Category Archives: Non Waitemata

1st Motor Boat on Lake Wanaka 

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1st Motor Boat on Lake Wanaka 

In the days before the guys at Boat Haulage were around, it was a real mission to launch the woodys, & some were more challenging. In the above photo we see the first motor launch for Lake Wanaka being transported there by horse & wagon team.

Photo ex University of Otago / Hocken collection via Lew Redwood’s FB page.

Its a long shot but any able to ID the launch?

Another of Lew’s photos, below, is dated 22 December 1956 (just 6 days b4 I was born) – any clues on the location?

Harold Kidd Input – The launch is TILIKUM, formerly on Lake Wakatipu. She was taken across from Frankton to Pembroke in September 1904 on a timber wagon driven by J Brensell. Her owner was Capt McDougall. TILIKUM was probably a rename after Capt Vos’s canoe TILIKUM which had just visited New Zealand and created a great deal of interest, so her provenance is obscure. Certainly she’s a typical early 20th Century canoe-sterned oil launch in the Logan Bros style.

There’s a suggestion that TILIKUM started life as a torpedo boat based in Dunedin. Haven’t had a chance to check that out but it seems plausible.

Update 27-06 The “torpedo boat” origin is rubbish. The Dunedin-based Thornycroft spar torpedo boat TAIAROA wa a hugely different animal which was decommissioned about the time TILIKUM appeared, but that’s the only common context except the “torpedo stern” and that it seems TILIKUM first owner, J.C. McBride of Queenstown, bought her in Dunedin. I reckon she was probably built by one of the top Dunedin/Port Chalmers constructors like Jas McPherson or Jas McLellan.

 

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Working Waterfront Boatbuilders Shed – 50 photos

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Working Waterfront Boatbuilders Shed – 50 photos

As I’ve send many times before, if your want a stunning day weather wise, schedule a Classic Yacht Association event – the hit rate must be 9/10.

Over 100 CYA members & friends made the trip north to Lees Boatbuilders at Sandspit – our host for the day, Greg Lees, turned on a brilliant woody event – we had everything – woody projects underway, the best collection of 1/2 models I seen outside of the RNZYS walls, a photo montage recording the history of the yard & the vessels built over the years.

 Center stage was Jenny & Angus Rogers – Mahanui, in the shed for a new deck, alongside her was a very original Chris Craft that was getting a restoration. 

The varnish guru Dale has already applied 23 coats, with 6 more to come. Compared to our old girls, these American woodys are very lightly built, amazing that so many have survived.

Outside we had Anna & Nic Davidson’s – Juanita, on one slip & Barbara & David Cooke’s woody flagship – Trinidad, alongside the wharf. In midstream was Yvonne, waiting her turn in the shed.

On the hard was a selection of small craft built by either Greg, his father Tim or other local craftsman. Not woodys but certainly classic were Greg’s two English built, aluminium Albatross runabouts – the very rare 4 seater is next on Greg’s to-do list. Included are a few photos of other woodys in or out of the water.

Greg gave an articulate talk on his families boatbuilding history & how they came to be situated on the Sandspit foreshore. At the end he announced the official launch of the 2018 Rudder Cup launch race to be run on Friday 14th December to Sail Rock & back. See flyer below, I encourage all woody owners to consider participating. At this stage we (I’m on the race committee, along with Jason Prew, Nathan Herbert, Baden Pascoe & Barbara & David Cooke) are calling for expressions of interest in racing – entry to the race is by invitation, as per the original race format in 1908.

 Big ups to Greg & family + staff for turning on the day, including BBQ. Special thanks also to the CYA committee members that pulled it all together. 

Lastly a little something below for the petrol heads – Greg had on display his Jesser BSA 500cc twin, hill climb racer. Built in 1962 by Les Jesser, she is a 2 time Australian  class champion. 

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CYA Rudder Cup 2018 flyer

Build Me Straight – A Wooden Boat Building Film

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https://vimeo.com/94950848

 

Build Me Straight Film

I was sent this video clip (film) by Cameron Pollard of the planning, building & launching of a traditional wooden boat. It is great viewing, but be warned the music is bad 🙂

It is reproduced with the permission of the Scottish Screen Archive & the National Library of Scotland.

Enjoy- it is very good.

And on the same subject, boatbuilding, a wee reminder to CYA members of today’s visit to Lees Boat Builders on-the-water yard at Sandspit. Kicks off at 11.00am, free sausage sizzle. It’s a working boat yard, so wear sensible shoes. See you there.

 

 

It Might Be Wood – But It Sure Isn’t A Classic

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It Might Be Wood – But It Sure Isn’t A Classic

The above boat was bought to my attention on trademe by James Dreyer, its listing states it’s a mid 1930’s build, 41’ twin skin kauri hull, with a beam of 14’9” / draft 3’3” – but somewhere along the line its been turned into a floating apartment.

Interestingly the main engine has been removed and replaced with ballast, & she now has two 15hp 4 stroke outboards hanging off the back.

Her owner is very honest & states that she is only really a vessel to potter in the marina and potentially the harbour on a calm day, so woodys if you’re looking for a love shack in Wellington…..

My real reason for posting was to give Jason Prew some interior decorating hints for his My Girl 🙂

SOUTHERN ISLES – A Peak Down Below

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SOUTHERN ISLES – A Peak Down Below

Thanks to her trademe listing (ex Ian McDonald) we get to have a peek down below on the 36’ Southern Isles.

Built by Tom Wells at Wakatahuri, Forsyth Bay, Pelorus Sound & launched in 1953 she has a beam of 10’6” & draws 5’.

Her zoom zoom is via a 127hhp Gardner 6LX.

She was featured on WW before in Dec 2017 – link below, where you will find lots of history from John Wicks.

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Update ex Cameron Pollard – photos below show her in 1950, just prior to launching & in work – beaching the ship Matangi.

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20-08-2018 UPDATE – John Wicks just advised that he had recently run into the couple who owned her while she was in Clevedon. They told him they’ve just sold her to someone related (not sure exactly how) to the Wells family of Wakatahuri, and that she’s heading back down to where she was launched, which has to be a good thing.

Fifer

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FIFER

I’m hoping today is a wet, rainy day – why?  todays story on the restoration of the 67’ Canadian motor yacht – Fifer, is such a great read.

Fifer was built in 1928 by the Hoffa- Beeching Shipyard in Vancouver BC, the company went on to merge with the Boeing Company in 1929.

Her owners are passionate woody boaters with a long history of classic wooden boat ownership. She is powered by twin 102hp Gardener 6L3, which are over 40 years old & still going strong.

The owners & Fife’s story is told on their weblog – link below.  You will see from some of the photos above she has had a few ‘adventures’ – read her story it’s very addictive reading – Enjoy.

https://www.yachtfifer1928.com/blog/

 

 

Te Anau

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TE ANAU

I was recently contacted by Mike O’Dwyer in regard to boat that is currently visiting Napier, Mike’s home town.

It is called Te Anau, currently owned by Mike and Julie Trewern from Port Chalmers.

Designed by Henry Miller (Miller and Tunnage) originally as a trawler, Te Anau has been converted to a  now a very comfortable live-aboard measuring just over 50’ with a 13’ beam and a 6’ 6” draft.

Te Anau was launched in 1956 after being built at Scotts boatyard in Invercargill from Tallowood, an Australian native timber belonging to the Ucalypt species. It is a naturally oily timber with a high tannin content.

Scotts boatyard mainly used Tallowwood for their boat construction.

The vessel is powered by a 170hp DAF 6 cylinder diesel motor. Originally powered by a GM this engine was replaced by a DAF which after 55,000 hours was replaced by the current engine.

Forty-eight of theses motors were imported in the sixties to power the Chatham Island crayfish boats.

Mike and Julie are currently on a prolonged cruise and after leaving NZ in Sept 2016 have visited Queensland, New Caladonia, Vanuatu and Fiji returning to NZ in November last year.

They plan to cruise for another 18 months which may include another offshore stint.

 

 

 

 

A Woody Sounds Cruiser

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A Woody Sounds Cruiser

The above launch was built in 1960 by Ship Builders & is just over 30’ in length, with a beam of 10’5”. Her zoom zoom comes via a 140hp Perkins diesel. Home port is Picton.

In true broker style there is no reference on the trade listing to the boats name 😦 thanks to Ian McDonald for the trademe heads up.

Can one of the southern woodys give us a name & hopefully more details on her past?

 

Ruamano

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RUAMANO

The above photos ex the FB page of Lew Redwood show the 1925, 46’,  Collings & Bell built launch Ruamano in February 1926 on an extended cruise of the South Island’s West Coast sounds.

The bottom photo sees her alongside the wharf at Picton & her crew being welcomed in Nelson, her owner / skipper A.H. Courts is on the far left in the photo.

Sadly Ruamano was ‘lost’ (abandoned) at sea in 2000, off the West Coast of the North Island – read / see more at the links below.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/02/ruamano/

https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/03/17/ruamanu/