Category Archives: Non Waitemata

WOODEN BOAT – SOUTH WIND 

Posted on by
Reply

WOODEN BOAT – SOUTH WIND 

Todays woody story is proof that there is a buyer for everything, all that matters is the price. 

The boat SOUTH WIND appeared recently on tme and was sold for +/- $1,400, it had a $1 reserve and all we learnt from the listing was she is is 39’ long, steering is tight and the diesel engine runs well + needs some TLC ( thats an understatement). Looking at the anchor winch, it was a good buy.

Personally with that ‘cabin’ I wouldn’t like to be out is anything more than 10 knots………. I think the Haines Hunter runabout is looking for its missing bow rail.

(thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up)

PICTON MARINA CLASSIC WOODY MOOCHING + WORLDWIDE CLASSIC BOAT SHOW

Posted on by
1

PICTON MARINA CLASSIC WOODY MOOCHING + WORLDWIDE CLASSIC BOAT SHOW

Recently Glenn Martin was mooching around Picton on bike and stopped off at the Picton Marina and snapped todays gallery of woodys.

As Glenn commented some have appeared before on WW and some newbies. Always nice to get updates and see who is doing the TLC and who isn’t 🙂

As you read this today I’m in the Bay of Islands , not boating but I’m sure I’ll be waterfront at some stage.

HEADS UP – THE OFF CENTER HARBOR – WORLDWIDE CLASSIC BOAT SHOW STARTS TODAY – click here to check it out HERE

There’s a great line up of ‘live’ events to watch 

WHAT BECAME OF THE OWEN WOOLLEY MOTOR LAUNCH – RESOLUTE

Posted on by
5

WHAT BECAME OF THE OWEN WOOLLEY MOTOR LAUNCH – RESOLUTE

Last month we were contacted by Charles Allen – I have reproduced his (edited) email below

My mother and I are trying to track down a motor launch built by Owen Woolley named RESOLUTE. The boat was built for my grandfather Peter Crotty in the mid 1990’s and was based in Auckland for many years. My grandfather would’ve sold it in the early 2000’s and apparently in recent years it may have gone down to the South Island. 

Info we can remember off the top of our head is that she was approx. 50’ in length, had a displacement hull (believe it was glass over wood), was registered as a ship, had a mahogany interior, and yes powered by a single approx. 300hp engine.

So woodys, Charles was hoping we may be able to help re information on its current whereabouts and who owns it? 

28-02-2026 ex INPUT ALAN SEXTON – article ex Sea Spray magazine Oct 2000

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH TARATA

Posted on by
2

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH TARATA

Back in November 2016 we ran a story on the 1962 Snow Waters built classic launch – TARATA that Alan Sexton’s father, Howard, owned back in the 1970’s. Alan was trying to locate TARATA and after some great detective work we got a great insight into TARATA’s provenance – link here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/11/21/tarata/

Fast forward to earlier in the week and Alan sent in the above photos of TARATA that Mark McLaughlin took last year of the launch at the Evans Bay Marina , Wellington. Alan commented that it was good to she her so well maintained.` Lots of details on TARATA in the WW link above.

Back in 2016 Robert Brooke commented that Snow Waters built TARATA to a modified MAPUNA design of Robert’s father John (Jack) Brooke. FYI – these days MAPUNA is owned by Mark McLaughlin.

CLASSIC WOODY CRUISING AT WHANGAROA

Posted on by
2
LUANA
STELLA MARIS
ATHENA
TUI
NGARUROA
MILLIWAYS
CEREGO
UNKNOW
METEOR
WAIRMARIE
HOPE (tbc)

CLASSIC WOODY CRUISING AT WHANGAROA

Recently Bay of Islands woody Dean Wright had headed up the coast to Whangaroa Harbour and being a professional photographer by trade his camera was never far from hand. So today we get to enjoy more of the B.O.I.’s woody fleet at play. 

The ex workboat looking craft has done a few laps, anyone know her name / history.

And of course the magnificent 1920 built LUANA………the best looking boat to come out of the MT Lane shed 🙂

CLASSIC 1920’S PICNIC BOAT – LADY BETH 

Posted on by
Reply
LADY BETH 2026

CLASSIC 1920’S PICNIC BOAT – LADY BETH 

At the recent 2026 Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat weekend one of the stand out craft was LADY BETH, a 23’ picnic / day boat, builder unknown. I was surprised with her build date as she had a ‘new build’ level of presentation.

Today thanks to the LRC&WB team we get to learn more about LADY BETH’s past and how she ended up my pick of the 2026 parade.

LADY BETH, formerly named HIDDEN AGENDA, was first used in Whakatane as a picnic and tour boat. She then moved to Napier and was used in the same way until she was to be found on Lake Taupo, moving to Lake Rotoiti about 40 years ago. Purchased by the current owners in April 2018, she underwent a major  20 month refit at Alan Craig’s boatyard where she was transformed into the very beautiful classic wooden boat she is today. She is named after Lady Beth Moore, (mother of her co owner), who was born the same year the launch was and loved the lake since coming on her honeymoon in 1942.

Her inboard has been replaced by a 9.9hp outboard in a concealed well.  The glass house is made of teak and a teak bowspit and duckboard were fitted with stainless anchor and remote windlass. During restoration it was noted she originally had 2 portholes each side, not just the 1. So stainless ones were imported from Italy. 

WHAT DO ALL THESE CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT HAVE IN COMMON

Posted on by
2
MARLINE
KORAWAI
OTEHEI
ALMA G II
LADY CROSSLEY

WHAT DO ALL THESE CLASSIC WOODEN CRAFT HAVE IN COMMON

As I have noted recently on WW the classic wooden boating scene in the Bay of Islands is experiencing a re-birth. Seems one in three woodys the Wooden Boat Bureau has sold in the last 2 years has headed north. And recently the woody skippers have been organising events to show case the woody movement in the B.O.I. – we like that.

At the recent Russell Tall Ships Regatta on the Friday prior to the sailing regatta there was a Classic Launch Parade that had 13 woodys participating. Post the parade one of the skippers pointed out the % of woody craft that owed their good looks to time spent at the CMC Design – Boatbuilders Opua yard. So I did a count and in recent times and in no particular order the following woodys have been under the care of the talented crew at CMC Design – LADY CROSSLEY, KORAWAI, OTEHEI, MARLINE and ALMA G II.

Now they aren’t the only boatbuilders up north but they seem to get the cream of the work. When you factor in haul-out yard costs in the greater Auckland area, a wee road trip on one of the specialist boat haulage trucks isn’t the budget stumbling block it once was.

If todays WW story reads like an ad, I suppose it is, I’m passionate about seeing our classic fleet get the TLC they deserve.
Check out the CMC website – some great work-in-process photos on their work + its not all boats, some stunning architectural  and commercial wood work.  https://www.cmcdesign.co.nz/marine

28-02-2026 UPDATE – video below of the LADY CROSSLEY project

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DBPqwBVVR

CLASSIC MASON SPORTS CLIPPER RUNABOUT – RAROA

Posted on by
Reply

CLASSIC MASON SPORTS CLIPPER RUNABOUT – RAROA

This 23′ woody recently popped up on tme and immediately caught my eye — helped in no small part by the great photography and those postcard-perfect backdrops.

Built in 1966, RAROA presents as a very well-sorted example of the Mason Sports Clipper style. She’s beautifully finished and comes with one very practical bonus – she’s trailerable. That means no marina fees and the freedom to tow her to wherever the water (and weather) looks best.

At 23’ she strikes that sweet spot between classic elegance and modern usability. 

Power comes from a Chevrolet blueprint 383 V8, pushing out a serious 405hp. Top speed would have to be well and truly off the dial. The engine alone reportedly cost around $50k, which tells you straight away this is not an entry-level woody.

This is a complete package that has the woody wow-factor.

BAY of ISLANDS CLASSIC WOODY – KERIKERI INLET RAID

Posted on by
Reply

BAY of ISLANDS CLASSIC WOODYS – KERIKERI INLET RAID

Last weekend a few of the B.O.I.’s classic launch skippers gathered for a cruise up the Kerikeri Inlet to raft up at the Stone Store for a catch up. The real reason was a session at the Plough & Feather waterfront pub. 

One of the WW cub reporters – Grant Gibbs was aboard KORAWAI to record the event. 

I note from the photos that a couple of ‘visitors from Hawkes Bay’ managed to tag along, but we will turn a blind eye to that.

I’ll comment more on the Bay of Islands woody scene in Mondays upcoming story.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – KOTANUI

Posted on by
1

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – KOTANUI

While the launch 44′ KOTANUI has made numerous appearances on WW and her history is well documented, these days she rarely leaves her berth at the Milford marina.

Thanks to Angus Rogers on board CENTAURUS over the weekend we get to see KOTANUI at anchor in Bon Accord, Kawau Island.

Great to see that she is being well cared for by her long-term owner.

KOTUNUI was built at the Salthouse yard c.1964 and while Nathan Herbert will furrow his brows, in my ears she is a mini-me of TRINIDAD (52′)

LINKS BELOW TO SOME PAST WW STORIES – lots of intel and photo from her past.  Sept 2021https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/09/01/kotanui-launch-day-fathers-day-sorted/

July 2013https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/07/29/kotanui-2/

Oct 2013 https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/10/16/kotanui-3/

Photo below of TRINIDAD for comparison 😉

INPUT ex ALAN SEXTON – Kotanui pre-dated Trinidad, being built 1962-63, Trinidad was launched ~1965. Of course there is the Col Wild element in her design. I believe she was John Salthouse’s first new build after he commenced his own yard after the fire at Col Wild’s shed – altho I have an idea John built the replacement for the boat that was under construction in Wild’s shed at the time of the fire.

There must be a story behind her original Lister Petters during those import licensing days, maybe Jack said they were to power the separators in the cow shed 🙂

My father was the Hobb’s family lawyer and he sold Kotanui as part of winding up Jack’s estate, he said she was not an easy boat to sell in that time (late 80’s/early 90’s), not much demand for classic boats.