Category Archives: Mystery Boat

CAN ME PUT A NAME TO THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WENNA

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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. 

Can we ID the boat

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – boats is WENNA – see WW link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/09/17/8768/

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.

MYSTERY TUTUKAKA CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MERLIN

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MYSTERY TUTUKAKA CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MERLIN

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.

COULD THIS BE THE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANU-ITI

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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.

MYSTERY CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER – YVALDA

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MYSTERY CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER- YVALDA

Recently Alistair McRae sent in todays photos that a friend of his uncovered – unfortunately neither the friend or Alistair know anything about the boat,  and he wondered if any of the WW readers might recognise it and or the location. There is a name on the stern but I can’t make it out – maybe something like IWATO or IWATU.

Alistair commented that looking at the vehicle in the photos the date could be from the early 1960s’.

INPUT ex GREG LEES –

She is the Yvalda. Came to NZ in the 70’s from Scotland and spent some time in Sandspit at our yard. Yes now on Lake Wakatipu.

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MYSTERY  JUDGES BAY CLASSIC LAUNCHES

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MYSTERY  JUDGES BAY CLASSIC LAUNCHES

Last week WW was sent the above b/w photo by Dan Barnett. Dan commented that he had been going thru a collection of old newspaper clippings that his recently deceased uncle had saved.

The article is headlined ‘Auckland Spring Winter Day’ and the photo tagged – ‘Launches swinging to their moorings in the still waters of Judge’s Bay’

Can any of the woodys help us ID the craft.

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

HALVORSEN 21 – Classic Australian Wooden Boating

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HALVORSEN 21 – Classic Australian Wooden Boating

On one of my many scrolls thru the classic wooden boating online world I came across a story by Tad Roberts, an American yacht (the generic USA term for all boats) designer. Tad was talking about the iconic Australian boating marquee – Halvorsen. 

Several of their craft have appeared on WW, but Tad’s focus was on the Halvorsen 21’, and he advised that the craft were built from the late 1940’s and were available with both a broken and straight steer. Tads preference was the broken sheer version, commenting that ‘it carries a bit more strength of character’.

Else where on the story we learned that the 21’ launch had a beam of 7’3” and was originally powered by petrol engines of around 50hp.

Back in Nov 2023 WW ran a story on the Halvorsen boating dynasty, which included a wonderful video by Tony Mackay.                 LINK to the WW story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/11/04/the-halvorsen-story/

These smart looking woodys were years ahead of the market, and sadly we never had anything similar in NZ. If had and they were still around today – the Wooden Boat Bureau would be able to sell them in a flash 🙂

The colour photos above feature the launch – GLENORIE. The black and white photo below is of the Halvorsen yard in Neutral Bay, Sydney c.1936

MYSTERY WOODEN BOAT – 09-08-2024 – REO

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MYSTERY WOODEN BOAT – 09-08-2024 – REO

Todays photo comes to us from the Tauranga City Library collection and is tagged ’the-rio’. Doing a WW search on the word rio doesn’t show any vessels that look like todays woody.

Can we learn more, the stern set-up says workboat, so maybe converted to pleasure use at some stage and a name change.

INPUT ex RAY MOREY – Its “REO” built as line boat for the Reotahi Freezing works in Whangarei harbour. This view after a massive rebuild and re-power by Tauranga H.B. engine was a Detroit 4-53 and the gantry frame for servicing moorings

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD  – Ray is right, it’s REO run by the Tauranga Harbour Board for many years from 1923 as a pilot boat. Built by Bailey & Lowe 1903. Was in Whangarei until 1923. More recently in Tutukaka.

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CLASSIC LAUNCH WANDABYNE – 1929 KAWAU CRUISE

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LOYS AT COPPER MINE
Rhonda

CLASSIC LAUNCH WANDABYNE – 1929 KAWAU CRUISE

Todays photos come to us from Max Arthur and date back almost 100 years. Max came across the WW site while research his father – E.W. Arthur and grandfather – H.R. Arthur.

The photos record a cruise to Kawau Island inc.1929.

In the 1st photo (and other) Max believes the flush deck launch is – WANDABYNE. Which is a newbie to me , but in a previous WW story we identified a launch named WONDABYNE (LOLITA) , link below. At first I thought typo but in my eyes not the say boat. https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/06/24/wondabyme/

Can we learn more about WANDABYNE and keen to ID the other launch shown in a couple of the photos.

Help Needed ID’ing This Wooden Boat

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Help Needed ID’ing This Wooden Boat

Todays photos another from the McLeod Collection at the Auckland Library Heritage Collection and comes to us thanks to Nathan Herbert.

The photo is just tagged Bayswater and has a 1900>1909 time period on it. It does look vaguely familiar but I couldn’t find any reference to the photo in the WW archives.

Can anyone help put a her to her.

What’s The New Must Have In Classic Wooden Boating

Answer bow thrusters  – the Slipway Milford is doing a roaring trade in retro fitting – hauled out for work that included a bow thruster – IONA II, SEA FEVER , PACIFIC

PACIFIC