Category Archives: Mystery Boat

1940’s Woody Speed Boat

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1940’s Woody Speed Boat

Todays woody speedboat was built by Richard Hall’s father and his best mate John Primrose in the late 1940’s. The zoom zoom came from a 1938 Cadillac V8.
The caption on the back of the photos says 35 knots – very impressive – refer the photo below for more more details.
Richard commented that John Primrose had a boatbuilding business in Gisborne, undertaking a lot of Govt. contract work.
Can anyone tell us the name of the speedboat and what became of her?
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The Ark

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THE ARK

Recently I was contacted by Yazmen Hanif, pictured above, regarding a boat she acquired a couple of years ago, Yazmen is looking for any information we may have on the boat. She is named – The Ark and is 22’ in length. The boat was purchased in Cambridge, and arrived as a stripped out hull, with custom built support stands. The seller had owned her for 6 years and kept it in a shed but had no history on the boats past.
An unusual feature is that it it looks like the bolts are all hand made. 
Does the boat ring any bells with anyone?
Words Fail Me
Seriously, someone actually bought this boat? What are the chances of the ‘wood’ trim being wood?
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Kiwiannah

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Kiwiannah
Todays boat is a rather big work-in-progress, but the owner is realistic about its worth – the leading bid on trade is $415 and the reserve has been met (thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up).
Under all that plywood is a pretty hull, deep pockets needed, but some one will get a bargain.
What we know – kauri hull, 40’ long, powered by a 120hp Ford diesel (seized). Been sitting on a pile mooring at Waipuna for the last 4 years, owner lacks the time and skills to complete the project.
So Woodys, if you have somewhere to haul her out and cheap storage, this could be a good project.
Anyone able to give us a name and provenance for the vessel?
Update – Mark McLaughlin has advised the launch is named – Kiwiannah
IMPORTANT NEWS – NEXT WOODY CLASSICS WEEKEND EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Woody Classics Weekend - Clevedon

1930’s Mystery Launch and Location

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1930’s Mystery Launch and Location

When this photo appeared on fb, no one was able to ID the vessel or confirm the location. Location suggestions were Judges Bay Parnell and Takapuna Beach.
Can we do any better?
Reminder – if you like plastic boats the Boat Show is on till Sunday down at Auckland’s Viaduct – new venue as Team NZ are squatting at the Events Centre. Lots of ’stuff’ for your woody on display / sale.
Harold Kidd Input – It’s certainly a puzzle Although the hull is very similar to Seagars’ REHUTAI (but I think a tad smaller) she still retained her funnel after she was dieselised and her wheelhouse was taller. Also, why would the Seagars pull her out at Judges Bay when they had a secure spot in the Devonport Yacht Club’s yard just along the road from their nice house in Jubilee Avenue?
Who Owns Safari ? photo below. Contact me on  waitematawoodys@gmail.com I may have something from the boats past that might interest you 😉
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Mystery Marlborough Sounds Launch

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Mystery Marlborough Sounds Launch
All we know about the above launch is that she is 27’, made of kauri and has a Ford 60hp does; engine that pushes her along at 5>6 knots.
From her cabin top layout she looks like she has been used as a bach ’taxi’, most likely private use.
Can any of the Southern Woodys put a name to her and any info on her past?

 

Where and when did we go wrong

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WHERE AND WHEN DID WE GO WRONG
I just love the photos above, back then even smaller boats and boats with outboards still looked like real boats. I’d like to think that if something like these boats were around today they would be popular.
The caption on the top photo reads ’The Latest Development of Outboard Motor-Boating.  A 20ft. V-bottom cabin boat built at Tauranga for use with a large-size outboard motor’
The SeaCraft runabout photo is via Peter Murton and again shows us that even small craft can look very salty.
Next week/weekend at the Auckland Viaduct Boat Show you will see some terrible examples of companies NOT using the skills of a designer or marine architect  – but there will be some cool examples e.g. Dickey Boats from Napier seem to get it right every year 🙂
HIGHEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVER VIEWING waitematawoodys YESTERDAY

Interesting day yesterday, WW struggles with the UK market, despite lots of promotional activity we just can not seem to crack it. Yesterday was the biggest number of individual people ever on one day visiting the WW site, with UK visitors 2nd in numbers to NZ for the 1st time ever. Checking out the stats the WW story titled ‘Electro-Chemical Damage Update’ by Chris McMullen was the single biggest viewed page.

I can only assume that somewhere in the UK, maybe a wooden boat building school or a tech university etc told all their pupils to check out Chris’s findings – what ever the reason its great to see the WW site and Chris’s research findings getting exposure around the world 🙂

Mystery Launch at Clevedon

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Mystery Launch at Clevedon

I feel that ID’ing the above photo, dated c1912,  will be a big ask, but hopefully Harold Kidd will come to the rescue 🙂
An overnight trip up the Clevedon River is on the cards for a Woodys Classics Weekend in 2020. I missed the last trip up the river so really looking forward to this one.
No one was able to ID Sundays mystery launch, so all will be revealed on Wednesday, which will include an interesting twist 😉
I saw this & being a dog owner it rang my bell – so true 🙂
DOG T Ball

Mystery Launch  15-09-2018 + WW T-shirt To Be Won

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Mystery Launch  15-09-2018

I was sent this photo yesterday and thought it would make a great WW mystery quiz – first woody that emails me (YES emails, link below) the boats name and builder, wins a WW T-shirt, as seen being ‘modelled’ in the photo below by two visitors from the Hawkes Bay.
Some exclusions – Ken Rickets, Nathan Herbert & Harold Kidd.
I have also held off making this post live until 7.00am to ensure more people have a chance, rather than just the insomniacs 🙂
LR2016 ww shirts CM

Malolo

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MALOLO

David Stanaway recently sent in the above photos of the launch Malolo. As seen here hauled out at Dargaville.
David commented that Malolo drew a blank with him re any details on her builder and history – maybe one of the West Coast woodys can enlighten us, come in Zach Matich 🙂
I’m in Thames, so will mooch down to the marina and grab a few photos.
Harold Kidd Input – MALOLO is a common name for boats = ‘flying fish” in generic Pacific languages, the equivalent of Maroro in Maori. I have a splendid oil painting of the fishing launch MARORO AK171 in the Viaduct c1970 which could easily be this launch. H A Richards of Harlston Ave Mt Albert had a MARORO from 1952 to 1957 at least that could be this boat too. I would think she was built about 1950.

Mystery Launch 03-09-2019

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 03-09-2019

The launch on the right is part of the flotilla of pleasure craft welcoming the SS Gothic into Auckland in 1953.  Can anyone ID the launch for us? I have also included a close up, taken off the larger photo.

WCW WW Poster

Click Link to RSVP https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/08/08/how-often-do-you-use-your-classic-boat/