For several years I have been ‘following’ on-line a YouTube weblog named ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. The Chanel is hosted by a gent named Peter Knowles and Peter has been recording the restoration of 3 classic wooden cruisers, plus we get to go/see his annual cruises in and around the Vancouver, British Columba, Canada area. Amazing location.
Earlier in the week Mark McLaughlin posted on WW a link to Peter’s latest story that includes a visit to the 2023 Victoria Classic Boat Festival – see above. Well worth checking out, lots of boat porn to view + I would encourage you to check out the past episodes of – ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. Link to more details on the site here https://www.youtube.com/@TravelsWithGeordie/about Warning it can get slightly addictive 🙂
In Wellington there is a wonderful group of classic wooden boat enthusiasts that ‘reside’ under the umbrella of the ‘Wellington Classic Yacht Trust’ – they excel at everything and outshine the Auckland based Classic Yacht Association on so many fronts, particularly the 3 F’s – fun, friendship and fraternity. Recently the WCYT publicised on their website http://www.wcyt.org.nz/ a photo essay of classic craft from the Dow Collection. The photo above is one of the featured photos and is of Ngakuta Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound. The collection viewable in the link below is a selection from two albums owned by Doug Gow. It appears the person who took the photos was a crewman (name unknown) on the D Class cruisers HMS Diomede and HMS Dunedin and when off duty a crewed on various boats. The photos date to between 1928 and 1931.
Woody John Wicks was recently visiting Wellington and tooth opportunity to do a spot of marina mooching at Chafers Marina.
One woody leapt out to the eye, hard not to when painted ‘Rescue Yellow’ 🙂 John was unable to sight a name, but dockside chat is that she may have come down from Auckland.
Given the colour – hopefully we can ID her and learn more about her.
Nathan Herbert Input – That’s the Rehutai, ex Arawa, Nomad, Irihapeti. Converted to this guise by Allan Williams in Milford
FREE TO THE RIGHT HOME– Have been recently contacted by a gent that has a pair of wooden game poles (5m high x .800m wide) that he will donate to someone that will use them – so no profiteers need apply 🙂
THE REBIRTH OF CENTAURUS I often remark on WW that some boats get lucky in terms of owners and some sadly do not – Centaurus the 1969, 42’ Bailey & Sons bridge-decker is one of the lucky ones. A succession of owners have cared for her over the years, but even the best practices and intentions aren’t enough to ensure a 50+ year old wooden craft is 100% fit for purpose.
When Angus Rogers purchased Centaurus in late 2019, he had already compiled a ’To-Do’ list. Work started immediately on the projects that would make her more live able and comfortable for extended cruising. Fast forward to September 2020 and she was hauled out for an upgrade on systems and the installation of a bow and stern water thruster unit.
Fast forward to June 2021 and Centaurus was out again for a below the water-line back to bare wood refurbish.If you know Angus you will know that in-between all this there were dozens of other enhancements going on.
Fast forward to 2023 and the decision was made to undertake a refit that would see Centaurus live on for another 50 years. Initially most of the work was based around the decision to re-power with a new John Deere 175hp engine, this replaced the original Cummins V6 215hp that was the size and weight a small elephant. As anyone that has done a transplant knows, the to-do list just keeps growing…….
Below is a list of some of the work undertaken, I’m sure a few things got forgotten along the way, but its a tad scary. Well done Angus. WW has recorded a lot of the work over the last3 years, use the WW Search Box to view. Centaurus re-launched last week and looks stunning, ever the perfectionist Angus has another to-do list to finish her off, but he is under the pump to have her at the upcoming Woodys cruise to Clevedon on Sept 30th > .
Overview of recent work One new water tank, two new fuel tanks, all new plumbing and valves and fuel filter, fuel and water sight tubes and valves, new fuel breathers, new28x23 inch propellor, new and re-positioned motor water intake and toilet water intake and valves all Truedesign nylon and piping, new toilet outflow valve, new 175hp John Deere with ccv and a second alternator (Balmar 175 amp) engineered onto continuous belt, new 2.5:1 ZF gearbox, new fibreglass exhaust system, replaced exhaust on Webasto diesel heater with genuine Webasto parts, installed SaltAttack injection system for flushing motor, built dorade tubes for the 4 half funnels on the sides of the wheelhouse, created a soft closure hatch in the cabin top for the future when needed, new insulation for engine room hatches and around fuel tanks. Cleaned up all bilges under motor and painted white. Able to use existing shaft, dry seal and jack shaft which were all replaced two years ago. Anti-fouled hull and Propspeed to new prop.
Todays woody photo has a launch leaving the Waikato River at Taupo for an excursion on the lake. The photo appeared in The NZ Herald on the 9th January 1937.
And woodys that is all we know, so keen to ID the launch and also the sedan cruiser in the background.
I suspect my inbox will ping me an alert from one of the Drake brothers with the answers 🙂
INPUT ex Nigel Drake – In my view the boat leaving the harbour is Waihora and the sedan launch on the beach is probably Destiny. Will leave someone else to hopefully confirm and provide more detail.
INPUT ex Paul Drake – Yes the above is a great photo of WAIHORA, run commercially by a Mr Tabernacle (Tabby) who was an A grade mechanic and the only person in New Zealand qualified to work on Rolls Royce engines. WAIHORA had a Chrysler Ace or possibly a Chrysler Crown. Last seen at Lake Rotoiti in the early 1980’s with the usual ugly plywood cabin but not seen for many years.
I don’t think the other boat is DESTINY.
Photo below of WAIHORA at Lake Rotoiti dated Feb 8th 1983.
03-09-2023 INPUT ex Michael Drake – I agree that the launch in the foreground is Waihora, going far too fast in the river and with two fenders still down. But I doubt if the sedan launch in the background is Destiny, as the launch in the photo is too highly wooded at the stern, and the Destiny’ s cabin sides were visually lower than shown in the photo.
The launch – Jo Marli made an appearance on WW back in Feb 2019, thanks to some photos taken by Nathan Herbert, of Jo Marli moored at/in Mahurangi, during the 2019 regatta. Link here to that story.https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/02/05/jo-marli-robert-brooke-mnzm/ She was looking a little un-loved at the time. Harold Kidd told us at that time, that the launch first appears in his records back in 1962 owned by R.R. Miller of 346 Dominion Road and he continues as owner for many years after that. She’s been on the Mahurangi for 10 years or so (in 2019).
Fast forward to mid week and I was at OBC and spotted Jo Marli on a marina berth looking very smart, maybe a change of owner? Snapped a photo thru the glass of her interior – equally smart. Well done to her current custodians. Do we know anymore about her?
17-05-2025 UPDATE – Spotted hauled out at the Milford Cruising Club yard, mid May. Photo ex Jason Prew.
Earlier in the week I was watching Centaurus slide back into the water at Te Atatu Boating Club after her extensive refit and owner Angus Rogers mentioned he was on the hunt for a small winch for the dinghy davit. I dropped into The Slipway Milford* shed the next day and jackpot – hiding in a pile of sawdust were a few ‘old’ boat bits – thanks to the guys generosity I left with the winch below in my bag. A quick clean with WD40 and some steel wool and it was perfect. Mr Rogers was very happy. Beer can below for size comparison 🙂
*Now if any of you are wondering why I dropped into The Slipway Milford……….. I was driving down the northern motorway at 11.55am and the nostrils picked up a whiff of BBQ bacon, a quick exit at Northcote off ramp and bingo – Mr Prew was preparing his lunch – in the interests of healthy eating, I had to help out and lighten the load 🙂
Abalone was originally built for the New Zealand Army in 1943 and named Nissan. After WW2, the Tourist and Publicity Department obtained the boat in 1949 and she was placed into service initially on Lake Tarawera and later on Lake Rotomahana and eventually renamed Manuwai.
In the late 1950’s the boat was sold to Ces Jack in Tauranga who undertook a four year rebuild. On relaunching the boat was renamed Abalone and became a deep-sea fishing launch, owned and operated by Ces Jack and later owned by Ian Clunie. She was relocated to Auckland, where during a violent Auckland storm in1983 she smashed on rocks in Hobson Bay. Repair work after the storm was undertaken by Nealy Craft – anyone know who that is or was? She was eventually repaired and placed back to work as a charter boat by Jim Insley.
Abalone was purchased by journalist Warren Berryman and his wife Helen Vause in 1987 and they used the boat for family excursions out around the Hauraki Gulf; as well as occasional fishing and dive charters. Every summer from 1987 until 2004, Abalone went north to the Bay of Islands and then often on to Whangaroa.
Abalone was sold after Berryman’s death in 2004.
Abalone is a fairly distinctive boat so hopefully someone recognises her and can help advise who purchased her in 2004 and where she is today.
Story and photos above ex Greg Philpott.
INPUT ex Mark McLaughlin – About 10 years ago Abalone was on a private pole mooring on the Tamaki River, near the Panmure Bridge. She sank on her mooring. I don’t know if she was restored or scrapped after that but she was under water for quite a while IIRC. Photo below of the location of where she sank – nearest launch to the building.
14-09-2023 UPDATE ex Ray Morey – photos below of Abalone from her re launch 1962. The view of her as original from NZTourist Corp guise is unusual. Note the black top (soot band) on the pipe exhaust.
Sick Of Getting Socks For Fathers Day
This year grab the reins and tell the family what you really want. Today is the un-offical launch of the new waitematawoodys burgee – a long time in the making but I picked the first batch up yesterday. I’ll do a longer story on them later but the quick over view is – 100% canvas, printed 2 sides with the Waitemata Woodys logo using old-school screen printing methods = long lasting. Size is 40cm x 30cm. Sorry about the bad mast photo, no wind yesterday -:) See flyer below – Burgees are $40, caps $38. P&P is $7 – Buy both and WW will pay the P&P. Email orders to waitematawoodys@gmail.com with your address and we will send them off and let you know payment details etc.
The launch Yvonne was recently for sale , asking /start price was c.$37k, quite a jump from the $17k she was listed for back in 2017 – but as you will read below Yvonne had a rather large birthday.
Before we get into that some background – her builder is up for discussion – could be Lane Motor Boat Co. or Collings & Bell, then again as Harold Kidd commented in a previous WW story – she could just as well have been built by any number of Auckland builders from, say, 1912 to 1924 and may even have started life as a flush-decker under a different name. Approximately 33’ in length, built from kauri single plank carvel construction in c.1924. Powered by a 85hp Nissan diesel engine.
During her current owners stewardship Yvonne has had all new electrics, LED lighting throughout, new gas system, new stove, new solar panels, and some interior TLC. The Greg Lees boat yard at Sandspit did a lot of structural work that included a custom fabricated stainless steel keel “shoe” and restored kauri window framing.In my book the coolest item is a genuine Model T wheel – I have admired that piece of kit since I first saw Yvonne back in 2014.I understand she didn’t sell – can anyone confirm? More photos and details in the June 2014 WW story – https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/06/23/yvonne-2/
Waimana had the best possible start in life – built at the Percy Vos yard in 1943 as a 51’ seine trawler for Sanford Fisheries (AK77). At one stage post launching she was set to be requisitioned by the US Army for war use in Noumea, New Caledonia, but this cancelled.
Built from single skin 1.5” kauri planks over double hardwood frames, she weighed approx. 35 tonnes.
Powered by a Gardner 6L3B diesel (not sure if original) .
Fast forward to the 1980’s and Waimana was converted to pleasure use and these days has a very homely fit-out. But still very well spec’ed for cruising.
Originally for sale for c.$110k, its a deceased estate sale and the new tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) is $60k – that woodys is very low entry into a 6 >10 bed apartment.
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