Mystery Launch 29-02-2018
photo ex A. Turnball Library / Whites Aviation
Todays photo is dated 29 Jan 1950 & is from the 100th Anniversary Day Regatta. The ferry spectators are watching the 18 footer race.
Who can ID the launch in the forefront?
Help Needed – Mystery Boat 4sale
photo ex Alice Morrison
Alice spotted the boat in the above photo moored in Okura Bay, Totara North, Whangaroa Harbour, Northland. She fell in love with the boat and dream of what it could be. It has 4sale + a price painted on the hull, but no owner contact details 😦
A gent on a neighbouring mooring gave Alice as much information as he knew. That it was owned by Gary from Taipa and that it has a kauri hull made in the sixties.
It has some form of registeration number on the bow – either 4B-623 or HB-623?
Now the big question – do any of the woodys know who this Gary from Taipa is? & any more information on the history of the boat.
Alice has been looking for a small classic wooden launch, to restore and potential make her home.
MYSTERY PICTON BOAT
Its only a mystery because the broker selling it obviously doesn’t want to sell the vessel. Why else would you not include the vessel’s name & designer / builder details?
I can tell you this bridgedecker is made of wood, 42′ long, built in 1929, is powered by a 75hp 5LW Gardner diesel & sleeps 6.
Her current home is Picton & at $49k ono its appears a reasonable buy – unless of course it was built in India 🙂
Just re-read the listing & hows this – they list the design of the tender (Seabird)………………
Update – so it looks like it is Rio Rito / Resolution, the photo below of Resolution was sent to me by Don Macleod, taken in Mercury Cove in summer of 2011.
A Replica Scow – Sailing Sunday
photos ex Alan Sexton
Alan took the above photos in Nagle Cove, Great Barrier Island last week, just before the wind started blowing.
The replica scow appears to be about 12m in length & is very well done, what do we know about her?
Matuku
photo ex David Glen
Over the Xmas / NY period David snapped this nice little low wooded motorboat tucked / wrapped up in the NW corner of Matiatia at Waiheke Island. She has a nice sheer, anyone know her history? see below
Now If She Needs A Motor?
Mike O’Dwyer sent in these photos of a wee 7hp Villiers air cooled, diesel, hand start, with integral fuel tank, engine. Mikes not sure of it’s date of manufacture but investigations have found it would be around the early 1960’s. It has manuals but these are un-dated.
The engine belongs to Mike’s father (who qualified as an A Grade mechanic back in the day), he fully reconditioned it in 1980 and it’s only clocked up about half an hour since.
Anyone able to date the engine & provide anymore info on them?
She would suit a small open launch…….. If anyone is interested they can contact Mike via ww and he will put them onto his father to discuss further.
25-01-2016 Update from Alan Good
The boat is named Matuku, this may not be its original name was she was renamed by her owner some years ago when she was moved to Te Matuku Bay, Waiheke Island.
Alan has advised that she is a Bailey & Lowe, c.1887, approx 30′ long, with a schooner bow. At some stage she has been re-powered with a Daedong diesel.
Amazingly she is still owned by same family, a descendant of the ‘Lowe’ in Bailey & Lowe.
16-02-2016 New photo ex Alan Good
The cleats may indicate that she may have been a yacht originally.
Mystery Launches
photos ex Harold Kidd
The two photos above are of the same place and probably taken at the same time period (if not consecutively). We have the 1942 Vos built, ex NZRN (ML410) ship La Reta* alongside in one, can we ID the location & the other boats?
The wee clinker with the Seagull is very cute.
* to read more on La Reta link this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/20/6468/ there is a great tale there from her later years when she was operated as a day fishing excursion vessel from Princess Wharf launch steps 🙂
Whats Happening Here?
photo ex Barry Davis
Ok woodys, by now you should have recovered from yesterdays 3rd serving of Christmas ham & pudding, so time to test the brain.
Whats the reason for the above flotilla – (1) reason/occasion (2) the date (3) can we ID any of the launches?
The answer via an update from Brian Davis
The photo (+ another added) are from the Weekly News of 15 May 1924, being the occasion of the arrival of the battlecruisers HMS Hood and Repulse and light cruiser Delhi.
Brian thinks the 2 masted launch may be the Lady Eva and the dark painted one ahead looks like either the Ionaero or Ionoto of Blue Boat origin. Some of them are certainly overloaded by todays standards.
ALMITRA
photos ex Ken Ricketts
Todays post is almost a mystery boat, we know her name but that’s where it stops. Almitra was recently hauled out at Gulf Harbour & Ken wa able to observe that she has twin shafts / props , so one could safely assume she is powered by twin engines. The interesting thing, which just might be a ‘Ken-erism’ is that she appears to have only a single mast exhaust .
So woodys, someone must know more about her?
Photo ex Russell Ward
Mystery Launch (Wanda) at Westhaven
No name, all I know is that her designer / builder was Garth Lane in 1948. Her specs are LOA 38’6″ x BEAM 11’3″ x Draft 3′
She is powered by two 50h.p., 4cyl BMC Leyland Commodores.
She looks bigger than 38′ & rather pretty. I took the above photos while at the Westhaven / Waterfront AKL 2015 Open Day & she was berthed on the brokers pier, so she could have been for sale.
Someone must be able to supply some more detail on her?
Mystery solved – its Wanda see more here 😉
Mystery Launch 27-11-2015
photo ex John Wicks
The above launch has just been hauled out at Hobsonville Marina (the old/new Westpark). Now in some eyes she is a bit of a potpourri but there is a honey of a hull there. As John commented, the shape comes down from Norse / Viking craft & later on whale boats.
Would not take much to drive her along a hull speed & above 😉
Any woody able to expand on her?
Update from John Wicks
“Today I was able to interrogate her owner. Had to inflict considerable pain – you know how reluctant boaties are to talk about their boats 😀
She’s “Florence” (not to be confused with the larger double-ender now known as “Florence II”). Her current owner has been restoring her for a couple of years and she’s about to get wet for the first time in a while. He believes she was built by Miller & Tunnage back in the early 1900s and was originally an inshore fishing boat. She’s had other commercial uses, apparently including being a line handling boat round shipping wharves – Port Chalmers?
I’m sure some other WW-er will know more of her history. HDK???
At any rate she’s now looking spick ‘n’ span and it’ll be good to see her out and about.”
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