Category Archives: Non Waitemata

CLASSIC 1929 WOODEN LAUNCH VECA – 4sale

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CLASSIC 1929 WOODEN LAUNCH VECA – 4sale

Todays classic woody launch is VECA, built and launched in November 1929 in Evans Bay , Wellington . Her owner Peter Glue commented that she was built in Kilburnie by his wife’s grand father and his brother (Weine & Peter Harvey) and is named after their wives Vera and Caroline . Arthur Sang , a boat builder on the Hutt River , supervised and helped the brothers .

vECA was sold during WW2 when fuel was hard to get and was bought back into the family in the early 1960’s where she has remained until today .

She has been a much loved family member and has undergone many improvements ensuring that her classic lines have been retained .                                     She is 36′ x 10′ with a draft of 4′. Hull is 1.5” kauri which has ben refastened and recaulked a number of years ago . Top sides were plyed and glassed over so she as sound today as when she was launched 97 years ago .

Forward motion is via a 27 hp Volvo and she consumes less than 3 litres per hour at 6.5 -7 knots cruising speed . She has a foremast and mizzen mast (which is not mounted ) with a steadying sail in her ample stern storage compartment .

After nearly 100 years of ownership the call has been made to find her next custodian. VECA is very well appointed and presents in stunning condition, ready for the next 100 years of family fun .

Sitting at Waikawa on a 11m marina berth which can be transfered to new owner.

You will have ‘heard’ me talk about it being a buyers market – well here is an example – asking price $45k

An idea, buyer her, rent the marina berth for 3>4 months and have a summer holiday cruising around the top of the South Island. Then bring her north (motor > wellington > road haulage > Auckland / Northland)

Interested parties to contact owner at p.j.glue@xtra.co.nz

Photos below from her early days. (Note photos above are a mix of past and present)

CLASSIC WOODEN BOATING FLASHBACK – TUTUKAKA

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CLASSIC WOODEN BOATING FLASHBACK – TUTUKAKA

Todays photo was sent in by John Dawson and is dated January 1976. Times have sure changed.

Can we ID the launch alongside the dock. I sprinkled some magic dust on the photo – see below, might help with the ID.

06-11-2026 – INPUT EX KERRY LILLEY -The Tutukaka game fishing boats on the other side of the finger backed up is Freelance with half brown half white coamings     Every year during winter 1965-70 Ken Williams brought her up from her mooring in the clean river to Owen Woolleys yard where she was built we pulled her up on the slipway it was my job  to clean off her bottom n antifoul  with the best Singapore antifoul paint with our special additive
We used to go up to the local chemist and we could buy a vial of arsenic stir it into the paint n roll it on  not much grew on the hull then
Kerry Lilley Owen’s apprentice 1964>1970 .

PENCARROW – A WWII VETERAN CLASSIC LOOKING FOR A NEW CUSTODIAN

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PENCARROW – A WWII VETERAN CLASSIC LOOKING FOR A NEW CUSTODIAN

Back in April 2022 WW ran a story on the launch PENCARROW, a 1916 , 38’6” bridge-decker built by Chas Bailey & Son, Auckland – with a proud WWII service history. Known as NAPS superstar Z75, she served Wellington Harbour. At the time Dylan Sagger was trying to find the location of the vessel. Link to story here – lots of photos. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/04/04/pencarrow-where-is-she/

Fast forward 4 years and Dylan has provided an update on the launch after talking with her owner, who also advised the vessel was now listed on trademe.

Her construction is a displacement hull with triple-planked kauri. And remarkably today she still retains her 120hp Ford Lees six-cylinder engine. Dylan commented that his father a previous owner, always described her as a “good sea boat”.

Dylan would love to see her returned to her former glory, perhaps even restored to her Z75 wartime configuration. Taking her on is beyond Dylan’s reach but ENCARROW deserves a caring new owner. She is a genuine piece of New Zealand boating history that should be preserved and celebrated.

Her trade me listing expires on 27 November 2026, she has a starting bid of $1 and no reserve, so there must be someone with the resources to rescue her. Current location is Port Underwood, Marlborough Sounds.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAKE BOAT – PRINCESS

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAKE BOAT – PRINCESS

Yesterday while trolling thru the WW archives I found a file that had slipped between the cracks, and deserves to be shared.

Back in early 2023 I was  contacted by Richard Amery from the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Assoc. asking for help on a project. The club were wanting to acknowledge the very generous (20+ yrs) gift of access to one of Alan Clark’s boat sheds for club storage.
Richard commented that the club had plans to present him with (a surprise) half model of Alan’s classic wooden launch – PRINCESS.

WAITEMATA WOODYS input was to locate a suitably talented craftsman to build the model. That was relatively easy, the hard part was tracking down plans, out of water photos, dimensions etc without Alan Clark’s knowledge. That’s where follow club member Grant Wallace entered the equation and with some undercover work we had the intel for the project to proceed.

I have not mentioned the craftsman because I’m sure he doesn’t want to be swamped with requests for similar projects 😉

I understand that Alan Clark was over the moon with the 1/2 model and it takes pride of place in his lakeside home.
Lots of photos of PRINCESS on WW, just use the Search Box.

THE NEXT BIG CLASSIC WOODYS EVENT – Clevedon River Overnight BBQ Cruise Nov 14>15

RSVP NOW – BOAT NAME AND APPX CREW #’s – Note dock space is limited

EMAIL waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC WOODEN CLINKER RUNABOUT

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CLASSIC WOODEN CLINKER RUNABOUT

In recent times more and more of these restored Seacraft classic clinker runabouts have been topping up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald).

This one is 16’ in length and  was built in 1955. The engine is a Ford 100E, petrol and is allocated 1955 so possibly the original engine.

Her hull has been Dynal on the outside and Endure on the interior so should be dry boat.

Trailer appears modern and at $8750 ono its an affordable entry into the classic wooden boating community.

THE NEXT BIG CLASSIC WOODYS EVENT – Clevedon River Overnight BBQ Cruise Nov 14>15

RSVP NOW – BOAT NAME AND APPX CREW #’s – Note dock space is limited

EMAIL waitematawoodys@gmail.com

KAWAU SPRING SPLASH CLASSIC PARADE – 25 WOODYS + A BAY FULL OF BOATS

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KAWAU SPRING SPLASH CLASSIC PARADE – 25 WOODYS + A BAY FULL OF BOATS

If you were thinking about buying a classic wooden boat but weren’t quite sure which style floated your boat, a visit to the 2026 Kawau Boating Club Spring Splash over Labour Weekend would have gone a long way towards answering that question!

Over the last two days, I’ve shared a series of semi-random Waitemata Woodys posts to give you a taste of the action, both ashore at the KBC and out on the water.

Aside from New Year’s Eve, I can’t recall seeing so many boats anchored in Bon Accord Harbour. Now, I know that’s not everyone’s scene – some skippers will do a U-turn if they’re not the only boat in the bay! But for most, the fleet, the atmosphere and the chance to catch up with fellow boating enthusiasts are all part of the magic.

There were a few new systems to navigate and the inevitable operational speed bumps, but none of that stopped the good times rolling. Each evening, the dining and partying got underway, with music perfectly matched to the crowd. The food gets an 8/10 from me, which is high praise indeed!

So, a big tick to the team behind the weekend. If you enjoyed this year’s gathering, do yourself a favour and circle Labour Weekend 2027 in your diary now.

Today, I’m sharing a photo gallery focusing on Sunday’s WaitemataWoodys Classic Wooden Boat Parade. We had a fantastic turnout, with 25 classic craft joining the parade. I have include a few photos that show the ambience of the KBC (thanks to Beth Houlbrook from KBC for her photos). When I cover these big events, my objective is to try and give the WW readers a taste / feel for what it was like, so enjoy the gallery and remember if you click on a photo it enlarges.

And it wasn’t just the parade. I’ve never seen so many classic wooden motorboats out on the water at one time, the bay was absolutely teeming with woodys, my count was 41 classic craft.

Enjoy the gallery, and remember, clicking on any photo will enlarge it. Scroll down to view the two previous weekend posts.

P.S. If you were there and we missed your boat, apologies. With so many classics on the water, keeping track of everyone was always going to be a challenge.

24 CLASSIC WOODYS TURNOUT FOR THE WAITEMATA WOODYS KAWAU SPRING SPLASH CLASSIC PARADE

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Firstly I hope Sundays WW story appeared ok , first time done totally remotely from mobile phone and dodgy internet connection + a little late at night….

Sunday we had the Classic Woodys Parade in Bon Accord Harbour – amazing turnout , 24 classic craft gathered off Kawau Boating Club for a celebratory cruise around the bays.

A huge thank you to the skippers that made the effort to turn up and special thanks to the Kawau locals that cheered the fleet on from their bachs and wharfs.

Only a few parade photos today, just too many to edit on the phone – full report on Tuesday.

We held a parade prize giving on Sunday nights at KBC and most woody skippers walked away with a smile on their face ✔️. Full photo gallery from the bay and parade on WW Tuesday.

Very happy to have TRINIDAD back in the parade.

CLASSIC CABIN JET BOAT – TARANUI

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CLASSIC CABIN JET BOAT – TARANUI

If you typed the words jet boat into the WW search box, pretty sure the answer would be ’Nothing Found’, until today.

I stumbled across this wee beauty 4 sale in Nelson – what a treasure.

Some details – TARANUI is 19’ in length and was built in 1967 by Mr Macpherson of Mapua. She spent the most of her life in a shed at Duncan Bay, Tennyson Inlet. Powered by a Crusader Marine 327 Chevy, connected to a Hamilton Jet unit which was purchased from Wilkins & Field in the mid to late 60’s. The gate steering has been modified to make her more agile.

She won ‘Best Jet Boat’ at the 2016 Classic Boat Show at Lake Rotoiti and from the photos looks like she could win again.

STUNNING SUNSET AT KBC LAST NIGHT

CLASSIC QUEENSTOWN HYDROFOIL TOURIST BOAT

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CLASSIC QUEENSTOWN HYDROFOIL TOURIST BOAT

Over the last week I have been following the update on the ‘Famous Meteor 3 Queenstown NZ’ fb page that has been documenting the start of a refit on the iconic Queenstown classic tourist boat – METEOR III.

METEOR III was once one of the star attractions on Lake Wakatipu. Fingers crossed that post the refit she will take her place as one of Queenstown’s leading water based tourist attractions along side the TS Earnslaw . Yes – its not wood and not made in NZ but its a kiwi classic.

I’ll hand over to the crew overseeing the work for an overview of the vessel

SOME BACKGROUND

In 2021 the Society purchased the Meteor III, a 10m fast hydrofoil assisted tourist viewing vessel constructed of aluminum (rivetted) on steel frames.

Vessel History

The Meteor III was constructed by Porthleven Shipyard in Porthleven, Cornwall, UK in approximately 1964. The vessels design was by Supramar AG of Lucerne, Switzerland. Once completed, it was shipped to New Zealand for its original owner Frank Howarth of Lake Wakatipu. The vessel was put into passenger survey. It is well known that Meteor III attracted plenty of business both because of its space age looks and its high speeds.

The vessel was then held by various people, retired and fell to dereliction. It was then purchased by an owner who undertook and completed a full restoration of the vessel so once again she appears intact, bright and sparkling with a quality paint job, fresh carpeting and refurbished seating.

Design & Layout

The Meteor III is designed as a fast hydrofoil monohull constructed of aluminium. The engine compartment is at the bow and the drive shaft extends almost the full length of the vessel. There are hydrofoils both forward, below the engine, and aft. The passenger cabin is somewhat reminiscent of an aircraft with 15 seats that take up most of the interior with just a small area aft for storage of safety equipment and providing an emergency exit. There are plenty of viewing windows for the passengers with extra windows built into the cabin ceiling to allow passengers a full view of the scenery.  Cabin head height varies from 5ft 10′ to 6ft 2’.

The Engine

The Meteor III is powered by a Chrysler 440 petrol engine rated at 300HP V8 coupled to Chrysler gearbox.  This engine is not original to the boat. Fuel tank capacity is 200L. Cruising speed is around 31mph and top speed is 45mph. To get vessel up on the plane it needs to achieve approximately 4,000RPM following which it can drop back to 3,100 RPM. There are two hydrofoils on the vessel, one forward and one aft. The forward foil is adjustable using a hydraulic pump and the aft foil follows suit automatically. The drive shaft is stainless steel and the prop measures 420 x 560.

CLASSIC 1930’S BIG GAME FISHING LAUNCH – 4sale

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CLASSIC 1930’S BIG GAME FISHING LAUNCH – 4sale

Todays woody is named PILOT and has appeared on WW numerous times over the years, each time we have learned more about her provenance.

What we have learnt is that she was built in 1931 by L.C. Coulthard in Onehunga, Auckland for the  New Plymouth Harbour Board.

Back in the early to mid 1990s her current owner, Paul Nattrass, was working for Sea-Tow barging coal into New Plymouth and commented to the senior pilot that he would like to buy the boat. Paul was told he would never get the opportunity as someone from the port would get her.                   Fast forward a couple years and in a tender Paul  bid to in sure that he proved him wrong.

Paul and friend Graeme Wiig steamed her round the top of the North Island to Houhora where she still resides today.At the time of purchase she was powered by a 4 cylinder Ford diesel, later updated to a 6 cylinder .Paul converted PILOT to a recreational game boat and has been landing good sized fish ever since.

After approx. 30 years of ownership Paul has made the call to find a new custodian for PILOT. To quote Paul ‘ she is a wonderful sea boat and seems to be blessed with good luck in terms of landing fish’.Wonderful bones, time spent with a sander and paint brush will be rewarded with a very sharp looking classic woody.

Interested parties to initially contact Paul at paulnat@xtra.co.nz