Category Archives: Non Waitemata

Telstar II – Vintage Speed Boat

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TELSTAR II – VINTAGE SPEED BOAT

I came across this ‘classic’ speed boat while trolling thru trademe. All the Masterton, Wairarapa based seller knows is that its 13’ in length.
Maybe the number on the hull, W.P. 45, will help us ID the boat.
 
Unless she held the NZ water speed record (which I highly doubt) the vendors asking price of $3.5k is a tad bullish.
 
23-05-2022 Update
Peter McLeod contacted us to advise that he now has Telstar II under his care and has just about finished recommissioning her. Photos below.
 
 
 

See Bee – Part 1

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SEA BEE – Part 1

On my trip up North this week I spotted Sea Bee berthed in the Whangarei Basin. Looks to be a very recent recipient of a conversion from work boat to cruiser.

Lovely lines and great use of colour.
Anyone able to tell us about her past?
Update ex Linda Holdaway – this is the same Sea Bee owned for many years by Ian Boyce.  She was designed and built by Harold Saunders, we’ve been told. Brett Stanaway bought her in 2014 from Steve Greasley up in the Kerikeri inlet and we worked solidly on her every spare hour we could find, and launched her unfinished in 2016. I went and talked with Ian Boyce while he was still alive. He said she was originally built in 1965 for a partnership between Dave Baker and George Cornwall and was called CB when launched. They bought 4 kauri trees in the Coromandel and had them railed to Saunders’ boatyard in Mana Harbour. 
09-04-2020 Input from Brett Stanaway
Below are a few photos of Seabee the day she was launched, a couple of her when she was still working and a couple of her the day we bought her. 
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I know I’m A Nutter
Anyone else got all 8 editions of the CYA Classic Register? fyi – there is actually 9,
one was reprinted due to an embarrassing oops – and yes I have that one as well 🙂
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Northern Star

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NORTHERN STAR
Its not often we see an Australian designed / built Halvorsen in NZ waters, they are the darlings of Sydney Harbour. Its even rarer to see an ex WW II one.
Northern Star was built in 1944 by Lars Halvorsen & Sons for the Royal Australian Air Force as a air-sea rescue boat.
She measures 38’x10’x4’. Current power is from a 306hp Volvo TAMD61A diesel that gets her along at 12>13 knots.
Her owner has had her for 45 years and she is  now 4sale on tme – a few rot issues to her plywood stern area and fore deck but I’m sure easily fixed. Rather a smart boat for the current price ($20+k)
Anyone know how she came to be in NZ ?
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Doris

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DORIS

While mooching around the Whangarei docks yesterday I spotted Doris. Had a brief chat with her owner who hopefully is going to email in what he knows about her past. She made a brief appearance on WW back in late Feb 2019. At the time there was a lot of chat in the comments section as to her provenance and military (WW II) service. WW link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/02/27/dorris/

I walked away with two photos from her past, the 2nd one above from when her owner purchased her and the b/w one, possibly, from her time in the Pacific Island’s during WW II. The location is thought to be Vanuatu.
When I get more intel – hopefully we can confirm her bloodline and life journey 🙂
Harold Kidd Input – In case the subject of DORIS has become scrambled during the previous post, this DORIS (W66) was built by T M Lane & Sons at Kings Drive, Mechanics Bay in December 1910 for Fuller of Russell as a 36 footer with a 12hp 2 cylinder Scripps engine.
We Have A New Leader In the – Boat That Most Resembles A Block Of Flats – Competition  – spotted off Waiheke Island last weekend.
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Timeless

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TIMELESS
The above photos of the 44’ Timeless were sent in by John Burland and show her berthed at Nelson Marina.
Back in March 2014 she appeared on WW and we established that she was potentially launched in 1998 as Daphne Dee, later (2002) renamed Timeless. Link to the 2014 WW story below.
I’m liking the new paint job 🙂
Any of the newer (since 2014) woodys able to shed more light on this woody?
Off to Whangarei today to check-out a few woodys, more details soon 😉
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Mystery Whangrei Harbour Launch

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Mystery Whangarei Harbour Launch

It’s a little hard to back up yesterdays WW coverage of the CYA Classic Yacht Regatta – big numbers viewing, including the USA and UK.
So today we have a very cool b/w photo of an unknown launch pictured at anchor in Whangarei Harbour, its dated c.1900’s and that woodys is all we know.
Can anyone help us ID the boat?
(thanks to Lew Redwood’s fb for the image)
12-03-2020 Input from Harold Kidd – I think it is the 32ft KIA KOA, built by Bailey & Lowe in 1908 for A.R. Pickmere of Whangarei with a 10hp Gardner petrol engine, 6ft shorter than GLADYS/GISPA but from the same stable and a year or so earlier.
And if you missed yesterdays WW story (100+) photos – just scroll down 😉
Input from Denis O’Callahan (MV Tasman) – The lines of the hull look similar to my father’s boat, Mapu, designed by H E Cox in 1927 for H A Adams. I think she was built by Col Wild. She had a 2 cylinder Kelvin sleeve valve engine which was run on kerosene during WW2. The photo below of Mapu at the Needles Eye, Birkenhead some time in the 1940s. This was where Jim Young had his boat shed back in the day.
Mapu at Needles Eye 1940 something
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Lady Ellison

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Lady Ellison

The photos above of the 36’ c.1952/53 possibly Sam Ford built – Lady Ellison were sent in by John Burland and show her at Nelson Marina.

The lady has made two appearances (July 2015 and May 2019) on WW, links below, from the photos above its obvious that she is now a well used, semi commercial vessel. Read the links and comments sections –  lots of chat on her past.

Two photos below – b/w = as launched. Colour = 2015 (click to enlarge)

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Ajax

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Duncan McKee dropped me a note recently to let me know the 1937 Lanes built launch Ajax is alive and well and moored in Evans Bay Wellington at present.
 
Owned by the McKee family, Ajax is in regular use and enjoying Wellington Harbour and Cook Strait as she has done for the last 80 odd years.
 
Back in 2018, Ajax made a cameo appearance on WW when woody Dean Wright snapped a photo of Ajax while mooching around Mana Marina – WW link below
 
Can anyone tell us more about this very smart looking motor boot?
 
UPDATE 07-07-2023 – Video below of AJAX leaving Evans Bay Wellington to cross Cook Strait in March 2023. Cruising at 6 knots it takes 5 hours to Tory Channel entrance. On board Brereton and Duncan McKee (who sent in the video)
 
 
 
 
 

Yesterdays Quiz – ID The ‘Hidden’ Boat Winner was Bill Brown of Mt Eden, Auckland. And woodys there was a new record number of entries and 90% had the designer right (Des Townson) and the entries were split 50/50 between 28’ / 32’ re the length.

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Patina

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PATINA
Thanks to Ian McDonald we get to have a peek at the 39’, 1913 ex Oxley Hotel, work boat. Built in and for the Marlborough Sounds. In the 1950’s she was converted to pleasure use.
Built for double planked kauri, these days a 54hp Yanmar diesel pushes her along at a leisurely cruising speed of 8>9 knots.
Home port is Wellington. Currently for sale on tme.
Can any of the Southern woodys tell use more about Patina?
HEADS UP AUCKLAND WOODYS – PERFECT WEATHER FORECAST FOR TODAYS WOODYS CLASSICS BBQ & PIZZA LUNCH AT LITTLE ONEROA, WAIHEKE ISLAND.
DON’T WORRY IF YOU HAVEN’T RSVP – JUST ROCK UP . ANYTIME FROM 11.30AN >
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Woodys Waiheke BBQ & Pizza
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