Category Archives: Non Waitemata

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH YASAWA NEEDS A NEW HOME

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH YASAWA NEEDS A NEW HOME

Last week WW was contacted by Julie Eccles advising that she was selling her late husband (Ken) classic wooden bridge-decker 33’ launch – YASAWA.  YASAWA has appeared on WW several times over the years, starting back in January 2014, link below. At the time we learnt from Harold Kidd that she was built by Charlie Filmer.  WW Jan 2014  https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/01/10/yasawa/

More recently John Burland photographed her moored at Motueke Marina – last photo above. In this photo she looks very smart. Below is an excerpt from the Nov 2025 edition of the Motueka Yacht and Cruising Club newsletter.

YASAWA – Yasawa was built in 1952 when bridge-deckers were a very popular style of launch.

The term ‘bridge-decker’ refers to boats with a higher level deck to the fore of the boat that sits over the engine bay. The first bridge-deckers were built in the1920s in the USA and reflect a transition from stern steered sailing vessels to motorised launches.

Yasawa is carvel kauri construction and is 32.8 feet (10 metres) long. Its first owner and builder was Charlie Filmer who lived in Penrose, Auckland. The boat’s history is well recorded in a popular classic wooden boat site called ‘Waitemata Woodys’. For many years it was well known for its varnished topsides, since painted over. Originally the boat was called ‘Doraleen’ and changed to its current name in 1957. The boat’s first engine was a petrol V8 marinised Ford Mercury. It is currently powered by a D-Series 6 cylinder Ford diesel, which was reconditioned with Phil Fry’s help about 5 years ago.

Interested parties to initially make contact with Julie Eccles via email julieeccleskina@gmail.com 

(photo ex Toby Hyman)

A ROAD TRIP TO WARKWORTH + CEMENT WORKS BOAT YARD

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A ROAD TRIP TO WARKWORTH + CEMENT WORKS BOAT YARD

I had a good reason last week to head north and so took the chance to mooch around the woodys berthed or hauled out in the upper reaches of the Mahurangi / Warkworth River.

The excuse for the trip was to delivery a model of the coastal cruiser VANESSA to the vessel before she heads south to her new Wellinton owner. 

VANESSA was out for a serious service before the delivery crew headed away down south.

Sad to see such a salty looking woody leaving our area but we tend to win more than we lose eg more coming north ✔️

In varying stages of repair were  – NEPTUNE, LADY JANE AND WAIONE. The yard was very busy but I started to itch as I got close to most of the other craft hauled out.

I also popped down to the river and spotted – RIPPLE,JANE GIFFORD, ANAM CARA (L33), and NOW .

CLASSIC YACHT – MAWHITI

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CLASSIC YACHT – MAWHITI

Today’s woody is the yacht MAWHITI, she was designed by E. Mantell Silk and built by William Moore, M. Beck and Arthur Penty in a shed across the road from the Clyde Quay Marina, Wellington. The photo and details comes to us via the Wellington classic yacht trust fb. 

Launched November 1898 she was built as a 2.5 rater and LOA = 35’ and a 8’6” beam.             She wouldn’t fit through the door of the hired shed in which she was built. The landlord refused to remove the doors, so an overnight raid with saws and plenty of tackle saw the wall cut away, the vessel put on the street, and the wall put back before anyone was the wiser. In the photo you can see the vertical cut adjacent to the window in the building behind.

MAWHITI was beautifully finished down to an interior of “red pine” (rimu?) panelling, with areas painted pale green and white with gold trim. Her cabin roof was lined in lincrusta and the skylight was glazed with muranese (also known as Florentine) glass.

She was described by an Evening Post columnist as “the finest specimen of amateur boatbuilding that has come under our notice”

She was sold in 1906 and taken to Sydney, Australia by her new owner – Berkeley Clark. Last heard of in the 1970’s.

WOODEN WORKBOATS ON THE HOKIANGA 

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WOODEN WORKBOATS ON THE HOKIANGA 

Todays photo is a flash back to rural life in the early 1920’s when launches collected cream from wayside settlements around the harbour and transported the cargo to in this case a dairy factory ar Rawene. 

In addition to the cream loads the boats provided transport for both farm and domestic supplies. The craft were the equivalent of todays Toyota HiLux ute.

Have to love the hatch / all weather shelter on the launch closest to the wharf. I think they were referred to as ‘blue collar flybridges’.

KAWAU ISLAND — Idyllic Classic Times Afloat

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KAWAU ISLAND — Idyllic Classic Times Afloat

Todays very cool photo comes to us from a recent Lew Redwood fb post and is tagged – ‘Yachts & Launches at Kawau Island 1900-1916, Hocken. 

Can we ID the canoe stern launch on the righthand side, middle/top of the photo.

Its a very salty clinker dinghy, what’s the significance of the ‘4 KAWAU’ on the stern – was here a fleet back then.

😃 given the dates even K Ricketts can’t claim he was there when the photo was taken 😉

CLASSIC WOODEN CARVEL LAUNCH – SEA CREST

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CLASSIC WOODEN CARVEL LAUNCH – SEA CREST

Todays woody comes to us from ’Kev’s Wanganui Riverboat History Page fb via Maurice Sharp.

The photo is dated 1968 and shows the 22’ travel built launch – SEA CREST, being re-launched following a 17 month restoration at the hands of Neville Fitch and Barry Sangster.  The vessel was possibly previously named LAZY EHTEL.

The venue of the event is the Wanganui River.

Can we learn what became of SEA CREST and where she might be today.

(photo ex Toby Hyman)

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – FANTASY – A Peek Down Below

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – FANTASY – A Peek Down Below

There are a few classic wooden launches that I would never take my partner onto – one of them is FANTASY, the 1952 McGeady built launch. Powered by a 72hp Sole diesel engine.

Her interior fit out would have me having to create some excuse as to why she wouldn’t be suitable for us. FANTASY ticks most of your boxes and has the added bonus of a fire / heater.

The launch made a brief appearance on tme last year and then disappeared, hopefully her owners changed their mind 🙂

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH WYNONA – RESTORATION UPDATE WANTED 

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH WYNONA – RESTORATION UPDATE WANTED 

The classic wooden launch WYNONA made a brief appearance on WW back in Nov 2023, at the time we learnt from Harold Kidd that WYNONA was built in 1948 by Sam Ford for the Rotorua Lake Service Ltd., who used her for tourist trips to Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua. 

Later a comment was made on WW that WYNONA was being restored at Tarakohe Marina, in Golden Bay – unfortunately we learnt no more on the vessel, so today is a shout out to see if we can get an update.

The photo above came to us from Sharron French who uncovered the photo when reviewing her fathers photo album.

(photo ex Toby Hyman)

MYSTERY 43’ WELLINGTON LAUNCH

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MYSTERY 43’ WELLINGTON LAUNCH

Todays woodys sat on tme for a while (thanks Ian McDonald) and has now been removed, hopefully sold.The vessel was promoted as a live aboard option and at $20k was low cost city pad.What we knew about her :

  • 43ft bridgedecker launch
  • Carvel kauri hull
  • 120hp Ford diesel, with a few minor issues
  • Cruises comfortably around 8 knots

Looking at the last two photos above as compared to the lead photo, she is in need of some TLC. Can we learn her name, designer/builder and what became of her.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MAHANA 

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MAHANA 

The classic wooden launch MAHANA has appeared before on WW but woody John Dawson sent in this gallery of photos, to give us a better look down below.

She was built in c.1975 by Atkinson and with the date falls into the ‘Spirit of Tradition’ category. A lot bigger than she looks in the photos -– 46’ LOA and not sluggish with a 315hp Yanmar providing the forward motion.