SALOME
Owned by CYA member Ward House (MV La Rosa) between 1957 – 61. She was Wards first boat & according to Ward was 26′ & built by Joe Slattery. Ward purchased Salome from Fred Rothery (market gardener from Mangere) and sold it a Mr Fred Knapper (engineer from Chelsea Sugar Works). When Ward owned her she had an Austin 35 marine engine.
Very nice lines, but that goes without saying if she is a Slattery.
BUFFALO BILL
Now when a lady in her 70’s asks for some help, there is only one answer – & it starts with Y.
So waitematawoodys lets see if we can help out here.
Back in her teens (1942-52), her father, Reginald Morven Ellis, owned the Lanes built launch ‘Buffalo Bill’. The Buffalo Bill was the family boat & she would love to know if its still around & whats happened to her over the years. The photos shared with us are a little ‘ropey’ but with a name like Buffalo Bill someone must know more about the boat.
Harold Kidd Update
See what I mean when I say that “Lanes” is the default position for launch builders?
BUFFALO BILL was built in December 1909 by David Reid of Drake St., Freeman’s Bay for himself to advertise the fact that he was the agent for US-built Buffalo marine engines. She was 32′ x 7’8″ x 2’6″. David Reid also built WAIATA (below). He built BUFFALO in 1908 and BUFFALET in 1911.
Soon after she (he?) was built, Chas Chambers of Birkenhead bought her (him?). Jack Finlayson of Northcote bought the launch pre-1939 and changed the name, but it appears to have reverted to BUFFALO BILL in the 40s when Ellis owned her. Sorry I have no word of her after the 50s, probably a name change.
Update 16/12/2013 – photo (b/w) ex Harold Kidd of Buffalo Bill (nearer the camera) & Waiata. Note the boy on the cabin top of Buffalo Bill with a .22 to ward off orcs (or seagulls).
WAIATA
The owner (Rob Uivel) of the 32ft launch Waiata is looking for any info on her origins and history. Rob has owned Waiata for 22 years & she has been in Wellington since at least 1945.
You can see in the above photos she has extremely fine lines and is lightly constructed, so possibly an Auckland boat.
She has an “A” carved on the mooring post inside the anchor locker.
Originally flushdeck with wheelhouse at rear, the current cabin is an elongated version of the original in side profile. Like so many old girls she had a horrible car case ply conversion in the 1970’s. Sadly Rob has lost the old photos he had managed to collect.
Bruce Askew was of the opinion that she dated from 1908 – 12 and that it was probably Bailey and Lowe.
Harold Kidd Update
There were lots of WAIATAS. Is she single skin or diagonal? What is her beam?
I rather think she may be the32ft WAIATA built by David Reid for P. Earle of Devonport in November 1913. I’ll check with pics of the Reid WAIATA. There was another similar-sized WAIATA in the Sounds built by Berg, but she was double diagonal and only 6ft in beam, a typical Sounds boat, while this is a typical Auckland hull.
Rob Uivel Update:
Waiata’s beam is in the region of 8′ to 8′ 6″ .
Hull type Single skin carvel.
Harold Kidd Update #2 + b/w photos
I’m pretty sure she’s the WAIATA built by David Reid at Drake St., Freeman’s Bay for Earle in November 1913. Earle had a co-owner A G Lunn of Tui St Devonport who took over sole ownership in 1919. Funnily enough, Pauline and I bought his house in 1978 or so. It was next door to my mate Barry Brickell’s family home.
She was raced quite a bit. The image I’ve posted is in 1916, by when she’d sprouted a neat dodger. Her original engine was a 14hp Britt, replaced by a 14/12hp (rated) Westmann in 1920.
She disappears from Auckland after 1934 by when Lunn had sold her.
Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe
Which one would I choose – Trinnidad, Ngaio, Waimiga ?
Well unless, one the owners gets a bang on the head & Big Wednesday smiles on me this week, its a hypothetical question . The answer – any of them could slip into my berth at Bayswater.
Three of the CYA’s prettiest ladies are about to leave the shed after a winter of pampering, o-boy the launch fleet bar just got raised a few notches 🙂
My spies tell me that Lady Crossley is also due back in soon & is also looking very smart.
I’ll post more when they splash.
Maroro (leading)
Maroro
Susie
Susie
MARORO
photos & details ex Harold Kidd & Alan H
This story starts in 1907 when an Auckland family (Matheson brothers) built in St Marys Bay on Aucklands waterfront a 32 ft launch MARORO (flying fish in Maori). Her plans came from the USA Rudder Magazine and she was therefore rather unusual in design in the local New Zealand context. Maroro has a great history but her claim to fame was she won the Rudder Cup, a night race around Sail Rock & back, held on the 12th December 1908.
Fast forward 100+ years (August 2009) & Harold Kidd, Colin Pawson & myself flew to Great Barrier Island to check out Maroro where she was ‘resting’ at Okupa in Blind Bay, you can view photos from that trip on this link http://classicyacht.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=652&hilit=Maroro
Maroro was subsequently transported back to Auckland & is now resting again at Marco Scuderi’s yard in Helensville, while her fate is decided. You will see in the Great Barrier photos she was / is as they say in the real estate game – a little distressed. There are lots of posting on the Classic Yacht Association NZ forum on Maroro if you are interested http://classicyacht.org.nz/forum
The purpose of this waitematawoodys posting is to reveal that at long last the original plans for Maroro have been tracked down by super sleuth Harold Kidd, who obtained a copy of the August 1906 edition of the Rudder magazine off Ebay. Featured were the basic layout /plans of a motor launch named Susie. She was 3rd in the Knickerbocker YC long distance power boat ocean race in June 1906, the 2boats that finished ahead of her were much bigger & more powerful. When you compare the photos of Maroro & Susie , disregard the cabin top & focus on the bow & stern, they are almost identical. It would appear that the Matheson brothers were impressed with Susie’s performance in the Knickerbocker race & built a clone.
The above photos include a shot of Susie , the plans, a photo of Maroro winning a race on the Waitemata Harbour & a rather spectacular close up shot of Maroro. What do you think – peas in a pod? (you can freeze the slideshow by clicking on a photo)
Note: the discovery of these layout / plans could help decide the future of Maroro.
JEUNESSE
b/w photos ex Keith Munro
Built & launched by Dick Lang in 1919, LOA 39′, Beam 11′, Draft 3′. Powered by a 180hp Hino, she is rather quick 🙂
Currently owned by John Wright
Colour photo was taken in November 2013 during the CYA Launch Cruise to the Riverhead Hotel.
Todays mystery launch
Photo snapped by Colin Pawson yesterday at Opua, can any one shed some light on this launch?
Given the keel cooling, possibly older than she looks
ALICE
photo ex classic launch nz
Seen here on her trials at Auckland : The new launch, Alice, which was built for the use of the Inspector of Fisheries in the Bay of Islands.
Interested in any more info – designer, builder, year etc + what happened to her.
Harold Kidd Update
Looking at her you can tell
1. she was built as a commercial vessel because of her dee front cabin; no fancy raised foredeck for workboats at this point
2. from the background buildings she was built in Auckland
3. she was built post 1920 because of the dodger
4. she looks like a Chas Bailey Jr workboat and the name ALICE was a favourite of his for yachts and launches he built.
In fact she WAS built by Chas Bailey Jr. and launched on 20th September 1921 for the Inspector of northern fisheries, Flynn. She was 36ft oa and had an Auckland-built 30hp 3 cylinder Twigg engine.
I don’t know what happened to her afterwards, but what a cracker!
Update #2
I had another look at my database. She was superseded in fisheries work by COLLEEN but continued to be used by the Government in the Bay of Islands for servicing Cape Brett lighthouse etc until August 1942 when she came ashore at Russell in an an extremely heavy easterly gale and may have been a total loss then. Not sure of that….wartime news censorship and all that.
CADEAU – Logan 33
Now its not often that you will see a fibre glass boat on WW (or a 4 sale listing) but this one is just such an outstanding example of the Logan 33 replicas & for sale at the best price I have seen in a long time, I had to post her. Plus there is enough kauri in her interior to almost appease a purest like myself 🙂
If you are looking for a low maintenance classic retro style boat, at $115,000, ono, this is a bargain.
Details:
Construction: 2004, Fibre glass, Kauri interior,. Length: 10.9 metres ( 35,7 feet) Year:build, 2004 Engine:, 40 HP Lomdardini.
Bait tank, depth sounder,fishfinder,GPS, Satnav, Power steering,Radio,CD player, rod holders,VHF radio, extension rear cover.
Engine hours 630, recent service, full life service history, immaculate condition.
Beam: 2.50metres (8ft 2in) Draft: 0.5 metres(20in) Fuel capacity: 350 litres Water capacity: 350 litres.
This is a beautiful example in absolutely new condition throughout ready for the season, just been antifouled and prop speed, complete electrical and mechanical check throughout.
Features a crafted kauri trim interior with T&G deck heads, 4 berth, extended hull under platform ( water tight) and MK3 stabilizers, Ray marine electronics with A/pilot, fridge, 4b+oven, shower, holding tank, solar panel, inflatable, two new batteries, all windows resealed, new carpet, steadying sail, new mast spreader and rigging lines, 50metres of anchor chain,. In absolutely spotless condition.
Boat can be viewed at Half Moon bay marina on the hard stand, Phone 09-8366461 ( Home) 09-634 7697 ext 908 ( work ) mob 021 324 476
SEVERN
photo from Paul Drake, details ex Harold Kidd
Severn (actually in the Register of British Ships and RNZYS records as The Severn), shown in the above photo at Three Mile Bay, Taupo where she resides, was built by Logan Bros for Colonel G. Arnold Ward of Tauranga and launched in March 1910 when she steamed down to Tauranga. The event was reported in the Bay of Plenty Times of 18/3/1910. She originally had an 8hp (rated) 2 cylinder Union engine, a make much favoured by the Logans because of its simplicity and reliability. Ward sold her to H J Day of Tauranga in 1922. Day sold her to B. Sladden of Tauranga in 1925; Sladden had her until 1947 when a half share was bought by P D Simmonds.
Harold has pics of her at Tauranga in the 30s when Charlie Millett worked on her.
In 1964 she was still in Tauranga owned by D W Reid and fitted with a 4 cylinder Graymarine.
Mike Leonard owned her at Whangamata in 1994 when I had extensive correspondence with him. I photographed her on Taupo in 2008.
This launch is super-easy to track as she was a British Registered Ship until relatively recently plus most of the owners were Squadron members and reported any changes of ownership and engine.
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