Category Archives: Non Waitemata

Lake Rotoiti Launch – Rescued & Lost?

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Lake Rotoiti Launch – Rescued & Lost?

The above photo was sent to me by Greg Noble & would have been taken around 1973/4. Greg found this launch half submerged, just south of the Okiri Falls side of Rotoiti, Rotorua, miles from any houses.

Greg got her floating and towed her to a pull out on the Maori Land between the two lakes. Initially Greg lots of ideas of restoring her but as often happens, never got round to it. While she was there somebody told Greg that she had broken a speed record on Auckland Harbor, this impressed Greg at the time but he can’t recall any of the details now, nor her name.

Sadly, she was left there and Greg has no idea what became of her. The thinking was that at least she was safe & people could see her and admire her and hopefully she would be saved from eventually going under.

So woodys – the big question Greg would like answered is – did she survive & if so what became of her.

Would be cool to also put a name to her & confirm the racing pedigree.

What prompted Greg to send me the above was the Mystery Launch story on 08-11-2017 (link below), what say those with an eye for lines – similar / same ?

Mystery Launch   08-11-2017

 

 

 

Mystery Launch 03-12-2017

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Mystery Launch 03-12-2017

Another Nathan Herbert photo, this launch is presented in a very different configuration from when she held various speed records. The first woody to correctly ID her wins a Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade 2018 Calendar. NOTE: entries ONLY via the WW Comments section.

No ‘Sailing Sunday’ today – but Mondays story will more than make up for that – don’t forget to check it out.

If you don’t win the calendar, copies are available for $15, a steal – click this link for details on ordering.

Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Association 2018 Calendars

 

Southern Isles

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SOUTHERN ISLES

The above photos were sent to me by Ross Ashby in response to a comment on WW about Southern Isles. These days she is based in Clevedon, Auckland & from the photos appears to be being very well looked after.

Ross commented that originally he understands she was fitted with a Lister engine but now has a Gardner 6LX ( a bit overpowered) & the original wheel house was added to, but not by Ross

What more do we know about Southern Isles?

Input from John Wicks:

“Ah! My teenage (and later) “sweetheart”.! Built by and for Tom Wells at Wakatahuri in Forsyth Bay, just outside Pelorus Sound.. Typical Wells shape and construction. Original (main) engine was a JP3, Lister which was hand started and fed from a 10 gallon tank abo ve it. The tank was topped up from the main fuel tanks by a semi-rotary hand pump – not much to go wrong there!
Originally she had a 2-cylinder Lister wing engine to port. Not many boats her size had a stand-up-and-around-in engine room.
Her original smaller wheelhouse had a swivel helm seat which came (IIRC) from the old Wellington-Nelson ferry “Matangi” which was wrecked at wakatahuri by the Wells’ Sounds Wrecking Company. The helmsman’s knees went under a horizontal tram-style wheel. Avery comfortable place to steer from.
Accommodation was under the raised foredeck, and was a step or two up from your usual fisherman’s “2-berth coffin” 🙂 with a small but well thought out galley (with one of those green and cream small gas ranges that used to be common) two settees and a table. The backs of the settees were pipe-cots which could swing up to make two more berths. I’d reckon it’d be a bit cramped with 4 aboard though.
There was a hold for gear under the aft deck, and the toilet was partially bulkheaded off in the port aft corner of the engine room.
Just about all the above has been changed over the years – sadly IMO.
Like most of the Wells family’s boats, Southern Isles was used for numerous commercial and pleasure purposes. Tom Wells took her on a cruise right around the South Island in (I think) the 1950s
As is probably obvious from the above screed, at the time she was my idea of what a launch should be!”

AND A REMINDER NUDGE – CYA XMAS PARTY TOMORROW AT PATIO BAY.

If you have not experienced the weekend before, you must, its hands down after Mahurangi weekend the biggest gathering of classic wooden boats in NZ & the Saturday BYO BBQ ashore is legendary. See you there. Photos below from last year in the bay + see more here   https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/12/05/a-woody-weekend-cya-patio-bay-invasion/

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Arohanui

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AROHANUI ARCHANUIE

Today’s photo of the launch Archanuie was sent to me by Pam Cundy, back in August 2015, for some reason it had slipped off the radar………

In the photo Archanuie is anchored in Whangaroa Harbour. To my eye, she has to be a Roy Parris, but I’m often wrong 🙂

Anyone able to supply more intel on the vessel ?

 

OPPS – someone was having a spec-saver moment – the name is actually Arohanui , not Archanuie  – & she is a 30′ 1974, Roy Parris built. Thank to Dean Wright for correct us & the photo below. More details here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/12/17/arohanui-2/

 

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07-08-2018 – Update – A peek down below, thanks to trademe (via Ian McDonald)

 

Querida 1

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QUERIDA 1

Built in 1962 by Don Norton, a Herne Bay wooden boat builder, using a combination of imported exotic hardwoods and New Zealand native timbers and marine ply. She measures 17’6” in length & is powered by a 75hp Mercury outboard.

She was featured in New Zealand Power boat magazine (see below) in 1987 as a classic vintage cabin boat 25 years after being built. 55 years later she still looks in amazing retro condition. A reflection that in all this time Querida 1 has remained on one family ownership.

Currently 4sale on trademe, she appears to offer someone a turn-key intro to the world of classic wooden boating & has Lake Rotoiti written all over her.

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Bay of Islands Tall Ships – Sailing Sunday

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Bay of Islands Tall Ships – Sailing Sunday

The above photos ex Dean Wright were taken during the 2012 Bay of Islands Tall Ships Race & show Spray sailing in a rather big swell. Love the rigging only one, Dean is a professional photographer & his talent shows in these photos.

On a sadder note, below is a selection of photos that Dean took during the same race, that show the magnificent American yacht – Nina, that was later to disappear in the Tasman on route to Australia without a trace.

Below is a link to Stuff website, that has a tragic story on the 19-year-old American teenager – Danielle Wright who was crewing on Nina when the yacht varnished.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/69870474/The-mystery-of-the-missing-Nina

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Mystery Project Launch

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Mystery Project Launch

The above boat has just popped up on trademe, all the listing tells us is that she is 28’ long & made of wood. There is a dismantled Perkins diesel that comes with the boat.

The starting bid is set at $2800 & there is no reserve, so could be a great no-cost project for someone, the location is Levin so maybe of interest to a Lake Rotoiti woody 🙂

Anyone recognize the boat?

(Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up)

Devonport Yacht Club Very Classic Friendly

Woody Chris Leech sent in the photos below from last weekend at the DYC – (from L>R) Moana, Seafarer, Lady Mary, Castaway – all waiting to splash after some TLC over winter.

Classics @ DYC

Sea Craft Run-About

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Sea Craft Run-About 

Nelson boat builder / restorer Peter Murton contacted me to say that he had just been given the above 1947 Sea Craft.  She measures 17’ x 4’, with a 7’4” beam, current power is from a small twin cylinder diesel. She is twin skinned cedar with ribs and copper riveted out side horizontal diagonal inside. 

Prior to Peter acquiring her,  she was based on Rotorua.

Peter plans to restore her but is looking for some more photos of this model Sea Craft, mainly the cabins and interior layout. Peter has completed numerous ‘smaller’ craft restoration, a lot of which have featured on WW, enter Peter Murton in the WW search box to view them 🙂

So woodys – anyone able to help Peter out?

Input from Paul Drake – The photo below shows this boat (or a sister) at Taupo – between 1953 and 1963 (our pram dinghy, shown outside our boatshed, was built in 1953, and the boatsheds were removed in 1963).

Other vessels shown are WATER NYMPH and WAIHAHA, now at Rotoiti, LADY PAT, now at Mana Marina, Wellington, MOANA, now at Auckland, and ARCADIA, still at Taupo.

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Korimako

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KORIMAKO

Today’s launch according to her trademe listing says she was built in 1978 by the Lane Motor Boat Co. Ltd. , which I would suspect is stretching things in terms of dates.

Korimako measures 20’ in length & is powered by a Isuzu diesel, giving her a cruising speed of 8 knots & all out 10 knots. Her listing says full plans & history are available so it would be good to find out more.

Someone with a good eye got the cabin lines right, for a small launch she looks very well proportioned.

 

 

Orari

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Orari @ Thames

ORARI

Today’s photo of Orari (in the middle) was sent in by Nathan Herbert, taken at Thames earlier this year.

What do we know about her?

Harold Kidd Input – This first of the three Fisher ORARIs was designed and built by R.P. Fisher and J. Robinson at Whangarei over two years and launched in March 1937. No bridgedeck then.

UPDATE: Photos below ex Paperpast via Nathan Herbert – read the caption

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I took the photos below of Seafarer on Sunday afternoon as she was sitting on the slip at Devonport Yacht Club, awaiting re-launching after her annual winter haul-out.

Owner Richard Darke is one of those classic owners that we all aspire to – as well as being a perfectionist, he has the skills to undertake almost everything on the boat & builds most of the bits himself. See/ read more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/11/25/seafarer-2/

Hiding under the covers is a stunning Uroxsys job on the coamings. Speaking of stunning Uxroxsys jobs, I also had a look over Trinidad in the weekend , she was relaunched last week after a spell in the Greg Lees Boat Builders, Sandspit shed – looking even smarter after a ‘few’ more coats Uroxsys were applied. Interesting to note that its now the norm to add some of the tinted primer to the middle coats, helps the UV protection* & gives a richer depth to the finish. New cockpit clears as well. Barbara & David Cooke are getting her ship-shape for the upcoming NZ circumnavigation. I’m crewing on the Bay of Islands > down the West Coast > Picton leg.

INPUT FROM THE UROXSYS (Awlwood) GURU – DAVID W

“Can I just clarify that the Awlwood topcoat is chocked full of UV absorbers – each coat blocks 90% of UV so over 8 coats you are left with practically nothing getting through. Trouble is that visible light degrades timber as well – and the only way of reducing this is by adding colour hence the improved performance from coloured primers. Cheers, David.”

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