images related to the hospital & surrounding area, most dated from the mid 1940’s.

The Services Convalescent Hospital, Rotorua was opened in 1942 under the command of Wilfred Stanley (Stan) Wallis, providing rehabilitation to soldiers returning from World War II. It was renamed the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 1948 and began to specialize in the treatment of rheumatic disease.
Boating was obviously an enjoyable pastime for the patients.

Remember you can elarge the photos by clicking on them 😉

More recent photo on Ranui can be viewed at the link below

El Alamein / Ranui

FYI – Yesterdays ‘Woodys Weekend’ post was a record day for the number of individual people visiting the ww site & the views were the highest in over 3 months.

A Woodys Weekend

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Manapouri,Lady Crossley,Silens,Trinidad,Raindance,Wairiki
Raindance & Wairiki
Wariki & Raindance
Silens
Silens cabin
Wairiki. Raindance & Trinidad
Raindance
Peter Mence
Peter Mence
Otira
Otira
Not really classic 🙂
Mokoia
Moana
Maristella
Manapouri
Manapouri
Lady Crossley
Lady Crossley
Yum
Lady Crossley

A Woodys Weekend
photos ex Alan H

Just back from a really great woody weekend. The CYA hosted a gathering at Fairway Bay Marina, Gulf Harbour that saw the boats all rafted up in the ‘gated’ upper lagoon. We were greeted by Grant the marina manager in his tender that made berthing easy for those without bow-thruster ;-). In fact Grant was the perfect host & made the weekend extra special.
I have to say that rafting up & boat hopping is such a cool thing, perfect way to catch up & tell fibs about your boat while enjoying a refreshing .
When I slid Raindance alongside Trinidad the smell was amazing, bread baking – the latest additional to Trinny is a ‘fitted’ bread maker. It doesn’t get much better than waking up to the smell of bread baking 🙂
Nice to see CYA vice chairman Peter Mence mooching around in his rather cute gaff rigged clinker.
After an afternoon of socializing we all went ashore for a BBQ at the marina bar. Nathan Herbert & Jason Prew were the the chefs on the BBQ & did a superb job, its not often I trust someone to cook my thick-cut aged sirloin steak.
Special mention to the CYA members that turned up by road, Sue & Mark Edmonds (Monterey), Ian Miller (Alpheus) & the new owners of Young Nick.

Included are some random photos of woodys I spotted along the way. Enjoy.

ww is not the place to air ones dirty laundry but I have to say that despite the amazing job that CYA launch captain Nathan Herbert did promoting & hosting the weekend – 7 boats is a p_ss poor turn out from a fleet of 200+ vessels. For those that did not attend, again you missed a great event. Maybe next time………………………?

Photos below from Ken Ricketts taken at arrival & departure.

Lady Crossley
Silens
Raindance arrives
Otira enters the lagoon
Lagoon closes

OOPS
Now heading back I got a call on the mobile from Jason Prew to say Dolphin had entered Milford Creek (marina) on the wrong side of the channel mark & was aground & could I try & tow them off. When I arrived it was looking like a long day/night for the crew of Dolphin………., Milford is intimidating to even the locals so I was on high alert as we nudged Raindance in VERY close. Robyn was on rock watch & telling me “they are right in front of us”. We managed to get a line bow to stern but she would not budge – not surprising when you look at the photos from later in the day, with the tide out. Hopefully she re-floated last night. She was on-route to Geoff Bagnall’s boat yard so any damage will not be a problem to Geoff & his crew. One negative was that in the process we pulled the outboard off the stern 😦

With outboard
Those rocks look close
Minus outboard 😦
Holy cow – thats scary

 

Its That Time Of The Year

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Retawai
Katie Didit
Katie Didit
Time Piece
Time Piece
Lucinda 🙂
Valhalla

Its That Time Of The Year

Mid week I dropped in to say hi to the Milford based boat builder, Geoff Bagnall & went next day to the Milford Cruising Club’s yard with the camera to snap a few woodys that are hauled out for the annual pre-summer love.

ps now I’m not a member of the Vindex fan club but there were two examples in Geoff’s shed getting makeovers, one in particular receiving an semi-enclosed cockpit, a job the Mr Bagnall does very well, Geoff has a very good eye for proportion & just getting the look right. Sorry no photos.

Mandalay

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MANDALAY
photos ex Russell Ward

I last saw this little cutie 4sale on trademe back in Oct 2007. Back then it stated she was built in Auckland in 1932 but went into dry storage during WWII until 1986. Around then she was purchased by Dave Jackson of Northcote & recommissioned by ex Navy dockyard shipwright Jeff Cook. During the recommissioning she was re-powered with a 23hp Yanmar 3 cyl. inboard diesel, which pushed her along at 6 knots. Built with full length planks, edge fitted & riveted to ribs without caulking, decks are glass over ply. When advertised in 2007 she was moored in the Clevedon River & came with a road trailer.
The other day Russell sent in the above photos that were from a friend who owned her, possibly the trademe seller, during their ownership they kept her at Coromandel & the Waikato River. Russell commented that the friend believed that just prior to the WWII storage she had sunk at her moorings.

Its believed Mandalay is now in the Bay of Islands. Can any woodys report on where she is now & any more details?

Harold Kidd Input

She was built by Ralph Shepherd of Kowhai Rd Birkdale for himself in 1932 when he was 24. He and his brother Harry were in business as motor body builders. Their main customer was the Birkenhead Bus Co. Ralph went overseas during WW2.
My friend Wallace McNair, (and Russell’s too), the amazing vintage car restorer of Hamilton, had her on the Waikato at Hamilton for several years. His son Robert later had her on the Clevedon River. I’ll ask Wallace for some pics.

A Woody Quizz

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A Woody Quizz

Ok woodys who can ID the above photo – looking for location, boat names & approx. date, a little hint – think Jim Young 😉

And of the subject of Jim Young, the man himself will be at The Ponsonby Cruising Club, Logan Lounge, this Friday night November 13th. to meet and chat with people from 6.30 on. Jim will then give a short talk at 8pm.
Jim’s book ‘Jim Young – designer, boatbuilder, sailor’ is a cracker, starting off with his early sailing and boatbuilding career as an apprentice to Roy Lidgard, working on minesweepers during the Second World War and then the challenges and dramas of starting out in business on his own at the age of about 25, building wooden boats in a small shed in Little Shoal Bay in Birkenhead. Signed copies of the book will be available for sale on the night. The perfect xmas present to yourself 🙂

I understand the PCC kitchen will have meals available and of course the bar will be open.

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