Category Archives: Non Waitemata

A Woody For The Lake Boys

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A Woody For The Lake Boys
Kiwi woody Mark Erskine gave WW the heads up on Miss Tessa, currently for sale in the USA. This would have to be a great buy for one of the Lake Rotoiti gang, current bidding is sub US$6k.


Miss Tessa is a 1930 Dodge* 16’ runabout with two cockpits separated by an engine compartment. The boat features a planing, seam-and-batten mahogany hull with spruce stringers and oak frames. Power comes from a Lycoming inline-four, and additional features include a forward/reverse transmission, double-planked bottom, two-piece windscreen, and blue vinyl upholstery. The Lycoming marine inline-four engine is mounted amidships and produced approximately 45hp when new.The boat was found hanging in a barn by the previous owner, who commissioned a restoration before donating the vessel in the early 2000s to the seller, the Tahoe Maritime Museum. Comes with a very cool trailer, which I imagine is only for off road use.
*Horace E. Dodge Boat Works was started by Horace Dodge Jr., the son of Dodge automobile company co-founder Horace Dodge. 


View and read more here https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1930-dodge-runabout/

Rosemary – Leon Warne

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ROSEMARY – Leon Warne
The above photo of the launch Rosemary popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb – the caption read ’the Rosemary, Feb 1950 at the wharf, Otehei Bay, Bay of Islands. Seen here ‘bearing the pennants of a striped marlin and black marlin’.


A little research via the WW comments section, un-covered input from Harold Kidd and Ray Morey that matches the above launch – in summary, that she was designed / built by Leon Warne in 1920 at St Mary’s Bay, Auckland and was approx. 36’ in length. Rosemary was prominent in game fishing in the B.O.I. . All that seems to match today’s launch, so we now have a photo of Leon Warne’s Rosemary in the 1950’s. Photo below of her in the 1920’s running alongside Ozone, built by Collings & Bell in 1912.


View/read more on her early days here
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/27/ozone-rosemary/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/12/29/rosemary-2/

Anyone able to enlighten us on what happened to her post this 1950 photo?

Classic Wooden Boats At Kawau Island

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Classic Wooden Boats At Kawau Island 

At Sundays Stillwater woodys picnic I was chatting to boat builder Greg Lees and he showed me the above photograph (in its frame) of Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island that a neighbour had given him. Interesting that for once the bay is almost bare of yachts – maybe they were off racing at the time.


Are we able to ID some of the launches? I have numbered the boats in the b/w photo below + included a couple of blow ups of the photo, which may help.

Levanter > Vinaka

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MYSTERY LAUNCH > LEVANTER > VINAKA
I think this ones going to be a goody – the two photos above were uncovered by Bill Brown in his families photo collection. Bill is my new ‘best friend’ – his family in the late 1960’s > early 1970’s owned my launch – Raindance. Then called Lady Gay. Bill sends me photos of her when he uncovers them – I like that 🙂

I can just make out the word – Whangarei, on the truck door.I suspect even Nathan Herbert will be scratching his head today 🙂 First one today that correctly names the boat (draw if more than one send in the correct answer) wins an Off Center Harbor cap. As always entry is only via email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

30-09-2020 no winners – if we believe the caption on the rear of the photo (below) the boat is named – Levanter.

UPDATE 25-11-2021 Mark McLaughlin has advided – now named Vinaka

http://www.offcenterharbor.com

Classic Wooden Boat Picnic – 20 photos

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John Dory
Arohanui
Eileen Patrica
  • Kereru
John Dory
Lady Crossley
Centaurus

Classic Wooden Boat Picnic – 20 photos

Firstly I need to thank Predictwind for Saturdays forecast, 100% on the button, as usual. One woody at the picnic didn’t come by boat based on the forecast published in Saturdays NZ Herald newspaper……………….. I suspect they also believe the horoscopes in the same paper are factual.


The morning started off a tad eerie with a sea mist blanketing a lot of the sea area off the east coast – but this burned off late morning and we then enjoyed perfect weather. The NZH and coastguard weather forecasts saw the numbers of launches attending drop to 12 but great to see so many turning up by car. Also very fine to have 3 past CYA chairman in attendance – Steve Cranch, Rod Marler and Peter Mence.
The waterfront based Stillwater Motor Camp is an idyllic setting for a gathering of classic wooden boats – deep water wharf access to raft up to + a tree shaded lawn. After some interesting docking (too many dockside expects) we had the launches tied up and everyone then decamped to the lawn. Special thanks to Mark Edmonds (Monterey) for again coordinating the venue.
A lot of the group had not caught up since the CV-19 lock-downs so it was good to swap stories and boating plans for the upcoming summer.


There has always been good camaraderie on the water between boaties and its something that we foster at Woody Classics Weekends – proof of it in practice is seen below in the photo of Rod and Fiona aboard Arohanui taking Murray Deeble’s Waikiore under tow. Towed him all the way back to the entrance to Milford Creek, where another woody – Jason Prew had ventured out in rather unpleasant conditions to get Waikiore back on her Milford berth. Well done to everyone.

Message for Murray – “should have bought a Yamaha” 🙂

Next Woodys on the water event – November 8th – Riverhead Tavern Lunch Cruise

Daily Bread

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DAILY BREAD
Short and sharp story today, busy relaunch the boat and heading off to Stillwater for the Woodys Waterfront Picnic later today. 20 boats have RSVP’ed so should be a great day.


Paul Trevethick posted the above photo of the launch – Daily Bread on his fb and commented that the launch was seen here departing Portland Island* after dropping stores off at the lighthouse.
Do we know anymore about – Daily Bread, is she still around, name change, etc.

 
* Located off the southern tip of the Mahia Peninsula on the North Island – photos below

Kuri – A Peek Down Below

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KURI – A Peek Down Below
The 44’ Kuri has made a guest appearance on WW back late December 2015, WW link below. Now thanks to her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) we get to have a peek below.https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/12/30/kuri/


Kuri was designed by Herbert Levi and built in 1929 by WG Lowe, she has had an honest life as a workboat and now resides in Picton snd converted to pleasure boating / live-aboard. Powered by a 115hp Gardner 6L3, she is very well fitted out (as are most southern boats). Depending on her condition its a lot of boat for $83k

Pearl

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PEARL
I love the above photo of Pearl, its been my screen saver on my laptop for the last 2 weeks – and thats almost a record, normally changes daily 🙂 It has got everything – pretty looking boat, family, dog and a great catch.The photo comes to us via Lew Redwood’s fb and is tagged ‘Stewart Island 1930-31’.
Anyone able to tell us more about this woody?


Fingers crossed for fine weather today, I have Raindance hauled out at The Slipway, Milford this week for its annual TLC, focusing on lots of little jobs. The intention this winter was a major repaint but CV-19 put paid to that, so its just lipstick and get out there and do some boating this season. 

WW Bucket Hat Winner Competition was Patrick O’Meara. As Nathan Herbert pointed out, people need to read the T&C’s 😉

Talisman

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TALISMAN

I have been contacted by Graeme Selby who is looking for any information on his late grandfather, Grahame Bush,  old launch the Talisman. When he owned the boat (from approx. 1980 > 2008) she was kept in the Tinopai marina in a mud birth. Talisman was sold around 2008 and Graeme believes is now moored in Port Albert.  Last photo shows Graeme as a youngster with his grandfather, Grahame.

Can anyone help? Steve Horsley – you might need to go for a walk 🙂

Dione – But Which One

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DIONE
We are going to need so serious input today re the above launch – in the past on WW there has been a lot of chat around the number of launches named – Dione and their provenance. Today’s Dione is ex a recent Lew Redwood fb post and Lew competed that ‘she was the 1933 Allely’s launch in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island’.


Now this is where it gets confusing – previously (June 2018) Lew posted a photo of the launch below and commented it was ‘the Alley family launch, Dione, at anchor at Matiatia, Waiheke Island’. At the time Harold Kidd commented as below (after photo)


On the recent photo fb post HDK comments that he doesn’t think neither of them are named Dione. Now woodys you can see why a simple country boy like me is a tad confused.Anyone brave enough to add their input ? 🙂

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