Another short video from our friends at the Australian Wood Boat Festival has just been released under the ‘Boat Folk’ series.
Todays one features the 1971 Tasmanian built 48′ yacht – Trevassa
Trevassa was designed and built by noted Tasmanian boat builder – Jock Muir. They is a great tale about delivering the boat to Sydney across the Bass Straight. After many years in Sydney she was acquired by Jock’s three sons and returned home to Tasmania in 2013. Jock’s son John took over his fathers business – Muir’s Boat Yard and Trevassa is a regular sight in Hobart.
One of my southern woody spies – John Burland, has just has returned to NZ after summering over in Germany (he lives there, well at least in the northern summer).
Not long after unpacking the bags he was heading down to the Riwaka riverside marina, close to Motueka, Tasman. As the photos show the area is seriously tidal and John’s visit was at low water.
While John commented that the photos were of the usual suspects, it always good to see what’s normally hidden.
In the photos we see Varlene getting some TLC, as an aside looking at the finish on Varlene’s rail and the tin – it looks like at last Cetol is an ok finish – used to be a horrendous orange/yellow colour, similar to what actor George Hamilton used to use as fake tan (photo below)
13-12-2022 UPDATE – ex John Burland – more photos below, and yes the tides still out 🙂
Carvel Planking – Caulking The Hull at Smithy’s Boat Shed
Have been a regular follower of Ian Smiths fb posting from the Sydney Wooden Boat School, where Ian is principal. The level of work going into the (new build) carvel-planked ranger class gaff-rigged woody he is building is amazing. The two most asked questions on WW are #1 Electro-chemical damage in wooden boats and #2 Advice on caulking a carvel planked hull. Well woodys todays WW story goes a long way to helping answer the #2 question. BUT remember as Ian says numerous times in the video “To do whatever the best shipwrights in your local area do”.
In the video Ian gives us a different look at traditional caulking from an Australian perspective and discusses the tools, materials and methods of traditionally caulking a hull with cotton and oakum. He shows how the Australian way of doing it follows the English tradition and differs from the way it’s done in the USA and Canada. The video is full of tips Ian can pass on after a long career in wooden boat building and boat building education. He also pays the seams (fills them with seam compound) using traditional linseed oil putty.
Enjoy the video and file the link away 😉
QUESTION OF THE DAY – ANY UPDATES ON THE CYA’S HERITAGE BASIN YACHT ONLY DEVELOPMENT? ANYONE BRAVE ENOUGH TO COMMENT? OR EMAIL IN CONFIDENCE TO THE ADDRESS BELOW waitematawoodys@gmail.com
You will have heard me in the past prattle on about the future growth of classic wooden boating being trailerable boats – something you can take home and tinker with. This growth is driven by two key factors – the cost of keeping a boat afloat (marina $) in any of our metropolitan cities and the maintenance of larger craft as the owners get older and less mobile.
Todays woody popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb and at the time the seller was looking for around $13k – try buying a classic car for those dollars.
Approx. 15’ in length and powered by a 25hp Evinrude.
Hopefully Seeke II sold and is now someones pride and joy 🙂
SEE YOU @ 10am SATURDAY @ THE WOODYS BOAT BOOT SALE @ THE SLIPWAY MILFORD – 5 Omana Road – Bring cash
Todays woody was built by L C Coulthard, Onehunga in 1931 for the New Plymouth Harbour Board. Not sure of her name, possibly still called – ‘Pilot’ 36’ in length, these days she resides in Houhora, at the top of the North Island.
Interested to learn more about her and what powers her these days, looks like she could get along with that hull.
Photo below as launched. The photos come to us from John Dawson ex Graeme Kearney fb.
INPUT ex Paul Nattrass –
“Launch Pilot ” was her surveyed name but even more simply “Pilot ^ call sign. Back in the early to mid 90s I was working for Sea-Tow Ltd barging coal into New Plymouth and said to the senior pilot that I would like to buy her he said that I would never get the opportunity, someone from the port would get her. however couple years later in a tender I made sure that I did just to prove him wrong. The late Graeme Wigg and I steamed her round the top to Houhora Had a 4 cylinder ford that I later changed to a 6. The Capital Gbox 2:1 bolted straight on. Has been a great predictable little work vessel that has taken on the new role of game boat with distinction that “Sucks up the fish”
A TEASE RE SOME OF SATURDAYS TREASURE SHOWING UP AT THE SLIPWAY MILFORD WOODY BOAT BOOT SALE – 10AM @ 5 OMANA ROAD MILFORD – CASH ONLY
If we believe her tme listing todays woody ws built in 1936 by Miller and Tunnage.
36’ in length she has a 60hp BMC diesel that gets her along at a top speed of 11.5 knots.
Home is Whangarei in the north and that woodys is all me know about her – can we put a name to her and expand on her past.
Heads up on Saturdays Woody Boat Boot Sale at The Slipway Milford yard – we have some serious collectors of marine ‘stuff’ dusting off their lockers so should be some treasure up for sale – remember CASH ONLY.
INPUT ex Paul Drake – The boat is TUATEA. Photos below of her on the Paremata Harbour in the 1980’s. I was told that she was Miller and Tunnage, about 1925. She was a Lyttelton boat, and went to Picton after I photographed her. Subsequently, while on her Ivy Bay (Paremata) mooring, she was struck by lightning and required extensive rebuilding. Whoever rebuilt her did a magnificent job. She re appeared at Seaview Marina, Wellington. Interesting that she is now in Whangarei. She appeals to me because she is a straight stemmer (nearly), has a full length sweeping belting, is low wooded, has port holes, and has a mast! What more could you want. Note that she is clearly not a double ender.
25-11-2022 INPUT ex Harold Kidd – TUATEA was designed and built by Jas. McPhersoin of Dunedin for Jack Hudson of Cadbury, Fry, Hudson chocolate manufacturers in late 1930.Hudson moved to Christchurch and took TUATEA with him, basing TUATEA at Lyttelton. There were various statements that she was built by Miller & Tunnage and even by J. Miller Ltd of Lyttelton, but not so. Original engine a 30hp Thornycroft. In NAPS as Z124 1942-4 skipper Magnus Smith.
The above photo comes to us ex Jon Morey via Maurice Sharp’s fb. The truck has ‘Roost – Mercer’ on the cab so I’m assuming its a Waikato boat, but could be very wrong.
She does look very familiar, I’m sure Nathan Herbert will be able to ID her.
INPUT ex John Bullivant – boat is ‘Lady Joyce’, built by Willy Oliver on his farm at Pukekawa and launched in the Waikato in the late 40s. Pic is apparently around 1949. Truck belonged to Ceaser Roose (Roose Ind Mercer) and was apparently one of two bought back from Pear Harbour. (info and photo from the Road Transport & Contracting archives Facebook page)
INPUT (+. photos below) ex Ken Ricketts – later renamed Lady Jane
WW T-SHIRTS – BEAT THE PRICE RISE
The price of the WW t-shirts has stayed the same for many years – sadly that is about to end – the buy price has been jumping up for the last 2 years. Sure I could source cheaper garments, but that is not what we are about – only source top line, 100% cotton.
So woodys I have the following existing stock – so be quick, first in first served limited sizes, refer below. Note: going forward will most likely only stock large and XL sizes
SMALL s/s – 2 only black
LARGE s/s – 4 only black + 9 only slate grey
XLlong sleeve – 5 only black – light weight, organic cotton
XL s/s – 3 only black
2XL s/s – 4 only black
3XL s/s – 3 only black
PRICE $34.95 (INCL GST) + $5 P&P
ORDERING: Because of the small numbers I’ll keep it simple – just drop me an email at waitematawoodys@gmail.com with your size/s and quantity and I’ll get back to you and confirm if there is still stock.
Today is part 3 of a 3 part insight into the craft built or altered by boatbuilder Neville Robinson.
The launch – Music was built from scratchy Neville and his daughter Marie commented that as a family they spent many hours in the boat shed building her. Unfortunately Music later caught fire and burnt to the waterline. Neville managed to get his hands on some of the burnt timber and made a scale model incorporating the timber into the finished piece, refer below photos.
Remember last weekend to clean out the shed of any woody stuff thats gathering dust and taking up space – see below.
Todays story features the launch – Coda and follows on from yesterdays story on the boats of Neville Robinson.
Neville’s daughter, Marie Breden, supplied all the photos and commented that Neville purchased Coda in Picton, and then under took a refit that included removing the wheelhouse and rebuilding her to give the boat his look and practicality.
Late August we ran a story on Neville Robinson Boats (link below) – his daughter Marie Breden came onto the WW site and …. Today thanks to Marie’s generosity we get to see a gallery of the boats that Neville whether built or altered (Marie’s words). The 6 she recalls are – I’ll let Marie tell the story:
“My first memory of Dad’s boat building was when he built a speedboat in our garage. He named it Cee Bee II and was very successful in his racing days.The first boat Dad built was “Marco Polo”, built in our backyard for some local fishermen. Next was Music, built from scratch, as a family we spent many hours in the boat shed building her. Unfortunately she caught fire and burnt to the waterline. Dad managed to get his hands on some of the burnt timber and made a scale model incorporating the timber into the finished piece. After Music, and I think I’ve got the order correct, was Harmony, Souza, Largo and finally Coda. Jim Carey, previously from Picton, built the hull for Harmony and it was sailed across and finished in Wellington by Dad, and possibly another but I can’t remember sorry. Coda was purchased in Picton, the wheelhouse was removed and rebuilt by Dad, giving it his look and practicality.“
Link to August story below – includes wonderful input from Paul Drake and Marie (as above)
