Category Archives: Non Waitemata

MAGIC FIDDLER – One For The Lakes

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MAGIC FIDDLER – One For The Lakes

Todays woody – Magic Fiddler , is a 15’ clinker day boat built in Picton by an unknown boat builder. Year of build / lunch isn’t listed on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) so we don’t have an age, but looking at the bilge photo she appears older v’s new – thats very Irish I know and I apologise in advance to any Irish readers, I do not need another report to the Human Right Commission  😉

Forward motion is via a new Honda 6.5hp petrol inboard engine, backed up by a Seagull auxiliary. Rather a smart trailer.

Current home is Waimate, South Canterbury.

Perfect craft for someone wanting to do the New Zealand Antique and Classic Boat Show next March (3rd), at Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes, South Island. 

PETER JOHN + 2024 Classic Woody Event Dates

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PETER JOHN + 2024 Classic Woody Event Dates

Todays woody is the game fishing launch – Peter John and the photo is tagged – Paihi, Bay of Islands and comes to us from fb via K Reckitts.

And that is all we know – so fingers crossed one of the B.O.I readers will be able to throw some light on the boat and confirm the location.

LOTS OF CLASSIC BOATING ACTION IN THE NEW YEAR – CIRCLE THESE DATES ON THE CALENDAR – More Details Closer To The Events

• Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade (Nth Is.)  – 4 February 2024

• New Zealand Antique & Classic Boat Show (Sth Is.)    – 2 >3 March 2024

• Auckland Wooden Boat Show                                      – 1> 3 March 2024

As always the winner in terms of promotional poster is the NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show – always an amazing design 

Ozone

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OZONE

The launch Ozone was built by Percy McIntosh in Whangarei for Harold Vipond Silverdale for the Wade River <> Auckland trade (thank you Harold Kidd – WW story link below)).

Then in the early 1920’s Ozone was taken to the Bay Of Islands for the big game fishing trade which as just starting. Then we have a big info hole until she popped up in the late 1980’s in the Mahurangi Harbour, where she is today, as a fishing / pleasure boat.

What we know about her from her recent tme showing (thanks Ian McDonald) – built c.1914, 32’ in length, 8’6” beam and powered by a Ford 90hp engine.

Keen to learn more about the missing years. Would be nice to see her return to a configeration closer to her early days – photo below

WW 2016 story link – https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/07/29/ozone/

UPDATE 25-11-23 photo below sent in by Linus Fleming.

Looking For A Project – Venture > Regardette

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Looking For A Project – Venture > Regardette

The woody market currently seems to be very crowded with project boats that need finishing / saving, most have a price tag best describe by the somewhat famous line from the 1997 Australian movie The Castle  – “Tell Him He’s Dreaming’. Well todays woody isn’t a dream, its good value at $500 ono.

Now there’s no motor but the tme story (thanks Ian McDonald) says there is one available for $3k but given its a Volvo 130hp to match the stern drive unit in the boat, you would probably be best to ditch both and start again 🙂

The launch is approx. 30’ and currently in the Taupo area and the trailer isn’t included in the price.

It stated that previously it was an icon of Lake Taupo so fingers crossed the Drake brothers can jump in with some more details.:-)

INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – This is REGARDETTE, formerly VENTURE, understood to be ex-Airforce. She has been at Taupo since the early 50’s I would say, or even earlier – possibly arriving soon after the finish of WW2. She had a Chrysler Crown which now lives in brother Michael’s shed. The Crown gearbox is now firmly bolted to the back of ROMANCE’s Chrysler Ace, where it is doing excellent service. Little else is known.

TE ANAU Marina Photo Bomb

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TE ANAU MARINA. –  Photo Bomb

Todays gallery of woody craft comes to us from Jason Prew’s iPhone as he continues his 4×4 adventure. The venue is the Te Anau marina, on the shores of Lake TeAnau at the almost bottom of the South Island. Te Anau is the gateway to the Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound.

Spotted a couple of the L33 f/glass replicas , there always seems to be one where ever you look – nice craft, years ahead of the market.

At first glance you would have to assume the local chandlery doesn’t sell a lot of varnish 🙂

Can’t be too pleasant for the Chad Thompson organised NZ Classic Yacht Association classics taking part in the 3 day Spring Rally around the outer Gulf this weekend – thanks to Simon Cooper for sending in the photo below of the entire fleet just after the start off North Head on Friday morning.

NAUTILUS – On The Move

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NAUTILUS – On The Move

 Todays woody is a wee bit of a mystery, while the Nautilus name has graced numerous classic launch sterns, this one appears to have disappeared off the radar.

In the photo above we see the 34’ Nautilus being transported on a lorry from Auckland to Onehunga for loading onto the coastal vessel Ronaki. The destination was Raglan, where her new owner lived. The photo is dated 24 July 1933.

So woodys can we learn more – designer / builder and what became of this Nautilus.

(Photo ex NZ Herald 25/07/1933 and comes to WW via K Ricketts, ex fb)

When Comes To Docking – There Is Always Someone Worse Than You

Photo below ex Bayswater Marina, Auckland………… remember woodys, it always pays to give way to plastic boat owners.

Akaroa Classic Boat Show 2023 – Photo Bomb

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Akaroa Classic Boat Show 2023 – Photo Bomb

Todays photo gallery (bomb) is less than 24 hrs old, as mentioned earlier in the week Jason Prew is criss crossing the South Island scouting off-road tracks to justify to himself the cost of owning a Remuera Tractor 🙂

Yesterday Jason sent in the above gallery and tells me it was just a fluke he was in Akaroa on the right day – yeah right 😉

Enjoy the photos, as always click on photos to enlarge.

Scotty

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SCOTTY
Todays woody is the launch – Scotty, seen here on Lake Rotoiti (Nth Is.). The photo is dated 12 July 1981 and comes to us via a Linda Munro fb post. Linda commented that Jack Munro bought Scotty to the lake in the 1920’s after an early life doing the cream run in the Coromandel area. In the photo she is on her last lake trip before going to the Paeroa Maritime Park to be used as a tourist boat. This sadly didn’t last and she was pulled out of the water and dismantled.

Recently Linda visited the park and was pleased to see the boat back in a shed with her cabin and dodger with plans to repair her.

On the boat we see the late Reg Munro (son of Jack) at the helm and son of Reg, Ross Munro. As an aside Ross still has Scotty’s original motor, a Ford 10 engine

WW story on the Paroa Maritime Park https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/04/22/paeroa-historical-maritime-park-museum/


REMEMBER WOODYS RIVERHEAD PUB LUNCH CRUISE NEXT SUNDAY – RSVP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

SMOKE & MIRRORS – A Peek Down Below

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SMOKE & MIRRORS – A Peek Down Below

Todays 51’ woody – Smoke & Mirrors, made a cameo appearance on WW back in Oct 2017 (link below) – then she was named – Christopher Grey and both Nathan Herbert and Russell Ward supplied photos. Thanks to a tme listing (ex Ian McDonald) we get to have a peek below decks.

Christopher Grey

Designed and built by Millar & Tunnage in 1964 she started life as a commercial fishing boat based in the bottom half of NZ and after 20 odd years as a trawler and crawfishing workboat was converted to pleasure use.  In her ’new’ configuration she went north and was available for charter out of Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. She then returned south to her home town of Port Chalmers.

A 175hp Gardner engine provides her forward propulsion. 

A very salty woody that make a very comfortable live-aboard, particularly with that large galley stove 🙂

Port Motueka Mooching

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Port Motueka Mooching

WW cub reporter Jason Prew is mooching around the South Island on a 4×4 adventure (not really roughing it- refer photo below), in his travels he pointed the ute in the direction of Post Motueka. WW have done numerous stories on the area but normally in summer i.e. the boats are in the water. Thanks to Jason’s spring visit we get to see some of the woodys hauled out.

Would be nice if one of the southern woodys can put some names to the craft.

(photo ex Daniel Prew fb)