The photo above of the classic game boat – RELIANCE comes to us from Lew Redwood fb’s and is dated May 1930.
The photo is captioned – ‘A launch returning from the Bay of Islands grounds at Cape Brett, with a captured mako shark landed on rod and line by Mr.J.W. Harding of Waipukurau, after a fierce struggle. The weight of this fish was 615lb.
Would love to have seen how they got that fish onboard. Several years ago fishing at Great Barrier Island we hooked a mako and even though we thought it was dead, hours later on the wharf at Tryphena , it was inches away from taking a passing child’s leg off……
WILL YOU BE JOINING THE CLASSIC MUSTER THIS LABOUR WEEKEND AT KAWAU
During the week we were contacted by Rob Griffin regarding his classic wooden launch – MOANAROA. She previously appeared on WW back in Sept 2021, link below to that story. Rob advised they have just completed some maintenance work – I’ll hand over to Rob to tell the story – “Work included sand and repaint, a bit of re-caulking, Primocon and anti-foul, new engine mounts, servicing and retiming diesel injector pump and injectors, plus lots of other sundry items. Moanaroa was designed by Jack Taylor and built in Taupo by McLeod Brothers in 1949. She is carvel Totora planked construction, there has not been glassed. Powered by a 90hp Fordson Major diesel, 34.5ft long and these days calls Waiheke Island home.”
INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – MOANAROA ( more correctly MOANA ROA) was launched at Lake Taupo at the end of December 1949, on the day the Lake Hotel was destroyed by fire. Her ribs are spotted gum and everything else is heart totora, milled at Oruanui (near Taupo). Her build took two years, at the Tamamutu Street home of Don McLeod. She operated commercially for many years, skippered by Don McLeod’s father – known locally as Braces McLeod because he always wore braces in lieu of a belt.
In 1978 the Pointon family got hold of MOANA ROA in a very run down condition. Over a period of a few years they built a new wheelhouse with door and raised a forward cabin, which vastly improved her use-ability. She is a very lucky boat, having had loving owners for a long time. It is very heartening to see that her newish owners are continuing to love her
Back in Jan 2023 (linked below) we shared some photos of the 40’ Keith Atkinson designed / built wooden launch – SHANGO anchored in Little Oneroa, Waiheke Island. Today thanks to Ian McDonald and tme we get to have a gander below decks. Construction is stripped plank kauri. Built c.1970’s.
SHANGO is powered by a Ford 200hp 2728T diesel engine that gives her a 9 knot cruising speed. At some stage in her ownership life someone must have done some serious cruising her her – she has 1000L fuel capacity.
In the 2017 story thanks to a previous owner – Nigel Drake, we received a wonderful insight into the vessels past.
Today thanks to a Ian McDonal and tme we get to have gander below decks.
Some intel – designed and built in 1962 by Brin Wilson, 39’ in length, built from kauri, carvel construction. Forward motion is by the ever popular Ford 120hp, 6 cyl, diesel engine.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH- LADY CAROLE – A Peek At Stage II Over the last few months we have been following the restoration the classic launch – LADY CAROLE and as seen in Wednesdays WW story LC is now back in the water.Whilst the exterior work has almost been completed and we will not be getting any updates for a while, we asked o-owner Patrick Crawshaw to share with us what’s inshore for Phase II (interior). Patrick commented that she originally had a beautiful kauri trimmed interior and the original configuration will be restored along with the fine timber work she once had. A few modern additions will bring her into the 21st century, but these will be hidden, or discreetly placed. The thinking / plans are shown in the drawings below Forward Cabin with four berth bunks. Toilet through the mirror in the bow.
FORWARD CABIN – with 4 berths/bunks – toilet thru the mirror/door > bow
CAN ME PUT A NAME TO THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WENNA
Trolling thru the WW archives recently I came across a folder from back in 2017, from memory one of the WW readers found an old photo album (below) that had been discarded and sent in a collection of random scans taken from the album. Sorry but I have not recorded the senders name.
A lot of the photos were damaged but several were in good shape. Todays woody story features a launch hauled out near Sam Ford’s yard.
INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – She was built as WENNA for Eric O’Neill of Ponsonby in 1925, probably by Collings & Bell in whose yard she is shown hauled out. In 2014 she was RANGATIRA, owned by George Emtage and Pam Cundy at Whangateau. They reverted to the name WENNA.
Todays woody story is the last from my recent trip to Tutukaka marina. The woody seen in the above photos looks a tad familiar but my brain search mode is a somewhat slow these days 🙂 Not sure if she is midway thru a varnish job or just crying out for some TLC, hopefully the first.
Can we put a name to the vessel and anymore intel on her. – Its MERLIN, but we still know very little about her.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – GLENIFFER – A Peek Down Below
Todays woody is the 39’ classic wooden Bridgedecker – GLENIFFER. A recent addition to tme (thanks Ian McDonald) – as always seems to be the case a few factual discrepancies, so in the interests of getting right on WW , we will go with what Harold Kidd advised in a previous WW story (linked below – great b/w photo there) that she was built by Chas Bailey & Sons and launched in October 1930.
GLENIFFER also made a cameo WW appearance in April 2017 (linked below)
COULD THIS BE THE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANU-ITI
Last weekend one of the woodys that we past on the Wairoa River was the launch – MANU-ITI, a rather striking small classic launch that was crying out for some TLC.
During the week WW was contacted by Kerry Alexander who posed the question – could the launch seen in the top photo above be MANU-ITI ?
Kerry commented that he I did not remember the build name but i think it may have been for Mr Yates sen , of the seed company. The builder Keith Atkinson is seen in the doorway.
A possible date for the photo is c.1965 and the boat maybe a Bill Couldrey design.
So woodys can anyone comment / added to this mystery boat in the shed photo.
INOUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – yes, designed 1964 for Yates and one for Birkenhead and Northcote Yacht Club. Only the Yates boat built.
02-10-2024 UPDATE ex Chloe Salthouse – photo below of Manu-iti crossing Parekura Bay up in the Bay of Islands, with Norman Yates at the helm. Date probably not long after her launch in 1965.
Today we have the latest update on the restoration of LADY CAROLE, as previously co-owner Patrick Crawshaw will walk us thru it – Patrick commented that there were a few things still to do like put the non skid on the decks and the mast and some more fittings. But LC is days away from touching the water – hopefully tomorrow ✔️
The last couple of weeks has been spent finishing the painting, getting the mast made, and trims fabricated for the aft deck curve. Next year the rub rails will be changed to stainless steel, but we used the existing ones for now. Most of the chrome fittings are on. Hull with anti-foul, prop speed, etc.
Starting to come together with the chrome going on.
Spring Equinox – The cover gets removed and we see her for the first time from a distance.
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