A Commodores Salute
Todays post is a little classic wooden boat eye candy from Seattle, the video shows the annual Lake Union- ‘Open the Gates Commodore Salute Parade’. The event marks the appointment of a new commodore to their CYA, lets hope Rod Mahler isn’t watching this, he will be demanding one of these each season 🙂
LADY JOYCE – A 40yr. COMPARISON
I was sent by CYA member Ian Kohler (Ngaio) this c1973 photo of Lady Joyce when see was owned by Sally Cassells Brown. Looking at the photo of her I took earlier this year at Mahurangi, its wonderful to see how she has survived over 40 years & retained her original configuration. Her owner for the last 20 years, John Foreman, needs a medal.
To me what these two photos also show is how the addition of varnish (or possibly wood effect paint in those days) to the coamings can so significantly enhance the look of a classic craft.
For more details on LJ – use the ww search box or click the link below
https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/22/lady-joyce/
And to show we are a caring sharing bunch – compilments of HDK via Paperpast is the “Joyce” of LADY JOYCE 🙂
18/06/2014 – A correction / error to the story- ex Paul Baragwanath
The error relates to the above picture. The Lady Joyce was in fact named after my grandmother, Joyce Winstone, nee Harrowell. Lady Joyce was owned by my great-grandfather, Shirley Harrowell. The photograph above is of her brother Bill Harrowell, Joyce’s brother, and the lady in the photo is Bill’s wife, known as Eddie, but whose name was also Joyce. An easy mistake to make!
I think that my grandmother was born in 1918, If they bought her in 1932 Joyce would have been 25… I am surprised they didn’t buy the Lady Joyce earlier… because Joyce was already married with two children (or so).
They lived at 44 Ranui Road, Remuera and Joyce’s husband Don, my grandfather, bought his first house over the road… and commissioned my little Corsair (Frostbite number 47). Don’s uncle had the big yacht Nga Toa.
13-11-2024 UPDATE ex John Wicks – Hauled out at Chafers marina in Wellington today.
LUCINDA
Built by L. Coulthard for a Mr J Griffin of Epsom, her initial ‘home’ was the Manukau. Records show she was launched with a 12-16hp Ailsa-Craig engine.
Other than this ww is very light on her history so hopefully we can expand on it today.
Harold Kidd Update
Les Coulthard built her in October 1930 for Jack Griffin of Onehunga who was the Vice-Commodore of the Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club at the time. Her 10/16hp Ailsa Craig had been taken from his former launch KATUI which Coulthard traded in and later sold. LUCINDA stayed on the Manukau until at least 1940 and I have no knowledge of when she came to the Waitemata and was bridgedeckerised but think it was reasonably recently.
Owner (Nathan Herbert) Update
I wish I had never seen this photo, as I was happy with the current configuration and the excellent interior room/ layout it provides until I saw the looks of the original! The engine now is where the bridge is, but there are old engine beds right up into the bow? Other than those, the only original parts are t+g sole in parts of the cockpit, and the chain locker bulkhead with Bakelite switch and light fitting attached.
The engine sump was toast from salt water in the bilge and after 4 weeks a complete replacement has almost been manufactured for me. James at Moon Diesels helped me out with a similar bell housing to replace the toasted one, which I have modified to fit.
We’ll tow her to Milford in the next week or so to be slipped for a few months to be given a full going over. A lot of gear will be biffed…
Excuse the crudely covered bridge window, I put my hand through it while navigating the sole-less cabin area
RANGITIRA
Looking for a good entry level classic motor launch? Rangitira is currently for sale on trademe. The listing states that she was built in 1929 by Collings & Bell & as expected of a vessel of this era is kauri carvel plank construction.
At 32′ & powered by a Ford 60hp diesel engine that pushes her effortlessly thru the water & she is therefore very economical to run.
The photos of her were taken over the last few years. While her interior is a little tired, she has good bones & has not been ‘mucked around’ with. Very usable as is, but a restoration would be relatively straight forward.
I do not normally mention prices on ww but at $18,000 it is a good entry into classic boating.
As always – ww is interested in hearing more about her past.
Update & photo from previous owner – Tom Jackson
Stolen from her mooring by school boys from an Auckland boys school and taken to Waiheke.Garboard plank smashed and she sunk. Then refurbished by Derek Dempster. Sold to me by a Mr Pack in Auckland in 1989 as a Dick Lang launch. He purchased it from a Whangarei owner who installed the butterfly hatch. Sold by me in 1991 to an American who took her to BOI. Many fond party memories.A great boat.
RANONI
colour photo ex Dean Wright
b/w photo ex Andrew Pollard (opening day of the 1948 Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club)
details ex Harold Kidd
Ranoni hails from the Far North so I personally know little about her but Harold Kidd told me she was built by Charlie Gouk at Beaumont Street in the winter of 1911 for the Rushbrook brothers. In 1948 she was owned by O. Mann.
Anyone able to spread some more light on her?
Harold Kidd Update
RANONI was built by Charlie Gouk in August 1911 for the Rushbrook brothers of Onehunga for use on the Waitemata and cruising our east coast.There have been erroneous reports that she was built by Harvey & Lang who were next door to Gouk in Beaumont St. Her first engine was a 20hp Herald. She was 35’x35’x8’6″x2’6″.
The Rushbrooks cruised with her very extensively, up North and to the Bay of Plenty. She became well known in Whangarei and was eventually bought by J. Main of Whangarei in early April 1920. He replaced her engine with a 25-30hp Buffalo in 1924.
In 1941 was taken into NAPS with the number Z38. Her owner was then Alex Matthews and skipper Vere Harrison. She spent most of 1942-4 stationed at Great Barrier.
Postwar she remained in Whangarei. In 1948 she was owned by O. Mann and her callsign was ZLAY 7.
PS During NAPS service she seems to have had a Ford V8.
15/11/2014 – Update on RANONI ex Ken Ricketts
Ranoni was bought Aug/Sept 2014 by Graham Rigden of Opua, subsequent to her being damaged on her moorings at Opua by another vessel which had dragged or broken its moorings.
She was substantially damaged at the rear end side & stern areas & was taking water. She was regarded as a write off (insurance company?)
Graham a boatbuilder, who works at Opua & you can see in the photos Ken took she is already well on the road to recovery.
She is powered by a 4 cyl Ford Sabre Diesel.
Graham has provided a substantial dossier on her history (click blue link below to read)
CYVETTE
details & photos ex Sea Spray April 1962 edition, supplied by Ken Ricketts
Built for Mr Doug Ellis of Northcote, by Dave Jackson, she is 30′ 6″ long, 9′ 6″ beam & draws approx 3′. She was built in a shed adjacent to the northern Harbour Bridge approaches, at that time, which was reported to have been quite historical & used by Bill Couldrey & before him Bob Brown, designer of the Z-Class, in days gone by.
She was originally powered by a 100hp Scripps marinised Ford V8 driving a 20×18, five bladed propeller through a 2 to 1 reduction gear.
She is single skin full length Kauri with Tanekaha timbers deck beams & coamings with extra trim in Mahogany. She sleeps 6.
In the photo above Mrs Ellis is pictured christening Cyvette..
Harold Kidd Update
Dave Jackson built CYVETTE to his 1957 design for LADY BEV which he built for himself and kept for many years. CYVETTE was later renamed BONAVENTURE.
Dave built a huge number of boats in the Sulphur Beach shed in which Bob Brown had built many craft before he drowned trying to save a child in the early 1930s Brown built a number of mullet boats, ARETHUSA and designed and built the first Zeddies. After his death, Bill Couldrey took over the yard and built all those great keel yachts and launches there. Dave Jackson took over the yard when he set up on his own after leaving Collings & Bell. Mrs Brown still owned the site. Ernie Seager also operated his marine engineering business from the yard alongside Dave.
17-04-2016 Could Cyvette be Bon Voyage ?
photo & details ex Ken Ricketts
Bon Voyage is based at Gulf Harbour & is powered by an Iveco 6 cyl diesel & has been owned by Richard Barrington for a around a year. He bought her as Bon Voyage off Keith Williams & believes she was built around 1960 & could be originally have been Cyvette.
Keith Williams told Ken he had her from c.2000-2001 & sold her to Richard B. a little over a year ago & she was at Gulf Harbour when he bought her. She was called Bon Voyage & also had the Iveco at that time he bought her. Keith can’t recall who he bought her off & thinks he bought her as result of a sign in the boats window. He recalls the previous owner was working in Albany at the time & thinks he may have lived in East Coast Bays.
Nereides The Facts
Lots of dock-side chat & speculation around the fate of the rather special 1926 B.J.L. Jukes launch Nereides.
Fact 1 – On Sunday 27th May she was involved in a ‘vessel hits submerged item’ incident
Fact 2 – She suffered damage to her port side, refer below photo
Fact 3 – She took on considerable water, refer above photos
Fact 4 – She did not sink
Fact 5 – With the help of Coast Guard she was pumped out & ‘beached’ overnight on Motuihe Island
Fact 6 – She was recovered the next day & is now on the hard at the marina while being assessed.
Her owner is confident she will return better than before. That will be hard as she was a 9/10 before this oops, as per photo below of her at Patio Bay. 🙂
Looking for a marina to rent ?
While Nereides is out (2>3 months) her 14m berth on A pier at Westhaven is available for rent. If interested contact mark@thesweetshop.tv
JUANITA
Juanita has appeared several times before on ww, but always in b/w, her current owners, Marty & Lena Pooley of Whitianga after ‘discovering’ the b/w older ww postings, sent Ken Ricketts some stunning colour photos of her & some updates on her previous ownership & length – she is 32′ not 36′ as previously reported.
Built by Allan Williams at Milford Creek for Cyril Bertrand of Bell Rd. Remuera c.1953, she had an Osco converted Ford V8 originally. When she was sold, she lived for a good number of years, at the Sandspit Warkworth, had a 6 cyl For Diesel fitted & was maintained (tbc) by Lees Boatbuilders, for the then owners.
She was owned by Ernest & Rae Blumenthal from the mid 1960’s to the 1994, when her husband died, Mrs Blumenthal sold her to Eric Nicholson Vickers in 1994. Vickers sold her to James Brown in Whangarei in 1997. James Brown sold her to Greenwoods in Napier in 2007, who took her to Kinloch Marina on Lake Taupo. Her current owners, the Pooley’s, bought her in January 2009 and she now lives in Whitianga Marina.
Juanita today remains almost identical to ‘as launched’ & her past owners need to be thanked for this. Marty & Lena say she is a babe – that she is.
Harold Kidd Update
JUANITA was built by Alan Williams at Milford in 1951 for Cyril Bertrand. The APYMBA records show her dimensions as 32’6″x31’3″x10’2″x2’10″ and being fitted with an Osco Ford V8 as Ken states. She was sold to M.T. Burrill in 1959 and then to John L. Gilbert in 1961.Her call-sign was ZMZF.
She was part of the honour guard for the arrival of the GOTHIC in Auckland in December 1953 for the Royal Tour.
What confuses me a bit is that she was called JUANITA II in APYMBA records after 1966 when Gilbert still seems to have owned her, and was JUANITA II when the Blumenthals owned her in the 1970s. Any reason? Same boat?
Photos above – with ‘mast’ is at Lake Taupo & minus ‘mast’ is at Ohinau Island Mercury Bay
Photos below – taken a Mercury Islands 3/4 May 2014
TAKARO
update photos from Zach Matich
Takaro was built approx 1952 & has had the same owner for the last 29 years.
35 ft kauri planked displacement launch, with a 11’3” beam which makes her a wide bottomed girl 🙂
She has recently been fitted with a reconditioned 120hp D-series Ford motor with Lees Marine conversion. Top speed is 10 knots, with a comfortable cruise speed of 8 knots, which = 7L per hour.
Home port is Pahi on the Kaipara Harbour & she is for sale on trademe.
Anyone able to expand on the builder, designer?
Harold Kidd Update
My first thought was that she’s very like the Colin Wild-designed 34 ft sedans that John Salthouse and then Salthouse Bros carried on building after Wild died. I went to the TradeMe entry which says “TAKARO = PLAYMATE” so Ken’s memory is correct on this occasion.
MY PLAYMATE was indeed designed by Colin Wild and built by O’Rorke Bros in 1949/50 for M.V. Wilson of Awatea Rd Parnell who owned her until at least 1964. Her original engine was a 90hp Chrysler. It looks like her present owner of 29 years didn’t like her name so used the Maori equivalent.
There were a couple of plain PLAYMATES owned by Roy Swales, a 22 footer he built himself in 1931 and the bridge decker built for him by Sam Ford in 1936 which caused confusion with MY PLAYMATE whose “MY” was eventually dropped in the Squadron and APYMBA records.
PS One of the brothers,J.J. O’Rorke, was a shipwright and boatbuilder living at Westmere. He built my former E Class keeler LOLOMA in 1909 and a number of big workboats over the years including MAROKOPA for Marokopa and RATAHI for Tauranga.
Playing Hooky
It appears that quite a few CYA launch owners took the opportunity today to pay hooky & grab the last few days of Autumn. As they say, made if you don’t 🙂
