Category Archives: Mystery Boat

Gold Bell

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GOLD BELL  Mystery Launch Quiz

The above 1936 photo from the Tudor Collins (Auckland Museum) collection shows a dark hulled launch in the foreground, the first woody that can correctly name her, wins a copy of the 2017 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Calendar (still available to purchase via Rachel at  zea.rachel@gmail.com ). Entries via the ww comments section. Also keen to ID the other vessels in the bay. photo emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

Harold Kidd Input

GOLD BELL. She was built by Alf Bell (ex Collings & Bell) at St. Mary’s Bay in September 1929. She had a hard chine and was painted gold.
Funny story about that; Dick Coughlan and I helped clear out Alf’s basement in St. Mary’s Bay after his widow (Dick’s great aunt) died. It was a treasure trove of automotive parts going back the early 1900s including an incredibly early single cylinder Cadillac engine which we gave to John Stewart of St. Heliers, a bandsaw using two 1905ish De Dion Bouton car wheels, the major components of a 1914 Wolseley and yards of launch gear patterns, mostly borer ridden.
On Alf’s workbench was a very large wax vesta tin which was extraordinarily heavy, weighing at least 25lbs (11kg). I opened it and found it full of glittering metal grains.We knew Alf had done some panning at Coromandel (as did most early yachtsmen). The Estate Duty had been paid on the estate, so there was an ethical problem.
Anyway, eventually it was analysed and found to be just bronze filings that Alf had used to mix into the paint for the hull of GOLD BELL!

Mystery Launch at Nelson

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Mystery Launch at Nelson

My woody spy in Nelson, John Burland sent me the above photo with a note saying the vessel could named Kaituna – any woodys able to ID the vessel &/or supply more details on her.
To confuse us there appears to be a few additions added over the years 🙂

FREE TO GOOD HOME
No not a box of kittens – this gift is both useful & valuable.
ww woody Jason Prew who is currently restoring (aka rebuilding) the 1925 Dick Land launch My Girl ( https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/08/the-restoration-of-my-girl/ ) contacted me with the offer below.
” I have a heap of leftover wood cut down to size to use for ribs, it’s red beech and takes to steaming well, a very durable NZ hardwood.  32mm x 16mm x 2.5m is the cut size, but i also have a heap of 8mm x 32mm, free to a good home, also use of a steamer that fits if you wish”

Felisa @ Oneroa

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FELISA

Every so often you get sent a photo of a vessel & you just go ” where the hell did that come from”. Today’s launch was photographed last Sunday anchored in Oneroa, Waiheke Island by Lindsay McMorran & folks she is a complete stranger to me – any woodys able to put me curiosity to rest ?

UPDATE – that was fast it is Felisa & you can read all about her here , Harold Kidd has all the details 😉

Felisa

Looking for a Sounds Floating Bach or a Lake Boat?

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Looking for a Sounds Floating Bach or a Lake Boat?

Today’s woody lives in the Marlborough Sounds but could equally be a perfect North Island lake boat. She measures 24’6″ & is constructed with kauri carvel hull, with glass on ply cabin & deck.
Power comes from a 3QM Yanmar 30hp diesel & as you can see in the photos had been fitted out to a very high standard.
Asking price is $9.5k, that is not a lot of $$ for a woody that is presented in the condition this one is 😉

Its hard to read her name but Ian McDonald who tip me off on the trademe listing feels it could be either Scuffy or Scuppy – any woodys able to ID the boat & supply more details on her?

Lake Boat Truckers

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El Alamein

Lamorna
Okataina
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Katoa

Lake Boat Truckers

Rotorua boat builder Alan Craig sent me the above selection of photos that he ‘uplifted’ from a book owned by Tony Mitchell, its called – Urewera Trucks and Truckers, by Gavin M. Abbot. The photos showcase some of the boats that the truckers used to cart around the lakes.

Now ID’ing the first one is easy, El Alamein, because its got a name plate on her bow, how many of the others can we ID? Remember you can enlarge photos by clicking on them 😉

Almitra

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A Mystery Launch – Almitra

Anchored in Little Oneroa last Saturday, if I hadn’t  just dropped by polarized Ray Bans over the side 😦  I would have mooched closer & got a better photo so that we could read the name.
It looks like N or H _ _ tra. I’m sure one of the woodys can supply the details on her.

That was easy – its Almitra https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/12/23/almitra/

Unfinished Project

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Unfinished Project – Yeah right

The above 33′ launch is located in Kerikeri & the trademe listing states that the owner auto bid on two boats & won both auctions & now this ones surplus to needs 🙂
There is no reserve & the opening bid is $1 so it could be a good buy for someone looking for a project. The seller states that the previous owner could finish her, on behalf, if a buyer was interested – all very confusing. Thanks to Ian McDonald for pointing out the listing on trademe.

Anyone know more about the vessel?

Two Mystery Launches

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Two Mystery Launches

The above two photos were sent to me by Harold Kidd and according to the photo album, the photos  were taken at the same place around 1925-7.
The launch with the strange steering position is named Tuhoe, all Harold knows about her is that she was in Taurangs in the early 1920’s owned by a P Best.. She’s not very big, about 20ft, 22ft at a pinch.
The launch in the second photo doesn’t carry a name.

So woodys the question of the day is where are the photos taken and what do you know about the launches?. Harold thinks the location is Waikaremoana but doesn’t know that lake well enough to be sure.

AK2177 – Sailing Sunday

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AK2177 – Sailing Sunday

The first photo above is one of my favorites, its from the Tudor Collins Auckland Museum collection & the location is possible Russell in the Bay of Islands. Emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.
Can we put a name to her & possibly some history ?

Remember the Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition is on today – details below.

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Harold Kidd Input

It would be good to get the place established and we could work back from that by matching known boats in the vicinity. The time period is 1928-1935 when registered fishing boats were issued with four figure numbers. I haven’t been able to find out why this occurred but it lasted only until c1935 when all boats were renumbered starting from (probably) 1 in each port.
All the registers have disappeared bar a couple, Mangonui (MGN) is the only one I’ve been able to get at the National Archives. Most were burnt in a Wellington archive fire. A pity because they contained an enormous amount of info on each boat and owner.
So you have to painstakingly build up a new register from evidence such as this. Tudor Collins probably photographed this scene for a newspaper where it may appear with a caption such as “the opening of the duck shooting season in the Far North”.
The boat is clearly a 24ft mullet boat of the working type,; it is important to find out her name to fill another blank in the fishing boat register.
Any clues out there?

p.s. the boat’s number is AK2177, an Auckland registration, which rather rules out a Far North site. Maybe just off George and Pam’s yard and workshop at Whangateau? That was Collins’ home patch anyway.

p.p.s. Pam Cundy has asked around the Leigh/Matakana area and the consensus is that it’s Whangateau all right. A strong possibility is that the mullet boat is IDAHO owned by Huru Ashton, according to his nephew W. Finnigan-Douglas. IDAHO was altered by Harvey & Lang in 1914 so there’s a strong chance they built her.

Unknown Motorboat & Seaplane + Cool Event Invite

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UNKNOWN MOTORBOAT & SEAPLANE

Hello woodys, triple header today – name the motor boat, the seaplane & event / gathering, if there is one? Lots of people lining the breakwater, so possibly a VIP onboard. Photo belongs to the Tudor Collins collection at the Auckland Museum, emailed to me by Ken Ricketts (as is the M-class photo below)

CLASSIC YACHT & LAUNCH EXHIBITION INVITE

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Once again the Tino Rawa Trust is hosting the annual Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition – this years exhibition celebrates the iconic Mullet Boat.
On this Saturday & Sunday 10am > 4pm – Karanga Plaza – Halsey ST, Wynyard Quarter (in front of the ‘old’ Team NZ base)

ENTRY IS FREE – Further details here http://www.tinorawatrust.co.nz

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I APOLOGIZE
If sometimes I’m a tad slow in answering your emails – that is because I average around a 100 emails a day relating to ww. BUT keep them coming, I love hearing from you all. 🙂

Harold Kidd Input

The PanAm flight was a proving flight in late December 1937. PanAm  had set up an infrastructure at Mechanics Bay for their Sikorsky flying boat SAMOA CLIPPER which Imperial Airways’ Short Empire CENTAURUS also used. Capt Edwin Musick was pilot in command of the Sikorsky. Musick Point was named after him when the SAMOA CLIPPER caught fire and crashed at Samoa while dumping fuel preparatory to landing. The Short arrived just after the Sikorsky, obviously to show that the Brits were up to it as well as the Yanks. The Short’s range made it unable to carry a viable payload across the Tasman however.
As for the runabout/launch, the only reference I can find is that PanAm had a “special launch” at Mechanics Bay. Need to dig deeper.