Category Archives: Launches

Mapu

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MAPU

Story & photos by Mark Lane

Built in 1914 by Lane Motor Boat Company for TM Lane and Sons who were timber millers in Totara North, 30′ x 7′.6″  She was taken north to Whangaroa.  She was a classic flat decker and I am not sure with what she was origonally powered with other than it was an air cooled motor.

My grandfather Clarence Lane (son of Thomas Major Lane) who was instrumental in setting up the Lane Motor Boat Company) went away on his honeymoon on Mapu in 1916   She was originaly built as a pleasure and workboat where her role primarily towing logs out of the local rivers and towing barges a role she filled over the next 30-40 year.

In 1939 she came back to Auckland to be repowered with a Scrips marine conversion of a Hercules truck motor producing 110hp.  This made her the fastest boat on the whangaroa harbour pulling around 22-24 knots

During the war she acted as the supply boat for the local gun emplacement at the heads of the Whangaroa Harbour and also towed for them targets between the heads and Stephenson Island.  My father Trevor Lane (son of Clarence) used her for crayfishing around this time as well. She was re-fastened in 1950.

By the 1960,s she was primarly a pleasure boat used by my father and his brother and their families for fishing picnicing etc.   In the 1970 she was repowered with a Fordson deisel  but by the mid 1980s she was largely unused and stored intially in a boatshed on the Lane and Sons property and subsequently in the tide in the “barge shed” where her seams having opened so much the tide came in and out of her.

In the late 1990,s Lane and Sons was being wound up and I brought her in an as is where is state.  Thus I am the 4th generation of my family to own her….

Trevor Ford (son of Sam Ford and a retired boatbuilder from the Lane Motor Boat Company) assessed her and undertook to rebuild her.  He showed me a hand-drawn picture of Mapu with a cabin and dodger and then proceeded to rebuild and repower her.  The project took him over three years in a barn on his property in the Bombay hills.

She was repowered with a Nanni convesion of a Kubota deisel (50 hp)

She was relaunched in 2003.  She heads north  in summer to Whangaroa her “home” for then retrns to Auckland at the beginning of winter and is berthd in Pine Harbour Marina.  She competed in the 2008 Rudder Cup race around sail rock and came second in her division.

Cruising speed  is 8.2 knots and full speed about 9.7-10.4knots depending on the cleanliness of her hull!!!.

I suspect the owner of Raindance will acknowledge she is pretty quick for her size and power.. (edited – the owner of Raindance hopes the CYA launch handicapper reads waitematawoodys 🙂  )

Isma

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Isma

ISMA

The boat above is Isma owned by Charles W Ravenhall – pictured in the Orakei Basin with Upland Road in the background – obviously in the days prior to the the basin being enclosed.

The proportions & scale on this little launch are just about perfect. I just amazes me how in later years all this wonder design talent was cast aside & ‘sheds’ we built over so many of our vessells.

Note: Charles Ravenhall also owned Silver Spray.

I wonder where they are all heading?

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I wonder where they are all heading?

Looks like a bit of a day out, maybe welcoming someone or thing e.g. fleet?

I can ID Aumoe & is that Tasman closest to the camera?

Harold Kidd Update:

 I reckon this is just before the start of the NZPBA opening race on 24/11/1934, a cruising race to Awaroa Bay. Boats were assemble off the NZPBA clubhouse at Mechanics Bay at 1430. Entrants were MARO, AHUAREKA, ELVIRA, DEFENDER, AUMOE, VIVEEN, CRUSADER, RAUMATI, LADY JOYCE, Surf and post entries. I see CRUSADER and AUMOE. I think the nearest of the bunch of three at left could be RAUMATI

Rongo

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RONGO (II)

The above images of this rather grand & large launch have me stumped as to its identity, I’m sure its easy but today my mind is a blank. Photo says c.1930

30/05 – appears the collective brains trust agree on Rongo – thanks team 🙂

Harold Kidd Update

I’m certain it’s RONGO (II) when owned by W. Cecil Leys in 1930. She was built as GLADYS II by Bailey & Lowe in 1919 for Chas. Court of Stanley Bay and fitted with a 150hp Sterling Model FM 6 cylinder engine. Court sold her in 1930 to Leys who had her lengthened 10 feet and renamed her RONGO. Leys owned her until 1942 when she went into NAPS as Z20. Subsequent owners included R W Butcher (1942-44), Joe Moodabe (of the Civic Theatre) (1944-47), W J Henry (1947-49), W A (Wilkie) Wilkinson (1949) W A Kenny of Picton (1964) by which time she had a 1955 Gardner 5cylinder diesel. She came back north but went to pieces at Algies Bay in July 2007.

Update 2

1. Rongo went into NAPS with a Chrysler fitted around 1938, so they probably left that in throughout hostilities as ex-USN Chryslers (and GM/Graymarine 71 series) were standard issue, for parts rationalisation.
2. Walter Bailey designed her and Bailey & Lowe built her. I would have thought that she was manifestly Bailey & Lowe, not Lanes (although I do accept that all launches do default to Lanes in the case of doubt [and I won’t repeat my conceit that Garth built them all by himself at the risk of being flamed again by Alan]).
3. Mike Moodabe never owned her. It was his brother Joe, and then only briefly, from when she came out of NAPS in 1944 until 1947.

 
PS [sackcloth and ashes] a bit of misinformation I created myself…..I have now found the reference to Chas. Court selling GLADYS II to Sir W. Cecil Leys .. ….it was in October 1927, a lot earlier than I had thought. It was hard to pick out which of the references were to RONGO (I) and which to RONGO (II) (OMG here we go again!).
 
The 35ft RONGO (I) is very interesting. She was built as MOLLIE for Capt Somerville by T M Lane & Sons (really) in December 1911 equipped with an 18hp 4 cylinder Scripps. Capt. Somerville sold her to Percy Colebrook around late 1913. Colebrook sold her to Leys in August 1919 while he was having the second MOLLIE (later ALCESTIS/RAIONA) built by Joe Slattery. Leys had her extensively modified (cabintop raised, lengthened by 3ft etc) and renamed her RONGO. The work was done by Lanes who fitted a big 100hp Scripps in 1926 for which they were the agents.
When he bought GLADYS II and renamed her RONGO II in 1927 he sold RONGO I to J T Julian of Remuera. Julian retained the name RONGO and sold her to C W H Ronaldson in 1938. I lose track of her after 1940 but will work out what happened to her one day…undoubtedly a postwar re-name.
It’s all a bit convoluted……………
 
Update 3
Sorry to bang on about the RONGO tribe but I have found that it was Chas. Bailey who modified MOLLIE (I) for Cecil Leys in 1919 into RONGO (I). Lanes had their hands full with LUANA. At that time there were 5 big (45ft+) launches being built around the Waitemata; Collings & Bell with MARGUERITE (later LADY UNA), Joe Slattery with MOLLIE (II) (later ALCESTIS/RAIONA), Bailey & Lowe with ATATU and GLADYS II (later RONGO II) and Lanes with LUANA. The huge postwar demand was hard to satisfy but Chas. Bailey didn’t attract any orders for big launches for some reason.

Update from Baden Pascoe:

(refers to colour photo in slide show)

This is how she looked when I saw her. In my files I found she was a NAPS vessel, no Z20, 1/7/42 -27/12/43.

She had a 6L2 installed the same engine Joan had fitted. Conrad Robinson still has this engine at Warkworth. One good thing about NAPS, your boat came back with a very nice engine. At this time she belonged to R.W. Butcher of Auckland. The man in the white hat is dad, he could not get over the length of her and was concerned that she was hogging while they lifted her. He supervised the blocking of her keel once she was slipped. Very nice boat, shame she got wrecked. Very Lanes looking though!!

Aumoe

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Aumoe
The caption says ‘Deep Water Cove’.
Of interest is the special effects applied to b/w photos in the days before colour cameras.

Aumoe

12-07-2019 Input from Deb Green

The photo below is from Tom Wood (Deb’s uncle). Tom owned Aloha.

Picture 008

 

Silver Spray

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Silver Spray

SILVER SPRAY

Story & photo by Lyn Hatrick

The above boat is the Silver Spray which my Dad has noted as being built by Joe Slattery in Judges Bay about 1925 and was 26ft long. It was powered by an Ailsa Craig petrol engine. This boat is still in existence and has been completed done up and is now moored out by the boatsheds at Orakei. My grandfather owned one of the boatsheds there which he housed the Silver Spray in. These sheds were offered to those affected by the buildingof the pipeline and who owned boats which used to be kept up on the foreshore where the Shore Road/Orakei Road intersection is. The family lived in Orakei Road at the time and then moved to Tuahere Street and loved boating

Note the above was ‘borrowed’ from a facebook page & used based on the fact they we borrowing waitmatawoodys material 😉

Alcestis

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Alcestis

ALCESTIS

I’m yet to see a unappealing photo of Alcestis (Mollie,Raiona), this one as Harold Kidd would say ‘going full chat’, look at the exhaust just above the waterline midship, with a steadying sail up.

Photo supplied by Graham Guthrie

Centennial Rudder Cup Winner

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CENTENNIAL RUDDER CUP
Raindance the floating head office for waitematawoodys picked up another shiny thing at the CYA prize giving last night. Will sit nicely alongside the Motor Launch Trophy won last year.
This year Raindance collected the Centennial Rudder Cup, the trophy donated by Pauline & Harold Kidd to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rudder Cup Race, one of the most significant events in our motor launch history.
Special mention should be made to my boat boy Simon Yates.

Valray

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VALRAY TAKEN ON OWNERS FAMILY SLIPWAY1975

VALRAY 
Tale & photo supplied by Ken Ricketts
Valray,named after Mr Ray & Mrs Val Hamilton, as one would think, is 38 ft, built of fiberglass Kauri, on the family farm, by the original owner himself, who was the then Harbour Master at Sandspit, Ray Hamilton, a real craftsman & artisan at all he did, or attempted, with his son Andrew, whom I thank so much for making this the photo available to me, having carried on what he started, with the boat building craftsmanship dynasty, & who is at the moment building a fascinating launch, on the same farm in Hamilton’s Rd Warkworth.
I saw her under construction on the farm during the later 60s. I can tell you all, the quality of materials & workmanship was almost better than the best, with beautiful lines as you can see, & a superbly crafted & finished interior.
As is obvious she is of the Vindex concept.
She was powered when built by 2 unusual model 6 cyl in line Perkins Diesels in N.Z., they were the  “S6” model & the only 2 I ever saw, & they may well still be in her today. They ran beautifully.
I saw them before installation, & after, & they were lovely looking large, mid metallic blue painted, naturally aspirated motors, ideal for the job they would be doing, in my view.
She lived right off the main wharf at Sandspit, during Ray H’s stewardship, (surprise, surprise, since he was the Harbour Master), & was used regularly.
She cut through the water superbly, & at a really good turn of speed, sat very flat in the water, & did not push or drag lots of water either end — seemed to cruise circa 18 knots at least, I’d say.
BEAUTIFUL!!
All in all, as far as I know, a great well keep boating secret, until now.
Would love to know where she is now if anyone can help. My email is kenpat@ihug.co.nz
Additional info
Valray was sold in 1978 to a Mr Gilbert.
Ray H imported the engines himself from UK specailly for her & the family still have a complete engine (not running at the moment) & many spares if anyone knows of a home for them.