Category Archives: Non Waitemata

Woody Report From A Far #2

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Woody Report From A Far #2

Just when I was starting to think my cub reporter had done a runner & blown his advance on the tables in Vegas he files a report.

Rum Runner
A genuine 1929  rum runner boat. 52ft long. Top speed 45kts with original triple engine configuration. Now has a pair of 3126 Cats and can still haul 22kts with 50 passengers aboard. Has been epoxied and glassed 10 years ago. It is so mint Colin thought it was a modern replica.


Hyannis
Colin visited the traditional boat building school and museum & reports they share the same problems we have.
The area is really beautiful & lots of little Cat boats sailing everywhere.

Mystic Seaport Museum (just south of Newport RI)
3 lovely Herreshoffs, the green one belonged to Nathaniel himself.

NYC
If you need proof that there are very few original ideas in this world, check out (zoom in) on the masthead burgee of the yacht. The NYC have copied the CYA NZ burgee – yeah right 🙂

Making Rope The Old Way – the modern way is not that different


The new ‘must have’ for waitematawoodys 😉

Rahemo #2 Post

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c1948

RAHEMO #2 Post

ww was contacted by the present owner of Rahemo & the information & photos the Rod Turner has supplied deserves its own post, read below
“The Chrysler Crown 125s I replaced were “mirror” or a contra-rotating handed pair. They were rugged and reliable, dedicated marine engines. No change of rotation occurred in the gear boxes. They were supplied and installed by Todds as New Zealand agents, not the Navy. Rahemo never had diesel engines before 1987. The “one family from new” is my mistake as I was not aware of Mr Butchers 2 year ownership. I thought the Todd family owner her from new. The Trademe listing was done by Vinnings Brokers. Rahemo returned to Auckland in the 1950s to be used for deep sea fishing in the Bay of Islands before making a second trip back to Wellington.“

Richard has supplied 2 photos of Rahemo on the hard showing her under-water hull shape & a stunning black and white is of Rahemo and another family boat, the “Maroro” taken in Onahau Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound in about 1948. Maroro is a Chris Craft from about 1932 still in his families ownership awaiting restoration.

Rahemo #1 Post

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RAHEMO #1 Post

Described as a Laing bridge decker & built in 1935, her kauri hull is 42′ long. Powered by twin 4 cyl. Volvo 130hp engines she has no trouble cruising at 10>12 knots. Her 4 sale listing states that she has had one owner from new.

Any one able to confirm & expand on what we know about Rahemo ?

Harold Kidd Update

RAHEMO was built in Auckland in late 1936 by Dick LANG (not Laing) at St. Mary’s Bay for R.W. Butcher of Hamilton as STRATHMORE. She was 42’x10’9″x3’6″ and powered with twin 90hp Chryslers. In 1938 she was bought by the Todd family of Wellington and motored down via Tauranga and the east coast in December 1938. The Todds renamed her RAHEMO. She was in NAPS out of Wellington in WW2 as Z76 and fitted with diesels. One TradeMe recently she was advertised as “one family from new”…………………….. not really.

PS R.W. Butcher sold ALCESTIS/RAIONA to Alf Seccombe when he had STRATHMORE/RAHEMO built and had RAWEA built when he sold STRATHMORE/RAHEMO. When RAWEA was  requisitioned for RNZN patrol work in 1940 he bought RONGO. You can’t keep a good launch man down!

Photo below ex Paper Past – 15 Dec 1938 just prior to departing for Wellington, insert photo i of A. R. Clarke who skippered her.

Strathmore (Rahemo) 15 Dec 1938

Valerie

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Valerie launch day 29 Aug 1929
Valerie 2007
Lady Dorothy (L) Valerie (R)

VALERIE

Photos from Alan H & Papers Past.
Details from Harold Kidd & Robin Elliott

Valerie was built by the Lane Motor Boat Company & launched on 29 August 1929. Her owner was Mr. M. G. King of Whangarei. She is 35′ with a 9′ beam. When launched she featured two cabins & had a 35hp St Lawrence engine.

These days Valerie is kept at Whangaroa Marina and currently owned by John Briers and Jackie Te Hore of Cable Bay. Valerie was for many years owned by the Reynolds family, close friends of the Pickmeres, who owned her up until the late 1960’s. Apart from a short period in Auckland during the 1960’s she has spent almost all her life in Whangarei and the Far North. It is believed Valerie was sometimes used by H. Pickmere when he was charting the far north

In the colour photo above Valerie (r) is anchored with Robin Elliott’s Logan 33 replica, Lady Dorothy (l), off Milford Island in Whangaroa Harbour, Jan 2013.

Rehutai

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REHUTAI
details & photos ex Vinings Brokers ex Ken Rickets

If you believe the brokers listing Rehutai was built by Lanes in 1960…………….  She is 43ft x approx 13ft 6in, carvel kauri hull, powered by a 120hp Ford diesel. Currently based in Waikawa.
Ken questions the 1960 launch date as he recalls her from the 1950’s & she was not ‘new’ then. Open for discussion but Kens view is she looks early to mid 1930’s & could even be earlier than that??
Any input / details would be appreciated.

Note – there was several steamers called Rehutai

Harold Kidd Update

Thank goodness Ken has learned to be more cautious with his prognostications. The owner should add not a “II” but probably a “VI” to her name to satisfy Ken’s obsession over names, because REHUTAI was a popular name for NZ launches, up and down the country.
I have told the owner of this boat her provenance, but he doesn’t believe me. He believes his own myths and maybe you can see why when the full facts are revealed.
This particular REHUTAI started life as an amateur-built 35 footer, partially built  by a chap called Elley in Ponsonby who sold her to J.P. Aldred of Ponsonby. He had her finished off (most likely by Collings & Bell) and launched her in December 1919 as IRIHAPETI (maori for “Elizabeth”) powered by a 30hp Doman supplied by Collings & Bell. Aldred sold her to H.F. Butler of Remuera in November 1921 to commute to his property on Browns Island. Butler changed her name to NOMAD and kept her until about 1929, having repowered her with a 56hp Ferro around 1925. He sold her to Nops who sold her to W.E. Fullerton of Remuera in 1931. Fullerton sold her to Stan Parker in 1935 and he had her converted to her present configuration by Lidgards who added 7 feet to her amidships, taking her out to 42ft., renaming her ARAWA and having a 65/90 Deutz diesel installed.
After WW2 she was renamed REHUTAI.
Now who would believe that??

Sir Francis

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Sir Francis Lake Taupo 2013

SIR FRANCIS

photo & details ex Paul Drake

The above photo of Sir Francis was taken at Taupo in 2013. She was built by Collings and Bell in 1916. Sir Francis is 22′ in length & is powered by a  Universal Utility Four, dating from 1937. She is a very lucky boat as she lives in a boat shed on Lake Taupo.

One of the amazing things about Sir Francis is that she has had the same owners (the Drake Family) for 75 years.

Mason Marlin

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MASON MARLIN
photos ex Sven Baker

Following along from the recent Mason Clipper posting we had, todays boat is a Mason Marlin that Sven restored in 2013.

Any more of these classics hiding out there? Photos & details please.

ps Sven previously owned the rather nice Ranui – a 1947 Lidgard. Enter Ranui in the ww search box to view.

click photos to enlarge

Lake Taupo c.1950’s

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Lake Taupo c.1950’s.

photo ex Paul Drake

This photo appeared on a postcard & shows two boats that have recently featured on ww – Lady Pat & Moana.

Also in the picture, on moorings, in line astern are  – Kotare (steel), Arcadia and Kahurangi.

Arcadia is still on Lake Taupo – with new cabin. Kahurangi was last seen at Mana, Paremata, also with new cabin. KOTARE is still at Lake Taupo.

The vessel poking out of the boat shed is Water Nymph now restored and at Lake Rotioti.

Woody Report From A Far

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Woody Report From A Far

At great expense to the ww budget I have one of my cub reporters currently swanning around the USA at present. Todays report is from the Sausalito Marina in San Francisco.
The shed photos are from the Spaulding Wooden Boat Centre, feed back from Colin Pawson is that like NZ there are very few wooden boatbuilders and not a lot of new work, mainly maintenance.
The sign on the bow of the yacht is interesting – click the photo to enlarge.

ps sorry for the late post- in a bay with no cell coverge 🙂

Awaroa

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Awaroa at Rawene c.1950’s
Awaroa at Thames 2014

AWAROA

photos & details from Geoff Brebner

This old ship has a long history. Unsure of the dates but she was built by Joe Fell on the Hokianga and was owned by Bert ( H. A. ) Subritzky for many years. She is pictured at Rawene in the 1950’s, that is Bert Subritzky you can see at the wheelhouse door. Bert moved to Auckland in 1956 with Awaroa and the barge Maggie and set up Tamaki Water Transport at Pakuranga, later becoming Subritzky Shipping Line.

Awaroa is still alive and well at Thames in a ‘berth’ on the Kauaeranga River just downstream from the road bridge going into town.

Thames has a interesting collection of old launches – Inverness, now firmly hemmed in by the rampant mangroves. She was formerly Awhitu and Geoff recalls her as a passenger launch on the Manukau Harbour. Geoff worked for Subritzky for a number of years mostly on the vehicular ferries and became very familiar with the wooden Romo and Maro.

07-01-2016 photo of Awaroa at Manaia, Coromandel ex Peter Croft. Those windows would have to win the TV1 and TV2 award e.g. widescreen TV’s 🙂

Awaroa

17-10-2018 Input from Geoff Brebner -, who sent in another photo, below, of Awaroa, seen here recently in Thames. She is powered by a 4cyl. Ford diesel.

Awaroa 003