Category Archives: Launches

Miss Picton > Mitre Peak

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Miss Picton > Mitre Peak
photos ex Charles Collings / Bill Wilson Collection via Ron Wattam

The above photo was sent to me by Ron Wattam whose wife’s grandfather was Charles Collings. Given this we can assume that the launch above is most likely a Collings & Bell, so the question is, can anyone name her & the year of build / launch. And if that happens, where is she today?

Harold Kidd Update

MISS PICTON launched 7/12/1933 for Captain M Steele of Picton. Later MITRE PEAK.
She was very similar to DONALD SUTHERLAND launched in January 1936. MISS PICTON was built to replace TINOPAI which C&B built for Steele in November 1932 but which was destroyed by fire when only a moth old. They were identical but TINOPAI was painted a dark colour, not white like MISS PICTON.

Update 31-09-2019 photo below ex Len Redwood’s fb

Screen Shot 2019-07-29 at 2.16.11 PM

Norma

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1928
1929
1939

NORMA
photos via Nathan Herbert ex Manukau Yacht & Launch Club collection

Three photos today of the 40′ launch Norma. The top one is dated 14-01-1915. The middle one records her in 1929 winning a MY&LC race for launches helmed by ladies. Also featured are the yachts ‘Sea Gnome’ & ‘Sylvis’.
The bottom photo is from 1939 & shows Norma & the 26′ launch ‘Marina’ being off loaded (lorry?) & re-launched into the Waitemata Harbour. I’m sure Harold can enlighten ww followers the reason these launches made the trip from the Manukau.

Can we expand some more on Norma – designer/builder etc?

Harold Kidd Input

There were several NORMAs. This Coulthard NORMA was built at Onehunga for the Jeffs brothers and launched in November 1913. She was a 32ft flushdecker with an anonymous 10hp engine but had a 30hp 4 cylinder Wolseley installed in the winter of 1919. The Jeffs sold her to C. “Shorty” Schnauer in January 1921. In the 1930s she was sold to Whitianga for game fishing. She was owned there by Bill Clark and was in Whitianga until at least 1980.
I don’t know this MARINA under that name. There were many MARINAS, another one game fishing out of Mangawai in the early thirties owned by Franich but it can’t be this one.

SEA GNOME was one of the square bilge 14 footers built by George Honour that formed the basis of the so-called “Sea Class”, 14ft “flatties” most with names starting with “Sea” that latter morphed into the Auckland Y Class. Honour built her in 1921 and she was an immediate champion. Chuck Auger owned her for 14l years and took her to the Manukau in 1927. She raced on both harbours. The Y14 on her sail was her Manukau number.
SYLVIA was a 22ft mullet boat designed by Dick Lang and built by Harvey & Lang in October 1912. She was on the Manukau from 1924 to 1930, mostly owned by C. Paul.

Blue Duck

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BLUE DUCK

photos & details ex Peter Murtons. edited by Alan Houghton

This old 1895 fantail oil launch was built by the Knewstubb Brothers in Port Chalmers as a tender for one of the many gold dredges they built for the Shotover and other Rivers. She has been a motor boat with 3-4 different motors having been in her going by the amount of exhaust holes that were found in her. The original bronze stern tube was still in her but had been cut off flush with the hull inside and out then plugged. She may have had another plank on the topside when first built as there is no deck fastenings in the original stern and the top has unfinished adze marks still very visible on it. When Peter striped her down, all the ribs were finished at the green plank line (under side of deck as she is now) all the ribs were rebated to take the shear clamp and the transom had a rebate for the deck.  Sometime in the 1950-60s she was converted to a keeler, with another 300mm + a lump of railway iron added to her keel and another plank added to the topsides and cabins were added (refer photo above). This was all held on with galv. nails skewed down into the shear clamp and transom and bits of copper sheet wrapped around the stem.

In the early 1980s she sank in the Frankton arm of Lake Wakatipu. She was then taken to Cromwell for 15 years then to Alexandra for 10 years as a garden ornament.

She is 16ft Kauri hull, the ribs and sawn frames in the counter are Broad leaf and Kowhai all the yellow topsides and cabins were put on 1950-60s when she was converted to sail. At some stage two planks were replaced and she was then glassed over with polyester. This caused her to sink as the garboard plank on the starboard side buckled and cracked due to uneven moisture levels on the garboard planks.

Peter has re ribbed her with oak, new oak sawn frames, both garbed planks are new and 1st and 2nd planks port side were replaced due to a very rough repair job done on her some time a go. A new Kauri stern was also fitted. The new decks are Kauri. While cleaning out the old strong post notch in stem Peter found an English penny dated 1895, this is not original as it was well worn, if one was put in her at all when she was built, it would have been a new sixpence or shilling. She is all copper fastened and all the old iron keel bolts have been replaced with copper. The new decks have a sub layer of 6mm ply to strengthen her for trailering her. All the fastenings were removed so they could clean out between the planks then a flexible sealer was applied between the laps prior to re-riveting the planks back together, this allows the planks to move shrink and expand without leaking every time we want to use her.

Blue Duck is now powered by a Hasbrouck twin steam engine, fed via a black staff water tube boiler Peter built for her. She can swing her 17×30 prop easily.

More info & photos can be found at http://www.murtons.co.nz

Elma

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ELMA
photos & details ex Bruce Pullan

In Thursdays post on ww of the Onehunga Basin, Harold Kidd commented on the launch Elma owned by Bruce’s grandfather, Reg Pullan. Bruce was told that his grandfather was not the first owner of Elma & that her original name was Huia. She was 22 foot & the original engine was a single cylinder De Dion. The suggested builder is Bailey & Lowe (looking for confirmation). The photo above is when she was with a later owner, but still on the Manukau.
Below is an invoice from John S. Gibbons of Onehunga for engineering work in 1923 for work on Elma.

Harold Kidd Input

ELMA was probably the HUIA first owned by W Partridge of Onehunga in 1909 although the raised foredeck is early for 1909. Partridge sold her to T. Higham in 1911 and she disappears from the reports after 1918, probably when Reg Pullan bought her and changed her name probably after his wife-to-be Elma Welch.
There were just so many HUIAs that it’s almost impossible to establish who built this one. Bailey & Lowe built at least one, the 40ft steam launch HUIA for the Seagar Bros in 1902, but I can’t match HUIA / ELMA one to any builder.

A Few Photos From The Start of the 2015 Coastal Classic (click on photos to enlarge)

Motunau

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MOTUNAU
photo ex Nathan Herbert

The above photos of Motunau were taken in Okahu Bay, Nathan reports that Harold Kidd says was built for the Chamberlains & that she is probably a Lidgard. Interested if anyone can supply more details on her. Nathan has a sneaky feeling that her lines show a hint of Colin Wild i.e. a smaller type Haunui.

11-04-2017 Update ex Nathan Herbert – photo below from the G. Riethmaier collection of  Motunau getting her new top 😉

Among the yards at Westhaven G. Riethmaier

Onehunga Launches

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Onehunga & Launches 22-10-2015
photo ex Nathan Herbert ex MYMBC

I suspect that today’s photo will be a challenge for woodys to ID. Initially all I’ll say is that it is Auckland.
Eight+ years ago when I purchased Raindance (then Nona C & previously Lady Gay) & was in discussion with Harold Kidd as to her provenance, I was staggered when Harold told me that in the early 1900’s there were 100’s of sub 35′ launches, most following a very standard design, built in & around Auckland both as workhorses & pleasure craft. When I see a photo like the above I can understand the difficulty ID’ing those that survived 🙂

Bruce Pullan Input

Onehunga Basin prior to the reclamation, now motorway. Manukau Hotel to the left, Tearooms in the centre, Wharf in the background.

Woody Weekend

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Waters Fine ww

WOODY’S WEEKEND

At last a long weekend 🙂 Always seems such a long time between the last & the first long weekends. I know my log book says its over 5 months since I went past North Head but in my defense Raindance has had a winter of mechanical maintenance.

For woodys looking for some boating this weekend there are a couple options, which hopefully will not be too disrupted by the weather.

Myself & a few others will be mooching around Waiheke Island & at this stage plan to get together somewhere for a catch up on Sunday afternoon (late). Nothing cast in stone & will post something here on ww on Sunday.

For those looking for something further afield its the Kawau Boating Club season opening weekend – plenty to do & I imagine the AB’s game will be screened at the KBC clubhouse. More details below.

And – photos please. Pack the camera & take a few classic woody photos & then email them in to ww.

Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island

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Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island

photo ex Scott Taylor ex ‘Old Auckland’

Today’s photo shows a collection of craft anchored in a bay with a wharf & waterfront baches. The land does have a Rangitoto Island look to it but the baches appear too substantial for the island.

Who can ID the location & some of the boats?

 

Taranui

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TARANUI

The above photos were taken by Pam Cundy & George Emtage in early January 2010 at Fitzroy on Great Barrier Island.
Looks a pretty launch with a good amount of cabin space.

What more do we know about her?

Harold Kidd Input

 She was designed by Bob Salthouse and built by Salthouse Bros in 1966 as PETALYN. She had a Lees Marine Ford 2700E installed in 1989 and is planked in totara. Recent owners (probably still) were Murray and Christine Hood. First owner was G. Henwood.

19-01-2016 Photos at Gt Barrier (Jan 2016) ex Alan Sexton

Lidgard 52′ Launch

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LIDGARD LAUNCH

Built c.1965 by Lidgards, three skin heart kauri & solid teak. Powered by twin 130hp Ford Dovers. Her specs are length – 52’5”, beam – 15’5”, draft – 5’2”.

Underway photo ex Ken Rickets, interior photos ex web. Her name is unknown to me.