Category Archives: Launches

CLASSIC WOODEN BOATS AT TUTUKAKA MARINA

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CLASSIC WOODEN BOATS AT TUTUKAKA MARINA

Łatę last week I had to visit Tutukaka Marina in Northland, first up a confession – I had never been there before by road. Made an emergency stop there 40+ years ago on a yacht that was taking on water to the extent that we were sinking i.e. manual bilge pump and bucket couldn’t keep up – ’saved’ by a fishing boat that rafted us up and took us into Tutukaka where we went straight on the grid and waited for the falling tide. Issue repaired and after a very long day at the bar in the Swordfish Club, continued on to the Bay of Islands. That woodys is the short story, before the fishing boat arrived we were at the point of grabbing what we wanted to take with us in the very small dinghy……..

Very impressed with the marina and surrounding area, friendly staff and well maintained set up.

While waiting to meet someone I walked the docks and snapped a few photos of some of the classic wooden craft berthed there. I have a few more but will save them for future stories.

Looking forward to the woodys Clevedon overnight / BBQ cruise this weekend – weather forecast to looking good.

RSVP – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

1954 CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – YVONNE

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1954 CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – YVONNE

The 38’ Swanson designed / built classic launch – YVONNE was launched in 1954 in the Marlborough Sounds and I think has resided there all her life.

We last saw her back in Dec 2022 in a WW photo gallery from Dean Wright who had been mooching around the Waikawa Marina.

Before that in April 2017 she appeared on WW and was for sale at the time (last photo) now thanks to woody John Dawson spotting her on fb we get a close up view.

She is a unique style and appears to be very well cared for – we like that 🙂

RSVP – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

FORTUNA – A Peek Down Below

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FORTUNA – A Peek Down Below

Many moons ago when I was launch captain at the CYA I had a lot of dealings with the then owner of – FORTUNA, the 35’ Henry Scheel designed motor sailer. As you will see from the photo gallery above FORTUNA is very well fitted out and in great condition for a 1949 built wooden craft. 

Her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) states over $580,000 spent on her, which is possible but I have no memory of the boat being in Peter Brookes yard……… 😉

Back into 2007/8 she had a back to bare timber refit, which included a re-power with a 135hp Lees Ford.

For a 35’ woody that has a 11’6” beam she is more than capable of extended cruising, with all the fruit e.g. water maker, auto pilot, 600L fuel and of course rigged to sail.

CLASSIC WOODEN WORK BOAT – ARAHINA

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 Arriving from Auckland on 31 October 1925
Going about her business on a calm Wellington Harbour
1954 at the start of her 18,000 pound refit, which included a new wheelhouse

Classic Wooden Work Boat – ARAHINA 

Back on August 24th WW draw attention to the Wellington ex Pilot Boat – ARAHINA and how she was desperately in need of a new custodian – At the time Paul Drake commented as below, then sent in the above photos from the past.

ARAHINA arrived in Wellington from Bailey and Lowe’s yard in Auckland on 31st October 1925. On trials she achieved 10 knots with her 100HP Fairbanks Morse engine. In 1954/55, ARAHINA had major work done on her structure and a new wheelhouse added. This was done by Wellington Harbour Board shipwrights, at a cost of 18,000 pounds. In 1979, she went to Jorgensen’s in Picton for another refit, and on her return (under tow) she had the 193HP Kelvin engine fitted. She was sold into private ownership at the end of 1987 and relocated to Picton.She is remembered by one Wellington pilot who knew her well as “a narrow gutted single screw vessel.

She was a seaworthy vessel but tended to broach severely in a following sea, as was often experienced off Pencarrow in a southerly”. On one such occasion when she picked up speed on the face of a large sea astern, her stern picked up and over she went, throwing her Launchmaster into the corner of the wheelhouse as he tried but failed to keep her on course. The pilot and engineer eyed each other as they made for the open wheelhouse door. But ARAHINA recovered herself and all was well enough.

LABOUR WEEKEND CLASSIC WOODY BOATING AT KAWAU ISLAND

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LABOUR WEEKEND CLASSIC WOODY BOATING AT KAWAU ISLAND

In recent years the Kawau Boating Club have probably been the must progressive boating club in town with their upgrades to facilities – clubhouse, jetty, fuel dock etc and securing the longtime tenure on the clubs assets.

In addition to all this the club, spearheaded by Mike Mahoney, have been planning to create an icon event for the club – well sometimes looking backwards is a smart thing – for decades the KBC hosted every Labour Weekend an OPENING WEEKEND REGATTA, but for all the wrong reasons the event had slipped off the calendar. Fast forward to 2024 and opening weekend at Kawau is back – bigger and better than ever. 

KBC will be holding hands with the Ponsonby Cruising Club to offer up an action packed long weekend of boating activity – afloat and ashore. See below for details.

While most of the on-the-water activity is sailing focussed, WW have been working with KBC and PCC to encourage classic woody launches and classic cruising yachts to attend. 

The plan is to hold a classic woody event on the Sunday where woodys will participate in a parade around the bays / baches in Bon Accord Harbour – along the lines of the Mahurangi Weekend launch parade. Meeting time will be 11am off KBC wharf.

We will spice it up with prizes for things like – Best Dressed Craft / Longest Traveled / Oldest Boat / Lucky Draw etc – + all woodys in the parade will also go in the draw for a haul-out at the Slipway Milford yard. On the Saturday there will be a waitematawoodys gathering ashore to catch up and enjoy each others company. There will be lots of opportunities over the weekend to enjoy the recently refurbished clubhouse – so make plans to be there.

So for now

1. Circle Oct 25 > 28 in the diary

  1. 2. View / download the file below to read all about the weekend.

3. If you own a yacht or crew on one – down load the entry form at the link below

LABOUR WEEKEND SPRING SPLASH (12)Download

And there is always a woody boat story – check out the photo below ex Ken Ricketts of two woodys in Whakatakataka Bay (Orakei, Auckland), can we put a name to the boat in the foreground. Excuse the image quality – pulled off TV screen.

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – It’s Natasha which kept sinking and then was hauled at Okahu and presumably left by road or bin. The other is a Kempthorne / Salthouse KB760 type, presumable fibreglass. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/06/07/natasha/

KAIPAPA – CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WOODEN BOAT

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KAIPAPA – CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WOODEN BOAT

WW was contacted yesterday by Lindsay McMorran (MV POPPET – Logan 33) in regard to a woody that has just appeared on his pier at the OBC (Outdoor Boating Club, Orakei) the boats name is KAIPAPA.

At first glance I might be a little to quick to use the term woody….. looks a relatively new hull shape and someone made good use of some plywood sheets on the cabin 🙂

 Seems PACIFIC isn’t the only boat that used the ‘WARNING BOW THRUSTER decals that came in the packaging 😉

Anyone know more about KAIPAPA

CLASSIC MOTOR BOAT – ORMPAPERE

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CLASSIC MOTOR BOAT – ORMPAPERE

Todays woody recently popped up on tme (Ian McDonald ✔️), while the cabin house is calling out for a facelift more in keeping with her hull, as the architects say – she has got great bones.

A woody sympathetic craftsman could easily turn ORMPAPERE into a real looker.

Some background – 22’ in length built by Alf Sanders in the carvel planked method. Forward motion is via a Nissan SD22 4cyl. diesel engine.

Home port is Waikawa Bay, Picton – the perfect base and craft for cruising the Marlborough Sounds

LADY CAROLE RESTORATION – UPDATE #6

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LADY CAROLE RESTORATION – UPDATE #6

Today we have the latest update on the restoration of LADY CAROLE, as previously co-owner Patrick Crawshaw will walk us thru it – certainly on the home straight 🙂

“A couple of weeks ago the cradle had to be removed for another boat, and so the cover had to come off. After all this time under the plastic, we were able to see Lady Carole for the first time after all the work we had done. Later that day, the cover was pulled back over and she went back into hiding for the home stretch of work to be done – finish line in sight! 

The original waterline, which was grooved into the planks, was reinstated.

Window trims with top coats

The glass for the windows arrived and were fitted along with the trims. 

Chrome half cowl vents were collected from the fabricators who had to repair them and then they went to the Chromers. Both companies did an incredible job at restoring them. 

Plinths had to be made for them to sit on. This is them being pre-fitted to the boat so we could get the plinths right as they angle back and in. 

And finally the colours are going on and we can see the colour scheme a bit better. All two-pot rolled on and then tipped off with a brush. 

Second coat white, then it will be masked for the blue to form a sharp line. 

Lady Carole letters will go evenly spaced just below the walk through instead of either side as they were before. 

Mid section is going to be browny red and this goes on tomorrow, so more photos to come once this is done. Rub rail will be white to break up the blue a bit. Waterline will also be white.” 

MYSTERY LIDGARD WOODEN LAUNCH – LE ANNE > SALACIA TOO > EMMZEE

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MYSTERY LIDGARD WOODEN LAUNCH – LE ANNE > SALACIA TOO > EMMZEE

John Dawson wrote in earlier in the week that while sniffing around fb he came across the above photos. In them we see a c.1960’s launch built by John Lidgard at this West Auckland yard on a Winstone Ltd transporter on route to launching.

Can we ID the boat and learn more about what became of her.. Update – was originally named LE ANNE and now named EMMZEE.

INPUT ex KEN RICKETTS – The boat is the SALACIA TOO. She lied at the Sandspit for many years & was named as she is, (or was originally), by the early owners as their first boat was called SALACIA. Photos of SALACIA TOO below (last three relate to – SALACIA)

Now named EMMZEE – photo below

MYSTERY SHIPBUILDERS 30’ WOODEN LAUNCH – ANTIBES

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MYSTERY SHIPBUILDERS 30’ WOODEN LAUNCH – ANTIBES

Todays woody is only a mystery because there is no name visible on the vessel or mentioned on tme (thanks Ian McDonald).

What we know is she was built from triple skin kauri (+glass) in 1979 by Shipbuilders and is powered by a 180hp Nissan turbo diesel engine, given her length and engine size she cruises nicely at 10 knots.

I have spotted her several time moored at Waiheke Island and she always looked well cared for.

The 1979 build and some of the design elements (flybridge, stern profile) keep her out of the true classic group but she gets away with it, which isn’t easy on a sub 30’ vessel.

Can we put a name to the launch.

REMEMBER BOAT YARD SALE AT TE ATAU BOATING CLUB TOMORROW