CAVALAIRE – A peek down below
Built by Brin Wilson in 1967, she measures 34.76’, with a 10’7” beam & draws 3’3”. Kauri carvel planked & powered by a 120hp Ford 6cyl. diesel.
That’s about all her trademe listing tells us, can any of the woodys expand on her provenance? Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads-upJ
25-06-2019 Updated photos ex new trademe listing
JACK
The clinker Jack belongs to woody Dean Wright, they got Jack from Picton back in 2008, a 8’6″ kauri clinker. From what Dean has learnt she was probably built by the Jack Morgan yard in the 1960’s. If anyone recognises Jack and has any more history, he would love to hear it.
The story of Jack as told by Dean
He’s always been a leaker despite long spells in the briny to take up. You’ll see from the photos 3-4″ of water sloshing about and the bailer afloat, we decided that 2016 was going to be his birthday and he was going to get tight.
We stripped him back to bare, cleaned out the lands then took him to boat builder Bob Van Pierce (owner of the mullety Cora) for his opinion. He thought she was recoverable but she’d need three and a bit new planks and a general refasten. And while we were at he’d fix the bulge in one side of her hull and bring her back into her original shape. Bob did all the smart stuff and I got on the end of the dolly. Thanks Bob, you did a fantastic job.
The first photos show the general condition of the planks we replaced, splits and bits missing.
A few replacement planks & Bob scarfed one in. Spotted gum for the ribs. The steam box was cranked up, ribs loaded in & then bent in. A few broke but where were spares. Ribs were nailed from below and riveted.
Then primer, Prekote and topcoat prior to new purple heart thwarts being fitted. Bob also added rubbing strakes.
Then Jack came back home to your the shed and was ready for bottom paint & signwriting by artist Lester Hall. Thanks also Lester for the beautiful oars complete with welcome swallows. These have been decorating my wall for the last 5-6 years, they got a hell of a fright being immersed in salt water.
Then the bronze rowlocks were fitted & new floorboards in + nylon rub rail secured with copper wire.
First outing was planting trees with Project Island Song. Over a day, we got half a litre in the bottom, pretty happy with that.
The old dinks – Ken is not happy, he’s been relegated to barge duties.
And While On The Topic Of Wooden Boats
The NZ Traditional Boat Building School has just released details on its latest courses, see below. The presenter / instructors are legends in the wooden boating community. In the past the courses have been oversubscribed, so get in early or miss out.
To register – email tanya@nztbs.org.nz or call 027 – 45 33 55
Lyttleton Basket Case – Kia Ora
On Nathan Herbert’s recent trip south, he spotted the above ‘yacht’ in Lyttleton. From her stern, it would appear she was named Kiaor or Kiaok – the last letter is part missing. Anyone able to tell us about her past?
What Happened To Yum Yum?
Woody Daniel Renall contacted me to say he had been fortunate to visit Neil Beken at his boat building spot in Beach Haven. Neil gave Dan a bunch of plans he had acquired for Dan’s yacht, Jonquil.
While there he showed Dan a picture of a yacht he restored in the 1990’s called Yum Yum, very similar to Gloriana. It was owned by someone in Wellington and was trucked up for a couple of classic races in Auckland.
Neil mentioned that Yum Yum had vanished and nobody had been able to track her down.
So woodys – can anyone shed some light on Yum Yum’s whereabouts & have a photo?
Harold Kidd Update – KIA ORA was designed by Prof R.J. Scott of the Engineering School at Canterbury and built for himself by Jack Collins of Lyttelton in November 1898 as a 5 rater cutter to replace an earlier 2 rater KIA ORA Collins owned. She was in the BRITANNIA/MOANA mould with a spoon bow. She was racing, later under a yawl rig, until the 1960s.
Very historic Lyttelton yacht in the same category as PASTIME.
YUM YUM and her Herreshoff inspiration is discussed in passing in my article on IDA in the November Boating NZ (plug)..
IRISH WOODYS
Good friends & supporters of Yachting NZ via their winery ‘ Lawson Dry Hills’ – Tim & Pauline Evill have been on an extended promotional tour of Europe & Tim being a passionate woody has been sending me a selection of woodys spotted on tour.
The photos above are from Dublin & Galway, Ireland, Dublin being one of my favourite world cities & a must do if you are in the UK, so many people do Europe but never hop a plane across the sea to the Emerald Isles.
The first photo shows a very smart motorboat that was for sale on the Dublin canal. Amazed Tim didn’t buy it, he has a habit of collecting stuff 🙂
The next photos show some beautifully restored Galway hookers in Galway port. Still used for fishing.
WAIRURU & LADY JOCELYN
Last Sunday I posted a copy of a 1947 trip diary from aboard the vessel Wairuru on its passage to Apia, Samoa. We had no photos of the boat & reading the diary the author (unknown) had made her sound like a yacht / motorsailer, HDK very quickly corrected me on that J
Now thanks to Baden Pascoe & Geoff Brebner we have photos of Wairuru. Baden describes her as a small motor coaster, a friend of Baden’s, Keith Penny, was her skipper for a while. She was powered by a Kelvin K3. Wairuru was designed by Erine Bailey of Charles Bailey in 1937.
In Geoff’s photos, Wairuru is alongside at Waitakaruru, on the Firth of Thames. Geoff lives less than 1 kilometer from the spot. Geoff’s 2nd photo is of the Lady Jocelyn with Wairuru lying ahead of her at Hobson Wharf c.1946. Both ships were almost sister ships, Wairuru was 52’ & Lady Jocelyn being 60’.
Link to the diary mentioned above here https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/10/08/wairuru-auckland-to-suva-1947/
PETREL
The posts last week on the Philip Lange built vessel Faith have resulted in Sharon Lange (Sharon, married Philip & Bev’s son, Ian Lange) sending in the above photos of ‘Petrel’, the last boat built by Philip. Petrel was build under Philip and Bev’s Mill Bay house in Mangonui and launched in 1991.
Petrel was build for Philips son Stev and is used as a commercial longline boat out of Mangonui to present day.
The photos, from the top, are tagged:
1: The Petrel on the cradle front lawn of Philips house
2: close up
3: Getting ready to go down the drive to Mill bay for launching
4: Philip lange on the Petrel during launching , Stev Lange on the ramp , Bev at the front and Ian lange ready to help and Phils grand daughter watching the action
5: Philip Lange and the Petrel
6: Bev Lange & the Petrel
7: the Petrel
8: speaks for its self
The New Zealand Clinker
In support of last weekends Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition, the Tino Rawa Trust have produced a 36 page booklet titled ‘ The New Zealand Clinker, its a great collection of stories on & around clinker boats. I enjoyed the read & learnt a lot.
You can grab a copy for $20 from BoatBooks in Westhaven or try your luck with answering the question below, all correct entries, emailed to waitematawoodys@gmail.com before 6pm 10-10-2017, go into the draw for a copy.
Q: Where does the word ‘clinker’ originate from?
Input from Russell Ward
A glossary in the pre WW2 book Motor Cruising by Irvine and others confirms that “Clinker (clincher, clencher) is a method of building in which each side plank overlaps the one below.”
Now, shipmates, we gotta drill a bit deeper into this one, maybe. Clenching or clench nailing is the merry art of holding an iron or hammer just right and picking up the sharp end of your nail as she emerges through the other side and turning it over and back into the wood (provided the wood is soft enough). Quick and easy and, if done neatly looks a lot better than it sounds. I sent a picture via Wifi to AH just now -qv. Iona had a lot of old epaired timbers clinched and it looked good.
The Yanks of course call “clinker” by the more descriptive term “lapstrake”. So Robin Seaward in ‘Boatbuilding’ 2ed says “Lapstrake -sometimes called clinker planking.”
However, I find this appealing “Late 17th century (denoting a person or thing that clinks): from clink + -er. clinker”. Do you reckon that the wisened old man crouched over the wee boat in the corner of the shed was clinking away at his craft?
(Personally I like the old-fashioned slang use for a bum note played on a musical instrument -a clinker! Or in my favourite town Galway, a clinker is a wee lass worthy of a very close inspection. Or modern slang says a clinker is a dingle berry. Nothing to do with our boats though.) Better watch where you use the term.
Take yer pick, fellow anorak wearers…..
Wairuru – Auckland to Suva, 1947
I was recently contacted by Steph Mellors who advised she had a short diary written aboard the 1937, Charles Bailey & Sons built motorsailer Wairuru, during a passage from Auckland to Apia, Samoa in June 1947.
On the cover (see above) is written in pencil Capt. Robt. Patterson, given the content of the diary, Steph does not think he wrote it. (I agree)
The NZ Maritime Index, records that Wairuru, owned by A G Bertram was sold in 1947 to O. F. Nelson & Co. Ltd., Apia, Western Samoa – who renamed her – Gaualofa. The records also sadly record that she was wrecked on 22 November 1953, on the South coast of Savai’i Island, near Sala’ihua.
Steph is unsure how she acquired the diary, thinks “probably rescued it from someone’s wastepaper basket in a fit of – it could be of interest to someone”.
Thankfully she saved it & now over 70 years later we get to share it. Enjoy the read, I did.
Any guesses as to who the author was?
I couldn’t do a WW post without a boat photo – my clinker dinghy Peg at Patio Bay. Which is a good excuse to remind you that today is the last day of the Classic Launch & Yacht – Clinker Boats Exhibition – details below – AND ITS FREE TO GET IN.
Ugliest Clinker & A Spot of Clinker Envy
My recent photos of clinkers prompted Don MacLeod to send in the two photos above – the top one in Don’s eyes wins ‘most ugly clinker’ hands down , the planking is a fright. I know Jason P would nominate another one, but we all need to play nicely Jas 😉
Don was not sure when the picture was taken, but believes it is on one of the rivers at Lake Taupo. Possible choices are the Tauranga Taupo, the lower Tongario or the Waihora in Western Bays.
Don’s second clinker photo shows a clinker powered by a Seagull south of Mana Island, going fishing in Cook Strait. Those are the radio masts at Titahi Bay behind.
This photo was taken early 1960’s Don believes, and it is a smart looking clinker getting along at a great clip.
Now Clinker Envy – I was dropping my clinker, Peg, off at the Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition on Thursday night & spotted the beauty below, size & design wise, perfect for my launch Raindance – I wonder if the owner would notice if I swapped 🙂
Please try & make the effort & get down there this Saturday & Sunday – entry is free. Details below.
A wee tease of what is on show 🙂
FAITH – Flash Back Friday
Last week I posted some ‘recent-ish’ photos of the Philip Lange built launch – Faith, now owned by Neal & Nicki Harding in the Marlborough Sounds. Yesterday I was contacted by Sharon Lange with the above photos from the launching & older days up north.
Sharon confirmed that Faith was built by Philip Lange in 1967 and launched in 1968 at Whangaparoa at Matakatia Bay. Philip installed a Kelvin motor in the Faith.
Philip worked the Faith as a commercial fishing boat out of Whangaparoa for a little while then left Whangaparoa, driving the Faith up with one of his young sons – Graham Lange , north to Mangonui , Doubtless Bay. From there he continued to fish for cray fish and longline on the Faith. Philip and his wife Bev and six sons moved to Mangonui where he continued to build other boats.
The Faith was sold to Philips brother Douglas then to Murray Hamilton (both deceased). Then sold to Vick Spaights, after that Sharon does not know any further history apart from the Hardings owning her now .
There are 4 of Philips boats moored permanently in Mill Bay Mangonui, they are: – 1. The Michele, 2. Kaipara, 3. Tui, 4. Petrel. The Petrel was the last boat built in 1991.
# The top photo was taken at the launching of the Faith with 4 of Philips young sons and one neighbor’s boy at Matakatia Bay on the Whangaparoa Peninsula.
# The middle photo was taken in Mangonui Harbour by the wharf heading toward Mill Bay mooring.
# The bottom photo shows Faith heading towards the Mangonui wharf.
SLAINTE Relaunched
Back in early August I posted photos / details on the restoration / rebuild of the 1947 27’ Chris Craft Super Delux – Slainte at Craig Maine at Lake Rotoiti (link below).
Yesterday Alan Craig sent me photos from last Friday’s relaunch on the lake. Alan’s a man of few words e.g. “ It floats, all went well” J
Slainte is a stunning addition to the Lake Rotoiti woody fleet – well done Alan & the brave owner that commissioned the project.
