Category Archives: Mystery Boat

The Motor-sailer – Silver Spray

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SILVER SPRAY – Motor-sailer

WW was recently contacted by Bella Scott whose father owns the rather impressive motor-sailer – Silver Spray.

WW is very short / light on details – can anyone tell us about Silver Spray

INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE #1 -Built for the McManaway family of Paremata, Wellington, as a commercial fishing boat, and fished out of Paremata for many years. Converted to present configuration at Mana Marina twenty or more years ago. Good to see that she has retained her name.-

INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE #2 –Built by Jack Guard in about 1938. Owned by Wilfred Thomas McManaway and fished as a line boat in Cook Strait. According to his grandson Ian who served on SILVER SPRAY as a teenager and who I talked with today, she was a very stable working platform. Painted green with white boot topping when new. After being sold out of the family and reconfigured much as she is now, she struck rocks in the Marlborough Sounds and sank. She was salvaged and somewhat rebuilt by McManaway Marine (Picton). It is said that she survived her rocky encounter only because of her collision bulkhead, which had been retrofitted by grandson Ian at the behest of the Marine Surveyor, probably in the late 1960’s. Ian McManaway served his time as a shipwright with the Wellington Harbour Board when he finished his time fishing, and later became a Pilot-Launch Master.

Mystery Launch 15-12-2023

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 15-12-2023

I was sent a link from Harold Kidd re a woody that had ‘popped up’ on one of his son’s fb marketplace feeds. 

The boat is located in Wanganui, Manawatu and all we know is she is 28’ in length, no engine, and built by Laines (their spelling) in 1905. As discussed many times on WW, sadly the word Lanes is almost the default for any unknown launch, so she could be built by anyone.    Been on tme for over 10 months and has an asking price of $500, maybe there are a few bronze fittings that could offset that.

It is a very long shot but – anyone out there know anything about the vessel.

ORDER HERE waitematawoodys@gmail.com Click image above for details

Can We Put A Name ToThis Classic Launch – ALARA

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Can We Put A Name ToThis Classic Launch – ALARA

Todays woody recently popped up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) and other than that she is 28’ long and powered by a 150hp Diesel engine, the other info supplied was a tad light e.g. ‘classic lovely wooden boat with electric winch, toilet, stove.

Home is Birkenhead, Auckland.

Possibly named Alara

Looking For A Project – Venture > Regardette

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Looking For A Project – Venture > Regardette

The woody market currently seems to be very crowded with project boats that need finishing / saving, most have a price tag best describe by the somewhat famous line from the 1997 Australian movie The Castle  – “Tell Him He’s Dreaming’. Well todays woody isn’t a dream, its good value at $500 ono.

Now there’s no motor but the tme story (thanks Ian McDonald) says there is one available for $3k but given its a Volvo 130hp to match the stern drive unit in the boat, you would probably be best to ditch both and start again 🙂

The launch is approx. 30’ and currently in the Taupo area and the trailer isn’t included in the price.

It stated that previously it was an icon of Lake Taupo so fingers crossed the Drake brothers can jump in with some more details.:-)

INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – This is REGARDETTE, formerly VENTURE, understood to be ex-Airforce. She has been at Taupo since the early 50’s I would say, or even earlier – possibly arriving soon after the finish of WW2. She had a Chrysler Crown which now lives in brother Michael’s shed. The Crown gearbox is now firmly bolted to the back of ROMANCE’s Chrysler Ace, where it is doing excellent service. Little else is known.

Can We Identify This Coulthard Launch

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Older Photo

Can We Identify This Coulthard Launch

Several woodys have drawn my attention to this  24’6” launch thats recently popped up on tme. The listing states that it was designed / built by L G Coulthard in Onehunga. The build year says 1965 but Nathan Herbert has commented that Coulthard’s last boat was in 1959, this one resembles a build year c1930s. Nathan also as pictured above she will have had a new cabin since launching. 

There is some uncertainty around the launches name – when her current owner bought her in 2006 in Auckland, her name was  – Talofa and it was claimed she was originally  built for the Mayor of Thames. Her name was subsequently changed to Kotare.

What we know  – 24’6” in length, 8’ beam and draws 2’3” – powered by a 28hp 3 cyl. Vetus marine diesel engine giving her a top speed of 7.5 knots.

Current home is Kenepuru Sound, Marlborough Sounds, South Island.

J .(Jimmy) Mc McLaren Boatbuilders Onehunga 

Recently contacted by a James H McLaren regarding his grandfathers boat yard, the yard was probably side-by-side with the L G Coulthard yard in Onehunga.The photo below shows the McLaren builders plate. James is looking for a surviving dinghy made by his granddad – Jimmy McLaren, James commented that they were his stock in trade.Can anyone help out eg have one for sale – any condition.

Lady Colleen + Mystery Tug

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LADY COLLEEN 

Todays woody the 30’ Lady Colleen was launched in December 1933, built for a Mr. W.D> Burns of Devonport, Auckland. The photo angle / compression isn’t helping the look of the boat.

Sadly 5 months late in May 1934 she was destroyed by fire at Bayswater, Auckland. A gogle search comes up with zip on who built her and the cause of the fire.

Any one able to expand the story more.

(photo ex NZ Herald ex fb via K Ricketts)

INPUT EX HAROLD KIDD -LADY COLLEEN was a “bridgedecker” built by the Invincible Boat Co (Sam Ford) in December 1933 for W.D. Burns of Devonport and that’s what she did best, unfortunately.

MYSTERY TUG

I have been contacted by a gent named Phil Doyle who has recently purchased the below painting and would like to know the vessels name and anymore details. Phil commented that the flag may help with the ID.

Mystery 1939 Lane Launch

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MYSTERY 1939 LANE LAUNCH

A recent addition to tme this 27’ Lane, 1939 built launch is powered by a Perkins 40hp diesel engine, and that woodys is all we know, other than current home is Whangarei. 

Can we put a name to her and maybe learn where she has spent the last 80+ years.

(Thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up)

29-10-2023 Input ex Mark Sorrenson – Looks like Lyrebird. I bought her from Brian Juers in 2004. She was on a swing mooring at that time off McLeods Bay. Brian believed she may have been a Lanes and that she had spent time on the Hokianga Harbour. My late father Graham helped me bring her down the coast to Milford marina. It was a great journey.
We sold her to a couple of gals that lived at Mangawhai Heads. They motored her over the bar and she was on a mooring in the Mangawhai Harbour for a number of years.
She featured on W/W in 2015.
She is very hard chined and would be quite a speedster with a higher powered modern lightweight engine. I had a dream that I would buy her back and repower her, but I’m in the final throws of refurbishing my current boat Manapouri and I will have to wait for the next time she comes up for sale.

Baby Lu

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BABY LU

Earlier in the week Ken Ricketts sent in the above photo of the launch Baby Lu. The photo is ex the NZ Herald 12 October 1929 issue, and comes to us via fb.

The NZH story was highlighting the fact that the previous week, Baby Lu had been stolen from her Auckland mooring and was found abandoned several days later afloat off Bucklands Beach.

Back in March this year we ran a story around a mystery launch ist photo below, at the time Nathan Herbert commented that (with a few alterations) Baby Lu could have morphed into this launch. NH also pointed out the similarities to another craft – named Waratah, 2nd photo below) that has appeared on WW.

Now that we have a tagged Baby Lu photo – what to the brains trust think around the DNA of these craft.

MYSTERY LAUNCH 23-08-2023
WARATAH 16-03-2023

01-11-2023 UPDATE – Photo below of Baby Lu > Waeatah ex Harold Kidd

15-01-2024 UPDATE – photo below ex K Rickettsis probably Baby Lu (confirmed by Nathan Herbert)

MYSTERY MILFORD LAUNCH

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MYSTERY MILFORD LAUNCH

Whilst taking in the photo gallery on display at last weeks Milford Cruising Club’s 100th anniversary I photographed several launches. In the top photo todays craft is seen entering the Wairau Creek and the photo is dated 1919. No one will be around that would have seen the launch but maybe someone is familiar with the photos and can put a name to her.

AND WE HAVE ANOTHER CONTESTANT IN THE CRAFT THAT SHOULD BE A HOUSE AWARD – words fail me, but someone loves it 🙂

MYSTERY MILFORD CREEK YACHT

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MYSTERY MILFORD CREEK YACHT

One of the many photos on display over the weekend at the Milford Cruising Clubs 100th birthday celebrations is the one shown above of the stunning yacht. The photo is captioned ‘Yacht at Milford Estuary 192?’ So that doesn’t really help us much 🙂

The photo caught the eye of both Harold Kidd and myself, but drew a blank. Our best was 22>24’ in length .

So woodys can we ID the yacht? WW burgee to the first woody that puts a correct name / builder to her – subject to HDK giving his ‘could be – sign off 🙂

AND WOODYS THE MCC PHOTO EXHIBITION IS STILL ON TODAY – 10AM > 4PM AT 24 CRAIG ROAD , MILFORD