Category Archives: Launches

CICELY II

Posted on by
Reply
Melody

CICELY II

Todays woody photo popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb earlier in the week and Harold Kidd commented that she was correctly named CICELY II and was built / launched in 1949 for the Methodist Mission in the Solomon Islands. 

We can assume she never made it back to NZ, hopefully still afloat but most craft that headed to the islands came to a sticky end. Do we known her status.

What caught my eye was the hull profile so close to the 1/2 model built by Graeme Lidgard and his son Andrew that featured in Thursdays WW story on the Lidgard launch – MELODY.

REHIA 2024 REFIT – Report #2

Posted on by
1

REHIA 2024 REFIT – Report #2

Last we we reported in on the 1938 Colin Wild built launch – Rehia and its xxxxx underway at the Slipway Milford. Today we get an update on the work-in-process. With the current good weather Auckland is experiencing the team at the Slipway have not been holding back, in fact even Cam Malcolm has emerged from his engineering workshop to get ‘on the tools’ 🙂

Sometimes it is quicker to build new than try and save – so a new cabin door has been added to the work list. 

The wonder finish Uroxsys (Alwood) always repays attention to prep, so the 100% back to bare wood will look stunning when it gets the treatment. Her owners will reap the rewards of this work for years to come, and as I said last week, you can’t spend too much on a Colin Wild craft 🙂

LINK TO #1 Report https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/05/03/classic-launch-rehia-gets-a-birthday/

27-05-2024

MELODY 

Posted on by
4

MELODY 

Todays photo above is most likely the launch MELODY,  it popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb – with the boats name and possible date for the photo being 1940>1949.  

The photo was captioned ’The motorboat MELODY at a jetty’.

Back in June 2021 WW was contacted by Donna Lewis, a kiwi living in Australia who had purchased a collection of 1/2 models from a garage sale on KAWAU ISLAND , the models made their way to Australia when the buyer immigrated. Fast forward they were getting on in life and wanting to down scale so they contacted WW and the models were sent back to NZ.

At the time of the 2021 story (link below – lots of chat in the comments section) we learnt that one of the 1/2 models was most likely MELODY (see below) and K Ricketts commented that the builder was Roy Lidgard and sent in a screen grab (refer below) of MELODY taken from a old home movie shot by KR c.1954 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/06/29/lidgard-1-2-models-help-needed/

Are we able to learn more about the launch and what became of her.

Poor quality – ex 8mm movie footage

INPUT ex K Ricketts – magazine article below + 2017 photos

Classic Wooden Boat <> Water Front Apartment

Posted on by
1

Classic Wooden Boat <> Water Front Apartment

We know nothing about this 33’ woodys past life and how it ended up as a floating waterfront pad – but its a seriously cool, low cost accomodation option in Wellington.

The tme story (thanks Ian McDonald) says only $120 a week rent and that includes secure car parking and security gate. At <$20k its a bargain. 

The stern ‘window’ is an obvious giveaway that dockside is her resting place, in fact the engine is not working.

Can we put a name to this former launch now apartment.

BEVERLENE – A Peek Down Below

Posted on by
3

BEVERLENE – A Peek Down Below

Todays woody is – BEVERLENE, the 40’ kauri planked sedan launch built by Owen Woolley in 1968. Her beam is 11’9” and a draft of 3’3”.

As with so many Woolleys the power plant is a 120hp Commer TS3 diesel.

Hasn’t popped up on WW before so keen to learn more about her past life.

INPUT ex Mark Erskine, via K Ricketts – The engine in BEVERLENE is a Rootes 3DB-215 TS3 c.1967>70. Mark reconditioned the engine in 2008 while berthed at Kopu, Thames. Tuned correctly it will produce 140hp. Gearbox is a Borg-Warner 72-C velvet drive.

MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODY DUCK SHOOTING BOAT

Posted on by
2

MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODY DUCK SHOOTING BOAT

The first weekend of May is not a good time for ducks – its opening weekend for the duck shooting season. Angus Rogers sent in the above photo yesterday that is pinned to the wall of the maimai (explained for non NZ readers – a temporary waterfront shelter for shooters to hide in, photos below) that Angus was shooting from on Saturday.

The caption reads – ’Shooting on the Piako – 1920’s. Various members of the Wilson and Collins familiars onboard.

Hopefully Angus’s bag for the day was less than what we see on display in the photo 🙂

Anyone able to ID the launch.

Mystery Lyttelton Launch

Posted on by
Reply

Mystery Lyttelton Launch
Again only a mystery because her owner didn’t include a name on tme (thanks Ian McDonald). If we believe the tme story she is a Logan, built in1908, 36’ in length. Powered by a 1970, 65hp Rustin Rover (???) 

And that woodys is all me know – any southern readers able to enlighten us more on the launch.

BUY OF THE YEAR – HEAO – LOGAN 33 – A Sailors Motor Boat – Reduced Price – Low $80’ks – Click link below for details. https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/02/29/heao-a-peek-down-below-4sale/

Mystery Launch At Te Atatu Boating Club

Posted on by
Reply

Mystery Launch At Te Atatu Boating Club

Short story today, other things got in the way of WW life.

So we have another woody from last weeks visit to TBC. 

Can we put a name to the boat and learn her past.

RESOLUTE – Looking Very Sorry For Herself

Posted on by
Reply

RESOLUTE – Looking Very Sorry For Herself

I first saw the 1937 Dick Lang built 34’ launch – Resolute 12+ years ago when she was hauled out at the Devonport Yacht Club at the same time as Raindance. Her spot was directly in front of mine so I suffered all winter from the green eyed monster i.e. the workmanship and skills of her owner were on another level. 

Fast forward to August 20i6 and she makes an appearance on WW (link below), this story generated details and 2008 photos ex her owner and Harold Lidd.

Then in 2017 we see her hauled out getting a dose of TLC (link below)

Then sadly in 2020 I reported that she had dragged her Stanley Point, Devonport mooring and was aground at low tide. Her owner and helpers saved the day (link below) WW 2016  https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/10/resolute/

WW 2017 https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/07/21/resolute-update/

WW 2020 https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/04/14/sos-classic-launch-resolute-aground/

Last week I was at the Te Atatu Boat Club and spotted Resolute hauled out. As you will see in the above photos she is still a fine looking woody, in architect speak – she’s got good bones, but the clocks ticking – hopefully a plan is in place to bring her back…………….

2008
2017

Looking For Help Identifying This Wooden Boat

Posted on by
3

Looking For Help Identifying This Wooden Boat

Todays woody recent popped up on a Lester Oliver fb post and appears via Maurice Sharp reposting.Lester’s commented that the boat at the dry dock at Ahuriri, Napier. The gent on the left is possibly Napier architect Louis Hay. In the background is the Hawkes Bay Farmers Co-Op Assoc. building . The cowel on the cabin top looks very large relative to the rest of the vessel. Anyone able to put a name to the vessel.

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – We’ve been here before.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/06/30/hawkes-bay-mystery-motorsailer/

I still can’t establish a name for the boat but have a little more information. She was built in Auckland, no builder known, and shipped to Napier in May 1936 as a hull. Later Louis Hay fitted a steam engine which accounts for the small funnel shown in the earlier images. My guess is that the steam plant was replaced with an internal combustion engine later, hence the large ventilator occupying the same hole as the funnel. As for her name, it doesn’t appear in any newspaper articles even those announcing that Louis Hay was the Commodore of the new Hawkes Bay Yachting & Power Boat Club in November 1936.

Work in progress

29-04-2024 UPDATE ex HAROLD KIDD – The hull was built in Auckland and was offloaded from the PUKEKO at Gisborne because of heavy weather.

Message For The Owner Of The Launch – KARAKIA

If you send me an email confirming the boat location and your ownership I’ll drop a WW burgee in the post – why? Because if you look carefully at the photos you will see they have painted the WW logo on the cabin side 🙂  photos ex JASON PREW waitematawoodys@gmail.com  Read / view more on KARAKIA here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/10/01/karakia/