Category Archives: Mystery Boat

1st Motor Boat on Lake Wanaka 

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1st Motor Boat on Lake Wanaka 

In the days before the guys at Boat Haulage were around, it was a real mission to launch the woodys, & some were more challenging. In the above photo we see the first motor launch for Lake Wanaka being transported there by horse & wagon team.

Photo ex University of Otago / Hocken collection via Lew Redwood’s FB page.

Its a long shot but any able to ID the launch?

Another of Lew’s photos, below, is dated 22 December 1956 (just 6 days b4 I was born) – any clues on the location?

Harold Kidd Input – The launch is TILIKUM, formerly on Lake Wakatipu. She was taken across from Frankton to Pembroke in September 1904 on a timber wagon driven by J Brensell. Her owner was Capt McDougall. TILIKUM was probably a rename after Capt Vos’s canoe TILIKUM which had just visited New Zealand and created a great deal of interest, so her provenance is obscure. Certainly she’s a typical early 20th Century canoe-sterned oil launch in the Logan Bros style.

There’s a suggestion that TILIKUM started life as a torpedo boat based in Dunedin. Haven’t had a chance to check that out but it seems plausible.

Update 27-06 The “torpedo boat” origin is rubbish. The Dunedin-based Thornycroft spar torpedo boat TAIAROA wa a hugely different animal which was decommissioned about the time TILIKUM appeared, but that’s the only common context except the “torpedo stern” and that it seems TILIKUM first owner, J.C. McBride of Queenstown, bought her in Dunedin. I reckon she was probably built by one of the top Dunedin/Port Chalmers constructors like Jas McPherson or Jas McLellan.

 

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It Might Be Wood – But It Sure Isn’t A Classic

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It Might Be Wood – But It Sure Isn’t A Classic

The above boat was bought to my attention on trademe by James Dreyer, its listing states it’s a mid 1930’s build, 41’ twin skin kauri hull, with a beam of 14’9” / draft 3’3” – but somewhere along the line its been turned into a floating apartment.

Interestingly the main engine has been removed and replaced with ballast, & she now has two 15hp 4 stroke outboards hanging off the back.

Her owner is very honest & states that she is only really a vessel to potter in the marina and potentially the harbour on a calm day, so woodys if you’re looking for a love shack in Wellington…..

My real reason for posting was to give Jason Prew some interior decorating hints for his My Girl 🙂

Fifer

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FIFER

I’m hoping today is a wet, rainy day – why?  todays story on the restoration of the 67’ Canadian motor yacht – Fifer, is such a great read.

Fifer was built in 1928 by the Hoffa- Beeching Shipyard in Vancouver BC, the company went on to merge with the Boeing Company in 1929.

Her owners are passionate woody boaters with a long history of classic wooden boat ownership. She is powered by twin 102hp Gardener 6L3, which are over 40 years old & still going strong.

The owners & Fife’s story is told on their weblog – link below.  You will see from some of the photos above she has had a few ‘adventures’ – read her story it’s very addictive reading – Enjoy.

https://www.yachtfifer1928.com/blog/

 

 

McKenzie Bay – Rangitoto Island

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McKenzie Bay

McKenzie Bay – Rangitoto Island

The above photo show a collection of woodys anchored in McKenzie Bay, the photo is ex an old photo album that Steve Horsley uncovered. The owner of which is unknown.

Can we ID any of the vessels? Steve has sent me a high-res copy of the image & have taken close-ups of the boats (see below).

I’m pretty sure the ‘big’ launch closest to the camera in the 1st photo is Romance II , as to the others, what do you think?

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Mystery Classics On The Waitemata

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Mystery Classics On The Waitemata

Steve Horsley recently sent me the above photo – it came from a collection of old albums that Steve has been loaned. The album photos cover – Auckland, Sydney & England.

The only one that Steve can shed any light on is the V-Class on the left (is the sail # 16 or possibly 36?). Her name is AVOO or AVDO?

Anyone able to ID the motorboats on the right?

Vixen > Water Beetle – Akaroa

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Vixen > Water Beetle – Akaroa

Another photo ex Lew Redwood’s fb page, this time we have a yacht anchored at Akaroa, the photo is dated 1911. It’s a great photo

Any of the woodys able to ID this gaffer?

07-05-2018 Input from Harold Kidd – 

She’s the little half-rater WATER BEETLE designed by Prof Scott and built for Wardrop of Wellington by Robert Logan Sr in 1895 as VIXEN. MASCOTTE (53ft) and YVONNE (42ft) were big gaffers. Scott later bought her, renamed her WATER BEETLE and raced her at Lyttelton. He sold her in 1901.

VIXEN/WATER BEETLE had a lugsail like most of the Wellington half-raters which raced with the Arawa Sailing Club and was 24ft loa. She was owned at the time of this photograph by J.L. Vangioni of Akaroa. Prof Scott had owned YVONNE for many years at this time.

21-07-2018 Update ex Ian Campball

Ian sent in the photo below from 1910 showing Waterbeetle on Akaroa Harbour, owned at the time by Louis J Vangioni MBE of Akaroa (1872-1951).

1910c Waterbeetle

 

Good Things Take Time

Greg Fenwick sent me the photo below that he took last November on a trip to Oban, Stewart Island. Pretty well sums up wooden boat building 🙂

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And a wee bonus today – check out this Facebook movie of dinghy sailing back in 1955, at Plymouth, Devon, UK. Link via Wooden Boat fb – enjoy

Mystery Launch 03-05-2018

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Mystery Launch – 03-05-2018

The above photo is from Lew Redwood’s fb page & dated 31 March 1947 & is caption “Mr Tappenden on a launch”

Can we ID the boat & supply anymore details?

Input from Ken Ricketts

Ken tells us the launch was called the Hoturoa & origiallhy had a large petrol engine ( either a Sterling or Kermath c200hp). She had an older style coamings style, which were replaced in the late 1930s or early1940s, with that you see in the image. She was built by Colin Wild for Alf Court & launched in December 1934 (photo below), & by 1946/47 was owned by a Doctor Horton, of Mission Bay, & had a little 4 cyl Graymarine petrol engine, but she had retained the original huge exhaust pipe out the port corner of the tuck.
He did winter maintenance at Okahu Bay hardstand, as did my family on Juliana, we got to know him, & his daughter, quite well. He had her for several years selling her around the earlyish 1950s.
I lost track of her until her 1990s, when she appeared at Mangonui, adjacent to the road by the Mangonui Fish Shop. She was there for several years again, & still looking as she did in 1946. I inspected her c1998, when she was at Kaingaroa (Northland) (a few Kms., from Mangonui, on the way to Awanui,) — for maintenance & had a look inside. By then she had a 6 cyl Nissan diesel painted light iridescent blue. She was still in fairly tidy & good condition.
Not too long after she went back in the water, one night when she was on her moorings she burnt to the waterline & sank, there were lots of local rumours, about the reason for the fire & her demise.
A beautiful little Colin Wild classic, which on this occasion, in my view, was made even better by her second set of coamings. she is a really sad loss to our classic fleet.

HOTUROA 21.12.1934

Mystery Launch 27-04-2018

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Mystery Launch 27—4-2018

I was recently contacted by Brad (surname unknown), the new owner of the above woody, who is looking for more info the launch.

What we know is that he bought her off Manda Bishop who bought the boat off her cousin in Kaiwaka. Manda owned her approx. 2 years. Under Manda’s ownership she was located at Wainui.

She is 30’ long, with a 9’ beam. Zoom zoom is via a Ford Lee marine, Model 2712 E, 4-cylinder motor.

The photos below of the decals, found on the boat, may help with ID’ing her.

Brad has re-located the launch to Pahi, where he will be restoring her.

Are we able to shed some more light on this woody?

 

 

A Very Long-Shot Woody Request from Argentina.

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A Very Long-Shot Request from Argentina

I have been contacted by Paolo Panighini from Buenos Aires, looking for help ID’ing the design of the wooden launch he used to own, pictured above.

She was powered with twin 6 cylinder Scripps.

All he knows is that she was built in Uruguay in 1940 and came to Argentina afterwards.

Does anyone recognize the design boat & the builder, we really do not know who built it.

Closer to Home – Looking for details on a 36′, c.1946 bridge-decker, named Solveig when launched. Does anyone know the boat, her past & any have photos ?

A Treasure Trove of Old Auckland Sailing Photos

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A Treasure Trove of Old Auckland Sailing Photos

I was contacted by Keith Humphreys who told me that in the 1950’s he discovered a box of glass plates under the Anglican parish hall (Devonport).

A friend’s father, an amateur photographer printed them off for him at the time, but Keith had no idea what or where they’re of?

He presumes that they’re taken in Auckland.

Can we help ID them? HDK, a wee job after chapel & before your bike ride today 😉

ID’ing the cricket match photo below will be tougher challenge 🙂 A WW t-shirt if some can, & prove it. 

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Harold Kidd Input – Top pic RAINBOW? 2nd pic IDA? 3rd THELMA? The Anglican Parish Hall is next door to Le Huquet’s former residence and last yard and I think WAIONE was built in the near vicinity. Mad guess at the cricket match with a little church on a hill is Waiheke. Awaroa? Owhanake before the 1918 flu epidemic which just about wiped out all the Maori population there?