Category Archives: Non Waitemata

CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT CLEVEDON SPRING CRUISE HIGHLIGHTS

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Very Early Start Up The River
Follow The Leader
Raffle Prizes

CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT CLEVEDON SPRING CRUISE HIGHLIGHTS

A tad weary writing this story so it will be short and I’ll let the photos tell the story.The weekend just gone saw a fleet of classic wooden craft making the pilgrimage to the CLEVEDON CRUISING CLUB for the annual woodys overnight BBQ.

As always the tide wags the dogs tail so we were looking at a very early trip up the Wairoa River, by early try 6.15am. The smart woody skippers travelled down Friday afternoon and anchored overnight at the river mouth. A great sunset delivered some nice photos.

I took photos of the classic woodys moored on route, it is always interesting to view the deterioration of some craft and the new arrivals. Will do a story on the river trip tomorrow.

Most of Saturday was spent boat hoping and catching up on dockside gossip. Rest assured if you weren’t there you were talked about.Captain Giddens hosted late afternoon drinks on ALLERGY and then we moved onto the clubrooms for the evening.

If you haven’t been to a Woody gig at the CCC its an all-embracing old school night shindig – bbq’s, outdoor fires, karaoke with a professional singer that could make even the worst shower singer sound ok. There are raffles, which I have to report the woodys skippers did very well at – Captain Giddens collecting 4 prizes.
Everything is BYO but the club very generously provide additional food and an impressive dessert table.

Departure home on Sunday was almost as early as Saturday and the forecast wasn’t flash eh N>30 knots. I can’t speak for the others but it wasn’t the very pleasant and if it wasn’t bolted down it ended up on the cabin floor 😦

A big shout out to the classic yachts that joined the flotilla this year, with access to the local knowledge of Barry Abel, the deeper draft yachts had an uneventful  passage on the river . Special thanks to all the woodys that attended by car, your company added to the evening.

Enjoy the photos and start thinking about the Spring Splash At Kawau Island on Labour Weekend.

ROOM FOR ONE MORE – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH KOTARE

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ROOM FOR ONE MORE – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH KOTARE

Today hopefully, weather permitting, myself and a collection of classic woodys will be docked at the CLEVEDON CRUISING CLUB for our annual overnight BBQ cruise up the Wairoa River.

Whilst a few boats I’m sure will be slightly over crewed, none will match the photo of the tourist boat KOTARE that we see above unloading passengers at Kaiteriteri Beach, Nelson. Seriously…… how there wasn’t a capsize I do not know, and you can be sure there wasn’t a PFD for everyone 😦

The photo comes to us from the ‘Memories of Abel Tasman National Park’ fb on a posting dated Nov 2019 by Trevor Norriss, via John Burland.

Back in April 2021we ran a story on KOTARE, lots of history and photos  – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/24/kaiteriteri-beach-can-we-id-the-launch/

2022 Cruise

EX 1929 CLASSIC WORKBOAT KATIPO

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EX 1929 CLASSIC WORKBOAT KATIPO 

Seems these days there is a fb page for just about anything and everything – John Burland sent me a link to the ‘Memories of Abel Tasman National Park’ page. There I came across a  posting dating back to April 2023 where a Peter Campbell posted a copy of a Cody  Engineering advertisement from November 1951 , featured in the ad was the 26’ launch – KAIPO. At the time owned by Henry Cotton. She had a 8’6” beam and draft of 2’6”. We ran a brief story on her back in 2023 but didnt learn about, so we try again 🙂

Then we learnt in the comments section(ex Steve Thomas 2024) thatDon Thomas and Boxer Fanslowe purchased KATIPO from Nelson Fisheries mid 1950’s and was then refurbished by Dick Stringer in Nelson.. In another comment in 2024 a Lynda Gould advised the Don Thomas was her father and him and Boxer owned the boat in the 1950”s > 1970’s.

She was originally built by the Juke yard, Wellington and launched 1929.  The Petter 10hp engine was replaced around 1960 with a Ford Dexta 3 Cylinder, 32hp. KATIPO remained in the Thomas family until sold around 1998. 

She’s now sitting in Picton Marina and I believe with the same Dexta engine still going strong after 63 years service. Photo below ex Steve Thomas, taken around 25 years ago.

Do we know what became of KATIPO.

03-02-2026 INPUT ex JOHN BURLAND – Now located in Picton Marina on a pole mooring. Powered by Ford Dexter diesel engine and 4sale on tme.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH JUDITH AIMEE HAULED FOR SOME TLC 

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH JUDITH AIMEE HAULED FOR SOME TLC 

Back in April 2024 42’ classic wooden launch – JUDITH AMIEE made a cameo appearance on WW and the story generated a lot of chat re her past and photos from c.1960 , linked below – .https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/07/04/judith-aimee-classic-wooden-launch/

jUDITH AIMEE was built at the Percy Vos shed in 1966 to drawings from Ken McCormick. 

Today thanks ro Alan Sexton we get a up close and out of water look at her while recently hauled out at Robertson Boats in Warkworth.

ONE OF THEM IS DREAMING – 17’ V 40’ WOODY

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ONE OF THEM IS DREAMING – 17’ V 40’ WOODY

An unnamed woody recently sent me a link to a craft on tme with a one line note “wow check this out, you should buy it”.

Well woodys turns out the craft was a 1955 17’ speedboat . Bui;t by someone named ‘Lewis’ and repowered with a 350hp Mercury inboard V8, capable of 90 kph (50 knots). 

Short answer – not for me.

Reading the listing it was all a little OTT eg “Rare vintage boats like this almost never come up for sale”, well thats not correct tme has mutable listings and then this line – “Trade-ins and finance welcome, and transport can be arranged nationwide.”

The nostrils started to twitch , smells like a car dealer…… well reading on turns out it was being sold by a car yard. And with a $40>45k price tag someones been sniffing the fuel tank.

So what’s the real story today – well this listing just illustrates the current divide between classic wooden motorboats and zoom zoom recreational trailer craft. 

For the same $$ you could own the 40’ Miller & Tunnage classic woody below and do laps of NZ.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH FLASHBACK  –  JOHN GLADDEN’s LADY JESS

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2021
2025

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH FLASHBACK  –  JOHN GLADDEN’s LADY JESS

LADY JESS the1961 John Gladden built classic wooden launch last appeared on WW back in May 2021 when Dean Wright took the top photo of her berthed at Tutukaka Marina, link below to that story. At the time Scott Macindoe sent in a great piece on the boats provenance, also in the link https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/05/25/lady-jess-woody-workshop/

Then in June 2025 we saw her on fb (2nd photo above), via Lew Redwood. Now retired from commercial big game fishing. Fast forward to yesterday and woody John Dawson sent in the great photos below from her early days, before the addition of a 2nd story.

BAY OF ISLANDS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WAIREKA

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PRE HAIRCUT

BAY OF ISLANDS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WAIREKA

Last week WW ran a story on a Chris Robertson designed launch named – ROAM, the story prompted Desiree and David Stuart to contact WW with more intel on what Desiree described as the Chris Robertson ‘Fast Cruiser”. 

We will do a separate story tomorrow on the launch KAREMOANA (sister ship to WAIREKA) that appeared  in the June 1968 issue of Seaspray magazine.

Today is all about the Stuart’s launch – WAIREKA. The Stuart family are Kerikeri boatbuilders (D&D Boatbuilding – Waipapa) and WAIREKA is there personal craft.

I’ll let Desiree tell the story – 

“We have been told that WAIREKA is the last of 5 of five of Chris Robertson vessels built, launched in 1974. Four were built in quick succession, by both Chris and Brin Wilson, however, we have no evidence of a launch date, just that she is clearly built by Chris. (There are some aesthetic aspects that are clearly his and routinely appear on his other builds.)

WAIREKA’s history as we know it – Owned by ourselves, and previously in partnership with our late uncle, Duncan “Cookie” Stuart, prior to that Jack and Carol Rogers, prior to that Bob and Beryl Harkin  – the trail then runs cold.

We know that WAIREKA was built when Chris Robertson was based next to Salthouse – on Target Rd? She was launched with her flying bridge which was most def. from a Mark 1 Corsair. (Now in the bin).

She’s had a lot of love lavished on her (my bank account says way too much) since coming into our ownership, but what can you do, she’s part of the family 🙂

WAIREKA is currently out of the water for engine (2725 Otosan Ford) and drive-train (Velvet Drive) work – she should be heading back into the water in the Bay of Islands, later this month.”

WAIREKA has made a couple of cameo appearances on WW, first back in January  2014 at Patio Bay, Waiheke Island and then in January 2025 in the Bay of Islands in a cruising report from Dean Wright.

JAN 2014 WAIHEKE IS.
JAN 2025 – B.O.I.
RSVP – boat name to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH QUANDO AGROUND – What Happened Here

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH QUANDO AGROUND – What Happened Here

Recently woody John Dawson contacted WW regarding the top two photos of a launch named QUANDO, as we see in the (oldish photo) photos the vessel has ‘come ashore’.

On face value it appears to be not* a major mishap , maybe skipper miscalculated the tide when anchoring or dragged anchor. *(Unless the port-side tarpaulin and dinghy is covering up a major oops.)

Can anyone enlighten us as to what happened, the date and location.

A search on WW popped up the 3rd and 4th  photos above ex Jason Prew and Nathan Herbert , who spotted QUANDO berthed at Sulphur Point Marina, Tauranga, in February 2015. 

Sadly she has acquired a second story and lost the varnished coamings.

In the WW search the name QUANDO also popped up on a story on the launch KARINA (photo below & story link), where Adam Jane-Rashleigh commented that KARINA was a sister ship to his launch QUANDO.

KARINA

Read / view more on KARINA here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/11/04/karina-2/

RSVP – boat name to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

WHERE IS SHE NOW – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – RAWHITI

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Coromandel c.1962
Snells Beach c.2015

WHERE IS SHE NOW – CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – RAWHITI

As a result of Tuesdays story on the mystery boats at Coromandel WW was contacted by Jackie Carey with updated intel on the vessel LADY WINN , seen in the photo, now added to the story , link to that story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/09/02/mystery-wooden-vessels-at-coromandel/

Jackie also enquired about a 28’ kauri launch named RAWHITI that was built in 1962 by her father, Harold Carey, in the shed (Strongman Bros) shown in Tuesday’s photo. The launch was sold in 1963 when the family moved from the Coromandel to live in Golden Bay in the South Island in 1963.

Via the wonders of the WW Search Box I was able to send Jackie a link to a Nov 2015 WW story on RAWHITI – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/11/28/rawhiti-mv/

Jackie was very happy to see her looking so beautiful and given the WW story was 10 years ago, hoped she is still being looked after.  Jackie and her sister’s are hopeful of seeing RAWHITI  again. 

So woodys can anyone enlighten us on where RAWHITI has been for the last 10 years and who owns now.

RSVP – boat name to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC LAUNCH TAINUI – RELAUNCH DAY DRAWS NEAR

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CLASSIC LAUNCH TAINUI – RELAUNCH DAY DRAWS NEAR

WW has been following the restoration of the 38’ 1967 built classic launch – TAINUI for several years and as we can see from todays photos from Blair Boats, the big day is not too far off. Wonderful work being done and owner John Sloane must be over the moon.

Lots of previous WW stories covering her past, but looking at todays photos its hard to believe she was once a Harbour Board workboat. 

Check out the previous updates at this linkhttps://waitematawoodys.com/2025/02/17/restoration-of-classic-launch-tainui-update/

Photo below from ‘way back’ 🙂