MARNE
Here is proof that even our best designers had their ‘moments’.
An interesting mix of styles on this Collings & Bell launch, but I’m sure her owner loved her 🙂
photo ex Harold Kidd
Marne
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Category Archives: Launches
Kiwitea
Kiwitea at Gulf Harbour 2013
KIWITEA
Story ex Nick Shea from the pen of his father Barry Shea who has owned Kiwitea for the last 24 years. (photo ex Ken Ricketts)
Kiwitea is a bridge decker. A solid old girl made of Kauri planks. I bought her in May 1989. After removing the rot I was left with only a hull and the cabin roof tops, what a job lay ahead!! After 9 months of work from 5pm until the early hours Kiwitea was ready for the water. I made the cabin sides out of Kahikatea clears laminated together giving a thickness of 40 mm. Thanks to Pete a next door neighbour who started to give me a hand and made it a lot easier. Next came the fridge, freezer, toilet and shower by brother inlaw Barry as he knew a bit about plumbing. At this time Cath (wife) would come down and clean while Anita (7) would look after the new born Liz and Nick (5) would be put on the job of cleaning the prop and rudder. (Just the right size to fit under there). The last thing was the calking which was rotten so out it came and week later the antifoul and relaunch with the bottle of bubbles.
On our travels people have come over and had a chat so I have picked up a bit of history which if anyone can add to this I would be greatful. Kiwitea was built about 1949 by Lidgard on Kawau Island for a person called Jack Algie. I think this would be the same family who named Algies Bay. At this time Kiwitea was a sedan not a bridge decker. We did a trip up to the bay of islands and stopped off at Tutakaka when someone came down and told us he used to go longlining on her and his Dad used to own her. I have also heard the navy had her but what for who would know.
In 1995 Kiwitea was showing signs of movement so time to refasten all the planks .After thousands of bronze screws I had to raise the waterline so decided at the same time to add and extend the boarding platform also including live bait tanks which have been filled many a time..She is a grand old lady and part of the family which we have owned for 24 years and is great to see all our children now take her out when they want.
Classic’s in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island
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Classic’s in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island
Lots of classics on the bay – my attempt at ID’ing them – from left Menai, Safari,?,Trinidad (or Lady Crossley), ?, Coquette, ?, Rehia (or Talua) Wirihana?,?
Elsie Evans
ELSIE EVANS
details & photos from Bob McDougall & the Timaru Herald
Timaru’s first pilot boat, the ELSIE EVANS, a 1901 Bailey (13m x 2.4m) has been relaunched into the Otago Harbour after a very long $500,000+ rebuilding / restoration project that saw her spend 59 years on land.
The ELSIE EVANS was built by Auckland firm Charles Bailey Jr, as the first pilot boat for the Timaru Harbour Board and as a replacement for its paddle-tug MANA.
It was launched on December 31, 1901, and named after the wife of the harbour board chairman at the time, William Evans.
The boat’s main tasks were to tow small craft, tend the big steamers, take the health officer out to deep-sea sailing vessels and carry the pilots.
Those were roles it continued until 1927, when it was sold to Captain Percy Moss, of the Portobello Railway and Ferry Co.
From 1928, it was used as a launch to tow barges, carry freight, and ferry passengers when the company’s other ferries TAREWAI and WAIREKA were out of service.
In 1944, it took over from the TAREWAI and regularly sailed the 2.4 kilometers between Portobello and Port Chalmers, carrying up to 37 passengers.
It was a role it continued in until 1954.
Life for the old launch took a turn for the worse after that. While several owners had big plans for the boat, nothing happened and it was sitting in a paddock when the South Canterbury Historical Society bought it for $1200 in 1997.
B/W photo above (ex Bob McDougall ) show ELSIE EVANS being brought to Dunedin’s Birch Street wharf from its long-time mooring at Ravensbourne, on 1 September 1962, and taken by road to Waihola, where it languished there and later with other owners/other places, for decades.
It is planed that passengers (exact number subject to a stability test) would be allowed on ELSIE EVANS by January after she has passed her survey
View TV news article on the launching here
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/century-old-boat-back-water-video-5527794
Check out in the posting below this post, of the 2011 mini movie by Simon East backgrounding the history & restoration, stunning footage of the Otago Harbour.
Elsie Evans – Timaru’s first pilot boat
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ELSIE EVANS
Check out this 2011 mini movie by Simon East backgrounding the history & restoration of the ‘Elsie Evans’, the 1902 Charles Bailey Jnr. built Timaru pilot boat. Some stunning footage of the Otago Harbour.
Then read the posting above for more details + relaunch photos.
Linda
Sea Spray April ’74
Sea Spray April ’74
Linda @ Salthouse July 2013
Linda @ Baywwater
LINDA 1927 Colin Wild
You would not know it by viewing her today but in the mid 1980’s Linda experienced a major fire that almost was the end of her. Enter Robert & Russell Brooke who rebuilt Linda to the magnificent classic launch she is today. I came across (classicboatingnz) a copy of the April 1974 edition of Sea Spray, which featured Linda pre fire & then 51 years old. Text might be a little hard to read (click image to enlarge) but the photos are interesting. For comparison I have also attached a photo of Linda on her marina berth & a July 2013 photo showing Linda post her recent lick of paint & Uroxsys.
Milford Creek before the marina
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Milford Creek in the days before the marina, some nice old girls in the picture. Not sure of the year but someone will be able to have an accurate stab based on the boats.
image ex classicboatsnz
Lady Margaret (Colin Wild)
LADY MARGARET
She is back in Auckland after quite a few years in the far north. They are numerous posting on her on waitematawoodies, just enter her name in the search panel. But a quick overview – 1927, Colin Wild bridge-decker, 42′, one of THE launches in her day with a wonderful provenance.
Very very pretty, then aren’t all Colin Wild boats 🙂
Will be interesting to see if the Col Wild stable is enough to justify the asking price with potential buyers. Talk around the docks is that she sold for a LOT less last time she was on the market & the term used in the listing to describe the recent work is ‘ a make-over’ so best to view her as a wonderful classic that you could go boating in tomorrow but she is very ‘traditional’ in terms of motor, layout, fittings & finish so at some stage to return her to her best you will have to be visiting the bank manager. She will not sell for the asking price but launches with her provenance & looks do not come on the market often. Take a look at the ‘at sea’ photos – a fine looking vessel.
I will be interested to see how she fares in the current classic wooden boat market. The Logan (do not get much better breeding than that) launch Ngaio recently sold for sub $40,000 & was in similar condition, excluding the fresh paint.
More details here.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=620813973
Lady M out on the hard at Gulf Harbour, with her new owner giving her a tickle, Ken R took the photo 22/03/14.
A couple from the new owner
02/07/2014 – Launch date photo below at Colin Wild’s Stanley Bay yard. According to Papers Past the date was 9 Oct 1928, else were on this post we have her as launched in 1927?
I was mooching around Westhaven this afternoon, 17/08/2014 & spied LM on her new berth.
Updated Photo – 15/01/2015
Update 19-02-2020 – photo below of LM c.1962. taken at Okahu Bay
Isa Lei (original name was Taiparu)
ISA LEI (original name was Taiparu)
Details & photos from Ann Hood (owner of Avanti) & Ken Rickitts
Isa Lei was Ann’s parents boat & she was built in 1946/47 by Lidgards & was one of 2 identical boats — the other is ‘Wakatere’. The only visible difference is, that the Wakatere had a dodger from new & Isa Lei didn’t . They both had that unique shaped tuck, the streamlined bow porthole frames.
When she was built, she had the name on gold leaf in script, slanting up at an angle on the combings — (from the side deck line towards the cabin top if you like), after of the last window between the window & where the combings curved down to the cockpit.
Isa Lei was owned for a period in the 80s by a couple who lived in Wheturangi Rd Green Lane, called Jack & Isobel Lucas (the battery people, lived in Panmure) & Ken Rickitts first meet Jack in the early 1980’s, when he pulled in to Mansion House Bay, one day on his way to Auckland with the boat from Whangarei, where he has just bought & taken delivery of her, from the previous owners, Helen & Jim Somner, who had had her for a number of years.
Ann says the small photo has a date on the back of 09.01.64 and believes this is when the Somner family owned her. The photos of her in blue were as her parents found her in Bowentown. She was hauled out quickly at Opua on arrival and then at the BOI Yacht Club for the work. The man doing the recaulking is Keith Edwards
Ann thinks that her Mum and Dad “filled in” the flying bridge and remembers spending hours stripping and sanding the pilot light mast and vhf mast and also sanding the Kauri for her nameplate.
Photos are a montage over the last 70 years. Some pretty, some not…. 🙂
Harold Kidd Update
ISA LEI was built as TAIPARU (not TAUPARU) by Lidgard Bros at the Western Reclamation, Auckland for J. Carlton of Sunny Bay, Kawau and launched on 7th December 1939 with a 6 cylinder 90hp Graymarine petrol engine. In 1946 she was owned by C. Pryce Jones. I H McRae owned her in 1953 and it was he who changed her name to ISA LEI. Roughly 1954 to 1975 she was owned by Lloyd and Jim Somner etc etc.
I think her sistership was WAKATERE which spent a lot of her life in Tauranga.
Kotanui
KOTANUI
While down at Milford CC over the weekend ‘supervising’ the painting prep on Rorqual, the launch Kotanui was being hauled out. A little bit of a tight fit 🙂
I have also posted a photo of her being hauled out at (a long time ago) on the beach at what I think is now ‘Gulf Harbour’. Nathan Herbert will correct me I’m sure, it is after all his photo.
Kotanui is a slightly scaled down version of Trinidad & differs in that she has twin engines/screws.
30-10-2016 Hauled out again – this time at Gulf Harbour (photo ex Ken Ricketts)
20-05-2020 Update ex Glenn Martin – photo below of Kotanui at Milford Marina
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