Category Archives: Non Waitemata

Stormbird + Boat Boot Sale

Posted on by
3

STORMBIRD + Boat Boot Sale

The 26′ Roy Paris c.1960 clinker built launch – Stormbird recently popped up on tme , thanks Ian McDonald, and to a brave buyer could be a great gulf cruiser. By brave I mean having the courage to get out the tungsten tipped chainsaw and dropping the cockpit top down some, if you want full headroom and good looks , there is only one solution – buy bigger 🙂

Stormbird is powered by a 60hp Isuzu desel engine that gets her along at 5 knots.                 

Home is the inner estuary at Sandspit and she comes with a swing mooring, which probably justifies the buy price of $12k alone.

Anyone know more about her past.

NEXT SATURDAYS BOAT BOOT SALE AT THE SLIPWAY MILFORD – so we can ensure there are enough bangers on the BBQ, if you are intending coming – seller or buyer – can you give us a heads up email waitematawoodys@gmail.com

AND I WILL BRING ALONG SOME WW CAPS AND BURGEES FOR SALE – SAVE ON POSTAGE. If you are an out-of-towner – shop on line https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/

Can We Put A Name To This Launch – KIA KOA

Posted on by
1

Can We Put A Name To This Launch – KIA KOA

Todays woody photo via Lew Redwood’s fb and its thought that its anchored in either One Tree Point or Marsden Bay, with Mt Manaia, Whangarei Heads in the background. If you look carefully there is actually two craft in the photo, the second is just visible over the cabin top of the ‘hero’ launch.

Others commented that it was actually Urquhart’s Bay with Calliope Island in the mid background. Also a suggestion that the boat was named Moerangi, an ex Mail Boat owned by Leonard Harnetts.

Would be nice to confirm her ID.

UPDATE 20-08-2024 ex HAROLD KIDD – The launch in front is KIA KOA, built by Bailey & Lowe in 1906 for A.R. Pickmere. Still thinking about the tuck stern launch behind.

Reply

1da day ago

If there is no WW story tomorrow it will be because the latest book ex the library wasn’t well received by the recipient………….

TARANUI Approaching The Ton 

Posted on by
3

TARANUI Approaching The Ton 

Having just found a new owner for the John Gladden built motor-salier – Taranui (heading south), I uncovered another yacht of the same name deep in the WW files.

The Taranui featured above was photographed in Oct 2022 by Dean Wright at the Havelock marina. 

At the time we learned that this Taranui was owned by Evan Walker and she this year is about to celebrate her 97th birthday.

Built in Pigeon Bay Banks Peninsula by Edwin Bailey.  Has had only 4 family owners since 1926.  Robin Kidd did a piece on her in Boating NZ in November 2000 not long after we took her over from my father. 

09-0902023 UPDATE EX OWNER EVAN WALKER – Her exact launch date is not recorded, but the log of her building in Pigeon Bay kept by the first owner Campbell Hay, has Edwin Bailey and Joe Wheeler leaving in December 1926. So we assume that she was launched about then. Surprising really as the log is meticulous and lists all the work as it was done, the hours worked, and includes a full list of materials.

Weather permitting I’m boating today – aboard a grand old Lady, if it happens, photos to follow 😉

VICTORIA CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Video

Posted on by
1

VICTORIA CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Video

For several years I have been ‘following’ on-line a YouTube weblog named ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. The Chanel is hosted by a gent named Peter Knowles and Peter has been recording the restoration of 3 classic wooden cruisers, plus we get to go/see his annual cruises in and around the Vancouver, British Columba, Canada area. Amazing location.

Earlier in the week Mark McLaughlin posted on WW a link to Peter’s latest story that includes a visit to the 2023 Victoria Classic Boat Festival – see above. Well worth checking out, lots of boat porn to view + I would encourage you to check out the past episodes of – ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. Link to more details on the site here https://www.youtube.com/@TravelsWithGeordie/about  Warning it can get slightly addictive 🙂 

A Flashback To the Late 1920’s – Early 1930’s

Posted on by
2

A Flashback To the Late 1920’s – Early 1930’s

In Wellington there is a wonderful group of classic wooden boat enthusiasts that ‘reside’ under the umbrella of the ‘Wellington Classic Yacht Trust’ – they excel at everything and outshine the Auckland based Classic Yacht Association on so many fronts, particularly the 3 F’s – fun, friendship and fraternity. Recently the WCYT publicised on their website http://www.wcyt.org.nz/ a photo essay of classic craft from the Dow Collection. The photo above is one of the featured photos and is of Ngakuta Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound. The collection viewable in the link below is a selection from two albums owned by Doug Gow. It appears the person who took the photos was a crewman (name unknown) on the D Class cruisers HMS Diomede and HMS Dunedin and when off duty a crewed on various boats. The photos date to between 1928 and 1931.

LINK  http://www.wcyt.org.nz/abode/getCategoryProducts.do/_siteId__708/method__getCategoryProducts/_categoryId__6608

RSVP waitematawwody@gmail.com

Mystery Wellington Launch

Posted on by
5

Mystery Wellington Launch

Woody John Wicks was recently visiting Wellington and tooth opportunity to do a spot of marina mooching at Chafers Marina.

One woody leapt out to the eye, hard not to when painted ‘Rescue Yellow’ 🙂 John was unable to sight a name, but dockside chat is that she may have come down from Auckland.

Given the colour – hopefully we can ID her and learn more about her.

Nathan Herbert Input – That’s the Rehutai, ex Arawa, Nomad, Irihapeti. Converted to this guise by Allan Williams in Milford

FREE TO THE RIGHT HOME– Have been recently contacted by a gent that has a pair of wooden game poles (5m high x .800m wide) that he will donate to someone that will use them – so no profiteers need apply 🙂

Mystery Lake Taupo Launches

Posted on by
5

Mystery Lake Taupo Launches

Todays woody photo has a launch leaving the Waikato River at Taupo for an excursion on the lake. The photo appeared in The NZ Herald on the 9th January 1937.

And woodys that is all we know, so keen to ID the launch and also the sedan cruiser in the background.

I suspect my inbox will ping me an alert from one of the Drake brothers with the answers 🙂

INPUT ex Nigel Drake – In my view the boat leaving the harbour is Waihora and the sedan launch on the beach is probably Destiny. Will leave someone else to hopefully confirm and provide more detail.

INPUT ex Paul Drake – Yes the above is a great photo of WAIHORA, run commercially by a Mr Tabernacle (Tabby) who was an A grade mechanic and the only person in New Zealand qualified to work on Rolls Royce engines. WAIHORA had a Chrysler Ace or possibly a Chrysler Crown. Last seen at Lake Rotoiti in the early 1980’s with the usual ugly plywood cabin but not seen for many years. 

I don’t think the other boat is DESTINY.

Photo below of WAIHORA at Lake Rotoiti dated Feb 8th 1983.

03-09-2023 INPUT ex Michael Drake – I agree that the launch in the foreground is Waihora, going far too fast in the river and with two fenders still down. But I doubt if the sedan launch in the background is Destiny, as the launch in the photo is too highly wooded at the stern, and the Destiny’ s cabin sides were visually lower than shown in the photo.

WOODYS BOAT BOOT SALE – SPACE FILLING UP – RSVP TODAY to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Work Boat Wednesday – Seastar + Fathers Day Sorted

Posted on by
2

Work Boat Wednesday – Seastar + Fathers Day Sorted

Todays woody photo comes to us from the Tauranga Museum collection via Dean Wright. The vessel on the slipway is Seastar, and her home port is shown as Gisborne. The photo is tagged May 1965 and that woodys is all we known. Fingers crossed that one of the Work-Boat group can help out with some details.

Sick Of Getting Socks For Fathers Day

This year grab the reins and tell the family what you really want. Today is the un-offical launch of the new waitematawoodys burgee – a long time in the making but I picked the first batch up yesterday. I’ll do a longer story on them later but the quick over view is – 100% canvas, printed 2 sides with the Waitemata Woodys logo using old-school screen printing methods = long lasting. Size is 40cm x 30cm. Sorry about the bad mast photo, no wind yesterday -:) See flyer below – Burgees are $40, caps $38. P&P is $7 – Buy both and WW will pay the P&P. Email orders to waitematawoodys@gmail.com with your address and we will send them off and let you know payment details etc.

WAIMANA – Very Affordable Waterfront Living

Posted on by
1

WAIMANA – Very Affordable Waterfront Living

Waimana had the best possible start in life – built at the Percy Vos yard in 1943 as a 51’ seine trawler for Sanford Fisheries (AK77). At one stage post launching she was set to be requisitioned by the US Army for war use in Noumea, New Caledonia,  but this cancelled. 

Built from single skin 1.5” kauri planks over double hardwood frames, she weighed approx. 35 tonnes.

Powered by a Gardner 6L3B diesel (not sure if original) .

Fast forward to the 1980’s and Waimana was converted to pleasure use and these days has a very homely fit-out. But still very well spec’ed for cruising.

Originally for sale for c.$110k, its a deceased estate sale and the new tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) is $60k – that woodys is very low entry into a 6 >10 bed apartment.

Elsinore

Posted on by
3

ELSINORE

Todays photo is from the Tauranga Library collection (but is tagged Nelson) and comes to us via Dean Wright.

It would be nice if we could learn more about Elsinore but the main reason for posting the photo is that it is just such a cool photo.

it has all the feel good vibes written all over it – clinker / motorboat > sail / gaff rig/  beach railway haul-out and everything in proportion, even the name plate is perfect. Maybe a small porthole on the cabin side, but that is just me being OTT.

Enjoy the photo and weekend 🙂

INPUT ex John Burland – excerpt below from the NZ Gazette 1944 wherein a J. Chapman applied for (declined) a fishing license for Elsinore. The location being Motuka supports the ‘Nelson tag on the photo. Where is she currently?