Category Archives: Non Waitemata

Seacraft Woodys

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SEACRAFT WOODYS

I was recently contacted by Chris Laird & his first words were “are you guys interested in small woodys?”. My answer was ‘if its wood, its good’ 🙂

The above photographs show two dinghies that Chris restored  a couple of years ago. The 12ft 6in Seacraft Tuna has been stripped back and had new rib sections, one or two splines to cracked planks, seats, foredeck trim and beltings before being painted up to original Seacraft colours with original badging.

The varnished 12’6″ Brin Wilson has been stripped back, seats  etc removed, some rib sections scarfed in, several splines to cracked planks and varnished / painted up to original colours.
Chris commented that it is a lovely boat to row.

Also included are photos of a 6hp Norman and original cone clutch that is in a 16′ Seacraft cabin boat that Chris is currently rebuilding. I have asked Chris to send in photos of that project.

OOPS THAT IS EMBARRASSING
Over the Anzac weekend a lot of the classic fleet headed north to Kawau Island. Anchoring room near the Kawau Boating Club is always at a premium on long weekends & no one likes a long row in the dark……….. but even the old salts can get it wrong – the crew on the  1905, Logan Bros, ex pilot boat ‘Ferro’ must have been in a hurry to make the KBC as they anchored rather close in. As it turned out, too close in – the below photo was 1/2hr before low tide & mid Sunday morning – would have been a long / embarrassing day waiting for the tide 😉

Ferro @ Kawau April2017

Mahurangi Regatta – Sailing Sunday

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Mahurangi Regatta – Sailing Sunday

I was sent a great collection of photos form the 2017 Mahurangi Regatta by Bernie Power who was aboard Shane Anderson’s classic launch Waimiga. Lots & lots of great photos, above is just a selection of the yachts, which I tend to miss as I’m pointing my camera at the beautiful boats i.e. the classic launches 🙂
Enjoy.

Primadonna

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PRIMADONNA

Primadonna is a 36′, 1905 whale chaser built by Lanes for a family with a farm in Tory Channel. Was used as a whale chaser until the end of the whaling era and then became a farm transportation boat for the same family who owned her till her current owner bought her.

She is built out of double diagonal kauri and powered with a 72hp Ford. Cruises at about 8 0r 9 knots at 1500 revs. She has accommodation for 2 and a small wheel house which you can steer from inside of the weather goes bad. Currently 4sale on trademe- thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up.

Harold Kidd Input
There’s a bit of manufactured history here. Ernie Lane didn’t come to Picton until 1907 and doesn’t appear to have built PRIMA DONNA. Most authorities say she was built by Alf Baldick between 1910 and 1915 for himself and Derbyshire as a whalechaser to compete with the Peranos. She remained in the ownership of the Baldick family until at least 2001.
She’s been on WW before; see https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/02/27/welly-woodys/

PS the “second generation” of whalechasers used by the Baldicks were SUSSEX and PEERLESS, in competition with the Peranos’ CRESCENT, BALAENA and CACHALOT. Ernie Lane built SUSSEX and PEERLESS for the Baldicks in 1916. Lane built the Peranos’ CRESCENT and BALAENA but CACHALOT was built in 1916 to a design by Chas. Collings by Kensitt at Picton. She was the THIRD generation of whalechaser and had a 130/150 hp Van Blerck, typical Collings’ concave-convex hard chine planing hull.

Update 24-05-2020 photos below added ex trademe listing

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Woody On Tour – Havelock Marina

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Woody On Tour

Ross Dawson sent in the above collection of woodys from the Havelock Marina. In Ross’s words he is “currently touring around the Mainland, and taking any opportunity (when Mrs Tourist is otherwise distracted) to mooch about marinas and wharves to take pics of ‘interesting’ wooden boats.”
Great to see Gleniffer again – click link to see/read more about her, particularly Harold Kidd’s comments https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/11/glenifer/#comments.
Can we ID > provide more details on any of the other boats?

Home Wanted – Seacraft Run-about

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Home Needed – Seacraft Run-about

While out & about Mori Flapan came across the interesting small clinker runabout above, in a café at Rawene in Northland.

It is 12.4′ long and has a steering wheel marked ‘Seacraft Ltd, Auckland’. The history of the Sea Craft Ltd company can be found at http://www.mmsc.co.nz/history Makes for some interesting reading, particularly Yeoman Lionel Sands’ story, and the introduction of fibreglass.

The boat originally was an inboard, but the engine has been removed and transom cut to mount an outboard. However, a rudder with the boat looks like it might have been original.

The café owner told Mori that she is looking to dispose of the boat in the near future. She has had plenty of offers from locals to take the boat and use it as a garden ornament filled with soil and plants, but she hopes that the boat might have a better fate.

If there is anyone interested in the boat, contact Mori at mflapan@gmail.com & he will pass details on to the cafe.

Leonardo

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LEONARDO
Leonardo started life in 1960 as a fishing trawler, last of Island Bay Italian fishing fleet. She has fished Cook Straight, Nelson, D’urville island and Marlborough Sounds. Has been moored in Purau for the last 20 years. Measuring 21′, carvel planked kauri and powered by a 20hp Ford diesel, Leonardo is a very pretty little ship that has had major work done on her & now is looking for an enthusiastic new owner.

Situated currently in Christchurch, at 21′ you could easily truck her anywhere in NZ. (Asking price is $6k)

Do we know any more about her? the work boat group must be able to chip in.

Nor’West

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Nor'west Lochmara Bay 31 12 2007

Nor'west with [Te] Atatu (1919), Lochmara Lodge mooring 1 Jan 2008.

NOR’WEST

Nor’West is one of 2 identical boats built by Lane’s at Panmure circa 1948-50, Nor’West & Sou’East, given the year of their design, they had a very futuristic, low, sleek, appearance.
Both were used extensively for game fishing for many years. You can read more here in the comments section https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/27/nor-west/
I was sent the above photos dated 2007/2008 by Frank Stoks who crewed on her back them.
The photos below are from Brian Worthington.

Input from owner Daryl Brighouse – edited by AH
“I own Nor’West, when I bought her in Picton she was a little sad with very tired Ford diesels (two of the 1,000 units imported by Lees Marine ex Germany – and apparently the very first of the overhead cam diesels – now with no parts available world wide so magnificent anchor projects) I have recently replaced the engines with Nissans and at the same time replaced the vee drives that were well past use by date with decent American units. The rest of the vessel is absolutely solid and as good as the day she was built. Based in Havelock now she is still a very pretty and well founded much treasured vessel.  
The external fibreglassing on the cabin and some parts of the internal fine paint job had unfortunately covered up patches of dry rot / black water disintegration … in the extended coamings – looks as if, while the original coaming materials were kauri and in perfect condition, oregon or similar had been used to do the extension and end grain water ingress did the damage on the very course grain timber.  The silastic put into the hull instead of putty no doubt looked good when first completed however turned into a disaster after a season with all planks and joins showing badly and the silastic peeling out while under way.  With putty replacing the silastic and professionally painted she is starting to look as she should.  However I am really pleased to say that the heavy work is now done and only the cosmetic touch ups on the coamings and interior are left for me to play with this season / winter – which I do get a great deal of pleasure out of pottering around with, she is a fabulous vessel, handles magnificently and very comfortable. I remembered her as a child sailing in the Bay of Islands watching her thunder past with her nose in the air and stern well tucked down.
Any details from past owners would be well received.

NOR WEST (I) BY G LANE - 1951 EARLY DAYS

Taramea

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Brian Lows had her at this time in Timaru in 1993

TARAMEA

Recently I was contacted by Sharon Beer who had seen a comment on ww concerning a fishing boat named Taramea and her wee mishap while steaming north from Auckland with her new owner Mr Rob Clarke.
Sharon suspected that this boat may well be the boat that her Grandfather built in his back yard in Riverton.  Sharon has been trying to contact Rob Clarke to get confirmation and maybe share with him launching photographs of her Grandfathers boat, (Sharon’s father has the original photo album). Also included are some photos of later reincarnations that I Sharon on-covered over the last three years.
Sharon is keen to link / confirm the Taramea connection with her grandfather boat. Any woodys able to help?

Below are some comments that have been placed on a facebook page Sharon started – I reproduce them only for reference as we are unable to confirm the content.

June 2014:
Allan Mcmillan ( Other wise known as ZZ ) purchased her from Timaru around about late 90″s. And gill netted out of Picton for a couple of years before the bank took it away. It had been fully refurbished from top to bottom, inside and out just before he bought her. (That picture may have taken when the work was being done ). After leaving Picton I saw it briefly up on the hard in Nelson. That is the last time I sew her.
 
April 2017:
From the man who sold it to Mr Clarke, the photos are his.
“She ended up in Auckland named Maureen Anne. I owned her briefly (about 2008) after she sunk at her mooring in a storm. My brothers and i got her running and called her Taramea again.
Was powered by a 6bd1 Isuzu. Sold her to the current owner Rob Clarke . He managed to hole and sink her on his way up north.
Shes mostly restored now and last i heard in his driveway, way up North…. Rangasomething or other harbour….”
 
And from the brother of the above – “Boy was she tender. Had hundreds and hundreds of lead ingots in her bilge from stem to stern. We took every one out to clean out her bilge and then re-stacked them. Could steam very well tho”.

From Sharon’s father:
“Taramea was her original name . Power was from a O/e engine, then a  2 cyl Bolinder, followed by a 3 cyl National, and next a 4 cyl Fordson, were there any others ?
 Had a name change to ‘Gail I’ and kept at Leasks Bay , Stewart Is. “Hurricane ” John Leask. Powered by Fordson then.”
 
April 2017
From a fisherman – “Last that I can remember the Gail she had a black painted hull and at Moeraki. Was leaking badly and had a 4 cylinder Ford diesel engine.”

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Kenya (Mataroa) Ready For Launch

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Launch Kenya

Kenya (Mataroa) Ready For Launch

I was contacted yesterday by Rob Ulvel, the owner of Mataroa, (Mataroa was previously named Kenya). Rob sent me the above amazing photos of Kenya outside the Judges Bay, Parnell, shed of her builder, Joe Slattery. The photos & details were sent to Rob by Peter Midgley, whose father Eric Midgley was an apprentice at the Slattery yard from 1923 to 1929, Eric along with Billy Rogers is pictured with Joe Slattery in the doorway of Joe’s shed. Billy is on the left & Eric on the right.
In the photo that shows two men inspecting the launch, they areprobably the Heards. Peter Midgley commented that these photos would have been taken late November 1928 as she was launched 1st December 1928.

To view photos of Mataroa being relaunched recently (Jan. 2017) in Wellington after a refit / make over, click this link’s https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/01/27/mataroa-re-launched/
Compare the 1928 & 2017 photos & see how remarkably original she is, from what I’ve seen of Rob’s work, I’m confident that when he moves onto Mataroa’s interior, he will ensure that the work is sympathetically done, commensurate with her vintage 😉 You can view & read a lot more about the boat by searching Mataroa in the ww search box.

Gay Rambler

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GAY RAMBLER

Reading the latest issue of the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Associations newsletter, I came across the above photos of the c.1960’s 15ft Hartley run-about ‘Gay Rambler’, owned by Gavin Finch. Gavin purchased her in 1972 from her builder, Allan Hall of Ngongataha. Gay Rambler is powered by a 50hp  Johnston that Gavin purchased new in 1974. Trolling power comes from a 2010 Yamaha 3hp.
After 44 years of ownership, 82 year old,  Gavin would like to sell the boat & see her enjoyed by another family.
To discuss & view – contact Gavin on (07) 888 8182.

How To Build A Half Model
The link below is to another of Ian Smith’s short videos, this one is on how to make a half model. Thanks to Robin Elliott for sharing the link 🙂