Category Archives: Mystery Boat

Telstar II – Vintage Speed Boat

Posted on by
3

Screen Shot 2020-03-17 at 2.42.42 PM

Screen Shot 2020-03-17 at 2.43.36 PM

TELSTAR II – VINTAGE SPEED BOAT

I came across this ‘classic’ speed boat while trolling thru trademe. All the Masterton, Wairarapa based seller knows is that its 13’ in length.
Maybe the number on the hull, W.P. 45, will help us ID the boat.
 
Unless she held the NZ water speed record (which I highly doubt) the vendors asking price of $3.5k is a tad bullish.
 
23-05-2022 Update
Peter McLeod contacted us to advise that he now has Telstar II under his care and has just about finished recommissioning her. Photos below.
 
 
 

Mystery Whangrei Harbour Launch

Posted on by
7

Screen Shot 2020-03-09 at 5.49.04 AM

Mystery Whangarei Harbour Launch

It’s a little hard to back up yesterdays WW coverage of the CYA Classic Yacht Regatta – big numbers viewing, including the USA and UK.
So today we have a very cool b/w photo of an unknown launch pictured at anchor in Whangarei Harbour, its dated c.1900’s and that woodys is all we know.
Can anyone help us ID the boat?
(thanks to Lew Redwood’s fb for the image)
12-03-2020 Input from Harold Kidd – I think it is the 32ft KIA KOA, built by Bailey & Lowe in 1908 for A.R. Pickmere of Whangarei with a 10hp Gardner petrol engine, 6ft shorter than GLADYS/GISPA but from the same stable and a year or so earlier.
And if you missed yesterdays WW story (100+) photos – just scroll down 😉
Input from Denis O’Callahan (MV Tasman) – The lines of the hull look similar to my father’s boat, Mapu, designed by H E Cox in 1927 for H A Adams. I think she was built by Col Wild. She had a 2 cylinder Kelvin sleeve valve engine which was run on kerosene during WW2. The photo below of Mapu at the Needles Eye, Birkenhead some time in the 1940s. This was where Jim Young had his boat shed back in the day.
Mapu at Needles Eye 1940 something
WBB0003_Banner-980x160

 Classic Wooden Launches + Classic Sailing Regatta Photos

Posted on by
2

IMG_4283

Help Needed Identifying Classic Wooden Launches

The above photo shows three launches (+ a peek on a 4th on the far left) moored in Hobson Bay, Auckland. The photo is from the Edward Double Collection (1930-1940), and comes to us via Maurice Sharp’s fb.
Can we ID the boats?
2020 CYA Classic Yacht Regatta
The annual 3 day sailing regatta is in progress and yesterday I crewed on Jason Prew’s 1904, Logan built gaffer – Wairiki in Race 1.
Now I have always heard dock chat that Wairiki was a wet boat, well folks I can confirm thats an understatement,
I think you would be dryer on a sail board 🙂 Water aside (it was warm) it was a great afternoon with nice people – Jason Prew, Steve Horsley, Micheal O’Dwyer and Joyce Talbot.
In-between waves and spray I managed to snap a few photos – a taste below – more tomorrow. Enjoy.

IMG_4330

Ariki – 1904 Logan

IMG_4344

Windhaven II – Colin Wild

IMG_4302

IMG_4323

Wairiki – Onboard foot spa

IMG_4350

Jason Prew & Steve Horsley (L>R)

IMG_4372

Race HQ @ RNZYS

IMG_4376

Mike O’Dywer, Steve Horsley, Alan Houghton

Mystery Launch At Waiheke Island

Posted on by
6

IMG_4191

IMG_4193

Mystery Launch At Waiheke Island

Mooching around Sandy Bay I spotted the above woody – it looks familiar. Not anchored, on a mooring so maybe she is an Island boat.
I’m sure someone smarter than me can ID her.
Woodys Classics Waiheke BBQ & Pizza Lunch – Trip Report
IMG_4185
Another great turn out for Saturdays gathering at Little Oneroa – I counted 16 woodys in the bay, rowing past a couple I may have detected a whiff of PVC but they were lookers and all had a healthy mix of timber and bronze. Attending boats tagged in the story.
Most people decided to order lunch from the wood-fired pizza caravan and were not disappointed – very yum.
The timing seemed to work for everyone – several boat travelled long distances to participate and 1/2 the fleet were just there for the day. Also dog friendly venues are appreciated – again 1/2 the boats had pooches aboard. Perfect weather and very low numbers of what the islanders call ‘day trippers’.
As proof that all you need to be welcomed at a Woody Classics event, is a passion for wooden boats – my boat of the day was Allan and Pam Hooper’s – Katherine. Her dinghy (built by Allan) gets her a 10/10 tick in my book.   You can read more about Katherine here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/02/03/katherine/

IMG_4228

Katherine

IMG_4229

IMG_4168

Little Oneroa – Waiheke Island

Oneroa
Oneroa

I spotted Allan’s dinghy ashore on Sunday morning  at Oneroa – now Allan is a perfectionist, so his score drops to 9.9/10 – he left the stickers on the oars 🙂
IMG_4214

Mystery Launch

Posted on by
4

IMG_0075

Mystery Launch

The above photo popped up on fb recently with the comment ‘1982 Fishermans Wharf, Whitianga’. Sorry about the poor quality of the photo, but hopefully its good enough for someone to ID the launch for us.

FYI – sorry about the early post on WW re Athena, has been transferred to a previous Athena story…….. for some reason the WW search function didn’t work for me.

Woodys Waiheke BBQ & Pizza

WBB0003_Banner-980x160

 

Avalon – Sam Ford Launch

Posted on by
9

IMG_0070

IMG_0073

IMG_0071

IMG_0072IMG_0074

Avalon – Sam Ford Launch

A friend of mine was working last week and spotted the above woody on a North Shore property. Being a friendly chap he introduced himself to the property owner, who god bless her is well into her 80’s and lives alone. The boat has been in the family since the 1970’s and she and her late husband used to cruise the gulf in her. She even went solo after he passed away 🙂
What we know is that the owner is fairly certain the launch is a Sam Ford, 24’ in length but the husband added a few feet to the stern.
Prior to being hauled out she was kept on a swing mooring in the Beachhaven Wharf area. She may have been named Avalon.
Note the ‘eyebrow’ over both sets of forward facing windows – its an often over looked feature that really adds a salty look to the right vessel.
I’m interested in ID’ing the launch and also agreeing on the design / builder – I’ll be shot down in flames, but to my eye, she has a hint of Couldrey to her. Nathan H………….. help me 🙂
Now the interesting thing is, to the right buyer, she could possibly be acquired. Price tba but you wouldn’t need to see the bank manager for a loan 😉
I have kept names and boat location out of the story – the last thing the owner wants is a stampede of people knocking on her door.
Input from Cameron Pollard – She is a Sam Ford and named Avalon. 1954 launch day photo below.
Avalon Launching Day
WBB0003_Banner-980x160

MYSTERY WHITIANGA LAUNCH

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_2910

MYSTERY WHITIANGA LAUNCH

Have not had a mystery / ID the boat story in a while. Photo taken Whitianga – late 1940’s > early 1950’s.
First woody to correctly name the boat – wins a waitematawoodys cap. Entries via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
As you read this I’ll be at the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade – lots of cool photos on Monday.
WW Caps copy
WBB0003_Banner-980x160

Mystery Launch 21-01-2020

Posted on by
9

Screen Shot 2020-01-19 at 8.46.58 PM

MYSTERY LAUNCH 21-01-2020

The photo of todays launch popped up Mitchell Hutchings fb page. Mitchell commented that he had been given the photo but there was no reference to its origin or the name of the launch.
Nathan Herbert has proposed that it might be Wainunu (photo below ex Nathan Herbert) or Phyllis M, anyone able to help us out ID’ing the launch?
wainunu
Harold Kidd Update – Definitely WAINUNU (ex PHYLLIS M) built by Fred Mann at John St., Ponsonby in December 1919 for himself. She was sold to Clive Power in 1953 who renamed her WAINUNU and used her for yacht club work and a Coastguard auxiliary.
Photo below of Phyllis M ex Nathan Herbert
IMG_6124
I was floating around on Saturday / Sunday so tomorrow I have a good collection of classic woodys out enjoying one of the best weekends of the summer.
IMG_3687

Meloa Creek Boating Graveyard

Posted on by
6

IMG_7258

IMG_7257

IMG_7261

 

IMG_7262a

MELOA CREEK BOATING GRAVEYARD 

Baden Pascoe recently stepped away from the boat for a few hours and went for a walk – a walk that is unknown / overlooked by a lot of Aucklanders – around the Meola Creek, Westmere / Western Springs area. Baden captured the above photos of using his words a “boating lost in time collection”.

The top photo above is interesting, would love to know the story behind this old girl.
The last photo is a very old school photo – two mullet boats between tides 🙂

The map and photos below are from the Auckland Council website.

MOTUIHE WOODYS 1987 + WIN A WW T-SHIRT

Posted on by
4

wendella at motuihe xmas 1987

MOTUIHE WOODYS 1987 + WIN A WW T-SHIRT
Good morning Woodys – The above photo was recently sent to me by John Newsham and is tagged ‘Wendella at Motuihe Island wharf xmas 1987’. I suspect that the yacht in the foreground is Wendella*.
Todays challenge is can we put names to the 2 launches in the photo? The first woody to correctly name them, wins a WW T-shirt. Normal t’s&c’s – entry via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
* more on Wendella below from John Newsham

Yacht on the left in the pic I sent earlier is Stewart 38 Wendella, built by Claude Spooner in f/glassed ferro for his own use c1960. She had been drawn out to 39’ and made centre cockpit. Extra toilet in aft cabin. For’d head had other loo and a small mosaic tiled bath. Had pressurised hot water from the Lees/Ford 6 cylinder diesel with the exhaust up the mast heating the water (to warm in 15 minutes). Bath had to be baled out – no drain. Was used once for a child and then for stowage ‘English’ fashion. Held 2 cartons of ale and the bagged spinnaker. I crewed on her 1968/70.

Wendella was a virtual sister-ship to Bernie Skinner’s ‘Swanhilde’ which circumnavigated the globe. Pic of Swanhikde is attached here. She was wooden. Taken late 1980s/early 1990s at Coro or TeKouma.

Wendella Jan 06 built c 1962

Its not a boat but I love the VW Kombi I spotted parked up at Enclosure Bay, Waiheke Island yesterday, I was just about to snap an interior photo when I realise there was a couple ‘having a cuddle’ inside – exit stage right very quickly 🙂
Nice Land Rover as well.
IMG_3604
Screen Shot 2018-11-12 at 6.24.19 PM