While using the WW search box yesterday for the SOS – SOUTHERN MAID story I typed in SOS and was amazed how many WW stories had SOS in the headline of text (selection above)
Ata glance not many of them were saved. The common denominator was lack of timing, in most cases WW was contacted with less than 24hrs notice of an appointment with a back-hoe.
The classic wooden launch – ASEREHT has only made one brief appearance WW, back in 2020 when I spotted her mooching around Rakino Island.
Back in January of this year she was for sale and thanks to her listing we get to see and learn more about her.
Built in 1989 by Geoff Bagnall she is 34’ and powered by 135hp D Series Ford that gives ASEREHT a comfortable cruising speed of 9.5knots.
As with anything that came out of Geoff Bagnall’s Milford shed she very well built and appointed with all the systems needed for safe , comfortable cruising.
FRIDAY FLASH BACK – CLASSIC WOODY BOATING CLUB LIFE
Todays woody story comes to us from the Shelly Park Cruising Club (East Auckland) via woody owner James Dreyer (MV LAUGHING LADY) . James sent in the above video that was pulled together by one of the club members from the clubs archives and with the help of AI (image retouching and historical data input) we get to have a flash back to how the boating club scene snowballed in the 1970’s > early 1980’s.
After the first minute we get to see some amazing craft, a lot of which are still very active in the classic wooden boating movement today.
The film is less than 5 minutes so make yourself a cup of your poison and sit back and enjoy the film.
CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH
Earlier in the week WW was contacted by Jason Waterson re his recently acquired launch. Her current name is 5 O’CLOCK SOME WHERE, but in a previous life was named ELSIE MAY II.
Jason is hoping to confirm her design / builder, current think is Allen Williams and learn more about her past. When Jason bought her she was on Lake Taupo and previously was in Napier. Forward motion is via a Fordson 40hp diesel engine.
Can we help Jason out.
Now if she was mine I’d we buying a small tin of a pant and returning the coamings (window surrounds) to a semi wood look, or similar – as per the photo of EILEEN PATRICIA below.
I took the above photo of the classic launch AWATERE back in 2013 as she was mooching around Waiheke Island. Awatere was designed by Arcus / Greenwood and built in1980.
Sorry for a ‘lite’ story today but the wheels fell off my trolly yesterday and there just were not enough hours in the day to craft a longer post. Also today the owner hits a significant birth date and on Saturday I’ll be on Waiheke helping him celebrate – so another excuse for todays story. And yes he still owns AWATERE.
Back in March 2013 we ran a brief story on the classic day boat – MAGGIE, at the time we learnt that MAGGIE was designed and built by Roy Parris in 1982 as a small work boat. Originally she had a large hatch in the foredeck and a doghouse aft-end.
After an early life transporting supplies to & from Kawau Island she was refurbished in 2004 as a small clinker built day boat, being 18ft 6″ overall.
Her stem and keels are heart totara with a hull built of rewa rewa ribs and kauri planks. A Sole diesel engine gives her a comfortable cruising speed of 7 knots at 2100 rpm.
Back in 2013 she was berthed in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour Basin. MAGGIE attended several woody cruises to the Riverhead Tavern.
A change of ownership saw her relocating to Lake Rotoiti in the central north island, where her owners participated regularly in the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parades for the last 12 years.
A change in personal circumstances saw MAGGIE appearing on tme where she has sat for the last two years – probably a result of the asking price.
Putting the price to one side MAGGIE is a stunning vessel and desires a new owner – hell if I lived near a lake, I’d buy her. Sitting on a top end trailer, you can say goodby to the marina robber barons.
CLASSIC LIDGARD KETCH – TE TAINUI – Flash Back Friday
Chatting with the team at CMC Design earlier in the week the subject of hero projects came up, and quickly turned to the 2017/18 restoration of the TE TAINUI.
The team a CMC Design completed all the white oak cabinetry including full galley refit, trims and latches, saloon table, console instrument panels and other interior elements.
Sian from CMC pointed me to the ketches fb page. Below I have uplifted some of the history behind TE TAINUI.
It is believed in ‘recent‘ times TE TAINUI went over to over to Australia, can anyone update us on whereabouts.
A Brief History –
The wooden 51 foot Lidgard designed ketch for Frank Harding (Chief Engineer Auckland Gas Co) was to be called Te Tainui, for the express purpose of a round the world cruise that Frank and his wife and another couple planned to undertake. NB there is some question on which Lidguard designed the boat, after CMC Design requested information direct from John and also Garry (Jim’s son, John’s cousin) Lidgard, both have confirmed unlikely that either (John, Jim or Roy) were involved. The mystery continues!
Commissioned in 1970, with building commencing in 1971 by boat builder George McLean in his backyard in Auckland over the span of a decade.
In the time it took to complete the vessel the Auckland suburbs had seen a boom and houses had been built so densely around him, the boat needed to be craned out to free it from its urban shackles, which was sure to have been an impressive sight.
The Te Tainui used some of the last four lots of heart kauri felled in the Coromandel. With two lots being used to build boats at Salthouse, the remaining two were used for Lidguard boats. The lengths of the timber were sought after to make grand boats such as these, where the length of the planks were a key part of the build.
Frank Harding specified a ‘range of dual systems’ throughout due to the nature of purpose.
Te Tainui duly set sail on the planned cruise but only days into it returned (suggested incompatibility amongst the crew) to anchor off Herald Island and remained there ‘untouched’ until Don Brooke and Max Hall bought it some time in 1976-77. Their first task was to dump trailer loads of tinned provisions (for the world cruise) left since Te Tainui returned to the mooring many months earlier.
1978 Don Brooke sold his half share of Te Tainui to Michael Meredith (Max and Michael were good friends and neighbours). An ongoing programme of upgrading and modernising commenced, including;
* installing wet exhaust-original dry exhaust up the mizzen mast
* fitted steel framed fwd windows main cabin
* fitted morse controls to enable gearbox and throttle operation from dual stations
* modified the sheer line to make it true
* redesigned/rebuilt the aft cabin (by Salthouse)
* re wired the electrics
* fitted autopilot and fish finder
* fitted self furling headsail equipment
* rebuilt layout/lockers aft deck and steering control pedestal
* built teak seating aft and installed new davits
* a redesign of main cabin and table to accommodate 10
Te Tainui was the official Squadron committee/mark boat for the International Citizen on class series-Stewart 34’s. It was held annually and attracted many notable international and leading NZ skippers. In one regatta Russell Coutts’s boat collided front on with the stem of Te Tainui (anchored) and sprung a number of planks! A major refastening job at Salthouse’s. Apart from regular cruising and diving trips throughout the Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Islands, Great Barrier and the Merc’s, Michael used it extensively for client (both local and international) day trips. Due to an impending move to Sydney Max Hall assumed full ownership of Te Tainui in 1994.
In late in 1999 to two American couples Todd and Louise Nelson and Mark and Sandra Eads purchased it from Max as a joint venture in Nelson, New Zealand for a substantial sum of $215,000NZD. After four or five years of sailing they reached as far as Singapore. One couple went back to the USA and the boat was again sold.
William Anderson picked up his new boat Te Tainui in Singapore and sailed it back virtually single-handedly to New Zealand via Australia with his wife. The trip was made more comfortable by the recent inclusion of air conditioning throughout the boat, a welcome addition to satisfy the American owners no doubt and appreciated in light of the large 360 degree windows in the main saloon.
William (Bill) a Naval Architect, lived on the boat for a time at Mission Bay, Auckland
In 2007 he sold the boat on to Rosie and Doug Horman, hailing from Cornwall and Melbourne respectively, who had sailed over from England for a new life in New Zealand. They needed a bigger boat and the Te Tainui was the grand dame they were looking for. Brought up to The Bay Of Islands, the boat was kept on a swing mooring now where the new marina docks stand at Opua. Their love for the boat was apparent with it being used every weekend for local trips to Whangamumu, down to Great Barrier Island and beyond. The quiet engine and panoramic views from the saloon were some of the great features of the boat. They entertained guests regularly and often slept up top enjoying the breeze and the views.
The plan was to take the boat back to England to repeat a circumnavigation of the country. Alas, it wasn’t to be, Dough was tragically taken ill and the boat passed into new hand once more.
Luke and Lisa Aaron of Melbourne Australia, purchased the boat in 2017. Again the boat had cast a spell on its owners and a loving restoration projects began in Opua, Bay of Islands in mid 2017. They had great vision to create a clean modern look while keeping true to the beautiful features of the boat. Local craftspeople and boat builders spent 18 months bringing every aspect of the boat up to the highest standard, with modern additions including state of the art electric blinds. A fresh feel throughout was accented by beautiful bespoke white oak joinery and soft neutral furnishings. The couple intended to keep the boat in the Bay Of Islands to enjoy with their family with trips over from Melbourne while on breaks from their construction business.
Historical info complied from files from the Te Tainui, and info supplied by previous owners Michael Meredith and Rosie Horman.
I had a good reason last week to head north and so took the chance to mooch around the woodys berthed or hauled out in the upper reaches of the Mahurangi / Warkworth River.
The excuse for the trip was to delivery a model of the coastal cruiser VANESSA to the vessel before she heads south to her new Wellinton owner.
VANESSA was out for a serious service before the delivery crew headed away down south.
Sad to see such a salty looking woody leaving our area but we tend to win more than we lose eg more coming north ✔️
In varying stages of repair were – NEPTUNE, LADY JANE AND WAIONE. The yard was very busy but I started to itch as I got close to most of the other craft hauled out.
I also popped down to the river and spotted – RIPPLE,JANE GIFFORD, ANAM CARA (L33), and NOW .
The classic wooden launch MAHANA has appeared before on WW but woody John Dawson sent in this gallery of photos, to give us a better look down below.
She was built in c.1975 by Atkinson and with the date falls into the ‘Spirit of Tradition’ category. A lot bigger than she looks in the photos -– 46’ LOA and not sluggish with a 315hp Yanmar providing the forward motion.
EASTER ON THE WATER – Classic Wooden Boat Cruising
Just back from three days on RD , Friday was one out of the box, simply stunning. Saturday was another goody and Sunday a tad overcast but still warm. Very happy with the number of classic woodys at Rakino Island over the weekend. I managed to catch up with a lot of the skippers, general consensus was ‘grabbing a few days afloat before winter kicks in’.
The white bridge-decker above was a mystery to me, short 4 letter name – Nathan what say you?
On Saturday I caught up with Bill Brown whose family (Corrine & James Brown) owned my launch in the late 1960’s. Back then she was named LADY GAY. Bill works off shore but keeps a very smart woody yacht (SusanJane) at Westhaven for when back in NZ.
We meet a few years ago via a mutual friend and the WW site, the penny dropped re the boat link and Bill sent me a great album of b/w photos from back in the late 1960’s.
I spend a lot of time matching other people and boats from the past so it was extra special to have an ‘own goal’.
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 15+ million views 